GazetMe - Part 3

Competency outline: Business Planning

By Ben | July 21, 2009

I have been thinking a lot about planning this week as we see reruns of that great JFK speech setting out his vision of putting a man on the moon:

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Why is this relevant to business planning? Because it is the start of a visionary process - the setting of goals that, through detailed planning, will, in a defined time-frame, be realized. Make no mistake, this speech demonstrated many other things too (leadership in particular), but for me the importance of it was that it was the start of a process culminating in that near-unbelievable step off the lunar lander by Neil Armstrong nearly ten years later.

Business planning then is a great competency to be able to lay claim to because it combines the vision of a soothsayer, with the thoroughness of an obsessive compulsive. Sure, most of us will never reach the heights of JFK, but to be able to plan for a business, you have to be able to look at what an enterprise might achieve two, three, or even five years down the line, and then articulate for the benefit of others how that achievement might be realised.

And while it is probably true that most businesses don’t actually follow to the letter a plan as laid out over that period of time, the value of business planning cannot be underestimated. Why? Because planning is a process by which businesses can be energised with a vision. A business with a vision clearly articulated is a business that is looking to the future. The vision may not be right, the plan may change, but the vision ensures that the business is looking forward, looking to what might be, rather than merely dealing with what is.

For all of us then it’s worth taking a moment to soak up JFK’s vision and determination. Read his speech in full and remember to look to the future in your plans.

Posted in Competencies, The Perfect CV | Tagged Add new tag, Competencies, CV, CVs, JFK, Job Search, moon, Neil Armstrong | Leave a comment

Good news for jobs…almost

By Ben | July 20, 2009

As we’ve made it a habit here to report on many of the job losses over the last six months it would seem churlish not to raise a small cheer for the news that Nissan is to create 350 new jobs at its Sunderland plant. But two thoughts spring quickly to mind: first, this is a tiny number of new jobs compared with the many that have been lost in the car industry and in the wider economy; and secondly, reading the BBC’s piece on the news reminds us that 1,200 jobs there had been cut earlier this year. For ‘new jobs’ it might almost be better to substitute ’saved jobs’ since the likelihood of these positions being filled by recently redundant members of the Nissan workforce must be pretty high.

Once again then, a small cheer; but as they’ve been saying at Lords today: ‘it ‘ain’t over yet’.

Posted in Economy | Tagged Economy, jobs, Nissan, Sunderland | Leave a comment

Cardiff…you’re fired!

By Ben | July 15, 2009

On Radio 4 this morning there was more talk about green shoots. But as is always the case with recessions, unemployment tends to lag behind any upturn (and I am not convinced that it’s over yet). As if to illustrate the point, we learn today that in the three months to May 281,000 people have lost their jobs. To put this in perspective that’s equivalent to the entire City of Cardiff. To repeat Sir Alan’s weekly refrain: “Cardiff…you’re fired!”

Posted in Economy | Tagged Alan Sugar, Cardiff, Economy, Radio 4, You're fired | Leave a comment

CV Truth & Lies

By Ben | July 9, 2009

For anyone who is ever the slightest bit tempted to embellish their back-story with a little bit of creative CV writing, think again: little lies can come back to haunt you, with big consequences. It’s one thing to leave out some poor GCSE results, it’s quite another to add in achievements that were never yours in the first place.

Anyone who has ever watched the penultimate episodes of the Apprentice will know what I’m talking about - there is something rather cringe-worthy in seeing a big-ego contestant get his or her comeuppance as their CV is revealed to have been economical with the truth. So often though, their reaction is not one of shame but incredulity - how were they found out?!

However as this recent story in the Telegraph shows, lying on one’s CV can have serious consequences: in this case, a reflective spell at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Prison and a criminal record are no joke, and cannot be hidden from future employers. The story also shows that telling the truth, even when it might cast you in a less than flattering light, is no bar to a good job if your other talents suffice. So take care when crafting a CV: get the facts straight, tell the truth.

Posted in The Perfect CV | Tagged Apprentice, CV, GCSE, prison, Telegraph | Leave a comment

51,100 new jobs on offer

By Ben | June 25, 2009

Since this blog launched, we’ve been documenting job losses across the country. And a pretty depressing process that has proved to be. Our intention has always been to report on new jobs also, but understandably there have been few of those.

Imagine my excitement then, to read this article in today’s Times announcing 140 new jobs a day - 51,100 annually. But wait, reading on you’ll see that the jobs in question are with McDonalds, what many would disparagingly call McJobs. My intial reaction was exactly that: these aren’t real jobs, they’re just low-skilled, deep fat, automatons.

However I’d urge you to read the whole article by Steve Easterbrook, Chief Exec of McDonald’s UK for he makes some very valid points. As the headline says: there’s no such thing as a bad job, especially when it comes from an employer that recognises the benefits that come from improving the skills of its workforce. In today’s job market, you may not find the perfect job, but even a job with McDonalds may not be quite the dead-end that many would suggest. At the very least, it’s a reason to get up in the morning. The only kicker in the article was the suggestion that each of those jobs attracts 2,000 applicants (that’s 730,000 annually). All the more reason to have a good Gazetme profile.

Posted in Job Hunter, Post-Trivialism | Tagged Job Search, McDonalds, McJobs, Steve Easterbrook, Times | Leave a comment

Don’t send a CV

By Ben | June 15, 2009

Amid all the gloomy economic news, the process of looking for a new job is undoubtedly a dispiriting one for many. So what tips can this blog offer?

First, it is important to be highly organised: to track every job for which you apply (even though most will not even deign to respond); to be rigorous in your networking; and to use all resources at your disposal (contacts, media, internet) to identify opportunities. Plus, you need to know exactly what your skill-set is, and what you can offer any prospective employer. That is the bare minimum and equivalent to a full-time job in itself.

Secondly, you should do everything in your power to circumvent the Wall of recruitment agents and HR departments. Don’t get me wrong, these people all have a job to do, but no matter what they tell you (recruitment agents in particular) their primary objective is not to find you a job. Rather, their primary objective is to offer to their internal or external clients a shortlist of candidates for each opportunity that is as safe as possible, thereby to close their deal and secure their commission. And this means that they will introduce candidates that (on paper) comply as closely as possible to the brief. This is not the same as finding the best candidate for the job. To go through the Wall (i.e. to follow the standard advertisement/application/interview process) you will only succeed if you match exactly the criteria that have been defined for the job. For many job applications you will undoubtedly have to follow this approach, and the more that your CV can be tailored quickly and easily to every opportunity, the better.

However there is another way: to try and go around the Wall. One of the best books I have read on finding a job is Jeffrey J. Fox’s ‘Don’t Send a CV‘. Fox’s proposition is summarised in one of his chapter headings: ‘You are a box of Cereal’. Essentially he makes the point that you have to think of yourself as a commodity that you are selling to a business in order to bring benefit to that organisation. And your selling process should be counterintuitive and enable you to stand out from all the other boxes of cereal on the shelves. It is not about what the employer can offer you, but about how you can bring benefit (preferably quantifiable) to that business. By all means make information about your skills available (e.g. by offering a link to your GazetMe profile), but don’t think that your opening shot has to be to send a formal CV and covering letter. Look for other ways into the business. Get around the Wall. It’s a great book and I recommend it highly because in a crowded job market, thinking differently from the crowd may well be the best way to get noticed.

Posted in Job Hunter, Posts | Tagged CV, HR, Jeffrey Fox, Recruitment Agent | Leave a comment

… closely followed by Cheltenham & Gloucester - 1,660 jobs to go there

By Ben | June 9, 2009

Another sector, another business shutdown. Today’s news that the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society is to close its branch network with the loss of 1,660 jobs is terrible news for the economy. More high street premises will now stand empty and more people will join the list of unemployed. Following so close on the heels of LDV yesterday, this is a salutary reminder that the economy continues to take a battering. Green shoots? More like a hard frost.

Posted in Economy | Tagged C&G, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Economy, Lloyds, Redundancy | Leave a comment

LDV collapses - 4,000 jobs to go

By Ben | June 8, 2009

More bad news for the UK’s manfacturing sector with the collapse today of van maker LDV with the loss of 4,000 jobs. As the FT reports, this follows LDV’s attempt to secure government aid of £20-£30m, which was ultimately unsuccessful. While Lord Mandelson’s refusal to offer a bail-out might seem hard hearted, it must be the correct decision: it would have been perverse for the taxpayer to have been providing such support to a company whose owner, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, could almost certainly have funded such a capital injection himself. That however will be of little comfort to those who now find themselves out of work.

Posted in Economy | Tagged Deripaska, Economy, LDV, Mandelson, Redundancy | Leave a comment

Competency outline: Change Agent

By Ben | June 5, 2009

Consider a secretarial pool in a large multi-national. Processes have been established which work. But everyone knows that things could be done better. Does anyone do anything about it? Or does everyone just accept the status quo? To be a change agent you have to be prepared to challenge the status quo and to achieve meaningful improvements in the process. It’s not easy, especially when it means persuading others to move beyond their comfort zones and dealing with conflicting personal ambitions. So it is for this reason that individuals who can successfully bring about change (with positive benefits to the business) are particularly valued by employers.

The example I gave at the beginning was to show that change can be achieved by anyone - it could just as easily be one of the secretaries who persuades the others that a new process will work well as the boss. Indeed the achievement would probably be greater for a secretary since she will have less authority to impose upon the others.

If you want to present yourself as a change agent, think of examples where you have been confronted with an existing way of doing things and have persuaded others of a better alternative. Take care to stress the positive results, and seek endorsement to show that others bought into your idea.

Posted in Competencies, The Perfect CV | Tagged Change Agent, Competencies, CV, CVs, Job Search, Resume | Leave a comment

You’re hired - next year

By Ben | June 3, 2009

News from across the Atlantic courtesy of the Economist suggests that new jobs are on offer…just not yet. Evidently hiring patterns are changing, which adds to the importance for candidates to do everything that they can to customise each CV to the job on offer.

Posted in Economy, Posts | Leave a comment