How to move from a small company to a large company

[tongxiaozhi]

Split from: http://Elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=19619

Currently I work as a quality manager in a small German company in China, my next goal is to work as quality manager is big company, could kindly you give me some suggestion on how should I do and what I should learn to achieve my goal? And when do you think is the right time to hunt for a new job? (I have been in this company for 2 years)

I' m looking forward to your reply.

Regards

 

[Wes Bucey]

These are two great questions that many folks should keep at the front of their thinking.

Moving from small to large company
The most important thing to keep in mind is determining the VALUE you can deliver to the new company - they are not going to hire you to satisfy your need; they want/need to satisfy theirs. In years past, I've discussed the idea of a Self Assessment Matrix (SAM) but rarely got too specific about making one. Here's an excerpt from a recent presentation from a seminar series I made on the topic of job hunting:

One of the job search tools we have discussed recently is a Skills Assessment Matrix (SAM) - essentially a spread sheet where a candidate lists his skills and experience and assigns values to each item, thus focusing on his strong points to offer to an employer and determining weak points which may need more study or a good explanation of how the candidate can upgrade through education or opportunity.

Matching the items in a SAM with requirements and attributes of prospective employment targets helps a candidate narrow his search.

One of the advantages of a Skills Assessment Matrix (SAM) is that it helps a person make value judgments about which aspects are more important than others.

I've discussed SAMs only tangentially in the past, but it may be a good idea to explore this tool in depth, especially as to how a well-executed SAM can help focus one's efforts in any contemplated activity:

1. jobs,
2. relocation
3. education
4. interpersonal relationships (friendship, dating, marriage, divorce, etc.)
5. any other activity

The key to a useful SAM is almost brutal honesty in assigning a value to each of the characteristics and attributes which comprise the SAM. The SAMs which seem to fail in helping are those where the person constructing the SAM was overly generous or stingy in assigning a value to a specific item.

In the end, it is not MY judgment which should direct your life: it should be yours, once you have weighed all the variables.

Once you have a grid for yourself, you need to create another grid of the features, perquisites, pay, working conditions, etc. of the ideal organization you'd like to work for. Here (in the grid), it's OK to shoot for the sky because it's your "want" list, not your "settle for" list.

Next, you need to create a list of prospect organizations and research them to see which have close fits to your want list. Fill in a grid with the prospects in rows of column one, with the various points of your want list in columns 2 through "n" and fill in the cells with the point factor your research discloses.

Select the best prospects (according to your matches against your want list) and then compare your skill list against what those organizations need or want. I envision a grid with the organizations in rows in column 1 with each of your best through medium level skills in columns 2 through n. Your research should be able to give you a value level to put in each cell according to how valuable or necessary that skill may be to the organization.

Combining the data from the skills should give you a short list of targets to approach, using the pointers in Tips to get past the "gatekeeper" when job hunting.

It's immaterial whether each target is seeking employees (but your research would have disclosed that fact) because your approach should be to avoid getting caught in the same net with hundreds of other candidates. You want to stand out as a unique individual who can and will deliver value to the organization. Accordingly, each approach you make will be unique and tailored specifically for that organization.

Make no mistake. This is not an easy, casual task anyone can complete in a couple of hours. Consider, though, that a good process will result in a good job which will give you satisfaction and reward you according to your merit. With that in mind, it seems worth it to spend days and even weeks compiling the grid(s) before making the first approach to a target.

A sample grid would have 5 columns
Column 1 would be a list of characteristics or attributes ANY person looking for a management job might possess
Columns 2 through 5 would be values from 1 to 4 with 1 being a low value and 4 being a high value
The analysis consists of going down the list and checking the appropriate box for the value you have for each characteristic.
The following is a list of attributes/characteristics for a marketing manager in a mid- to large-organization - add other items regarding relocation, travel, commission versus salary, commute distance/time, benefits, etc. which are important to you (how important based on which box you check!)

1. makes observations
2. identifies data
3. analyzes data
4. makes/interprets data tables
5. makes/interprets graphs
6. identifies/controls a variable
7. makes a prediction/hypothesis
8. designs an investigation
9. creates/uses models
10. makes evidence based decisions
11. revises predictions or explanations based on evidence
12. reads for information
13. communicates orally
14. communicates in writing
15. describes observations
16. writes explanations
17. makes presentations
18. uses diagrams or sketches
19. formulates operational definitions
20. listens to others
21. works collaboratively
22. keeps a science journal
23. categorizes/sorts information
24. sequences information
25. summarizes information
26. differentiates observations/inferences
27. differentiates evidence/opinion
28. draws/analyzes concept maps
29. creates/uses other graphic organizers
30. uses tools correctly
31. uses appropriate tools to measure
32. calculates mean, median, mode
33. determine a scale
34. uses graphs appropriately
35. follows procedures

After making a personal grid, you can research some organizations (regardless if they have openings for a position you want) to see which of those characteristics are/may be important to them, make a reverse grid for those corporations (a new matrix, same column 1, but place corporations in the other columns, enter a number value (if possible) instead of a check mark and refine your personal list. Armed with your own self assessment AND what organizations consider important characteristics you can target a pitch directly to the organization. ​

When is the right time to hunt for a new job?
There are a lot of triggers that might motivate a person to seek a new job. The most frequent, but not the only ones:

1. poor pay
2. bad working conditions (includes bad bosses or coworkers)
3. little or no opportunity for advancement
4. company or industry is declining
5. moving to accompany a spouse's transfer/job change

Moving merely for the sake of moving is rarely a good motive.

If a worker determines his motive for changing jobs is worthwhile for the worker, THEN reading through any or all of the following threads will give that person a good start on initiating the job hunt (armed with the SAM describer above.) You've already read through the first one on the list, since we had your post moved from there to here because it deserved a thread of its own.
Thinking about a New Job for New Year?

Resume and cover letter - How good are yours?

The Job Hunt - Care and feeding of references

Tips to get past the "gatekeeper" when job hunting

Consulting – Is it in YOUR Career Future?

Contracting/Temping - Viable Alternates in Tough Times

 

[Stijloor]

<snip>Here's an excerpt from a recent presentation from a seminar series I made on the topic of job hunting:

When and where did this seminar series take place? You may want to announce these on The Cove so that job seekers can attend. I am sure Marc would not mind.

 

[Wes Bucey]

When and where did this seminar series take place? You may want to announce these on The Cove so that job seekers can attend. I am sure Marc would not mind.

Private contract for an outplacement firm working to accommodate folks from a firm being downsized - no outsiders invited. Almost all of my paid presentations are limited to "insiders." I only do Storytelling for public consumption and rarely am I the only one on the list of performers. Frankly, the pay for ANY storyteller (except a Garrison Keillor or Bill Cosby) is far below what the average business presentation pays. My last Storytelling gig was a freebie for a fundraiser for Heifer International, plus my wife and I donated a sizable sum because it's one of our favorite charities.

 

[BethP]

One of the job search tools we have discussed recently is a Skills Assessment Matrix (SAM) - essentially a spread sheet where a candidate lists his skills and experience and assigns values to each item, thus focusing on his strong points to offer to an employer and determining weak points which may need more study or a good explanation of how the candidate can upgrade through education or opportunity.

The SAM sounds like QFD for a career seeker. Out of curiosity, have you applied this technique to yourself? What was the result?

 

[Wes Bucey]

The SAM sounds like QFD for a career seeker. Out of curiosity, have you applied this technique to yourself? What was the result?

QFD = Quality Function Deployment
In fact, I did use something like a SAM, long before I ever heard or read the term "Skills Assessment Matrix" more than 50 years ago when I was deciding which college scholarship offer to accept when I was 17. In the intervening years, I've often used such a process, not only in career, but in many other aspects of my life. For most people, using a "value grid" (whether mapping it out on paper or merely in one's mind) is how they make decisions. Few successful people "shoot from the hip" or follow a whim, whereas many folks who don't use such a process find themselves muttering, "I wish I had [done/bought/sold/etc.] . . ." or the banal "woulda, coulda, shoulda."

We often counsel the use of FMEA (Failure Mode & Evaluation Analysis) which is really only another system of laying out choices using a value system (frequency or severity) to make decisions.

 

[tongxiaozhi]

Wes Bucey:
Thank you very much for you detailed analysis and explanation. This forum is such a previous place go seek information and advice I want.

 

[Ajit Basrur]

Split from: http://Elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=19619

Currently I work as a quality manager in a small German company in China, my next goal is to work as quality manager is big company, could kindly you give me some suggestion on how should I do and what I should learn to achieve my goal? And when do you think is the right time to hunt for a new job? (I have been in this company for 2 years)

I' m looking forward to your reply.

Regards

Ni Hao,

Small and big are all relative terms ... at the end of the day, what matters is a contended job that is enriching and rewarding.

Build your experience, develop a strong command over English and bet you, you will be very much in demand in China