The vOIce

3 Signs You're at Risk for a Layoff

admin — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:57:13 GMT

by Steve Harvey, OI Partners - The McGuire Group

In our career transition, outplacement business, people often tell us they felt blindsided by a layoff.

How can you avoid being surprised by a layoff notice?

The following three things can help tip you off that something may be coming down the road:

1. Diminished workload – few new assignments coming in

2. Less communication and contact from your boss than in prior weeks and months

3. Financial performance by your company or division that fell below expectations

Every employee should maintain their network even while employed to be prepared for these ‘beyond-your-control’ circumstances. If a layoff does happen to you, remember that outplacement support is something you should consider in order to help you move past the loss and help catapult your career to the next step.

Next week, we look at reasons why a layoff can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.

In the meantime, let us know your experience. Do you have other tips that indicate a layoff is imminent?

If you need career transition services--whether you are an Organization or an Individual--please contact OI Partners today!

How to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:37:02 GMT

by Patrick Lynch

The recommendation section on the LinkedIn profile is one of the best marketing tools available for professionals looking to build trust, credibility and interest.

Why should you ask for a recommendation?

A LinkedIn recommendation – especially a quality one from a past manager from a recognized industry expert – provides a reader/recruiter with immediate feedback regarding the skills and achievements you have outlined in your profile. Recommendations are important because they are the only part of your profile that you do not write yourself. Getting recommendations also helps you increase your LinkedIn presence because your recommendation will also show up on the profile of the person who recommended you.

How do I get recommendations?

Many people feel uncomfortable asking for recommendations. One way to get past this is to first write a recommendation for someone else. This is a much easier approach and LinkedIn provides an easy way for the other person to return the favor and write a recommendation for you.

Do not look at asking for a recommendation as being bothersome to the other person. Approach someone in a genuine way – much like you would do in a networking situation – and ask them for help and give them a reason why (job search, completing my profile, starting a business, etc.) You will find that people are open and very willing to help. You just need to ask.

What are the mechanics of asking for a recommendation?

The most efficient way to ask for a recommendation is from the Request Recommendations selection that you can find under the Profile tab on your LinkedIn home page.

There will then be three selection tabs from which to choose. Choose the Request Recommendations tab.

LinkedIn will take you through a three-step process:

1. Choose what you want to be recommended for – you can select from the various positions and companies that you have worked for (as shown in your LinkedIn profile)

2. Decide who you’ll ask – there will be a text box where you can type in who you want to ask (remember that they need to be a first-degree LinkedIn connection). While you can select up to 200 people, it is strongly recommended that you keep your recommendation requests to a select few who know you best. Quality beats quantity.

3. Create your message – LinkedIn provides an automated message that you can use to reach out to your connections. We recommend that you always develop a personalized note.

Sometimes it helps if you create a template for someone to use in writing a recommendation for you. This will help them get the recommendation done quickly and with not a lot of effort. Here is a sample template (source: LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day by Viveka von Rosen):

=======================================

Contact Template: Requesting a Recommendation

Subject: Can you endorse me for the (fill in blank) that I did at (fill in blank)

Hello (name):

I hope things are going well at your company. (Add another more personal note about how they are doing, family, friends, etc.)

I was hoping that you would take a few minutes to write a recommendation of me for LinkedIn. Please feel free to write whatever you like. If it helps, I have added a few talking points below:

− (Offer a few points about your knowledge of your industry)

− (Share a bit about your experience in your industry)

− (Give a point or two on your ability to generate business)

− (Discuss briefly about your customer/product expertise)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call. Thanks so much for your time.

Name

Title/Company

=======================================

Summary

Requesting recommendations on LinkedIn is fairly easy to do and can greatly enhance your LinkedIn profile by providing interested recruiters with strong referrals regarding the value that you can bring to an organization.

What has worked for you in asking for LinkedIn recommendations? What would you add to this list?

Patrick Lynch is Managing Partner of OI Partners Atlanta and President of The Frontier Group. He has served in senior marketing and sales positions with leading consumer product companies such as Georgia Pacific, Kao Brands, Kraft/General Foods and The HON Company. He also serves on the board of directors of Special Pops, a non-profit organization that offers an adaptive tennis program specifically designed to share the lifetime sport of tennis with children and adults with intellectual disabilities. He lives in Roswell, GA.

For career and leadership consulting, contact OI Partners today!

3 Signs You're an Ineffective Leader

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:06:55 GMT

By Mary Ann Gontin

You have the title, you have solid experience in your field, and you know that senior management is expecting you to get results. However, you have this nagging feeling that your team is not taking you seriously. Here are some signs that you are an ineffective leader:

1. You request information but no one responds in a timely manner

2. You call a meeting but soon lose control of the direction

3. You tell people what to do but what they produce is not what you asked

In my coaching and talent development work, the above three complaints are very common with those who are new to leadership roles. Here are ways to correct them:

1. Effective leaders set clear deadlines. Too many people say “get this to me ASAP.” What does that mean? For an employee who is in the middle of several other things, ASAP can mean a week from now. Tell someone when you need it and why you need it by that deadline. But be sure it’s a “true deadline.” Nothing will annoy people more – and have them lose trust in you – if you create a false deadline. Staff members don’t want to work through lunch and cancel evening plans to get something done for you and then find out you took the next day off to play golf. They won’t believe your next critical deadline demand.

2. Effective leaders prepare and distribute an agenda for every meeting. If you are expecting to make decisions in that meeting, let people know so they can prepare and be ready to discuss. Ask someone in the meeting to be the timekeeper and empower them to signal the group with a 2-minute warning as the time allotted for a topic is ending – no matter who is speaking. If you find the agenda was too ambitious for the time allowed, still end the meeting on time and schedule when you will convene part two. Be respectful of your team’s time. Yes, they work for you but they may have other commitments that you are expecting them to keep.

3. Effective leaders don’t just speak, they listen. Communicating expectations needs to be a two-way street. When telling people what you need them to do, allow time for them to state it back to you, ask questions to clarify, and encourage them to check with you along the way. If you show impatience and annoyance when a staff member asks a question, then you risk not getting what you need. If someone consistently misses the mark, it’s time for you to seriously review both their capabilities and your expectations.

An effective leader continues to work on communication skills and looks for opportunities to develop the communication skills of their team.

Please share your observations of ineffective leaders and your suggestions on how someone can improve leadership skills!

Mary Ann Gontin is Managing Partner of OI Partners – Cunis & Gontin, Inc. in Connecticut. Her firm has been providing human resources consulting services since 1974. Mary Ann has become recognized by clients for her ability to identify organizational and individual performance issues and propose creative and practical solutions. She can be reached at mgontin@oipartners.net or 800-473-4507.

Need help improving leadership development skills? Contact OI Partners today!

13 Things that Can Damage Your Career

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:49:13 GMT

With hiring on hold for now and employers increasingly wary of whether another economic slowdown is in store, employees should be extra cautious to avoid committing anything that may damage your career.

For the past few years, a spurt in hiring and business at the beginning of the year has been followed by a slowdown and cutbacks.

“Employees should be cautious of committing any 'career killers' in this uncertain business climate. The list of items that could potentially harm one's career has been steadily expanding along with technological innovations in our inter-connected world," said Patty Prosser, chair of OI Partners, a leading outplacement and executive coaching firm. "While some of these mistakes may not totally wreck your career, they certainly can derail your employment at your current job."

OI Partners has compiled a list of career killers for employees to avoid:

1. Clock watching. This includes stopping work before your proper quitting time and intentionally working at a slow pace to avoid more work. “This behavior sends a message that you feel you are on your own time after work and you don't want to be bothered by telephone calls or emails after quitting time. It is increasingly risky to do this and not become branded a ‘9 to 5 employee’ who can’t or won’t handle responsibility well,” said Prosser.

2. Sitting on your hands. Employees who do this fail to report problems they are aware of or suggest solutions to them.

3. Disclosing confidential information. This conduct comprises offering privileged information to a potential employer during an interview, posting it to social media and with friends or co-workers. This behavior may in fact be illegal and carry civil or monetary penalties.

4. Using social media to bad-mouth employers. “There is a growing list of employees who have been terminated for posting negative comments about their companies, bosses or co-workers. Some job-seekers have also been posting negative comments about organizations they have interviewed with and recruiters who have called them,” said Prosser.

5. Inappropriate social media presence. “Another issue related to social media is the posting of pictures showing unprofessional behavior. Employees have been fired over such things as posting photos of them drinking alcohol or suggestive pictures from different events they attend. As a general rule of thumb, your reputation is always at stake,” added Prosser.

6. Using employer’s email or cell phone to search for another job. Many employers monitor employees’ email for appropriateness and also to learn whether they are looking for other jobs. Records of calls made on an employer’s cell phone are their property and subject to review.

7. Stealing time. Surfing the Internet on personal business while at work, texting or social media posting instead of doing your job and working on your own business or someone else's on company time, particularly when telecommuting, can all be viewed as stealing time and could give rise to a termination for cause.

8. Inaccurate or incomplete reports. This includes failure to do a thorough job, requiring your boss to invest time to correct or complete it or ask another staff member to redo your work.

9. Treating a job like a job. “Employees need to treat their jobs as if they are their own family business. People who treat a job as just a job are unwilling to put in any extra time or effort that they feel they are not being paid for,” said Prosser.

10. Negative attitude. Projecting a negative attitude can permeate an organization, lower morale and adversely impact the bottom line.

11. Disagreeing with the boss in public or going over your boss' head. Disagree with your boss in private but support him or her publicly. Work out any issues with your supervisor and turn to outside help only in rare cases.

12. Inflating your resume. Some executives have run into trouble because they misstated their educational backgrounds or invented degrees. In addition, don’t claim to have had a bigger role with a past employer than in reality.

13. Discussing salaries. Many employers consider their employees’ salaries to be confidential information and deem such discussions to be a sign of job dissatisfaction, jealousy or envy.

What would you add to this list?

Need help boosting your career? Contact OI Partners today.

How to Add Value for Tomorrow's Success

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:41:55 GMT

by David Miles, OI Partners - The MilesLeHane Companies

If you are over 25, you probably learned about career management from your friends or family. Find a good company, work hard, put in an honest day’s work, and your career will grow and evolve over your lifetime. You may change employers a couple of times during your 40+ years, but good people can always find a good-paying position.

Then the world changed, and the game changed, but nobody created a new “instruction book” for the millions who found themselves out of work and with little-to-no prospect of finding similar new employment.

That is where The Four Pillars of Employable Talent and Building Block Essentials come in. These two new books give insights into both halves of the employment equation: 1=What employers are looking for and 2=how you should present yourself to them.

The first half of managing your career today is to understand the new landscape of employment and what companies are looking for. That is a new way of defining talent and what attributes organizations are seeking. It is looking at and competing in an environment where the new norm is more people than positions. All of these are covered in Four Pillars. The goal of the book is to equip job seekers with the understanding of the competition and the key attributes that employers are seeking. Employers know that they are hiring today for tomorrow’s business needs which are not yet defined. But they need a knowledgeable and flexible workforce to adapt and thrive.

Do you own the Four Pillars of 1=Balance, 2=Resilience, 3=Career Strategic Plan, and have a 4= Active Financial Plan to navigate the future? Those that do will be able to thrive in this new environment.

Building Block Essentials provides the 12 steps you must go through before you start the search for your next opportunity. Those who are best prepared will demonstrate to potential employers that they understand the Four Pillars and are prepared to add value to an organization that must successfully navigate an uncertain and unpredictable future. One must demonstrate they are truly versatile, willing and able to make an immediate and long-term contribution.

As we re-learn how to manage our lifetime career goals and objectives, are we treating unplanned career transition and outplacement support as an event? Are we developing a new life skill of coping with an ever-changing environment of current and future employment? If we treat it as just a short-term event, we will continuously find ourselves left behind.

It is important to focus on the new life skill of your personal Career and Employment Management to remain a sought-after talent contributor. You and your career counselor can accomplish this goal only if you are willing to rethink and reframe what you learned earlier and understand the new paradigm of today’s career management.

Print versions available at www.employabletalent.com and e-versions on www.amazon.com by Dr. David Miles.

Want to know how you can add value today for tomorrow's success? Contact OI Partners!