Top 10 People You Must Have In Your Network To Find A Job

Top 10 People You Must Have In Your Network To Find A Job

So, you know it is important to have the two Qs as you build out your network: quality and quantity. But have you considered the importance of having a well-rounded network?

In this labor market, having a strong network is critical to your career success. There are plenty of tips and articles on where to find people, how and when to connect with them, and even what you need to say to attract and maintain your network. This article focuses on who should be in your network.

Here are the top 10 people that should be in your network, no matter if you’re looking for a job or happy in your current position—because every job is temporary!

Who Should Be Part Of Your Network?

There are 10 types of people you should have in your network:

  1. The mentor
  2. The coach
  3. The industry insider
  4. The trendsetter
  5. The connector
  6. The idealist
  7. The realist
  8. The visionary
  9. The partner
  10. The wanna-be

1. The Mentor

Mentor talks to someone in his network

This is the person who has reached the level of success you aspire to have. You can learn from their successes as well as their mistakes. Heed their wisdom and experience. This relationship offers a unique perspective because they have known you through several peaks and valleys in your life and watched you evolve.

2. The Coach

Man talks with people in his network

The coach is someone who comes in at different times in your life. They help with critical decisions and transitions and offer an objective perspective with no strings attached.

3. The Industry Insider

Man shows an article to someone in his network

This is someone in your chosen field who has expert-level information or access to it. This person will keep you informed on what’s happening now and what the next big thing is. Invite them to be a sounding board for your next innovative idea.

4. The Trendsetter

Professionals network at work

This is someone outside of your chosen industry that always has the latest buzz. It can be on any topic you find interesting. The goal in having this person in your network is to look for those connections that spark innovation via the unconventional. It will also help you keep your conversations interesting.

5. The Connector

Professionals network during a meeting

This is a person who has access to people, resources, and information. As soon as they come across something related to you, they are sending you an email or picking up the phone. Connectors are great at uncovering unique ways to make connections, finding resources and opportunities most people would over look.

6. The Idealist

Woman talks with someone in her network

This is the person in your network you can dream with. No matter how “out there” your latest idea is, this is the person that will help you brainstorm ways to make it happen. Without judgment, they are focused on helping you flesh out your dreams in high definition, even if you don’t have a solid plan yet on how to make it happen.

7. The Realist

Two professionals discuss their careers

On the flip side, you still need the person who will help you keep it real. This is the person who will give you the raised eyebrow when your expectations are a little to unrealistic and need some grounding. These are not people who knock down your dreams; rather, they challenge you to actively make your dreams happen.

8. The Visionary

Woman works with two people in her network

Visionary people inspire you by their journey. They are similar to the Idealist, but the visionary can help you envision an actual plan to reach your goal. One personal encounter with this type of person can powerfully change the direction of your thinking and life.

9. The Partner

Two people network together

You need to have someone who is in a similar place and on a similar path to share with. In fact, partners do a lot of sharing. This is a person you can share the wins and woes with. Partners will also share resources, opportunities, and information.

10. The Wanna-Be

Young professional gets help from her mentor at work

This is someone you can serve as a mentor. Someone you can help shape and guide based on your experiences. One of the best ways to tell you understand something is to be able to explain it to someone else. And sometimes, one of the best motivators for pushing through obstacles and hardship is knowing someone is watching.

Obviously, you will want to have more than 10 people in your network. The trick is to make sure you are building a diverse network by adding people from different industries, backgrounds, age groups, ethnic groups, and so on that fit into the roles listed above.

Building a deep network by only including people from your current profession or business focus leaves too many stones unturned, limiting potential opportunities. Serious about building a strong professional network that can actually provide the leverage you need to make progress at work and the connections to land your dream job? Evaluate your current network and get started filling in the gaps. Happy networking!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Is It “Smart” To Use Smart Numbering Systems?

Is It “Smart” To Use Smart Numbering Systems?

Many times during my career, I have been faced with a dilemma: will we develop an intelligent numbering system or do we utilize an increasing integer system? It does not matter if we are discussing article numbers in an ERP system, CAD drawings, or any other nomenclature for a work product. The question of intelligent numbering always comes up in the conversation.

To help define a “smart” system, adding any intelligence to the name of a product that helps the end user quickly identify product attributes constitutes a smart numbering system.

Some examples:

  • Area Codes in the Phone Company:
    • 216 – Cleveland
    • 310 – Los Angeles
    • 212 – New York City
  • Manufacturing Numbers:
    • 100### – machined parts
    • 200### – electrical components
    • 300### – weldments
  • Car & Truck Tires
    • P### – tire width
    • ##R## – aspect ratio and Diameter

Why Do People Like “Smart” Numbers?

Blue numbers

When your phone rings, you have a good idea where the call originated based on three digits. If you are buying tires, you already know the basics before you have looked into performance, speed rating, and wear. Walking into a production facility, you can grasp what is occurring by identifying the part number. Intelligent numbers help users to find information quickly.

When the system is well defined (i.e., tires), the market accepts these as norms and uses these intelligent numbers as jargon. These systems can simplify discussions and aid in swift communication. People gravitate to these systems because it simplifies their effort.

“Smart” Numbers Are Finite… And Will End In Conflict.

Person dials a phone number

Eventually, all smart systems will fill up the available combinations and end. The finite list of combinations will result in overlap or run-out over time. Allow me to illustrate.

When I was younger, Cleveland had one area code for all phone numbers: 216. Ohio Bell notified everyone two new area codes would be added to the “216” region because they ran out of numbers. Ohio Bell overlaid 440 and 330 in the same geographic region changing people’s phone numbers. I became 440, and my grandmother remained 216. With the new numbers, Ohio Bell had eight million unique numbers to fulfill.

Further back in time, phone numbers began with two-letter codes for the city you lived in. A famous number in Cleveland (sing it loud my friends)…

“GArfield 1 – 23 23”

GA referred to a suburb of Garfield south of Cleveland. Commercials ran every day with this jingle, and to this day, you can still dial the number to have your windows replaced (I checked).

What happened when cities like Garfield, Garrettsville, and Gates Mills in Ohio all had the same prefix? How did everyone differentiate? Quickly Ohio Bell abandoned the “city” designation for a series of “dumb” numbers to manage their systems.

Careers Have Moments Of Déjà Vu…

Numbers/numbering system concept

Early in my career, I was debating this subject with one of my mentors. We were launching a new ERP, and we had the debate of intelligent versus dumb numbers. He joked that would not be my last argument on the subject, and he offered I would have this conversation many times throughout my career.

I have assisted or witnessed seven ERP installations in my career. I have been included in the implementation team three times. I have had the “smart” number conversation 10 or more times as well. History regularly repeats itself.

Most companies have developed a “smart” system out of necessity. In the early days, the business needed a shortcut. ERP systems and spreadsheets were nonexistent. These “smart” systems made work easier.

In each numbering conversation, I have been an advocate for the “dumb” method. Collisions will occur, and numbers will run out. With a phone number scenario, eight million combinations takes a long, long time to fulfill.

I spent 13 years in commercial truck wheels. We had a smart system where the first digit defined the wheel diameter. We used integers 0 through 9, so we had room for 10 different wheel diameters. Wheels are sold in many sizes, and one particular diameter class is 17.0 inch and 17.5 inch. The number “6” was assigned to 17.# inch-diameter wheels. Did you know if the wheel was 17.0 or 17.5? You could not tell because of the overlap. Worst yet, we exceeded 10 different wheel diameter sizes in our growth over the years from 13-inch to over 27-inch diameter wheels. Once we outgrew the “10” combinations, what did we do about part numbers?

“Dumb” Numbers Do Not Save The Day.

Man types his credit card number into his phone

The punchline? Use a “dumb,” sequential number with no significance, no finite value, and no collisions with every new item created. Problem solved, right?

Does the number 2164212323 mean anything? Some will notice my example above. Will 2169311212 have any relevance?

Without context, dumb numbers have no meaning. They are simply a string of digits. UPC codes, VIN numbers, and zip codes are just a series of alphanumeric digits defining something. Without a “key” to their meaning, what value do they add? The answer is nothing.

“Dumb” numbers require a system behind them. Zip codes must have a geographical key to unlock their destination. UPC codes need a computer system in the background to reference numbers. VIN numbers can be unlocked with the manufacturer’s codes.

With a good support system, “dumb” numbers work very well. Knowing how to find information from these numbers relies on the infrastructure. Social Security numbers and credit cards are excellent examples. With the infrastructure, these numbers can unlock treasure troves of information or can allow you to spend money without fear.

What Do I Do — Stay “Smart” Or Act “Dumb”?

Barcode

Once in my career, I may have gotten it right for the situation. Most implementations, my teams have selected the purely “dumb” solution for ease. Only once did I witness the wrong decision.

“Smart” numbers will eventually fail. They are fantastic in the short run because they short-cut the system. People will use these numbers almost as their own language. Despite the benefits and ease of use, a “smart” system will collapse.

“Dumb” numbers are simple to implement. Integers are sequential, and the product associated with each interval is random. With a background support system, “dumb” numbers will run forever.

My best implementation was a result of my ERP team’s Kaizen event. I used the phone number example to draw them away from “smart” numbers that had already failed in the previous 10 years. My team was against truly “dumb” numbers because they lost all intelligence for the product. We found a compromise.

Our first five digits were a class of parts defined by their primary attribute. We had 100,000 available combinations within this sequence, so it was difficult to exhaust all of those numbers within our lifetime. The second set of numbers was also five digits that were sequential for the item that was generated.

Stainless steel nuts & bolts began with the number 12457, and each size or length was the sequential integer defining its unique attribute (12457-0001, 0002, etc.). We had seven thousand plus variations for diameter, length, screw top, etc., and we knew every one of these items was stainless steel. Black oxide nuts & bolts were 12458, and plain steel were 12456.

Which Solution Is Best?

Man checks for a product in a warehouse

​I can say with certainty the “smart” approach will eventually create problems. I have seen these collisions and finite combinations end long before the company needs room to grow. I discourage “smart” sequences for any business.

“Dumb” numbers have been quite successful. When the backbone structure is present, simply typing a number into a system gives me everything I need. Credit card companies use a 16-digit system yielding over a trillion combinations. These systems are extremely effective and valuable when tied to a strong infrastructure.

Personally, I was proud of my team and their effort to develop the hybrid system. We took elements of each concept and created a new paradigm. We were able to stock items in our warehouse by the first five digits, and we even used these “smart” codes to plan production. When it came to the discrete end item, the system provided specific details.

Challenge yourself when making these decisions. Is the intelligence worth the risk of running out of numbers? Does the “smart” system add value? Can I live with “dumb” numbers that are essentially random? Working with your ERP implementation team, complete an exercise to determine what is best for you.

Remember, our lives were bound by smart systems—area codes. We all were defined by the region where we lived. With the finite series of numbers within that area code and with the introduction of cell phones, which can be geographically located anywhere in the world, our phone numbers are truly dumb. The only intelligence added to your phone number is you.





3 Ways To End The Year On A Positive Note

3 Ways To End The Year On A Positive Note

It’s easy to become distracted at work as the end of the year approaches. With the holidays drawing near, many people start thinking about their upcoming time off and making plans with family and friends. But it’s important to not let this joyous time of year get you off track at work and put you into a holiday slump.

A sluggish finish to the year could easily spoil what was mostly a good year on the job. The good news? It’s possible to enjoy this time of year and continue to crush it at work!

Here’s how…

Get A Jump On Next Year’s Goals

Businessman continues to work hard during the holidays

Chances are you have already started outlining goals for the year ahead. So, why not start on them immediately? It’s even likely that some of your goals from the previous year may carry over into the new year.

You don’t have to wait until the clock strikes midnight to begin working toward your goals for the year ahead.

Write down all your goals, professional and personal, and determine a good starting point. Working from ahead not only gives you a good sense of pride, but when the time does come to take some time off for the holidays, you’ll be able to enjoy it more.

Take Some Time To Bond With Co-Workers

Friendly coworkers talk during a meeting

While you don’t want the holidays to interfere and distract you from your work responsibilities, they do provide a great opportunity to bond with your co-workers. Whether it’s through a company gift exchange, or some form of holiday party (even if it’s virtual), take some time to check in with your co-workers, and recognize them for all they do to help the company, and make your job easier.

Having a cordial relationship with your co-workers is something that takes constant work, so it’s extremely important to show appreciation when you can. The workforce doesn’t have to be best friends, but it’s good for overall morale, and sometimes job performance, that everyone gets along and respects their colleagues.

​Take Stock Of Where You Are In Your Career

Businessman reflects on the current state of his career

This is an opportunity to do an honest assessment of yourself and where you are in your career. By doing this assessment, you can chart out and adjust your long-term career plan. This is a much larger task than just setting goals for the year. But doing this at the end of the year is beneficial, as you have another year’s worth of information to help guide your thought process.

If things aren’t going well, you’ll want to come up with potential solutions, and if one of those solutions is a career change, it’s best to begin planning immediately.

While starting the new year with career uncertainty isn’t ideal, approaching this challenge with a plan in place will give you confidence and focus for the year ahead.

As long as you find ways to remain focused and have something to work toward, it’s very possible to avoid a holiday slump and enjoy the end of the year. It’s all about balance!

Need more help with your career as the year comes to a close?

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

32 Good Informational Interview Questions To Ask

32 Good Informational Interview Questions To Ask

If you plan on conducting an informational interview, it’s important to be prepared. This is an incredible opportunity to learn about an industry, career path, or company. Don’t waste it! This list of good informational interview questions will help you extract valuable information from experienced professionals while also making a good impression. What is an […]

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Want To Land A Job In 2023? Your Resume MUST Include This!

Want To Land A Job In 2023? Your Resume MUST Include This!

The primary goal of your resume is to help you stand out to employers so they give you a call and invite you in for an interview. It’s the first impression a hiring manager has of you, and the first step to landing a job. So, how do you optimize your resume so it beats out the competition?

Many job seekers feel lost when writing their resumes. What should you include on it? How much information is enough? What do hiring managers really want to see?

If any of these questions have crossed your mind, don’t worry. Here’s the one thing you need to include on your resume if you want to stand out to employers and land a job.

The Secret To Landing A Job In 2023? Quantifiable Accomplishments On Your Resume!

Man writes his resume on his laptop

The most important thing to include on your resume is quantifiable accomplishments. Quantify your work experience and put those numbers and figures under the “Work History” section on your resume.

Not sure how to quantify your work history?

Follow these 3 tips to effectively quantify your work history on your resume:

1. Add numbers to your bullet points

You should have at least one number for each bullet point you include on your resume. If you want to show your depth of experience in certain areas, you need to show those numbers. By doing this, an employer can see how much experience you have and how often you use a certain skill. So it’s really important to add as many numbers as you can to these bullet points.

Go through an average day at work, list all of your responsibilities and tasks, and ask yourself, “Okay, so if this is what I was doing every day, how often was I doing it? How much did I do? How many people did I work with?” By asking yourself these types of questions, you’ll be able to pull out those numbers and add that depth of experience to your bullet points.

2. Include 3-7 bullet points per role

For each role you list on your resume, you should write three to seven of these quantified bullet points to showcase the skill sets that you have that are related to the position you’re applying for. Any more than that and you’ll likely overwhelm the reader. The hiring manager may think you’re overqualified, that your experience is all over the place, or that you wouldn’t be happy in the job.

So, be careful how much you put on your resume because too little text sends a message, but so does too much text. You need just the right amount of information, and three to seven bullet points is the sweet spot.

3. Choose accomplishments that support your relevant hard skills

You need to be intentional with what you’re choosing to put on your resume to make sure you’re supporting your specialty, that service you provide to employers as a business-of-one. The key is to only choose the accomplishments that relate to the skill sets you’re showcasing in the top fold of your resume, the skill sets that directly support your specialty.

Make sure you’re intentionally pulling these things and including them on your resume as opposed to listing every accomplishment you’ve ever had in your career. This is going to be very important in terms of showcasing that depth of experience because you don’t want hiring managers to get distracted. You don’t want them focusing on an accomplishment that doesn’t support a relevant skill set. Make it clear what your specialty is and how you’ve provided value to employers with those skill sets in the past.

Why Quantifying Your Work History Is Essential

Woman holds her resume while talking to a hiring manager on the phone

Quantifying your work history is usually the hardest part of writing a resume for job seekers. It’s simply not something we learn in school. Recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to know how you did your job or what your tasks were. All they care about are the results.

What did you make happen as a result of your work? How did you add value? When you quantify your work history, a recruiter can look at the hiring manager and say, “This person has done this, this, and this. And here are the numbers to prove it.” That’s why your resume needs to be quantified. It’s proof that you’re a qualified job candidate and a valuable potential employee.

What Does “Quantifying Your Work History” Look Like?

Man reviews his resume

There is always a way to quantify your work experience. You may think that you have nothing to quantify on your resume, but you do.

If this is your first time trying to quantify your work history and you can’t think of anything that counts as a quantifiable accomplishment, write out what you did at a specific job, circle every noun, and ask yourself: “Can I quantify that?”

For example, a receptionist may not think they have any quantifiable accomplishments or any type of work history that can be quantified. But when they asked themselves the right questions, they realized they accomplished a lot more than they thought, and they could assign numbers to these accomplishments. They asked…

  • “How many people work at my company?”
  • “How many calls did I take a day?”
  • “How many phone lines were on the system?”

The result? A few bullet points listing their quantifiable work experience:

  • Receptionist for a 500-person firm
  • Handled over 100 phone calls a day
  • Managed a 12-line phone system

You can absolutely quantify your work experience. You will find a way. Circle every noun and quantify them. Look for percentages. If you can’t come up with exact numbers, you can use your best guess, erring on the conservative side. What was the percentage of growth? What was the percentage of savings? What were the revenues? There are always numbers. You just have to look for them.

In order to land a job in 2023, your resume must have quantifiable accomplishments. It may be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of quantifying your work history, you’ll never go back. Quantify your work history on your resume and start seeing results in your job search today!

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The Hottest Way To Get Hired In 2023

The Hottest Way To Get Hired In 2023

I am seeing plenty of trends right right now within the job market, plus they all point towards one thing…

TikTok.

Here’s the reason why…

The reason why TikTok Is The Best Way To Get A new Job In 2023

@j. t. odonnell PREDICTION: often the hottest way to acquire hired in #2023 …. #careertiktok #hot #prediction #hottest #jobtok #careertok #howto #tiktok #jobs #careers ♬ original noise – J. T. O' Donnell

The particular hottest method to get appointed in 2023 is TikTok. Companies are likely to move back on posting careers on job boards . They don’t want in order to get a large number of applicants. Typically the market’s contracting right today. Suddenly, we’re in a new recession . There are plenty less jobs. Everyone’s applying in addition to employers are overwhelmed. Thus companies will pull your roles off the job boards, but they’re nevertheless hiring. They just avoid want to get that lots of applicants.

What exactly employers are going to be able to do instead is inform stories on TikTok. After that you’re going to discover those stories. And in case you’re interested, you’re proceeding to go down the exact rabbit hole of studying the company , and even maybe you’ll like just what you see and determine to apply.

This process will generate a smaller funnel involving candidates. Only the really interested candidates will use. Storytelling is going for you to make all the distinction and it’ll happen about Tik Tok—and that may lead to better employs.

Require more help with storytelling within your job search?

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Summary Sunday: Issue #494

Summary Sunday: Issue #494

Behaviour about layoffs, job look for and careers change more than time. These changes occasionally happen by us and frequently they happen to all of us. And frequently they just transpire. Having the ability to adjust to brand new situations is really a skill all of us all need to build. By understanding what’ t happening or what can happen, you’ re much less likely to become […]

Typically the post Summary Sunday: Problem #494 made an appearance first on Career Sherpa .

Executive Spotlight: How Leaders Should Measure The Effectiveness Of Their Remote Workers

Executive Spotlight: How Leaders Should Measure The Effectiveness Of Their Remote Workers

As a leader in today’s modern workplace, you have to be prepared to manage hybrid, remote, and in-office employees. The success of a company depends on good management, which includes the ability to accurately measure the effectiveness of employees and make changes as needed. But the traditional ways of measuring an employee’s effectiveness don’t take into consideration how the workforce has changed since 2020 with the rise of remote work.

We recently asked our executives how they think leaders should measure the effectiveness of their remote employees.

Here are their responses…

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist

Measuring effectiveness from remote employees can be very tricky, especially considering that 40% of leaders acknowledged in a study conducted by Harvard in 2020 that they were not prepared to manage remote employees and 41% struggled to keep their teams engaged.

Defining what’s a priority and what effectiveness looks like becomes fundamental. It has left managers and leaders unsure about how the best work gets done. Therefore, it is not a huge surprise that a lot of managers would prefer their teams to come back to work in the office.

Besides clearly defining what effectiveness looks like, its transparency to all involved, and how it is measured and improved consistently, it becomes key for managers to quickly figure out the best way to work with their employees, making them feel understood and supported and not micromanaged.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the “red thread.”

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive

Professional woman works from home

​Ana is correct. Evaluating the effectiveness of remote workers comes down to whether or not priorities have been met. It’s less about doing time, say 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, and should be much more about impact whether that impact occurs over a long or short period of time, and whether at 9 am or 9 pm. When evaluating remote workers, organizations would be wise to, yes, define priorities but also determine what success metrics for those priorities will be. In defining success, for instance, I’m a big fan of goal setting and using SMART criteria—i.e., is the goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and/or timely?

Client/project management software can also be used when there are multiple remote workers working on the same initiative so that there is clarity around each person’s role and communication as to how each person’s part fits into the project as a whole. This is where benchmark/milestone data can also be recorded along the way to indicate how well remote workers are making progress toward organizational goals.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

Miroslav Jasso, IT & Innovation Management

Remote worker on a Zoom call

​There are areas and positions where remote working was preferred for years if not decades. Information technology as an example serves well here. Measuring the effectiveness of IT service desk employees is easy. KPIs like number of tickets handled orfFirst instance resolution rate come immediately to mind. Your agile software developers can be measured based on the length of their sprints or the size of the backlog. In many cases IT teams are to a large degree remote and distributed among locations, countries, and even continents.

In general, any position with clearly defined KPIs can easily be measured for effectiveness, no matter the location. In-site, remote, distributed… numbers do the trick. Where remote working is leaving much room for effectiveness decrease is the soft side of work—relations, knowledge sharing, team spirit, willingness to help and support. Even if not immediately visible, those qualities have a decisive impact on overall effectiveness in the long run.

Miroslav Jasso is an information technology & innovation executive with 22+ years of experience in the development, continuous improvement, and delivery of state-of-the-art IT services across automotive, finance systems, and retail businesses. He has managed teams of 5-100+ with budgets of $1M-$15M+.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive

Professional woman interviews a remote job candidate

Measuring remote workers’ effectiveness is no different from having workers present on-site. Having timely expected deliverables will be the most critical test of commitment. If you know the quality of the people on your team, you won’t have to worry about the work not getting done.

Sure there are monitoring tools out there to see log-in times and activity.

But as a business professional trying to run a business, I’d rather spend the time making the company better to raise revenues or creating new ways to compete with my competitors.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M – $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Andrea Markowski, Marketing Executive

Man on the phone works from home

​If you’re asking how to measure the effectiveness of remote workers, you’re asking the wrong question.

Go back and subtract the word “remote.” There. That’s the right question.

There should be no fundamental differences between how you measure the success of a remote worker vs. a hybrid worker vs. an in-person worker. Too many managers get caught up in the thought of a remote worker being somehow incredibly different.

If anything, remote workers most likely require more thoughtful management. That includes you as a manager keeping an eye on equity when handing out resources, social opportunities, and high-profile projects to remote vs. in-person workers.

Is the person meeting their goals? Are they growing in their role? Are they helping to move the organization forward? Remote or not, questions similar to these are what you should focus on.

Andrea Markowski is a marketing director with specializations in strategy development, digital tactics, design thinking, and creative direction. She has superpowers in presentations and public speaking.

Don Schulz, Senior Operations & Commercial Real Estate Executive

Manager talks to remote employees over Zoom

I appreciate and agree with people’s comments so far. The concepts of defining success, using measurable KPIs & SMART goals, and measuring workers in the same positions in a consistent manner whether they are remote or not all make sense. There is however a range of difficulty in assessing effectiveness depending on the specific function of each FTE and how quantifiable vs. qualitative one can make the measurement of their role. That said I would like to add to the discussion the concept of engagement which is often a leading indicator of one’s effectiveness and I’ve found much harder to measure.

A couple of years ago I took on a new role as COO of a national real estate project management company one month before COVID-19 restrictions were put into place. I had to quickly adjust to managing fully remote in a company I had just joined and with people I barely knew. While we were able to successfully implement many of the effectiveness measurement tools mentioned above and felt we had a good feel for individuals’ overall effectiveness, we soon learned that it was people’s engagement we had to get our arms around. That took some time. We retained an outside consultant/survey company to measure the engagement of all employees and made it an annual occurrence.

My summary point is that while measuring employee effectiveness (remote or in person) is an ongoing, more daily requirement, complementing that with an annual or semi-annual measurement of employee engagement is often a good thing that can bring many insights when laid next to effectiveness data.

Don Schulz is a 25+ year commercial real estate executive & COO. On the personal side, he likes to ski, hike, golf, and run, and is an occasional homebrewer.

How do you think leaders should measure the effectiveness of their remote workers? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.

30-60-90 Day Plan: What It Is & Why You Need One

30-60-90 Day Plan: What It Is & Why You Need One

If you’ve never heard of a 30-60-90 day plan, you’re not interviewing as well as you think you are. A 30-60-90 day plan is one of the most effective interview tools any professional can use, no matter their industry or job level.

Unfortunately, not a lot of job seekers know what 30-60-90 day plans are, or why they would need one in the first place.

What Is A 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is a timeline for your first three months on the job. It lists your goals and the tasks and actions you will take to accomplish those goals. What will you do when you get hired? When will you do it? How will you make a difference from Day 1?

The idea is to run through your plans/ideas for those first three months on the job in your final job interview. Present your 30-60-90 day plan to the hiring manager and have an in-depth discussion about how you will approach the job and be successful in the role.

What’s Included In A 30-60-90 Day Plan?

Man looks at his 30-60-90 day plan for a job interview

There are a few things you should always include in your 30-60-90 day plan. In the first 30 days, outline the steps you’ll take to complete any onboarding or company training. Also, explain your process for getting to know your teammates, and list any immediate goals that can be measured.

In the next 30 days, set realistic goals related to people, processes, and productivity. These goals shouldn’t be too detailed. A high-level approach is enough.

The last 30 days are the most important part of your 30-60-90 day plan. It’s the section that shows your potential as a long-term employee. Here, list achievements you expect to have accomplished by the three-month mark, and highlight additional goals geared towards exceeding expectations.

You’ll need to have a solid idea of what the job entails before creating your 30-60-90 day plan, so make sure to ask good interview questions and use the job description as a guide.

Why Create A 30-60-90 Day Plan For Your Job Interview?

Job candidate hands the hiring manager his 30-60-90 day plan during an interview

Ultimately, a 30-60-90 day plan is a competitive advantage. It’s something so few job candidates use that if you bring one to your final interview you’ll already have that edge over the other applicants. It could be the reason you get offered the job.

When you present your 30-60-90 day plan to the hiring manager, they’ll be extremely impressed by your “go-getter” attitude. They will automatically envision you being successful in the position because you’ve clearly outlined how you will be. And that will make them much more likely to hire you.

We hope you now have a better idea of what a 30-60-90 day plan is and understand why it’s important to have one while interviewing for jobs.

Remember: Not only does bringing a 30-60-90 day plan to your interview boost your chances of getting the job, but it also gives you a solid foundation once you start.

With your 30-60-90 day plan, you know that you and your new boss are on the same page. You can start your job with confidence, knowing you’re on the right path to success.

So, what are you waiting for? Write your 30-60-90 day plan today! Once you realize what a game changer it is, you’ll never interview without one again.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

“Why Do You Want To Work Here?” How To Answer + Examples

“Why Do You Want To Work Here?” How To Answer + Examples

“Why do you want to work here?” is an interview question that seems easy to answer, but trips up applicants all the time. And we can guarantee that you’ll have to answer it at some point in your job search. This guide covers why interviewers ask this question, and teaches you how to answer it […]

The post “Why Do You Want To Work Here?” How To Answer + Examples appeared first on Career Sherpa.

6-Point Checklist For Taking Over A ‘Distressed’ Project & Team

6-Point Checklist For Taking Over A ‘Distressed’ Project & Team

I will assume you believe people can make a bigger, faster difference toward success when engaged well and respectfully. No matter what you find on the ground when you arrive to help, people can solve problems faster when treated this way rather than when they are told, pushed, directed, and treated as dispensable.

If you feel people are a means to an end and you don’t value the individual as a human being but rather more as an asset only, then this blog is probably not going to be of help to you.

As part of my work as a business change consultant and coach, I have had the privilege of helping organisations and their teams when projects get into trouble. I call it a privilege because the people I come across on the ground when I arrive are invariable hard working, keen, and really want some help. And they are now confused and uncertain and don’t know how to deal with where they are.

This is an incredibly humbling position to be in. People are in a state of stress and feeling vulnerable; there is usually a strange sense in the air when I arrive, a sort of mix of both loyalty and fear because action has been replaced with dread and bewilderment asking ‘how did we get here’ as realisations hit that the team, function, project or company is suddenly (or so it appears) not where it should be and that consequences may now be serious—both for the company and people on the ground.

As An Example…

Team tries to recover a distressed project

A project sponsor, for example, usually calls me in as a kind of last resort. Frustrated by the situation, they decide enough is enough after assessing from afar with a watchful eye that things aren’t going the way they should be. Sometimes the sponsor can be closely linked to the person directly responsible for the situation now in distress.

Most of the time, my arrival into a distressed project is greeted with a kind of hopeful hesitation by those involved. You may find this too if you arrive in a situation, for example, a project where changes are likely, and you are the one recommending and leading those changes (for a time anyway). How long a company took to decide to act to address the distressed situation has major implications for the likelihood of success for your work to get things back on track. You can read ‘#1 Thing That Breaks Projects (And Is Likely In Your Control)’ here about the one big thing that if handled well initially makes a big difference to a project’s ultimate success or failure—and usually this one thing, to a certain extent, is in a company’s control. Worth a read!

This initial situation of a sense of vulnerability particularly, which as I said is what I often find when I first arrive to help with a project in distress, motivates me greatly to get things done in double quick time, to rough out a mud map toward clarity so that both the company and people involved know where they stand and what the likely next steps are. Where possible I try to reassure quickly. If you find yourself in a similar leadership situation responsible for getting things back on track, get things done as quickly as you can. I guess we’d call these quick wins.

So, what are the things that you need to focus on when dealing with a distressed company, team, or project situation?

So, I wanted to share my approach for when I hit the ground in these sorts of project situations, a sort of standard checklist I have in my mind when I first arrive and in the early days. The list is born out of over 25 years of experience and success (and not) and serves me well when it comes to getting a project (or team or function) back on track to clarity and positive momentum.

The very first thing you need to do is you must demonstrate you are ‘hitting the ground fast’ toward helping everything get back on track to clarity and forward momentum.

Note I didn’t say back on track to success. Clarity first. Forward momentum second. Success may be third. Please do note that although success is often the case, there are some situations where the project or the team or the circumstances have been left for too long without care and attention and the situation is almost irretrievable.

If you find yourself inheriting or becoming aware of a distressed project, team, or function, here is what to do in the initial stage. Do it in this order and quickly.

My 6-Point Checklist

Checklist concept

Here is my 6-point checklist that guides my initial entry into a distressed consulting assignment:

  1. Define the problem & how it came about. Consult widely and quickly.
  2. Define the level of sponsor, senior support for your work. How important to the company is this?
  3. Regarding the actual team or function involved, connect with them fast by email, group meeting, and face-to-face or individual Zoom in this order with little time gap between each form of connection.
  4. Ask ‘Who else?’ Who else is impacted or impacts this project/situation? Find out. Meet them. Understand.
  5. Timing — give yourself 30 days maximum to make inroads and bring things back to clarity if no deadline given.
    • Meet with all key stakeholders regularly, getting the difficult decision over quickly (e.g. reducing headcount) and importantly handle the decision implementation with the dignity of those affected top of mind and informing your approach.
    • No matter what.
    • This is not only the right way to go about this sort of implementation but if this reason alone doesn’t do it for you then remember those left behind in the company after your decision is implemented. That is the remaining team, and colleagues will be watching and will hear about how others were treated and take this as the company’s general approach going forward.
    • This can influence their decision whether to stay on in your company, team, or function. These people are likely your key resources that you need. This makes good business sense.
  6. Finally, use this checklist as the basis for a high-level plan to share with all stakeholders so they can see what you are doing and in what order. This builds trust and helps people feel reassured things are progressing forward. Note this plan is not about promising anything. It is about showing there is a structured process to resolution. This will help everyone no matter what the outcomes.

As I am called in when usual actions to fix a situation in distress don’t work (or haven’t worked)—even actions like replacing or firing people may have been tried in an attempt to not get this far gone into distress and non-performance, lack of productivity—often there are earlier warnings than the one that led to the phone to me.

Another way for you to reduce the chances of distressed projects and teams in your company and on your watch is to scan for what I call the early warning signals—signals that triggered your gut feeling in the first place and now demand more investigation.

Don’t ignore your gut feeling. It is always right. Just sometimes the interpretation of that gut feeling may be off and is what lets you down in the end. So, learn to surround yourself with good factual evidence like impartial data and seek out relevant subject matter experts ideally who are critical thinkers and respectful disagree-ers (you want people who are technically strong not people who are without critical thought) from in and outside the company ideally.

This information and help from others will help you make sure your interpretation of what your gut feeling is saying is as accurate as possible.

Then you decide whether you ignore or act on that gut feeling because now you have both data and impartial external input from others you trust and know or seek out that can help you in your decision making. This approach saves me time and continues to serve me well, particularly when it comes to identifying early warning signs well before a situation, team, function or project get into a distressed and difficult situation.

Summary

Professional woman looks at documents at work

​If you find yourself appointed to help resolve a distressed work situation, team, or project, use the 6-point checklist as a guide.

Pay attention to the ‘how’ you go about implementing each step as much as doing each step quickly and effectively. There is more at stake here than meets the eye. If you believe people are the critical resource and central to your organisation’s ongoing health and success, the ‘how’ you handle the implementation to address the distressed work situation is equally important as to the structure and steps in the approach and actually getting it done.

Good luck. I would love to hear what you think and about your experiences in dealing with distressed situations.