Round Two, Done

I took a couple of phone interviews for round two of the consulting job yesterday. I think I passed but you never really know. The first guy would be my boss's boss. He's in CA and I'd call him the guy who distributes the vision and is responsible for building the business of this services arm of a very large corporation. He was an interesting interview, going kind of Microsoft on me a couple of times. For example, without the use of your computer, how would you estimate the number of gas stations in the US? I came up with a couple of different approaches which were basically valid. He said his answer was to count the number of stations in his town of 10,000 and then use that to multiply up to the number for the population of the US. He was more interested in the the thought process than the answer. He also asked a couple of behavioral interview questions as in, tell me about a time you successfully dealt with a difficult business partner. Tell me about an unsuccessful time. Having used this method a bunch in my interviewing, I don't find it hard to come up with examples.

The second guy was the first guy's guy. By that I mean, they've worked at a number of places together. He was fairly easy to talk with and I think we established a good rapport. I got him to describe a consulting horror story - he's based in CA and ended up on an assignment in NYC for 6 months. He was given internal people to work with who weren't performing very well and vendors to the project that didn't see him as useful. He described a process where he began to micro manage the employees (no other choice, really) and began reporting to the project sponsor the shortcomings of the vendors. I guess by the end, he had gained the trust of the sponsor and now has a very good referenceable account.

So, a couple days off for Thanksgiving. I do have a phone interview this morning with an insurance company up the road in ME. I don't think I can make the $$ work out while commuting to the office (tolls, miles, time). But you don't get to hear about the job until you tell them you willing to work for the $$ they put on the table, so I told them I was interested and now I've got an interview.

I give thanks for those of you who support me. I give thanks to my family and friends. I give thanks for my good health and generally good spirits even in these trying times. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I'm From Harvard

Yesterday I had a chance to attend a leadership class at Harvard Business School. My son is in the MBA program there and students are encouraged to invite guests. I attended a Leadership course. First, the setting. HBS is on the banks of the Charles, across the river from Cambridge. The buildings are all beautiful and the inside of the classroom was a semi-circle with several rising rows of tables. There are about 90 students in each section and the sections take classes at the same time. And there are 10 sections per year, so HBS graduates around 900 MBA's per year. The classroom was all done in tasteful dark wood with many nice features, such as the ability for each seat to vote, a self-focusing overhead projector, built in video projector, hooked up to the teacher's PC (we used that to see a film from the schools web site). It's very nice and I guess for $90k/year it should be (includes estimates for room and board along with the $44K tuition).

At the beginning of class, guests are introduced and they are given a standing ovation. I must say, as the only guest that day, it was a bit overwhelming to have 90 of our country's best and brightest clapping for me. I haven't had an ovation directed at me since drama club in high school.

The class was doing a case study on Xerox and Anne Mulcahy. All classes are case studies, whether it's leadership or finance or operations. In the late 1990's, early 2000's, Xerox was going under. They had massive debt and their stock price had cratered. There was an ongoing investigation by the SEC on how their income had been stated in Mexico and the investigation was spreading to the US. Mulcahy was an unlikely choice for CEO, having had no financial background. Nevertheless, she was appointed in 2001 and proceeded to engineer a turnaround.

The professor (first year teaching at Harvard, background with McKinsey group) lead the class in discussion, trying to elicit different points of view. Since class participation is 50% of the grade in Leadership, almost everyone had their hand up at every opportunity throughout the hour and 1/2 that the class lasted. It was interesting to listen to (guests are not allowed to participate). Since Leadership is kind of a touchy-feely course, there wasn't really any right or wrong facts, just people's opinion. Because I had researched the situation before class (I did not get to read the case), I felt like the class did a pretty good job of covering the points. I did notice a couple of areas where some of the class members were weak (i.e. in their knowledge of how Chapter 11 bankruptcy works - I have some knowledge because I went through it with a former employer), and I think they missed a few key points, but they are quite smart. Many of them have some business experience, but none of them appeared to be over 30. Lots of women, lots of foreign students (Europe, Asia, India). It felt good to be in a classroom again - it's been a long time. Of course, there was no pressure on me to learn or pay attention because I wasn't being graded.

After class, I went to lunch in Harvard Square with my son while we discussed the class and other topics. We finished with a cup of "Clover" coffee from Starbucks and I was on my way back home to return to the job hunt. It was a nice diversion.

On the road?

I've been keeping myself occupied with a combination of work around the home and some job related activities. The work around the home is more physically demanding than hitting the computer and phones to reach out to opportunities. I think sometimes I use the physical work as an excuse not to make that uncomfortable marketing (networking) call I know I should make. It's still hard for me to contact people to tell them about my situation and to ask them for help or advice. I'd better get over this soon as the market is looking more and more barren.

A few recent things:

• A couple of reach outs to people I used to work with on behalf of folks I've met at my outplacement group. One of them finally returned my call.
• Research on the education requirements for the PMP exam.
• A few on-line applications.
• A conversation about a job for which I wasn't really qualified. And I'm not sad about that since the job was in Springfield MA and I haven't considered relocation, yet.
• A second phone screen for my "perfect" local job
• A phone interview (tomorrow) for a consulting job that would have me travel 50 percent of the time.

It's that last item that has me thinking. I have had jobs where I've done some travel, but it was mostly to the home office. At one point, I was actually living away from home each week. This went on for about 9 months and it was at a time when my kids were young. It put enough stress on me and my family that I found myself another home office assignment with less travel. But things are different now. Jobs are scarce. My kids are grown and on their own. My wife has a career. I'm mostly worried about my dog. He's gotten used to having me around.

You, Inc.

I went to a meeting at outplacement yesterday and listened to a speaker give another perspective on the job search. He started by comparing today's world of work with what it had been like in years past. His basic premise is that you should act like a consultant in your job, whether you are an employee or not. This is solid advice for someone like me who tends to become complacent after a year or two in a job. Acting like a consultant means:

• Having a customer focus (the customer being the company you are at as well as the external customer).
• Always looking for the next assignment
• Always trying to demonstrate value
• Being a problem solver

To set up your consulting firm (You, Inc.), he suggested 6 steps which are roughly similar to the 10 step process that the outplacement firm has taught us:

• Define your products and services. What are your strengths, and knowledge? Define your Brand (i.e. Tiffany's, MacDonalds). To do this, make a list of 10 to 15 words that define you.
• Prepare good written material to present "You, Inc." to the customer. Things like a resume, cover letters, value proposition, business card.
• Develop your marketing plan. Choose your target industries, companies, and positions.
• Advertise - contact search firms, use the Internet, network.
• Make sales calls - find out what "pain" the company is experiencing and how you might be the solution to the pain. This is also accomplished using networking.
• Make the sale - find the job, negotiate your position and price

Good advice. I've accomplished a bunch of these steps already. It's time to incorporate and to do a better job of selling.

Stained

Well, it had to happen. And I remember this from my last job search 7 years ago. Eventually, despite the urging of the career counselors to work up to 45 hours a week on your job search, you reach a point where there's just not that much going on. After you hit the job boards, send out some resumes, do some research, send some emails, you run out of productive activities. Especially if you are somewhat introverted like me and don't enjoy making cold calls. It's tough to work a full day without wasting some amount of time.

I have found myself spending too much time reading the on-line news, organizing things on my hard drive, researching new phone options and doing things that generally don't contribute to a job search. It makes me feel guilty, but it burns the day.

With construction completing on our bedroom and new bathroom, it's time to paint and stain so we can then get the carpet installed and move back in. Starting today, I'll be staining and painting for approximately 1/2 of each day, probably in the afternoons. At least I'll feel productive about something.

OK, maybe I was wrong

For a few weeks I've been saying, "I can't wait for the election to be over so we can get back to the beer and mattress ads on TV". I mean, how many more times do you want to hear Jean Shaheen say, "I'll stand with George Bush"? I ended up with a gag reflex every time that Sununu ad played. I thought it would be great to get back to normal - news stories about something other than the campaigns, beer ads and so forth.

This morning on Good Morning America - a special report on what dog the Obama children should pick. Ooof. Although, I still won't stand with George Bush.

Week gone by

Wow, a whole week without a post. I guess that kind of reflects the gentle pace that the job search has taken. There aren't a lot of new discoveries or "oh my, I should do this" moments. I have a resume, I'm tracking my statistics, I'm applying for jobs, I'm following up. I think the one main thing I need to do more of is networking with people who may know people who may know people. It's a good thing I'm tracking what I've done otherwise I would begin to believe last week was some kind of a waste.

I applied for about 10 jobs. I had conversations with about 5 recruiters (both inside recruiters and independent ones). I attended a job search work team meeting at my outplacement service. I attended an @ss-kicking session with an outplacement counselor (called by me; I needed to get my @ss kicked to do more networking). I set up an activity tracking spreadsheet as recommended by the outplacement people. I have a lot of ideas on companies to reach this week.

Even still, I took some time off on Monday to do outside painting and yard work and took some time off Friday to start the busy weekend early. So, it wasn't my best week of job hunting ever, but this one will be!

Expanding my Horizons

Given the relative lack of progress on jobs in NH (I have my resume out to several NH jobs, but other than the interview a week back, no responses), I have submitted my resume to a couple of jobs at a company way around 495 in MA. Both jobs looked interesting and in the category of something I would like to do. It's just too bad they're not a bit closer.

Next step, see what I can find downtown in Boston so I can commute by train or bus. I'd much rather let someone else drive, even if it means being chained to a schedule or a longer (time wise) commute. With that extra time you can work, sleep, read or whatever you need to do. I commuted by train early in my career into NYC, and though I'm sure I didn't love it at the time, I have good memories. I also remember never finishing the Times crossword puzzle, even when I worked it both going to and coming from work.

Chromed out

(Warning - non job search related content to follow)

 

I tried, I really did.  I thought that switching to Google's Chrome browser would help me complete moving my productivity tools to the "cloud".  When you leave the corporate tether, you fall back to whatever tools you have on your PC.  For a while now, I've been using Google's Gmail for the majority of my email needs.  I started up a Google Calendar for my (few) appointments.  I've begun putting documents out in Google Documents.  I stay in touch with people using Gtalk.  I had set up a home page using iGoogle. So when the Google browser came out (Chrome), I figured it would integrate well with all those other applications.  When yoiu put everything in the "cloud" it's accessible from anywhere - whether you're using your home computer or a computer at outplacement or one at a house you're visiting (or certainly if you have Internet on your phone).  But I got frustrated with Chrome.  Here's what I found out:

1. bookmarks are a pain as the folders go back and forth across the screen instead of down in a hierarchical (and familiar) fashion
2. there's really no menu bar
3. nothing works better that I can see
4. videos and/or flash wouldn't show

So when iGoogle turned it's tabs to the side instead of the top, it was the last straw.  Microsoft, I'm back.  I'll still use Gmail, some of Google Documents, the Google calendar and Gtalk.  But I"m done with Chrome and iGoogle.  At least for now.

No Thanks

Well, Friday's interview turned into a "no thanks".  As reported through the agency with whom I am working, the hiring manager related that he enjoyed our conversation but that I'm not the guy he's looking for.  Of course, he has yet to articulate who that person might be to the agency. Anyway, I'm a little disappointed but not crushed.  After all, it was only my first interview.  You do get somewhat invested in the idea of working for company X, what with the research you do, the emotions you feel before and after the interview and the thinking that goes on in your head as you sort out how you would do the job you just heard about.  But as with the job that you just finished, you learn to put that behind you and look forward.

In the last few days I've heard about openings at two companies I have been targeting for which I might be a fit.  I'll be calling some contacts at these companies today.  Looking forward.

So we'll see

Friday's interview seemed to go well, but you never know until you get some follow-up.  We had a good meeting where I covered my background and the hiring manager covered his pain points.  I think I can help them, but he really hadn't defined the job yet.  In short, a CIO of about 40 years retired, the CFO inherited IT, he's had a consultant in to help him set direction for a few months and now he's trying to figure out what he wants in terms of an organization and the talent to staff it. So we'll see.

On the one hand, I feel good that I had an interview, and I think I'd like this job if it becomes available (at the right price and authority).  On the other hand, it's the first interview I've had, and I wonder if it's smart to take the first thing that comes along.  I've had situations where I've taken the first thing and others where I've been able to be more selective.  Both have worked out.  So we'll see.

In other job news, I got a lead that a company similar to the one I just left fired their IT Director. I had already reached out to the CEO at that company, through a mutual acquaintance.  So I sent another note out to reconnect.  So we'll see.

I think I'm ready

I've got my first interview tomorrow and I think I'm as ready as I can be.  I attended an interview skills workshop today at outplacement.  I've reviewed my resume to make sure I can speak to everything on it.  I've researched the company through D&B, the Internet, their website, the SEC site.  My shirt is pressed and my suit is clean.  I know how to get there.  Should be great.  If only I knew what they were looking for I might feel more confident.  It's a "discussion" as much as an interview.  They're trying to figure out what to do with an IT position.  So who konws?  I try to keep my expectations low so they can be wildly exceeded.  

Oh yeah, new business idea.  Business cards with a scratch ticket on the back.  Who wouldn't want one of those?  Who would forget you if you did that?

From under rocks...or is it Monster?

One thing about posting your resume on Monster (or Hotjobs or Dice) is that it brings out the recruiters.  They seem to hit you fast, like you had just turned over a rock and all the bugs got out. Sometimes, it appears that they haven't even looked at your resume.  "Would you like a job programming Java in Arkansas?". Other times, they call or email with some intriguing leads.  I responded to, and talked with, a recruiter for a job in Woburn today.  I'm qualified, maybe over qualified.  It's a temp-to-perm, which means they get to try you for six months before they buy you.  I really don't object to that.  I'll be giving my next job everything that I can, and I don't expect that will end after six months, unless severe disillusionment sets in.  Then it's probably better for both of us that it's temp, because I'll probably be looking again.

I have been spending a bunch of time over the past day or two researching companies with which I have interviews.  I like to be prepared and not have to ask, "Now what exactly is it that you guys do here?".  This is where my business degrees kick in, as I begin to remember financial terms like EBIT and EPS.  Not necessarily the only gauges of your potential employers' success, but important ones.

Not my best

I have this ideal self who is constantly firing off resumes, talking on the phone to networking contacts, acting all self-assured and positive about finding a job.  Unfortunately, I rarely see this ideal self. Occasionally, I have days like yesterday where I find any kind of an excuse not to do the things I know I should be doing - the things the ideal self just cranks out.  There's a spot on the rug from last night that needs cleaning.  There's laundry to be done.  What a beautiful fall day - I'll have to knock off early to run some errands on the motorcycle.  Hey, I've been meaning to do that minor project in my shop.  I felt bad about my lack of effort so I finished off the day by eating and drinking more than I wanted to.

Today, I'm trying to make up for it by firing off some resumes and talking to various contacts However, I already know that I'll be knocking off early this afternoon for a trip to see relatives.  I guess I'd better hit the ground hard on Monday. At least that's what that other guy, Mr. Ideal Job Hunter would say.

Job Search Work Team

I went to my first meeting of a job search work team.  Essentially, it's a group of people who get together on a weekly basis to report progress (accountability)  and share ideas (networking).  I really didn't know what to expect and I think my day 1 was not necessarily typical.  I got there early (as is my habit) and met one or two team members before the meeting got started.  The facilitator (a career consultant from the outplacement firm) started the meeting by saying that one of the members was coming in soon with good news. Soon thereafter a team member arrived and told us that he had gotten and accepted an offer.  He also mentioned that he had a couple of others pending that he would stop pursuing.  Most of the session was this individual sharing his excitement with us.  He paid tribute to the outplacement folks and to the process.  According to him (and confirmed later by his work team members), he is the guy who worked the most at finding a job.  He did all the exercises in the process, took lots of on-line courses and took every available teleconference and in-house course.  One interesting note, he worked almost exclusively with agencies in his search.  Everything about his chosen job sounds good - company, location, pay.

I guess this is why we go to these meetings - to experience the taste of success through others.  I'm happy for this guy I just met, but success will taste sweetest when it's mine.

Vindication

I forgot to write yesterday about a dream I had over the weekend.  I'm calling it the "Vindication Dream".  I received some news about my old project team last week that I'm sure triggered it.  Because of some moves by the consulting firm that's now running the project, the people on the team are none too happy.  In my dream, the project was cratering and my former boss admits that this wouldn't have happened if I was still there.  I think I remember in the dream that he wants to offer me my job back but I turn him down.  Vindication.  Even though it's only a dream, it still tastes sweet.

Nibbles

I spent Friday at the outplacement office in a meeting on the rest of the 10 steps.  I'll go through these in a later post.  When I checked my email later that day, I had one from the headhunter with whom I have been working.  I called him that afternoon and we discussed a position.  He set me up with an interview on October 17.  I'm not sure I 'm a good fit, but I sure could use some interviewing experience.  I also talked to a former co-worker about a company he had previously worked for.  He was very helpful and is making some connections on my behalf.  They do have  job currently posted for which I may be a fit.  

I should probalby write a post about my weekend motorcycle ride.  It was a beautiful, but cool day on Saturday as I joined two friends for a ride into NH puckerbrush.  The colors were spectacular and I travelled a number of roads I haven't been on in a while, including some of my favorites around my old home town, Goffstown.  It's a great way to spend a fall Saturday.

This week, I have several teleconferences and a bunch of research to get to.  I have to develop my marketing plan.  Should keep me pretty busy.

Days Flying By

Like the leaves falling from the trees, the pages of the calendar are also falling away.  Yesterday was the three week anniversary of my departure from my former employer.  With the economic events in the US, and the large outpouring of money from our personal coiffers (wedding, finishing construction on the house), I don't often feel good about my situation.  But every once and a while, there's a glimmer of hope like the two emails I got yesterday from the headhunter asking to clarify my experiences in a couple of areas for two firms in the area with whom he's working.  Not that I even have an interview, but to have someone show even the tiniest bit of interest is gratifying.

I also had lunch with a former coworker yesterday, as well as IM'ed with a few others (is it o.k. to use "IM" when it was really gtalk?).  This gives me a sense of connectedness to people I recently left behind.  It is kind of isolating to sit at home during the day without talking or IM'ing with others.  I guess I'm not a good telecommuting candidate, at least not full time.  

Today I've signed up for a couple of teleconference teaching sessions from the outplacement firm.  I HAVE MEETINGS ON MY CALENDAR - another gratifying feeling.  This search process really is a cycle of ups and downs.

Tomorrow I'm meeting former co-workers for our monthly breakfast.  After that, I'll be at outplacement again for most of the day.  Busy guy, it seems like.  

Out at Outplacement

I feel like I have been out of the hunt for days, but really, I've been learning how to be more effective in my job search.  As mentioned earlier, outplacement has a process, and I'm trying hard to get into and through the ten steps.  Last Thursday and Friday, I covered steps one and two by myself.  Yesterday, I went to a 9 to 1 session that was an overview of the 10 steps.  Today I was at a resume writing workshop and this Friday, I go back for more in depth coverage of steps 1 - 10.  Add to that, the time I could/should be spending in web exes and phone conferences and on their proprietary website and I'm not sure how I actually have time to look for a job.  Their approach is to be very prepared as you get into the search so you can be more effective as you make contacts.  I can't say if they're right or wrong but I'm following the process because if you do the work, you will get a job.

Step 1 is to survey your market.  I've done a couple of things: 1) I did some searches on trends that were happening in the IT industry (I'm first and foremost an IT professional and not focused on any specific indusstry).  Here's a click from Software Quality News written at the end of last year that holds up pretty well.  I'm sure this year's trend predictions for next year should be interesting in light of the current economic news.  2) I've read a bunch of job ads for positions in which I might be interested to see what they're looking for.  My only regret so far is that I don't have the PMP (no, not pimp - Project Management Professional) designation.  Lots of jobs are looking for that at this point.  It may be something I pursue a little later down the road.

Step 2 is the one I like least - Self asssessment.  What am I good at?  What do I like to do?  What are my interests? What are my career objectives?  Answers: I don't know.  However, the step is important because it helps you position your job search.  Although you don't put a professional objective on a resume any more (seriously, don't do this), you will be better able to target your search if you know what your objective is.  Makes sense, right?  I mean, when I start a project, I always need to know what it's supposed to do.  So, I've done a bunch of the assessment stuff.  Along the way, you describe your accomplishments: What was the situation? What were the obstacles?  What were your actions?  What were the results?  This stuff becomes fodder for your resume.

Step 3, finally.  Work on your resume.  First, though, you need to work on your exit statement.  I mean, why am I out of work.  After many drafts that either were vague, put me in a bad light or were just plain mean or vindictive towards my former employer, I came up with one that's succint.  Now I need to practice saying.  Your resume follows - put together the summary, the accomplishments, the other stuff.  At today's workshop, we got as detailed as favorite fonts and font sizes.  My resume was in pretty good shape, but I did learn a number of things to help improve it.

We also talked about using a "Value Proposition" and your calling card rather than your resume.  The thought is that the resume begins to disqualify you as quickly as it qualifies you.  Therefore, you do a one page fancy looking power point which serves as your marketing tool.  I'm going to write one up and shop it around to people I know to see what kind of reaction I get.  I've never done or used anything like it before - it's a document build by our instructor and incorporated into the outplacement repetoire over the last three years.

Well, today is almost shot for me because I have to head to the airport to pick up the honeymooning couple.  They should be nice and relaxed after a week plus in Curacao.  Man, that sounds nice right about now.

Outplacement and other tales

I've had a busy last couple of days.  I spent some time on Tuesday with the headhunter who had called me after he saw my resume on Monster.  He was an individual with whom I had worked at my last employer.  He had worked for a major firm, went quiet for his one year of non-compete and then opened his own shop.  He's very proud of his growing company.  He is associated with two other placement firms - one which does financial placements and another which does administrative and HR placements.  They share the same office space and they're about to open a new one in MA.  Anyway, I was treated to a lunch and discussion of different companies with which he has contacts.  He later sent me some links to those companies.  I did some research and gave him some ideas on how I might fit in at each of them.  Now he'll make contacts on my behalf.  Nice.

I also had my first outplacement meeting with a company in Manch-Vegas.  When I tell you that this job search has its up and down moments, I would never have expected to feel a bit down after my first meeting with this firm.  You figure they would offer encouragement to the job seekers that they are helping.  Not really.  I think their approach may be that they tear you down so they can build you up the "right" way.  Not only did she keep talking about the realities of the job market and how long it will take me to find a job, she also started ripping my resume apart. I think I take criticism pretty well, and I'm all ears when it comes to advice, but I guess I wasn't ready for this on my first meeting.  After I spend some more time with them, I'll write a post about chronological resumes versus accomplishment-based.  They definitely teach the accomplishment-based resume.  Anyway, I walked out of there with a lot of homework: self-paced learning, on-line things to review, road maps.  They have a process, oh yes they do.

Finally, it was time to celebrate with the folks from my former employer.  It was my "Gone Away" party.  We had a good time and it was extremely gratifying to have so many different people show up to wish me well.  As with all my jobs, I'm sure I'll stay in touch with a bunch of them throughout the years, but it's also true that some of them I may never see again.  You hate to admit that, but that's what experience tells me.  Anyway, I'm a bit bleary this morning since I didn't return home until about 2 in the morning.  Who doesn't love the Red Arrow diner?

Back to the hunt.