Wes Bucey
Prophet of Profit
soon it will be 2012 - what are your plans?
This thread is still pertinent - FIVE YEARS after it was begun!
If you are interviewing. take special note of this recent thread
Sucker Punch ("thanks for the free consulting, but no job for you!")
As always, I recommend the following for EVERYONE to review - these are perilous times - you never know when you may find yourself or a loved one in need of the advice they contain
Candidates:
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
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
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:
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 importat to you (how important based on which box you check!)
This thread is still pertinent - FIVE YEARS after it was begun!
If you are interviewing. take special note of this recent thread
Sucker Punch ("thanks for the free consulting, but no job for you!")
As always, I recommend the following for EVERYONE to review - these are perilous times - you never know when you may find yourself or a loved one in need of the advice they contain
Candidates:
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
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
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:
- jobs,
- relocation
- education
- interpersonal relationships (friendship, dating, marriage, divorce, etc.)
- any other activity
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 importat to you (how important based on which box you check!)
- makes observations
- identifies data
- analyzes data
- makes/interprets data tables
- makes/interprets graphs
- identifies/controls a variable
- makes a prediction/hypothesis
- designs an investigation
- creates/uses models
- makes evidence based decisions
- revises predictions or explanations based on evidence
- reads for information
- communicates orally
- communicates in writing
- describes observations
- writes explanations
- makes presentations
- uses diagrams or sketches
- formulates operational definitions
- listens to others
- works collaboratively
- keeps a science journal
- categorizes/sorts information
- sequences information
- summarizes information
- differentiates observations/inferences
- differentiates evidence/opinion
- draws/analyzes concept maps
- creates/uses other graphic organizers
- uses tools correctly
- uses appropriate tools to measure
- calculates mean, median, mode
- determine a scale
- uses graphs appropriately
- follows procedures