Manager Tools Forums

Re: Notepad and Pen

rthibode — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:13:55 +0000

The recommendations in that podcast were:

- take notes with pen & paper as opposed to electronically

- have a consistent system for notetaking (Cornell is recommended) that makes it easy to glance at a page and see actions (deliverables)

- use a decent pen, preferably metal, that you wouldn't chew on. Don't use a pencil or highlighter if you want to look like an executive.

- use a decent notebook, not a school book or spiral bound (Moleskine was mentioned)

- decide what pen and notebook you'll use and stick with it so it's not a new decision every time

- keep your notebook and pen in the same place all the time

- if you lose your notebook, it's not the end of the world

I have been testing different notebooks. I know Moleskine is very popular, so I went and looked at them in the store. I couldn't really see what made them different from other notebooks.

Right now I have an A5 notebook inside a sort of leather folder with a pen loop. It is okay, but the pen loop is too large to hold even a fat pen properly. I also would like a notebook with perforated pages so I could tear out what I no longer need.

I was thinking of a padfolio like TEAMHORN described, because when I go to meetings I'll have somewhere to put any handouts. (No one uses a briefcase where I work). However, padfolios are too big for my purse as well as looking messy when the page is flipped up.

Any Moleskine fans want to convert me? Any other recommendations?

Rachelle

Sample Speech

Mahen24 — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:13:13 +0000

How to give farewell speech for boss is moving to other company

Re: Developing a stronger business partnership

dad2jnk — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:52:50 +0000

I will make two assumptions based upon your description. First that you are a new leader in an existing service organization. Second, the division you want to engage is mature with successful management and productivity. If these are correct, you are likely experiencing the result of previous interactions between the groups that were not effective.

My advice is to be patient and keep performing for the team. There is no better method of breaking down resistance than consistently delivering results. Second, avoid offering solutions to perceived process issues or suggesting changes that are very broad in scope. Senior managers have heard "I'm from IT and I am here to drastically improve how you do business with the click of a button" before and that type of approach is not very effective.

You have made the critical first step by attending the meetings. Likely the Division is waiting to see if you are different (better) than the previous experiences. You will build their confidence by improving their productivity in small ways, then bigger collaborations will come.

All the best, Ken

Score one (more) for Interviewing Series

mercuryblue — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:10:31 +0000

I would like to thank you for the Interviewing Series, and to thoroughly recommend it to anyone thinking about buying it.

In advance of an interview last week, I immersed myself in the relevant casts. It was really helpful in getting me focused on where I should be. They also helped me decide what I should be reading, thinking about and preparing for in the lead up to the interview (I had a few weeks). In the interests of you selling more of this excellent product, I'm not going to say exactly what I did and give the game away (!) - but I put show notes on my iPad to read and reread, and the casts on my iPad to listen to as I walked and walked. Every now and then I'd stop the cast and work through my own situation. I'd plan it out in the shower, in the car, anywhere I could talk to myself (!).

It was great to have the series (or, if you like, Mike and Mark!) on my side. The recruiter provided a great deal of input - but the interview showed that her advice and direction was not as helpful or relevant as that of the Interviewing Series.

When they started explaining "Targeted Selection" in the interview, I tried not to smile. I was READY for this!

At the end, I felt a little disappointed. It had been so easy; too easy. Of course you can't every predict every question, but I had done the legwork that meant I was ready. And feeling like it had been too easy made me worry if maybe I had missed something. Encouragingly though, the feedback was very positive.

There's still more interviews, psych tests and so on to come, so no offer, no champagne yet, and I'm too astounded by my good fortune at having gotten this far to count chickens. But I *do* know that what made that interview as "easy" as it was was the preparation I had done, and that preparation would not have been nearly as effective without the guidance of the Interviewing Series.

Thank you!

Re: Most significant accomplishment

afmoffa — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:57:05 +0000

Next time that happens, ask interviewers #3, #4, and #5 for permission to step outside of their question. I know, I know, the interviewers control the interviewee. But it's not 100% dictatorial control. If the interviewer offers you coffee, you're allowed to request cream or sugar. And if five interviewers ask you the same question, you're allowed to ask for a little leeway.

I agree with Mark (duh) in terms of the literal truth of the question. Five people ask you for your most significant accomplishment, and yeah, that doesn't change. On the other hand--and I say this as a big fan of precise language--forget about what they're literally asking. What you want to do, when you interview, is provide a positive, truthful, effective portrait of your work habits, communication style, and qualifications. You can ask for some leeway without appearing to dodge the question or commandeer the interview.

It sounds like this: "Two years ago, when I increased our widget yield and drove down costs. That was a professional milestone, for sure, but I already told the story to Gary and Susan from this morning. I worry I'm not giving Acme Corp the complete picture, especially since you're more a marketing guy and that's kind of an operations story. It's up to you, of course, but perhaps you'd rather hear about how I increased catalog sales?"

I'm sure there are some interviewers who would see my question as rank insubordination, but I think (hope?) most would see it as my erstwhile attempt to answer their question without being redundant.

(I'm 51% sure I'm onto something here, and I'm 49% sure Mark's going to upbraid me for suggesting you attempt to steer the interview. Here goes. :) )

Re: Duplicates in the RSS feed of this forum

jbdominguez — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:15:48 +0000

I use My Yahoo and see the same thing.

Re: Notepad and Pen

jhack — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:21:41 +0000

This is a great notebook. You can definitely get it for under $20.

http://www.moleskineus.com/moleskine-softcover-large.html

And I'm still looking for the perfect pen.

John Hack

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

jhack — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:12:45 +0000

General Eisenhower's paraphrasing is one of my favorites:

Plans are useless but planning is indispensable

John Hack

Re: Feedback or micromanagement?

jhack — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:07:51 +0000

Assuming you're rolling out the trinity according to the guidance: http://www.manager-tools.com/2008/08/rolling-out-the-manager-tools-trinity-part-1

Most of the feedback, as CIM44 points out, will be positive. I've never heard a direct complain about positive feedback.

And the reason corrective feedback is so powerful is that you ask them, "what can you do differently?" That is the antithesis of micromanagement. It is empowering them to find the solution.

And whether positive or corrective feedback, you are letting them choose what to do. That is not micromanagement.

Of course, what they are really saying is "Please don't pay close attention to my work." Politely and respectfully let them know that you will be providing feedback.

Pace yourself. The process will work. And make sure, most of all, that you follow this advice: http://www.manager-tools.com/2009/03/heart-feedback

John Hack

Re: Duplicates in the RSS feed of this forum

mauzenne — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:51:32 +0000

Would love to help! I took a look at the feed and don't see the problem you're describing. If you can contact us via email with some examples or specifics, I'll have someone follow up (customerservice AT manager-tools.com). Thanks, Mike

Re: Feedback or micromanagement?

cim44 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:35:43 +0000

What were the specific nature of their objections? I've been thinking of implementing too but wondering if I will come up against the same sort of opposition. One thing that I think will be helpful is that I can say is that over time at least 80% of the feedback and possibly much more will be confirming i.e. positive feedback.

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

tgsanchez — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:19:09 +0000

John Brown's Body: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks07/0700461.txt

I really enjoyed the 'Making Decisions Effective' cast that Mark ended with a Robert Frost poem. Nice change of pace.

The Road Not Taken: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken

[tim sanchez]

Re: Stepping up: advice request

Dave75 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:51:44 +0000

Thank you so much for your comments and advice. I am about to relisten to the "Peer One on Ones" and the "Attending meetings for your boss" casts.

John, thank you for your comments - it really helps to hear validation of my analysis.

TLHausman, as soon as I read your comments I recalled listening to the "attending meetings for your boss". I think your advice is spot on - my job here is not to "be" the manager, but to "represent" him. Thank you for your input.

Mark, I hadn't thought about it from the angle of Peer One on Ones, thank you for pointing that out. If nothing else, this experience will confirm whether I have built the relationships with my peers to the level that I think I have, and will highlight areas I need to work on. Thank you - both for your advice here, and for the 500+ casts of great advice you have put together with Mike.

I will do my best to keep this thread updated with the outcomes from the next month.

Dave

Re: Most significant accomplishment

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:54:31 +0000

You did the right thing. If you were interviewing for just one position, by definition when they ask you for your MOST significant position, you can't change that answer.

So, it's not a trap. It's just more people being lousy interview evaluators. Sorry their lack of effectiveness affected you.

Somebody ought to do something about this.

Hmmmm.

Mark

Re: Change management to improve cycle time.

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:51:46 +0000

Start now meeting with everyone and asking for input. Ask them what they think, in small groups if you like, and DEFINITELY one on one. Put to them that the boss wants improvement, and you think "we all can do better." Ask what they think could be done to change things.

In the 1-to-1 meetings, more than you think will agree with the splitting up. Some might even volunteer. Maybe what you'll learn is compensation might warrant a look for those who are willing to make the move.

Ask, ask, ask. Get everyone's input, and pull it all together, and think about it. Avoid jumping to conclusions. Then ask again.

Tell me what you get, and I'll help from there. If you haven't heard here within 24 hours, send it to showAT email address.

Mark

Re: Stepping up: advice request

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:46:42 +0000

I'd recommend you try to initiate Peer One on Ones, "to make sure there's as much open communication as possible." There's a cast for that. ;-)

Call them weekly check ins, if you like.

I hope your relationship with your peers is as good as you think - that's what will determine whether they will say yes.

Then, get 1-2 of your friends who are peers and who agree with them to slip an email to your boss telling him things are fine and they really appreciate your effort to at least stay informed in a very unobtrusive way. Something like, "30 minutes a week really works pretty well - painless, but we cover a lot."

That's what I did, anyway. ;-)

Mark

Re: Can I extend my probationary period?

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:42:08 +0000

...but I wouldn't recommend it.

They'll come to the meeting with a decision. You could ask for time to consider the offer, but surely not more than a week. You can't reasonably make a case for one more week to truly "know" - it would send the wrong message to the kinds of guys I've known who make offers like that. It would make me wonder.

I think they'll see it as you're not sure. And if they've offered you, they'll feel stupid. They'll either then say, okay, no offer after all, or say take it or leave it. There's a small chance they'll tolerate it, but if you decide to come on board, your pause will stick with you.

Time to make a decision.

Let us know how it goes.

Mark

Feedback or micromanagement?

Laughlinjdl — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:39:20 +0000

I recently introduced the feedback model to my staff. When I explained how it would work 2/3 of my staff were adamantly opposed to it and felt that I would be micromanaging them by using this tool. Should I force the issue and implant it anyway?

Re: Boss has resigned - now dogging the exec team...

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:33:53 +0000

it's really not that hard.

"Can I ask you a small favor? Would you please not share the negative comments about the leadership team with me? It puts me in an awkward situation. I think some folks have noticed, and they may wonder about my loyalties. And if you can't do that, at least would you hold off with my team? They respect you, and they don't know what to say. It's awkward for them, too. Thanks so much."

That's how.

I've done it, and it works just fine.

Mark

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:28:00 +0000

Mike gave me, as a gift, a signed, first edition printing of JBB recently. That and Drucker are the only PERMANENT books on my desk, sitting side by side.

I also have the quote printed out above my laptop's monitor. I look at it several times a day...

All the perfect plans in the world don't help us once the action starts.

Mark

Re: Privacy Issues

mahorstman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:25:47 +0000

Jackie-

Having been in a Bed-Stuy classroom before, I can picture your situation.

What I would do is generate some white noise, and lower your voice.

That said, just to be sure: how far, physically, and in what arrangement, is your desk from your direct's desk?

Mark

Re: Most significant accomplishment

manxomfoe — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:08:51 +0000

That smacks of some sort of trap. Why would your "most significant accomplishment" change from one meeting to the next? Not that each person in your series meant it that way, but I do hope they learned from their end of the experience. It certainly doesn't seem like they got the evaluation they wanted.

I've had interviews where the interviewer clearly wanted multiple examples, and asked for them directly. I'd finish one and they'd ask, "do you have another example?" After you list 2-3 it's probably good to try redirect and ask what they're getting at, especially if they're being mechanical about it (as opposed to conversational).

So yes, I'd feel confident using the same "most relevant and significant accomplishment" story if that's authentically what the best pitch is for the position. Maybe I'd end up in the same trap :) The learning is that even if you talk about the same accomplishment, you'd do worse than to expand on the details in different directions when talking with each of the different interviewers. You could even take up the MT advice of tuning your answers to the DISC type of your audience. How cool would that be?!

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

akinsgre — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:06:59 +0000

The whole book is on Guttenberg project (in other words, free).. It's worth reading in it's entirety

Re: Change management to improve cycle time.

dmb41carter36 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:10:47 +0000

I am confused, what are the options you are debating? I know this was last year, so how did it work out?

Re: Boss has resigned - now dogging the exec team...

wroschek — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:54:17 +0000

I was in a similar situation about 2 years ago. It was very difficult from a morale perspective and many members of the my previous group wound up leaving because of this supervisor and his comments. Those of us that remained were able to make it through by focusing on our projects and delivering the best results we could; with and/or in spite of our supervisor. It wasn't always easy. There were many beers and tears (not necessarily in that order). What I found was that the greatest distance I could put between my supervisor was to show the organization that the they did not need to rely on this person to get quality work done. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Re: Privacy Issues

JacquelineM — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:40:50 +0000

Thanks everyone.

Notepad and Pen

teamhorn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:12:21 +0000

I am going to be brutally honest here and I know it's my fault for not taking notes during the notepad and pen podcast. I listened to this podcast several weeks ago and forgot what I should have as a notebook. I did just the opposite of the podcast and purchased a flimsy notpad at the supermarket. I re-listened to the podcast today and had some specific questions about the notebook. I work for Federal Law Enforcement agency and am making around $60,000 in DC. What are some suggestions as to a good notepad and pen? I currently have a notepad from my university (I am a new proffesional just graduated two years ago) my notepad is black that has a zipper on three sides. The It is a leed's notepad, pretty standard. The inside has a notepad on the right and the left has business card slots and i.d. Should I just keep this notepad with me. I really do not like the notepad because when I want a new page I have to flip the page up and it looks sloppy. What are your suggestions?

Re: Stepping up: advice request

tlhausmann — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:01:48 +0000

Is Attending a Meeting for Your Boss

http://www.manager-tools.com/2010/02/attending-a-meeting-your-boss

*Learn* as much as you can about the nature of the whole department.

Also check out the Manager Tools forum discussion on "Briefing Books" it was discussed back in Aug 2006 podcasts.

Boss has resigned - now dogging the exec team...

the1mike — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:43:40 +0000

How do I create distance between my boss (VP level) and me? OR should I even do so?

My immediate supervisor (VP Level) announced her resignation last week. This week in meetings she has been speaking quite poorly of the sr executive team, the founder, the CEO etc on a personal and professional level to our team in a team setting and even in one on ones. My concerns are the undermining of team moral, respect for the org and leadership and being associated with an individual who is behaving in this manner.

Thanks in advance for any and all guidance!

Re: Stepping up: advice request

jrosenau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:10:23 +0000

I think you are assessing the situation correctly. Rely on your current relationship / expert power. And, when in doubt, assume its an interview.

John

Re: What do you use to report project status?

PaulChan — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:06:45 +0000

Measuring hours or days is a good way to measure progress but I avoid asking people to estimate the % completed. Invariably it is 50% or 90% until the last minute when suddenly there is a "problem" and it'll take twice as long. Instead I ask for the finish date/time or how many hours/days to comlete the task.

Stepping up: advice request

Dave75 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:46:09 +0000

I have today been given an opportunity to stand in for my boss (state Operations Manager) for a month while he is out of state managing a critical project. I would like advice about the actions I should take to ensure results in this temporary role. My current boss does not do O3's and essentially manages by exception.

I am an individual contributor and will still be responsible for results in my core role. My boss has identified me as a top performer in my last review, in which he told me I was being looked at as having a future in management in the company. I see this situation as an opportunity to substantiate this analysis with results.

I think that I must still rely on the relationship/expert power that I have developed in my current role, as I do not have true role power in this situation. In my opinion, this may be the greatest benefit of the situation. If I can generate results without having the fallback of role power, it will reflect positively on my management potential.

My feeling is that I should not try to implement anything new in this month (i.e. O3's etc) and simply concentrate on results. I have good relationship with my peers, and I hope that this will be enough to enable me to generate results.

I know that my bosses boss (skip manager?) is watching this situation closely, and that if I succeed in this temporary role, it may lead to future opportunities.

I welcome suggestions regarding the course of action I should take, and whether my analysis of the situation is correct. To me it feels like an interview, and the actions I take will affect my future opportunities with this company.

Dave

Re: Can I extend my probationary period?

afmoffa — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:36:27 +0000

Thank you Brian, Jacob, ACAO. There's a lot of good advice here.

ACAO: You ask a perfectly fair question. For the sake of brevity, my original post left out background details. My regular job is mostly evenings and weekends; I did not resign from my regular job to test the waters at this start-up. An offer of full-time employment would most likely force me to choose between the start-up and my steady job.

I think you're right, ACAO; were I to ask for an extension, that would be a smudge on my record. Eight weeks part-time ought to be enough for both parties to decide if it's the right fit. I'm six weeks in, so I'll keep doing good work and tracking my achievements. If they were to offer me a full-time job today, I would pass. But there are two more weeks left, so I'll keep an open mind. There's a lot that makes me uneasy at this place, but there is a lot to like, too.

I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you again for your advice.

Re: Skip O3

thebeezer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:39:19 +0000

The casts that jrosenau link to state that skip level O3s tend to cut out the person in between. I found this to be my experience when I used to do them as well.

There is a cast on Skip Level meetings that can help you communicate with your skips.

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

teamhorn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:05:03 +0000

That was quick, thank you.

Re: Quote from one of the podcasts

thebeezer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:57 +0000

John Brown’s Body:

“If you take a flat map

And move wooden blocks upon it strategically,

The thing looks well, the blocks behave as they should.

The science of war is moving live men like blocks.

And getting the blocks into place at a fixed moment.

But it takes time to mold your men into blocks

And flat maps turn into country where, creeks and gullies

Hamper your wooden squares. They stick in the brush,

They are tired and rest, they straggle after ripe blackberries

And you cannot lift them up in your hand and move them….

It is all so clear in the maps, so clear in the mind,

But the orders are slow, the men in the blocks are slow

To move, when they start they take too long on the way

The General loses his stars and the block–men die

In unstrategic defiance of martial law

Because still used to just being men, not block parts.”

––Stephen Vincent Benet (from DA Pamphlet 600-65)

Quote from one of the podcasts

teamhorn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:40:24 +0000

I first have to say how much I enjoy and learn from the podcast. I am relatively new to the manager tools podcast and forums. In the past two weeks I have listened to so many different podcast there all blend together. I am trying to find a quote that Mark said in one of the more recent podcast about a month ago it was posted. The quote had to do with war, generals and how they can move pieces on a map but they really do not know what war is. I hope I can find the whole quote.

Thanks.

Duplicates in the RSS feed of this forum

rwwh — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:41:13 +0000

I am following the new messages in the forum via the RSS feed in Google Reader, and I am noticing that whenever someone edits a forum post, both the original and the edited version will show up in the RSS feed.

Is it possible to remove the superseded versions, or is this technically "forbidden"?

Re: Privacy Issues

rwwh — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:35:30 +0000

One on ones can be conducted at your desk, even if it is in an open space. Most of what is discussed in an O3 is not secret, not even feedback. Of course it is not public either, but that is clear if you keep your voice down (good idea anyway if you're sharing an office) and if the other coworkers know the nature of the O3's.

If at any point you or your direct wants to raise a more private subject, you can make a walk through the corridor together.

I've done this myself for years: I shared the open office space with all directs.

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

kevbayer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:29:54 +0000

Good to know it works. Thanks. I have my work cut out for me ;-)

Kevin Bayer
Communications Supervisor
Evansville/Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch 9-1-1

Owner/Reviewer
SporadicReviews.com

Re: Leadership Confusion

RaisingCain — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:19:56 +0000

If there are 3 leaders with 30% delivery then you'll be stuck in a project that never ends! Aka, 100%!

All kidding aside, I'm making a point. Focus on finishing. Focus on getting to 100%. All the project is, is a person completing a task by a deadline. If you ignore everything else and get those tasks done you'll be a hero (in a good way not a firefighting way) to all involved.

Re: Privacy Issues

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:07:04 +0000

Could you buy a desk fan or some other "white noise" machine that you can turn on to help make your conversations more private?

John

Re: Privacy Issues

JacquelineM — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:32:14 +0000

Thanks. Our school is in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and sadly we don't have those first three things if you can believe it. Asking around for another office is definitely something I will try though.

Thanks again!

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:21:33 +0000

To let you know, I revamped my resume to match their format - I did buy the resume workbook to be sure. I had excellent results using it.

John

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

kevbayer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:38:25 +0000

Looks "Wall-of-text-y" to me, but I'm not the professional here - so I'll definitely be revamping my resume!

Thanks!

Kevin Bayer
Communications Supervisor
Evansville/Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch 9-1-1

Owner/Reviewer
SporadicReviews.com

Re: Can I extend my probationary period?

acao162 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:44:58 +0000

What are the negatives in accepting a full time position and then changing your mind in a month's time? You still had an amount of time you worked for the employer, so it should be on your resume. If you decide to take another job in a month, presumably the new company knows you have a short tenure at the previous one.

Also to Jacob, that was a gutsy move with your boss. I would have ended your probation and your employment. No one tells me when and if a probation period ends. The point of a probation period is to determine fit as well as competence. You can produce stellar results but if you don't get along in the company's culture, you won't last.

I would look negatively on an employee who asked for an extension to probation and likely show them the door. Commit or don't.

Re: Brainstorming

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:39:49 +0000

That's awesome!

John

Re: Job Planning

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:38:25 +0000

The GM needs to let your peers know that you will be asking for this information and why. I agree that you will find it difficult to complete the assignment successfully if the GM's intent isn't know. I would work with your GM on that.

John

Re: Skip O3

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:35:36 +0000

There are 2 on skip reviews - is that what you were thinking of?

http://www.manager-tools.com/2011/07/bi-monthly-skip-level-reviews-part-1

http://www.manager-tools.com/2011/08/bi-monthly-skip-level-reviews-part-2

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

jrosenau — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:31:58 +0000

They have an example resume here: http://www.manager-tools.com/downloadable-forms

Skip O3

akiwitz — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:31:16 +0000

Dear fellow Mangers,

I was sure, that there is one Podcast on how to conduct a skip O3m but I can't find it? Am I not searching well or is there no podcast yet about this topic?

Andre

Re: Thank You Note for International role

GlennR — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:12:39 +0000

Here's what I would do. I would send the handwritten note through regular (in the US first class) mail. I'm not current on MT's recomendations when time is a factor in an interview process, but I might consider calling each interviewer and at least leaving a voice mail thank you or sending a prompt email thank you. (Obviously, I defer to whatever they recommend.)

Bottom line at the bottom: Always send the handwritten note. It's the right thing to do and it's an important step in building relationships.It may very well be what differentiates you from your competition.

Glenn

Re: Privacy Issues

GlennR — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:34:03 +0000

1. In fast food restaurants or coffee shops during off-peak hours. (Ignore locations that are too noisy.)

2. If you're near a full-service hotel with a huge lobby tthe furniture is often grouped in ways that promote conversations.

3. In fair weather, take it outside to the playground or nearby park.

4. Borrow someone's office who is working off-site that day.

Glenn

Re: Well now what...

RaisingCain — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:32:08 +0000

Yes, I was thinking of that one when I called it an interview. I could not remember the overall topic of the cast. Yes, good call.

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

afmoffa — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:33:45 +0000

We may be getting wound too tight on semantics, but you did answer her question. So you did just fine.

Recruiter asked: "Was there a specific salary you were looking for?" (do you have a number in mind?)
You answered: "I don't have a specific salary in mind..." (no I don't.)

As long as you were right in your original post about what the interviewer asked and what you answered, you did fine. The question as asked does not require a numerical answer, or even a range. And her follow-up observation "I perfectly understand...we expect that" would seem to confirm that she was indeed asking more of a hypothetical question. She didn't try to pin you down to a specific number. You didn't want to discuss salary, and neither did she, if your recollections are accurate.

Now, if the interviewer had asked you: "What is the salary you require for this role?" then that question would have required a specific answer.

Don't beat yourself up over it. You did fine.

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

kevbayer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:45:23 +0000

Thanks! That what I thought I recalled hearing on the podcast.

Kevin Bayer
Communications Supervisor
Evansville/Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch 9-1-1

Owner/Reviewer
SporadicReviews.com

Re: accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

rthibode — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:09:52 +0000

The basic idea of your version is easier to read and closer to Career Tools recommendations. Your accomplishment bullets are a good start. Career Tools advice is to follow a formula of verb, result, method.

For example, instead of

- Spearheaded adoption of official department Twitter account

try

- Increased efficiency of communication to 150 clients by spearheading adoption of official department Twitter account

VERB = Increased

RESULT = communication efficiency to 150 clients

METHOD = by spearheading adoption of official department Twitter account

Obviously the details are made up. Try to quantify your accomplishment in some way. Did it save money or time? Did you meet volume targets? Etc.

This is a very rough example. Check out the Career Tools podcasts from January 6 and 12 for lots of examples.

Good luck.

Rachelle

accomplishments: Brief Bullets or bulleted explanations?

kevbayer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:03:25 +0000

I'm looking to move to the Seattle area and get out of my current industry. I find it to explain on my resume and in a cover letter how my current skills are transferable, so my wife tried to help me. But to me, what she helped me write sounds like BS. It's all true, but it sounds like BS to me.

Pretty sure I've heard on the podcast that a resume should have a brief prose description of the actual duties of the job, followed by bulleted accomplishments. I"ll post what I was using, followed by what my wife suggested.

Here's what I was using:

-----------
Employer
City of Evansville, Evansville/Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch 9-1-1
1999-Present
Communications Supervisor

Supervise up to eight union employees; ensure adherence to SOPs; develop refresher training material; receive and prioritize emergency 911 calls, general information calls, and radio requests for police, fire and ambulance service; data entry and records maintenance.

- Spearheaded adoption of official department Twitter account
- Gave presentation on Law Enforcement Communications to the 2011 and 2012 classes of the Southwestern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy
- Developed informational brochure for printing
- Designed, deployed, and maintain department intranet
- Designed and administered initial training for intranet
- Member National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
- Designed and maintain department Internet website
- Represent department to area media, including broadcast interviews

---------

Here's what she helped me write today:

----------

Employer

City of Evansville, Evansville/Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch 9-1-1

1999-Present

Communications Supervisor

-Daily supervise six to eight union employees within the limitations of their contract and ensuring adherence to emergency dispatch procedures, receive and prioritize emergency calls as needed according to department policy, data entry and records maintenance, and develop and administer on-going training. Designed, deployed, and maintain department intranet to facilitate better information exchange and conducted initial training of the staff on its use.

-Responsible for community awareness of how Central Dispatch operates and providing other public safety information through the design, development, and maintenance of the department internet website, social media, and various media appearances. Served on the National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA) Public Education Committee, Social Media Workgroup, and the editorial advisory board for their magazines.

-Received Instructor Training Certification from the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL in 2010, and have attended other courses there. Taught Law Enforcement Communications course to the 2011 and 2012 classes of the Southwestern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and gave a presentation on emergency call-taking to the security department at the University of Southern Indiana in 2010.

----------------

(My wife used this format on her resume, and has had several different interviews and job offers. But I'll bet that's less because of her resume, and more because she's awesome and has a great reputation in her field.)

Actually, she wanted me to write those long bullet points out in a first-person "In my daily routine, I supervise..." I put my foot down on that one.

Suggestions on which to use?

Re: Well now what...

arthurb999 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:44:04 +0000

What does your boss think about all this?

Thank You Note for International role

WarwickFoster — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:17:39 +0000

Hi folks,

I am in Australia and I may have the opportunity to interview for a remote role for a company where everyone is remote internationally.

Should I send out a thank you note in such a situation as it will be travelling to various countries. I don't have an issue with the note just the timing of howl long it would take to get to England or the US to the different potential interviewers.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Warwick

Re: Stitcher

mauzenne — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:55:29 +0000

Thanks for the patience, folks! Manager Tools is now available on Stitcher!

Job Planning

Ayashi1828 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:47:15 +0000

Great Day All.

I have been newly assigned at this early year to handle 'Job Planning' in the sense of monitoring staffs work performance. My department has always been very cooperative and ongoing practice submission of their work performance report via documents like 'Roles & Responsibilities Checklist' and 'Key Performance Indicator Report' on monthly basis (since last year ; regardless of the newly assignment as I have the duty / ownership to manage my Department).

However, my GM would now like me to further implement my arrangement through out the organization (i.e.: other Departments / Groups) to trace rest of the staffs too. Obviously, to kick-start - my first step of action would to get hold of everyone's Roles & Responsibilities list.

My concerns are:

(a) Myself and the GM only spoken of it verbally. There's no official black and white. Thus some staffs may not be willing or totally ignore my instruction to provide their Roles & Responsibilities.

(b) Difficult personnel would think that I'm 'bossy' and have no rights to track their work performance.

(c) Everyone has enough workload on their current hand. Who / how would they take this new arrangement (new reports submission) positively rather to complaining more unnecessary workload?

It's definitely an interesting assignment. I would like to make this a success. Comments / advise / more suggestion round the forum guys?

TQ ( ^^ )

Developing a stronger business partnership

TGEMLO — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:47:36 +0000

I am wondering if there's any podcasts or advice anyone has that could give me ideas of how myself and people that work with me could further develop a business partnership with a division that doesn't desire a full partnership. I want to get to know their business better and add value for them, but feel there is resistance. I am not sure what the resistance stems from. I don't think they view this partnership as critical. However, I know that not having a solid partnership has lead to a lot of work arounds, re-work, redundancy, etc. We attend their team meetings on a regular basis to gain insight, I respond to their requests promptly and I have requested lunch meetings with key players that are not responded to. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Brainstorming

wroschek — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:46:57 +0000

I moderated my first brainstorming session this week and it was a rousing success. Following the brainstorming guidelines and especially the ground rules laid out by Mike and Mark in their podcasts on brainstorming everyone in the room contributed, their was little to no "negative talk" , and we came out with a number of great solutions. Early feedback has been very positive from very high levels in the organization.

So that leaves me with one last thing to say...

You are not going to believe this!! I did what you said and it worked!!

Please forgive my facetiousness, I couldn't resist after hearing it so often in the interviewing series podcasts.

Thank you MT community for all your help and guidance to become a better professional and a better manager.

Bill

Privacy Issues

JacquelineM — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:43:38 +0000

Hi all,

I've been listening to the podcasts for a little while and am new to the message boards. I work for a non-profit agency and my office is a school classroom that I share with one of my directs. I have 2 other directs at offsite locations. For my offsite staff we do one-on-ones over the phone if we will not see each other during the week. I try to schedule them when I will have the office to myself but this happens infrequently. Any advice on how to conduct one-one-ones, and particularly on providing feedback when I don't have a private space?

Thanks

Jackie

Re: Email Signature

GlennR — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:27:09 +0000

I agree with DMB41Carter36 about the need for a telephone number (and fax). In my organization we use Lotus Notes and a recent upgrade now adds the person's title and phone number to the IM dialog box. That saves me from having to go into a db to research someone's number. When the sig block contains phone info, it saves time as well.

As for the disclaimers, I wonder if they actually hold up in a court.

Re: Can you help with finding a visual?

maura — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:04:46 +0000

My gut reaction to your post was so much more "S" than my typical "D" reaction, that it struck me as funny: I thought of the Disney World attraction "It's a Small World".

You are one team. Regardless of where you are geographicaly, and what language you're singing in, you need to be singing the same song, together. Now just try to get that song out of your head for the rest of the day!

Cheers from Florida,

Maura

Re: Can you help with finding a visual?

akiwitz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:16:05 +0000

@Sam: the objectives are:

-> streamline processes
-> learn from each other errors
-> reduce costs

@Stephen: thanks for the tip!

@GlennR: thanks for the idea, I like it!

Re: Is a 2nd MBA Worth it?

dony_22 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:18 +0000

It is impossible to calculate exactly the effects of bear bets made by the elite traders, but they were added to the influx of offers for sale of foreign currency, and investment advisors thus pressed the European Union in order to stop the Greek debt crisis.

Re: How to move from IT to Finance... and that CFA

dony_22 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:59:48 +0000

Upon registration, the curriculum eBook is available online or to download to your personal computer, iPod, iPad, or iPhone.

Business funding

cover letter for recruiter?

datarno — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:57:16 +0000

Quick question to the community. I will be sending my cv to a local recruiter in the near future. Since I am considering an industry change, if a suitable role presents itself, what type of cover letter would I send? Would I send one at all since I am not applying for a specific position? Thanks much for your input.

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

ChrisH — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:20:33 +0000

Yeah, perhaps I blew that question and could have answered it more direct. She actually did not ask for a range she asked for a specific salary. I suppose I could have gave her a range and while that would not have answered her specific question it would have been closer to the answer she was probably looking for.

I guess I won't know for sure if my answer was a deal breaker but if I don't get the next interview maybe it had something to do with it.

I will have to go back through the podcast, I thought it was recommended that there was no need to dicuss salary until you have an offer. It was the first time I have never given a direct answer and while it was different at the time I felt like the answer was fine and recieved well but then again I don't get to see the "ballon" over their head.

You live and you learn.....

Thanks for the feedback.

Re: Well now what...

thebeezer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:08:24 +0000

Meeting a Senior Executive - very helpful information here.

Re: Email Signature

dmb41carter36 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:21:22 +0000

Maybe I am the only one but I find it maddening when the person on the email does not include at least their phone number. I often like to stop the email chan of multiple emails with a phone call. Also, I feel it is critical to have the phone number to build relationships. especially when it is a customer. I actually think it is unprofessional to make someone stop and hunt for your phone number.

I think business address is also critical since the world is so flat these days you need to know where people are in order to respect time differences among other things you can infer based the location of someone.

In regards to the signatureand "canned" reply, as long as it's not totally canned like "Have a great day!", I don't even notice it. It's actually ironically funny when someone writes a snotty email and their signature is "Have a blessed day".

Personally, I do have the "caned" reply with "Regards" but I often will write a sentence such as "Thank you in advance for your time and attention" prior to the close of the email.

Re: Help: Job responsibilities not as advertized!

jrosenau — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:09:00 +0000

Hi Jenna - sounds like you are working through this. This will help you navigate through change throughout your career.

To answer the attrition rate question, your situation is probably not unique. The other workers might have been brought in with one job description but assigned different responsibilities. They are choosing to leave.

I think the fact that you are sticking it out will give you a great story when you do choose to leave the firm. You will be able to say that you did everything you could to make it work.

John

Re: Help: Job responsibilities not as advertized!

jennakraft — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:36:33 +0000

Greetings again! I wanted to send an update earlier, but the situation has been changing daily (and personal life challenges have kept me busy as well). Anyhow, the dialogue with my manager went pretty well. I was straightforward about my desire to work on the higher level projects that were implied when I was hired on. My manager agreed that things hadn’t been progressing as planned and we both left the meeting with actions. This was encouraging to some extent, and was a good step in building a better relationship with my manager. However, I still have reservations about my manager’s ability to affect “our relationships” with the other departments.

The next work day, the HR manager started a conversation with me (when I was not in the best state to give responses about my job satisfaction.) We ended up having a lengthy discussion about my perception of interdepartmental issues and building relationships. He has offered to coach me in my influencing/relationship skills, which I accepted. Another topic with the HR manager was the lack of communication and agreement with the management staff. He has indicated that there is some action being planned to address this.

My current actions are focusing on fostering relationships with peer level people in other departments and helping them with projects they need support with. I’m also working on outlining some achievable goals that would increase my job satisfaction in my current role.

Also of note, 2 other white collar employees have now given their 2 week notices. These two have worked here just months longer than myself. Our current staff is less than 30 white collar, and over 70 blue collar. And I would venture to say that over 70% of all employees have more than 15 years with the company. Within the past 2 months, 3 white collars (with tenures less than 18 months) have given notice. Is this attrition rate normal?

Outside of my current employ, I found that the “dream job” is a much farther commute than advertised. Probably farther than I would be willing to drive daily. From what I could gather, it could be tricky politics again within a small company. I’m still open to hearing more, but am not sold on the job by any means. In the meantime, I’m working my small local network for other possible opportunities.

Thanks again for your support and feedback!

Jenna

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

jrosenau — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:30:17 +0000

Chris,

That question comes up because they want to know if the salary range they have for the position fits what you are expecting. They are also looking at what you made previously and look at what you are expecting to see what that gap is. Is it a reasonable gap or are you expecting a 50% raise? Most recruiters I talk to make sure I have the requirements of the position, then ask the salary question to ensure they understands my salary range and I know if I fit in their range. Then they can move on to questions of fit.

I agree with Jazz - Answer the question then note that you are interested in making sure you are a good fit for the organization.

John

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

TomW — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:27:52 +0000

ChrisH, it sounds like you were a politician trying to say what you wanted to say instead of answering the question.

The rhythm of your interview sounds something this this:

Interviewer: Question
Interviewee: Answer
Interviewer: Question
Interviewee: Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Interviewer:That's OK, I really didn't need an answer to my question (thought balloon over interviewer's head: "Strike 1")

A range is bounded by a low number and a high number. Anything that is not a number is not an answer to a numerical question.

Re: Learning about a company by reaching out through Linked-In

jrosenau — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:18:52 +0000

Jazz,

I would talk to your direct connections that are connected to people in that organization. For me, I wanted to know more about an organization that a lot of people at my company were "migrating" to. I used my direct connections to get introduced to people who had migrated. That person is then able to let the internal connection know that you will be contacting them. Often in those "I'd like to get introduced" discussions, I got some information about the company second-hand. While not ideal, it does help begin to bring into focus what the organization looks like and helps you ask better questions when you do get introduced to an internal connection. I would only jump directly to the 2nd level connection if you can't let your direct connection know you are looking.

John

User can control Outlook Default Meeting Length (sort of)

jastbury — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:12:24 +0000

Concerning Mark's comments during the 45-minute meeting cast, there is a way to change the default meeting duration in Outlook, albeit a bit clunky. You do this by switching to day or week view and right-clicking the hourly increments on the left. Then you can choose from a list of how many time increments show on your calendar view. Unfortunately there is no choice for 45 minutes. I keep mine at 30 minutes and when I create a new meeting or appointment it's always 30 minutes long unless I change it. Maybe the next logical comment is to say "anything you can get done in a 45-minute meeting you can do in 30 minutes!" Or maybe someone can figure out how to add 45 minutes as an option through a registry tweak. I do find that I'm able to have a lot of good meetings in 30 minutes (2 topics plus a welcome/purpose).

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

Jazzman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:41:44 +0000

I disagree with the above. She wanted to know a specific number...give her a specific number. Saying you know the market range is dancing around the answer. This isn't really about what you want, it's about giving her an answer to something she wants to know.

It is fine to briefly say that there's more to it than just salary, but first answer the request.

See: http://www.manager-tools.com/2009/09/what-your-salary-expectation for MT-specific guidance.

-Jazz

Learning about a company by reaching out through Linked-In

Jazzman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:12:10 +0000

Is it okay to reach out to folks in another company through Linked In?

I'm interested in pursuing a position at a company that I don't know much about but looks very ideal on the surface. I'd like to get to know more of what it's like working at that company. In Linked In, there are quite a few "2nd degree" contacts in that company through people I'm connected with (and have worked with) on Linked In.

Possible benefits:

Better understand what the company is looking for beyond the job posting to be able to better tailor my resume and any potential interviews to meet that need
Begin building relationship with people IN the company.
Know better the value I could contribute and receive out of working.

Is it okay to send a "Hey I know so-and-so, and I'd like to know what it's like working for x?" or something similar? Has anyone seen this done effectively?

Thanks!

-Jazz

Re: Well now what...

kima — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:54:30 +0000

First - shame on me; thought about BLUF when i wrote the orginal post and led with background anyway.

Second -- thanks for all your great advice! I really appreciate it.

Kim

Re: Well now what...

kima — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:54:26 +0000

First - shame on me; thought about BLUF when i wrote the orginal post and led with background anyway.

Second -- thanks for all your great advice! I really appreciate it.

Kim

Re: Well now what...

JWWilcox — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:41:48 +0000

All the comments above are excellent. I would only add a technique that I use. Work on your presentation document to get it as short as humanly possible and still get the message(s) across. This will force you to think clearly.....no stories. Go over it several times. You may also want to present it to trusted peers for a quality check.

Re: Can you help with finding a visual?

GlennR — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:06:59 +0000

How about the famous picture of the "Full Earth?" It shows one planet with no territorial boundaries. Plus, it's a beautiful picture.

Re: Well now what...

RaisingCain — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:58:05 +0000

Take with a grain of salt as I saw the words about background and decided to skip to the end. You have a meeting. If you are facilitating it have a good agenda and prewire it. If you are not the facilitator ask for an agenda or get some objectives and…prewire it. If you’re not sure how to interact with the person, ask them how they like to be interacted with…as part of the prewire. I think you get my main action item here. Bottom line, don’t wait until the meeting to talk to the person. I think they would appreciate your attempts to be effective and make the most of their time.

Edit: I went back and read the high points so I'll add. You called it a meeting, STOP, its an interview.

Re: Business attire when it is HOT outside

Jrlz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:48:55 +0000

I agree with the recommendations above and would highly recommend a white dress up shirt with a white undershirt. The sweat will not show up as easily. If it is a particularly hot and humid day consider bringing and extra shirt and/or undershirt. I too sweat easily and have brought an extra undershirt to work. This way half way through the day I can change my damp undershirt to a nice dry one, it help immensly.

Outlook and 45 minute meetings

bradp — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:30:25 +0000

From what I can see Outlook defaults it's meeting length to the time period breakdown shown in the calendar. For example I use 15 minute increments so my default is 15 minutes. I really appreciate the message in the 45 minute meeting podcast but the discussion about defaults could be confusing to some people. It certainly took me 20 minutes to work out why I couldn't find a default setting.

To change the default calendar increment go via the view, current view and other settings in version 2003.

If a newer version has a default let me know

Regards, Brad

Re: Email Signature

bradp — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:22:23 +0000

I've considered this over the years and have been coached also by a selection of my bosses good and bad. I've decided that simple and consistent has been the best approach:

Regards, is the informal sign off when I communicate with peers and my boss in general

None as in just my name for formal sign offs when the message in the email is formal. Process corrections, improvements and more formal information distribution

Cheers, for a neutral sign off to other peers in the organisation or others I don't quite know that well yet. I always expect these to end up being "regards" sooner rather than later

In terms of the content: an initial email signature of mine always has name, job and contact details. I'm not in sales but I do like the corporate theme words. My replies and forwards only have the sign off using the above too and my name plus phone numbers I think that if a reply needs further discussion people can ring me easily.

Regards

Brad Parker

Re: Resistance to change

smorison — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:33:42 +0000

Disc profiling of them will give you an idea on how you need to communicate with them to get the concept acrossso that they understand it. Remember that communicating is what the listener does, so if you have resistance review your approach.

The dark part of me says "too bad, deal with it or get off the bus"

Stephen

DISC: 7511

Re: Can you help with finding a visual?

smorison — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:30:10 +0000

Without specifics of your goal it's a bit hard to help, however more generally...

When building regional terms / integrating them, I watch people's language very closely and pull the up if they are only talking/thinking about their local team. Obviously you do it politely like "what about the other group, how will this impact them?" ... Managers though if they can't get their head around it, get direct feedback on their inability to see the big picture.

Hopethis is usefu.

Stephen

DISC: 7511

Re: I closed!

smorison — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:26:30 +0000

Well done Chris,

It can be hard to do, but as a hiring manager I love it when people do. Dont forget to follow up with them, and send thank you notes... Set yourself apart just that little bit more

Cheers

Stephen

DISC: 7511

Re: Can you help with finding a visual?

SamBeroz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:09:23 +0000

I would try and base the visual on the result you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to reduce costs by avoiding duplication? Provide 24 hour support? Enter new markets? Streamline processes? Integration for integration's sake isn't very compelling. Focusing on the underlying objective helps people view the situation as it is now vs how it could / should be and to understand the need for change.

Hope that helps. - Sam

Re: Quick way to download missing podcasts?

rthibode — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:54:41 +0000

Thanks Mike. Just so I'm clear, you're suggesting that I unsubscribe from those feeds in iTunes, delete all my old MT and CT podcasts, then resubscribe and redownload them all?

Rachelle

Re: My first chance to put the interview series to the test!

ChrisH — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:45:04 +0000

Any update on how this turned out?

Re: Most significant accomplishment

ChrisH — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:31:06 +0000

Thanks for sharing. We can all learn from your experience.

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

ChrisH — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:05:24 +0000

Thanks for the responses. Before finding MT I probably would have given some sort of range without thinking about it.

I was hoping it would reaffirm my position that I am really looking for a good career opportunity and not a job. Its the first time I have ever said that and after I delivered it I immediately thought "I hope I don't come off like I am avoiding the question"

Like Mark constantly reminds us "you have NOTHING until you have an offer."

Re: Career in Logistics/LEAN/Six Sigma

sfojpa88 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:16:59 +0000

Hi Jay,

I work in logistics/freight forwarding operations and while certifications are great, the industry is moving away from that area and leaning towards experience and individuals who can provide ideas to simplify and streamline processes and optimize efficiency.

Have you considered an online supply chain or logistics course such as the one offered by Georgia Technology? Or diving in blogs and magazines on logistics operations such as American Shipper or DC Velocity are great resources. Both publications have well-written and timely content.

Also look at attending Council of Supply Chain roundtable events - www.cscmp.org. They have local chapters and reaching out to members through networking events is really helpful for getting ideas on improving your career.

Also second what Jay said on transactional process improvements - understanding and at least knowing the steps (number of handoffs and the time it takes from each step to the next will help in the six sigma area).

Feel free to send a message if you have more questions on the purchase orders, transportation management and transactional process related to logistics and destination structures.

Re: "Is there a specific salary you are looking for?" Bad Answer?

cim44 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:01:38 +0000

Your answer was what I would have said.