Career Acceleration Notes (CAN)

The Future of Work: read a special double issue from Business Week

A must-read for all the generations in the workplace: Millennials, GenY, GenX, Boomers...

Business Week recently published a double issue that is a "must read" for those interested in the 21st C. workplace.  The Future of Work:  how we will master technology, manage companies, and build careers in the era of the global, 24-7 workplace offers facts and conclusions based on a summer 2007 survey of 2000 American middle managers.  Some random points of interest: 

• The modern workplace resembles a design studio, where core values are collaboration and innovation
• More than 1 in 4 workers age 55 and older say they never expect to retire; only 1 in 10 under age 30 say the same thing.
• Job satisfaction in the U.S. has fallen by 12 percentage points in the last decade - a record low.
• Multinational companies are having trouble getting people to work well together:  e-mail and telecommunications are expedient, but complex teams are more productive through face time.
• Dow Chemical is one of the companies trying to stave off a brain drain created by the expected retirement of 30% of its workforce over the next 5 years.  Dow is offering flexible hours, three-day workweeks, and an open door to retirees who want to return to the workplace. 
• India is trying to keep its talent in-country.  Accenture Ltd. assigns a career counselor to each employee and offers continuing education through a range of 10,000 courses.  Message for workers on all continents: Continuing Education is a key to success in the workplace of the future.
• Sustainable careers are those that involve deep relationships with customers and extensive knowledge of market conditions - another boon for Boomers...

This issue includes a piece by Diane Brady called, Creating Brand You.  The author identifies Estee Lauder as an employer offering personal branding training as a means to strengthen employee loyalty and engagement.  The author claims that Generation X types are more skeptical of the value of branding than are the Boomers and younger Gen Y'ers.  She reminds readers of all generations that "your co-workers aren't just your colleagues.  They're your audience."

Those interested in achieving change in the 21st C. workplace should check-out this issue -  we can discuss and debate the issues raised for weeks.  Looking for your comments and reactions on this blog; your participation will make this a place for an exchange of ideas between people with shared interests!

Posted by Karen P. Katz

Business Week recently published a double issue that is a "must read" for those interested in the 21st C. workplace.  The Future of Work:  how we will master technology, manage companies, and build careers in the era of the global, 24-7 workplace offers facts and conclusions based on a summer 2007 survey of 2000 American middle managers.  Some random points of interest: 

• The modern workplace resembles a design studio, where core values are collaboration and innovation
• More than 1 in 4 workers age 55 and older say they never expect to retire; only 1 in 10 under age 30 say the same thing.
• Job satisfaction in the U.S. has fallen by 12 percentage points in the last decade - a record low.
• Multinational companies are having trouble getting people to work well together:  e-mail and telecommunications are expedient, but complex teams are more productive through face time.
• Dow Chemical is one of the companies trying to stave off a brain drain created by the expected retirement of 30% of its workforce over the next 5 years.  Dow is offering flexible hours, three-day workweeks, and an open door to retirees who want to return to the workplace. 
• India is trying to keep its talent in-country.  Accenture Ltd. assigns a career counselor to each employee and offers continuing education through a range of 10,000 courses.  Message for workers on all continents: Continuing Education is a key to success in the workplace of the future.
• Sustainable careers are those that involve deep relationships with customers and extensive knowledge of market conditions - another boon for Boomers...

This issue includes a piece by Diane Brady called, Creating Brand You.  The author identifies Estee Lauder as an employer offering personal branding training as a means to strengthen employee loyalty and engagement.  The author claims that Generation X types are more skeptical of the value of branding than are the Boomers and younger Gen Y'ers.  She reminds readers of all generations that "your co-workers aren't just your colleagues.  They're your audience."

Those interested in achieving change in the 21st C. workplace should check-out this issue -  we can discuss and debate the issues raised for weeks.  Looking for your comments and reactions on this blog; your participation will make this a place for an exchange of ideas between people with shared interests!

Posted by Karen P. Katz

Another reason NOT to post your resume online...

Monster, the worldwide job board that encourages candidates to post resumes with the understanding that potential employers and recruiters will discover them, is the subject of a breach of security. The credentials of employers and/or recruiters have recently been pirated and used to gain access to candidate names and contact information.  Unlucky candidates may expect to receive spam and have their computers inflected by viruses known as Trojans.          

Job boards are useful to learn about the local labor market - who is hiring, where are the bulk of the jobs located, what are the requirements, etc.  Candidates should not drink the "Kool Aid" that would have them believe they can post their resume and wait to be called for interviews.  The likelihood that a candidate will secure a job offer through a job board ranges from 0.2% - 3.0%, depending upon whose data is used.

Nothing worth having is easy; the same is true for successful job search and career transition. 

Posted by Karen P. Katz

Fast Company blazes a trail for re-branding: Al Gore's $100 Million Makeover

Fast Company has marked the 10th anniversary of Tom Peters' The Brand Called You with a puffy, but motivating piece on the re-branding of Al Gore. Ellen McGirt's cover story in the July/August 2007 issue of FC (Al Gore's $100 Million Makeover) is required reading for anyone involved in career transition. 

Gore has integrated  his geeky penchant for research, his access to well-heeled connections, and his willingness to speak passionately about issues: the result is a transformation from failed politician to successful entrepreneur.  No longer the butt of late-night TV jokes, he is now an aspiring media mogul as the co-owner of Current TV.  He has become an adviser to two of the World's Most Innovative Companies, Google and Apple; co-founder of an investment firm that promotes a new definition of sustainability; and, he is also involved in other enterprises that have raised his net worth from $1-2 million to more than $100 million in less than seven years.  Politics aside, this transition from "almost got the job" is a story that can inspire the success of others, even those with more moderate goals than Gore's.

A few learning points: 

• Be purposeful in defining your brand:  find your passion.
• Dare to be different:  innovation is not as intimidating as invention - You CAN do it...
• Connect with friends, family, colleagues:  "to network" can be conjugated as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb - it works at all levels
• Use technology:  aside from promoting your ideas, technology allows you to listen and learn from your customers/audience

There is a lot of buzz in the careers community about this topic of branding (the book by Kirsten Dixon and William Arruda is a must-read).  While Gore may not have participated in an official branding program, the transformation of his image and financial outlook speak volumes for the value of thoughtful and guided transition.

Posted by Karen P. Katz