How To Get A Hiring Manager’s Name

How To Get A Hiring Manager’s Name

How can you get a hiring manager’s name? Job listings posted all over the place simply read “no phone calls” and “direct resume to BD,” or some other letter combination at some post office box or no-reply email address. Getting a name is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

We won’t lie. Finding a hiring manager’s name is tough, very tough. It can be done, though! It takes work and a bit of sleuthing. Anything that is worth something is worth working for—right?

So, here are seven effective ways to find a hiring manager’s name…

1. Call The Receptionist

Try calling the receptionist at the company where you are applying. You can ask him or her for the name of a person in human resources.

If you are nice and engage the person on the phone, you will likely come away with a name. It sounds easy, and sometimes it is as easy as making a phone call and asking for what you’re looking for.

2. Ask To Be Directed To The HR Department

Woman asks to be directed to the HR department to find the hiring manager's name

When calling a company, ask to be directed to the human resources department. You will likely get the voicemail of a person within the department.

Even if he or she is not the right person, when your resume shows up, they will pass it along to the appropriate counterpart in the department.

3. Use Social Media

Man uses social media to try to find the name of a hiring manager

Looking for the name of a hiring manager after having no luck with the tips above? This takes more digging.

Use LinkedIn and Facebook to find people. If you are on LinkedIn, you will need to do a lot of looking to identify people who are associated with the company you are targeting. Join affiliated groups so that you can write to those people directly without an introduction.

Is that sneaky? No. LinkedIn is a tool like any other. You need to know how to use it.

From there, you can introduce yourself to a person at your targeted company, network with them, and obtain a name. Facebook takes a little more work because you need to introduce yourself and be added as a friend. We recommend sticking with LinkedIn if you can.

4. Find A Listing Of Senior Management

Job seeker finds the name of the hiring manager at her dream company

Traditional research also works. When doing research on a company, oftentimes the company will have a listing of senior management. You can start there.

Send a letter or email to one of those people. You never know—you might get a response asking you to send your resume to them directly, or they might even give you the name of someone to reach out to within the company.

Your best bet at receiving a response is by writing your disruptive cover letter in the body of the email. That is, tell a compelling story about why you’re passionate about the company and the problem you think you can help them solve.

Never underestimate the power of storytelling!

5. Network With Everyone You Know

Unemployed man networks to find the name of a hiring manager

The rule of six degrees of separation is what LinkedIn is all about. Everyone is six or fewer connections away from each other. Therefore, you should step up your networking efforts.

You can find the name of a hiring manager from friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and many, many others.

6. Use Hunter.io

Woman finds the name of a hiring manager during her job search

Hunter.io is a site that can help you track down emails of people at a specific company. This is an incredibly useful tool to have in your job search. Use it to find the name of a hiring manager in seconds!

7. Get A Trade Publication

Man looks in a trade publication to find the name of a hiring manager

The trades publish newsworthy information about what is going on in a specific industry and continuously publish the names of people and companies. It is a great way to maintain abreast of industry happenings, too.

When people are promoted or move to a different company, a name is often published. This can help you find the name of a hiring manager in a direct or indirect way.

There is no such thing as anonymity anymore. If you want to find someone, you most certainly can. Use these seven tips to find the hiring manager’s name you’re looking for. Happy hunting!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

How To Explain Why You Want A Job After Owning A Business

How To Explain Why You Want A Job After Owning A Business

There are a lot of business owners out there right now that might not want to own a business anymore. They want to work for someone else.

When you first become a business owner, you think you’ll be doing this one thing you dreamed of doing all day long. Nope. That’s only about 10% of your job. The rest of the time you’re doing things that you hate doing in order to run the business.

I’ve worked with many people who’ve said, “I’m done running the company.” But recruiters are critical of professionals who suddenly want a job after owning a business.

What Recruiters Are Thinking

@j.t.odonnell Replying to @bookbae256 How to explain why you want a job after owning a business. #careerchange #resume #businessowner #jobsearchhelp #jobsearch #jobsearchtips #boss #career #howto #howtotiktok #explainyourself ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

When recruiters see that you’ve owned a business, they’re thinking a few things:

  • Did the business fail?
  • Is there something going on in your personal life?
  • Are you sick?
  • What’s making you not be able to handle running a business anymore?
  • If you do work for us, are you going to be a know-it-all?
  • Are you going to want to run everything because you’ve always been in charge?
  • Will you get bored easily?
  • Is this going to work for you because you’ve never reported to anyone?

These are all the negative things that go through a recruiter’s head when they see that you’ve owned a business and now want a job at their organization. Your job is to disrupt that mindset.

A Connection Story Is Key

Happy woman on laptop writes a disruptive cover letter

You’re not going to disrupt that negative mindset by writing a good resume. How you do this is through your networking strategy and through what we call your connection story.

You need to create a great narrative, a connection story about what you’ve experienced and what’s making you want to make this transition. Now, you’re not going to be brutally honest, but what you can say is something like this…

“I’ve done all I can as a business owner. It’s been a great and powerful experience. Yes, it’s had a lot of upsides, but there are a lot of downsides, too. What I’d like to do now is work in a larger organization, bigger than the one that I’ve owned, collaborate with like-minded people, and learn and grow. When you’re the only person, you’re not learning or growing as much. So I think it’s been a great run as a business owner, but now I want to learn more about this and I want to grow in this area. And taking on a job like this would give me the opportunity to do that. Plus, having run a business, I really understand what goes into it and how hard it is, and no one will be more respectful than me because I will understand what you’re going through. So I will work like I own the business, but I’m not going to act like the business owner.”

This is how you can shift a recruiter’s perspective because you’re able to explain to them valid business reasons why it would make sense to go and work for someone else. But that comes from your narrative, from your connection story, and the best way to share that is with your disruptive cover letter. This way, the recruiter is reading that story in your disruptive cover letter first, and then when they see your resume, they’re not misinterpreting it. And that’s really the secret to explaining why you want a job after owning a business.

Need more help with your job search?

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Daily Management Meeting — For An Engineering (Or Any Professional) Team?

Daily Management Meeting — For An Engineering (Or Any Professional) Team?

Why do I talk to my team every day?

In lean principles, many manufacturing teams have a daily management or “stand-up” meeting at the beginning of a shift. The purpose of this meeting is to have daily contact with employees, set objectives, review metrics, and simply communicate what is happening within the team. Common goals for this meeting include setting the tone for the day and helping employees feel connected.

Can this work for professional teams as well?

They Will Hate It… At First.

Team meeting in the office

I have been conducting a daily management meeting with my engineering teams for more than 15 years now. My meetings are NEVER perfect, and I have found them difficult to start with a new group.

Engineers do not behave like production, so these teams have been very resistant to my implementation of the daily meeting. “Why do we need to do this?” “We know what’s going on.” “We know what to do.” “This is a waste of my time—I could be coding right now.” Regardless of the words, these professionals resist the need to meet.

What I have found is that these daily meetings take several months to take hold. At first, everyone is resistant to taking 15-30 minutes every day to “talk.” Over time, you win over a few early adopters because they see the value of getting information. On a small team, this period is shorter. The larger teams always have one or two true naysayers who dig in.

The truly resistant teammates in the process are sometimes the very best reason for the meeting. They complain the most and get the most from the discussion. As the weeks pass, the biggest haters often convert into the greatest advocates. They tend to be the first to complain when a meeting is canceled because they had something to say. They feel engaged despite not “liking” seeing everyone each day. I find they secretly have learned to like these meetings.

Tips For A Successful Meeting:

Team has a daily management meeting

​To begin, I have adopted my format based on each individual team. Time, place, duration, and content are dependent on the needs of the team and will change over time. The following are simply a few things I have found successful.

  • Same time and place — every single day: at first, you need to meet every day to build a habit, and I will not relent on this for at least a year. Location and time must also have consistency for the habit.
  • Minimize the agenda to a few key topics — initially, I begin with announcements for the day, a review of major projects, key milestones, and open concerns. If you have more than five topics, you will not be effective. Be concise.
  • Limit meeting time — always limit the conversation. Twenty minutes is my average, and I am consistently less than 30 with very few exceptions.
  • No one is permitted to skip the meeting without asking prior permission. I usually ask for 24 hours’ notice, and you are expected to participate unless you receive a pass for the day. Myself included.
  • Promptness is key — meetings begin at 11:30 am and make that known. Enforce it. Having the team show up on time is a level of respect for your teammates. Don’t allow tardiness to go unnoticed.
  • Allow for sidebar and silliness… to a point — not everything in a team needs to be transactional or business oriented. Many of my meetings have gone off the rails early and ended with good team building. If everything is transaction based, the team will have a robotic feel.
  • Allow the team to form the meeting — in the beginning, commanding control is necessary to build confidence in the process. Over time, allow the team to morph into what it needs to be successful. Many of my teams have abandoned my original agenda within four to six months and developed their own feel. The purpose of the meeting is for the team—not your own agenda.

(P.S. I used this very effectively during COVID-19, and when my team works from home, we still meet virtually to remain connected. These meetings do not need to have a physical presence to work.)

How Does This Benefit Me And My Team?

Employees have a daily management meeting

Connection—teams need to know they are connected and feel part of something greater than themselves. A good team builds rapport over time and learns to feed off one another.

I have built some strong teams in my career. My first team where I employed this process was very disjointed, and I had many lone wolves asking to be left alone. Give me my work, and get out of my way. Each person was great and a true expert in their niche. However, they did not work together to learn, grow, and become better.

I made many mistakes with this process, and after the first year, we still were finding our stride. In the second year, we began to gel. In year three, our meetings became more than expected. Problems were solved in minutes, not days. Issues were in the open versus the behind-the-back discussions. We won internal business challenges between teams by orders of magnitude. Everyone was in it for the benefit of the group—even the lone wolves. Years late after I moved on, two of my “toughest” engineers actually thanked me and missed those meetings in their career. They agreed they still hated the meeting, and they remembered how great our team performed.

Can you do the same? I say yes. The secret sauce is the discipline to push beyond the initial hatred and allow the process to grow. My mentor who asked me to begin this process knew I hated it as well, and he pushed me to keep trying. He could see the benefits before I could.

When a team communicates well, shares the same objectives, and solves problems openly, no one can stop their performance. Would you like to have this same experience?

Summing Everything Up…

Team members support each other at work

As I hinted earlier, I was an initial skeptic. I did not want to “waste” time with a 20-30 minute meeting every day. Add all our hours up over a year, and my lean mentor would show me the thousands of seconds lost! I persevered.

Remember, the key to the process is communicating. At first, you will be the leader doing most of the speaking hoping someone listens. Eventually, others will open up and share as well. Even the naysayers will pick up on some of the discussion allowing it to seep in slowly. Regardless, be consistent. Push the team to interact and develop the habit. Use command/control initially, and give the team room to breathe. See how it grows.

The first few meetings will be 100% for you as the leader. Eventually, the tide will shift and become about the team members. If you have an exceptional team, the discussion will become something even greater than imagined. You will see your team care for one another, discuss issues respectfully, and perform better than you imagined… all because you made them talk to each other for 20 minutes a day. Stating it like that, it is such a small investment with immeasurable returns!



How To Be A Trusted Business Partner

How To Be A Trusted Business Partner

You have several business partners, but do they think of you as a trusted business partner and seek you out for your expertise, knowledge, and insights?

Years ago, I was hired to lead the Internal Audit Department at a bank. The group meticulously performed audits but wasn’t a “trusted business partner” who was sought out. We changed our processes, developed the staff, and turned around our reputation. I knew that we had accomplished this because we started getting phone calls from the business requesting our assistance and participation on projects. There was mutual respect, and they knew that we had their best interests in mind to help them.

How well do you understand how the business operates? Is the business doing things the same way because they’re so busy, and that’s how they’ve always done it? Or are there ways to make those business processes more efficient and effective possibly by leveraging technology better? It’s difficult to help the business if you don’t understand its operations.

What I Do To Be A Trusted Business Partner

Man helps his friend climb a mountian

I like to walk around and see what the business and end users are doing and, more importantly, how they’re doing it. Gathering information, analyzing, and taking the time to understand their operations. Finding out their needs, requirements, issues, and challenges.

I create Visio workflows documenting processes (if they don’t already exist). This helps establish what is actually happening versus assumptions and perceptions. This needs to be a collaborative effort, so make sure the business reviews the workflows and confirms that the processes are accurate. You can’t fix it if you don’t know what’s broken. Once you understand what’s happening (or not happening), you provide insights from a different perspective. Offering innovative ideas including automation which can result in significant improvements.

The business may already know that some processes aren’t as efficient as they could be. Ask how they think you (or technology) can make their lives easier. For example, maybe human resources is burdened with a clunky applicant tracking process. Or finance has to pull data from multiple disparate and siloed data stores, and it takes weeks to process month-end.

If possible, give the business the autonomy to take care of themselves as much as possible. For example, can the website be revamped so that marketing can maintain it (consistently providing fresh content) themselves? Or can an intranet utilizing SharePoint Online with sites (such as department, project, and community) be created that can be maintained by the site owners?

Create a plan setting clear and achievable goals and a timeline that has been agreed upon together. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. There will be more trust as each goal is completed and delivered on time. Stay involved, and the business will continue to seek you out as a valued resource.

For more information on being a trusted business partner, follow me on LinkedIn!

Summary Sunday: Issue #492

Summary Sunday: Issue #492

Do a person have a reliable source regarding information regarding your job search? It can end up being overwhelming to scroll by means of posts on LinkedIn or perhaps search the net for responses to your job seek questions. That’ s the reason why, each week, I put together top articles from resources I trust and regard. If you don’ capital t already follow these options and […]

The article Summary Sunday: Issue #492 appeared 1st on Career Sherpa .

Executive Spotlight: The #1 Mistake Executives Make When Hiring Talent

Executive Spotlight: The #1 Mistake Executives Make When Hiring Talent

Hiring the right person to do the job is even harder than it sounds. While many companies use their human resources department to hire new employees, for higher-level positions, or in smaller companies, the hiring decision is often made by executives. But sometimes even executives hire the wrong person for the job.

We recently asked our successful leaders what they think is the biggest mistake executives make when hiring talent.

Here are their responses…

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive

When hiring educators, particularly in this time of shortage, districts have been taking almost anyone. However, it is in a district’s best interest to hire candidates that understand their community. This is the number one mistake districts make—forgoing this check. References inform a district about work ethic but they might not indicate if the teaching candidate can support the needs of their specific students.

In addition to reviewing references, schools should have EXTERNAL teaching candidates review non-identifiable student scholarship data and indicate how they will address this within their classroom. Further, have candidates conduct a “demo lesson” with actual students. Afterwards, ask students about the experience. Lastly, involve current educators in the hiring process. Have current staff use checklists/rubrics to rate the quality of incoming resumes and determine who will be interviewed. Internally, consider “grow your own” programs to elevate paraprofessionals to teaching roles. GYO programs also help promote equity particularly in urban schools.

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.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist

Woman interviews a job candidate for an open position

If you’re human, you’re biased. Every last one of us makes judgments and decisions based on the collective influence of our upbringing, our experiences, our education, and our societies. That “gut feeling” you have about anything from how your food looks to the impression you get when meeting someone new? That’s nothing more than a collection of biases manifesting themselves.

This can be potentially valuable in social interactions. Where bias can truly become disastrous is in hiring!

As a hiring manager or executive in charge of making hiring decisions, you are not free from bias. It’s truly 100% impossible to be completely free of bias. The best you can do is to take steps to minimize the effect bias has on your decision making and be aware of what you cannot eliminate to mitigate it. This requires self-awareness.

Examining your hiring process and your decision making to see if any of these are present and taking action to adjust for them is key.

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.”

Carla Biasi, Personal Stylist

Woman waves to someone during a virtual job interview

I believe the biggest mistake is focusing strictly on qualifications. Of course, skills and talents are needed in any role. But the focus should be on the whole individual. Other considerations when hiring the right candidate should be personality, attitude, disposition, and emotional intelligence.

Companies have certain cultures that represent the aesthetics of their workforce. Within those organizations are teams/departments that must work well together for the company to succeed. Goals are established, roles defined, and tasks given. The goal is a well-oiled machine with high productivity, but if there is discourse on the team, it’s disruptive.

I recommend meeting the team you will be working with during the interview process. If you are in a role, talk to management about team-building exercises to help create a strong team.

Remember that an individual is made up of many different skills and attributes. Discover all the wonderful things a candidate has to offer and match it to the job responsibilities and goals of the team for everyone’s success.

Carla Biasi is a personal stylist living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She currently has her own business and works part-time at an upscale women’s boutique and as a virtual and kit stylist for a women’s specialty brand.

Andrea Markowski, Marketing Executive

Man smiles during his interview with executives

The number one hiring mistake is to bring in someone who can fully execute the role.

Sounds crazy, right?

Instead, hire someone who can fulfill most of the job basics, but who is also willing to grow into the position.

A manager once told me during a review to not feel bad when I expressed frustration at not exceeding every expectation.

“If you’re 100% successful, you have nowhere to grow. You’d be overqualified and unhappy,” he said. “As long as there’s space to develop and you’re willing to learn, you’re on the right track.”

His message really resonated years later when I was at a different company. In this new case, I was, indeed, overqualified.

I was hired because I could do everything in the job description, and more. However, it was a bad fit—for precisely that same reason. I didn’t stay long because I wasn’t challenged.

I’d caution against hiring someone fully qualified, especially if they express no interest in expanding their skills. You’re better off with the candidate who’s intrinsically motivated to learn what they don’t yet know.

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.

Jim Black, Engineering & Technical Executive

Executive interviews a job candidate for an open position

Number one mistake in hiring… hiring for a resume and not for behaviors.

Never hire someone who has a perfect resume and gives you pause in their behavior. The person’s skills may be a perfect match for your needs, and yet, something feels off.

In my past, I have hired for perfect skills, and I have paid for it each time. On paper, the person is great! In day-to-day life, they do not fit.

I will always hire based on a person’s behaviors. I can teach technical skills if the person is grounded in good behaviors: willingness to learn, hungry for answers, improvement oriented, and enthusiastic to work with the team. These attributes create great employees who can develop the necessary technical skills needed to succeed.

Hiring for the “perfect” skill set has costs me much more in the long run.

Jim Black is an engineering professional focused on the development of technical professionals. He is also a professional bass player.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive

Man shakes hands with an executive after his job interview

We’ve seen more changes in the remote workplace in the last two years. The Great Resignation of 2021 is now turning into the Great Uncertainty, with layoffs affecting the tech sector, cryptocurrency, and Wall Street.

Selecting a new employee is a critical decision. Time and again, people are hired who are either not qualified or are not a culture fit for the company. The number one mistake executives make when hiring talent in this new work environment is not taking a look at their team and the broader organization first. There’s great opportunity in leveraging underutilized talent to fill open positions. You may find that individuals can take on new responsibilities to expand their role or someone is ready to be promoted into an open position. Your employees are also your best recruiters. Utilize them to promote job opportunities to including them in your marketing assets.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

What do you think is the biggest mistake executives make when hiring talent? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.

6 Ways To Position Yourself For A Promotion

6 Ways To Position Yourself For A Promotion

How do you get a promotion? It’s a good time to start thinking about growing your career and positioning yourself for one.

Here are six tips to get the promotion you want at work:

1. Under Promise And Over Deliver

Man successfully presents data and works towards getting a promotion

With many companies leaner than they were several years ago, there are probably many internal voids. You want to identify and fill them. We recommend looking at how you can informally be of service.

For example: ask your supervisor or team members how you can step in and support them as well as identify where you see hiccups in efficiency. Approach the appropriate person with a case for how you can step in and help.

At the same time, make sure you do not commit to work you know you cannot complete efficiently and to the best of your ability.

2. Be An Intrapreneur

Man becomes an intrapreneur to get a promotion

An intrapreneur is someone who uses an entrepreneur’s mindset, relationships, skills, and behaviors within an organization’s four walls to develop new, innovative ways of working, new products, or new services.

Whether you are developing a new corporate social responsibility initiative or a new procedure for onboarding entry-level talent, elicit the support of all key stakeholders, do your homework to set yourself up to succeed, and set clear, mutually agreed-upon criteria for success.

By launching a new venture within your company’s four walls, you may just create your new position. And when you succeed, you will have evidence of your leadership experience.

3. Get Your Internal Networking On

Work colleagues network during a meeting

It’s important to develop mutually beneficial relationships within your department and team as well as throughout your company. Don’t forget to connect with your co-workers, old and new, and continuously try to network with those outside of your immediate office or work environment.

To put yourself in line for such an opportunity as a promotion, set the time to get to know all of your colleagues. Be curious about their work and the opportunities they foresee on the horizon.

4. Balance Short-Term And Long-Term Thinking

Woman prepares to ask for a promotion

This is another important muscle to flex when positioning yourself for a promotion. While it’s important to have an eye on your goals so that you stay on top of your chief responsibilities, you also want to pay attention to how your work plays into the bigger picture.

Get clear on your department or organization’s one, two, and even five-year goals, and work with your supervisor to make sure that how you are spending your time and energy is moving you—and the company—in the right direction.

5. Zap Negativity

Happy woman at work

People want to work with happy people. And—let’s face it—right now, too many workplaces are seas of persistent complaint.

Senior leaders also want emerging talent who see opportunities rather than obstacles. Not only does a Negative Nelly or Negative Ned kill moral, but she or he also comes across as someone incapable of solving problems and inspiring others toward solutions, which are keys to positioning one’s self as an effective leader.

If you want to get that promotion, focus on being positive at work. Your encouraging nature will show your manager you have the right attitude for a leadership position, therefore making you that much closer to getting promoted.

6. Ask

Woman asks her boss for a promotion

This might sound obvious, but we can’t tell you how many people know a position is open in their companies and fail to advocate for themselves or hope that a supervisor will read their minds and make them that offer they can’t refuse.

This is particularly important for women.

Men initiate these kinds of conversations about four times as often as women! You don’t want to under promise and over deliver forever. Once you know you have laid the foundation for your ask, set a specific day and time to talk to the appropriate person about your aspirations, and make sure you facilitate the conversation in such a way that you are creating a compelling story about what you have achieved in your previous position and what you believe you can achieve moving forward.

Most promotions won’t fall into your lap. If you want it, sometimes you just have to ask for it.

Remember, sometimes the greatest impediment to our upward mobility is ourselves. Take this advice and position yourself for a promotion today.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

#1 Thing That Breaks Projects (And Is Likely In Your Control)

#1 Thing That Breaks Projects (And Is Likely In Your Control)

I was recently asked to write about what I thought was the one big thing that could potentially break any project yet remained in a company’s control.

For research, I zeroed in on my consulting and coaching work I call my ‘distressed projects and teams’—projects where I was called in to lead, stabilise, and generally help get things ‘back on track’ in a variety of companies and industries.

What was the biggest common theme of why these projects and teams were close to breaking?

Time taken to act.

Projects can break for a host of reasons. Equally, the one big thing in every company’s control, to a large extent, is timing of their own decision to act, especially pre-project. How long a company takes to come to a decision, that is to act, is a key factor in any project’s final success or failure.

What To Watch For

Two coworkers collaborate on a work project

Avoid wasting time by delaying making a choice. In any event, this is a decision in and of itself. Although this may seem simple, the clamour of daily, high-stress corporate and senior work life can drown out the obviousness of choosing to act, especially while waiting for better or perfect information, which rarely materializes.

What else can be done to minimise project failure?

Too Little (Almost) Too Late

Team members work on a project together

I had a highly stressed client reach out to me six months after her portfolio project showed signs of distress.

Classic things like missed minor deadlines, team turnover, and high absence, one person overworked beyond any form of fairness, and the project had major looming deadlines in just four short months.

Through the sheer hard work and dedication of an incredible core team that I found when I arrived, the team delivered beyond every expectation within the four months. The project (and the leader’s) reputation was saved.

But it didn’t need to take this long to call out problems. And there were consequences—75% of the original project team left the organisation within six months.

Suggestion

Years ago, my MBA Financial Analysis lecturer told us that his aim wasn’t to turn us into accountants but rather to skill us up enough to have a good idea of what was going on.

I recommend a similar philosophy to you, no matter what your role in helping to lead your company—get interested in your company’s major projects and go beyond the usual reading of formal project board reports and dashboards.

Of course do this carefully and thoughtfully ensuring your company culture supports this sort of cross-functional enquiry, especially if projects don’t sit in your remit.

Most program and project leads will welcome this enquiry (if it’s genuine) and will likely view it as support—especially if your enquiry is delivered authentically and comes from a place where you seek to help and understand yet challenge (evidence-based only).

If you go down the route of skillful enquiry, asking practical questions of practical project people on the ground regularly and consistently—questions like ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘when,’ ‘why,’ ‘how,’ and ‘who?’ These questions will help you gather valuable trend information over time.

Over time this trend information may potentially reveal signs for further investigation and enquiry (for program or project colleagues to answer).

If you don’t think this is your job, even if not directly responsible for major projects, think again—all projects are important and relevant (or at least they should be) to company success.

In external market uncertainty, you can’t afford to not be personally interested in your company’s projects, the major ones at the very least, and to make sure you carefully do your bit to minimise internal uncertainty and project failures.

Your company’s future (and your own) likely depend on it.

Too Far Removed

Team members work on a project together during a meeting

Looking across my 18 years of change project and coaching work, in my estimation for every one day taken by a board or senior leadership team to consider and make a decision, it then takes about 25-100 days to deliver this decision as a completed project.

You may not agree with the ratio numbers used, but I think you see my point—there is a multiplier effect (and direct relationship) between time taken by senior leadership to make their decision and the knock-on effect this has on a project’s ability to deliver that decision as a reality.

I had a client who invested three months in making a decision. The project deadline to deliver this decision was cut back by that same amount—three months. Yet applying the ratio above (1:25-100) the project really required every bit of that three months back.

Of course, every company needs considered decision making, governance, and controls. Yet reviewing and streamlining these where possible will have a direct and helpful knock-on effect, given the direct relationship between a business’s decision to act and a project being successful.

Suggestion

Consider reviewing and streamlining decision-making processes prior to project approvals. Small incremental changes in how decisions are made at the top can have a big impact on a project including contributing to their success or failure.

Conclusion

If you are not already, I strongly suggest you get interested at the very least in your company’s major projects on the ground. Investigate and (in a cooperative way) call out early indicators that require further investigation.

Do this thoughtfully and wisely as this is all about support and success for all involved.

Good luck and I would love to hear about your experiences.

25 High-Paying Entry-Level Jobs To Consider In 2022

25 High-Paying Entry-Level Jobs To Consider In 2022

If you’re wondering what career is right for you or thinking about making a switch, wanting to know what entry-level jobs pay well is completely normal. Compensation is an important part of any career, and knowing what’s on the table can help you make a decision! This list of high-paying entry-level jobs will give you […]

The post 25 High-Paying Entry-Level Jobs To Consider In 2022 appeared first on Career Sherpa.

3 Tips On How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Your Job?”

3 Tips On How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Your Job?”

A prepared job seeker will have thought about the questions that will be asked in their job interview. One of them may be: “Why are you leaving your job?” As you think about a response to this question, also consider how the interviewer may interpret that response.

It’s important to take caution with how you answer questions in a job interview because when they’re not framed properly, they can be interpreted negatively and cost you the job opportunity.

There can be many reasons why you want to leave your job. For example:

  • You hate your boss
  • You’re bored at work
  • You want more money
  • You want more challenges
  • You don’t want to work in this particular field or industry
  • Or an assortment of other reasons

Whatever your reason is, it’s not always appropriate to tell it like it is to the potential employer. Think of a response that will impress the employer that still comes off as an honest reason.

Here are some tips to help:

Give A Positive Response To The Question

Communication in a job interview should always come off as positive. To start, you may talk about the great opportunities you’ve been given and how much you’ve learned through your current employer before giving your reason for leaving your job. Employers like to hear things like this because you come off as professional and respectful of your existing employer even though you have made the decision to move on.

Regardless of your true feelings about the situation at work, never bad mouth the company or your co-workers.

Don’t Dwell On What Your Current Employer Isn’t Offering You

Man answers a question during a job interview

There may be multiple reasons why you want to leave your current job, but you don’t need to include information about what you’re not being offered. The reason for this is that potential employers can interpret it as an action you may take against them if hired.

For example, instead of saying, “I don’t feel challenged at work anymore,” reframe the message to say, “I’m looking for new challenges in the area of X, Y, and Z, which I can see this job offers,” and then go into the experience and skills you have to offer to further impress the interviewer. Reframing your response this way makes it less likely that the employer will take the information and interpret it negatively.

Focus On The Future

Man answers a question during a job interview

Talk about what you’re heading towards—what you want to experience and achieve to continue growing professionally. It works best when you can also tie in how the potential employer could offer that to you. When you answer in this manner, it informs the employer that you are an individual who seeks self-improvement and that you have a real interest in the company because of what they specifically offer. It tells the employer you are someone with great potential for hire who will be dedicated to employment with them for a reasonable amount of time.

“Why are you leaving your job?” is only one out of many questions you will be asked in a job interview. Knowing how to respond positively and framing it in a way that informs the employer why you’re a great fit ensures you stay in the running for the job and helps move you on to the next stage of the interview process.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

How to Get in Front of College Students and Build Meaningful Connections

How to Get in Front of College Students and Build Meaningful Connections

Building meaningful connections is innate to human interaction. Even the most introverted people require some level of healthy social interaction. We build networks, make friends, and […]

The post How to Get in Front of College Students and Build Meaningful Connections appeared first on Blog Job Hunting Career Management Solutions | CareerShift.

Where Is Data Analytics For Banking In The Metaverse Heading?

Where Is Data Analytics For Banking In The Metaverse Heading?

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley estimate that the metaverse economy could be worth as much as $8 trillion. This appeared in a recent article on Bitcoin.com on October 13, 2022.

As we begin a long journey for banking and other industries into the metaverse, I am beginning to think through the implications for data analytics in the metaverse. In contrast, this is no longer utterly white space the thinking around what data analytics and, more importantly, at this stage, what data analytics platforms will power metaverse is emerging.

Where Are We?

metaverse concept

So overall, regardless of data analytics, we know that the metaverse has a few underpinnings.

A metaverse is a place in the virtual world for communities to come together and socialize, play games, work, learn, and share experiences. There are a few powerful platforms where these community interactions can happen. Recently, Mark Cuban was quoted as saying if you haven’t built a community already that can migrate to the metaverse, the metaverse isn’t the place to build a community from scratch. This probably makes sense, given the low numbers of prospects and people inside the platforms today. Companies like Disney and Facebook, which have built large communities, are a good fit for the metaverse. Many industry pundits consider the metaverse more of a multiverse than a metaverse. I consider the metaverse to be more of a channel, and marketers will need new metrics to measure this channel. In addition, consumers will need access to new AR and VR tools to access the metaverse, which will have implications for nearly everything the firm does: support, training, partnerships, marketing, risk, and more.

The other big area of focus, as I understand it, is the buying and owning of property in the metaverse, which is offered thus far on specific platforms. If I can, I will keep the article strategy and refrain from name-dropping platforms. This requires the establishment of a cryptocurrency wallet, as most of these platforms require payment in cryptocurrency such as Ethereum. These properties are like property in the physical world; they are owned and can be rented out, and the unique address is tied to the blockchain. I invite you to join the platforms and explore these ideas yourself. There are metaverse brokers who buy and sell property in the metaverse and also can rent your property.

Another principle of the metaverse is the portability of assets meaning the assets on the land in the metaverse can be moved around the metaverse, and right now, it is unclear who will do this piece, or exactly how it works, but I assume it’s tied to the blockchain. NFTs and cryptocurrencies will be a big part of this. Banks could play a role in digital asset management, and clearly, payments and wallets are a big part of how you pay for things in the metaverse.

I will only discuss one or two use cases in this post that are externally or customer-facing. Still, many use cases for metaverse can be executed inside a bank or firm, from onboarding employees to training. Training for data analytics in the form of gaming in the metaverse presents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs. But any investment in the metaverse at this time is extremely high risk and is unregulated. Any of these platform companies could go belly up, and from what I am hearing, the user experience on some of the metaverse platforms is poor; even the employees of these companies don’t want to use them.

First Mover Advantage:

If we recall, when Mark Zuckerberg led Facebook to be app driven and led the company to be a mobile-first company, he was right about that. But we have countless examples in the tech world where being first meant being wrong about a trend or a technology. So, if right, I would say that the strategies firms are pursuing now can vault them ahead, but if the metaverse morphs into something else, firms may experience first-mover advantage risk and be replaced by the next wave of firms who have a better idea. This is all unknown but worth pointing out. Also, perhaps one clear point is that the metaverse can be viewed through an omnichannel lens as, like the shift to digital, this is a shift to a virtual world.

Where Are We Going?

metaverse concept

Banks need a strategy for the metaverse. Use cases in strategic marketing in the metaverse for banking.

Customer Experience

One way to get control of your finances is to use the metaverse rather than online banking to get a more detailed/visualization/ 3D picture of your bank accounts through AR/VR applications. This approach will make planning, saving, and creating budgets easier and provide new data visualization capabilities.

Next-Gen Bank Is Not Only Digital; It Is Virtual:

Suppose you think about the many functions of a physical branch and why people go to the bank. This may take some of the pain out of classic banking transactions in the brick-and-mortar world, making them more accessible and the entire process more customer-centric and easy. The idea that the metaverse (a tech and AI solution) could make what is supposed to be a relationship-driven and customer-focused business more humane is the subject of much chatter in the industry. Some of the activities to migrate to the metaverse:

  • For example, closing a loan or a real estate transaction. A mundane yet sometimes dreaded task can be done quickly from the comfort of one’s home with the metaverse.
  • Perhaps the metaverse will finally make analytics segmentation/personas easier to adopt by giving consumers guidance and advice depending on the wealth tier. For example, in analytics circles, we talk about recommendation engines, simulations, and optimizations to do either next best action or scenario planning in real time with the customer.
  • Well, now in the metaverse-verse future state, with a virtual private wealth banker or banking consultant, we can serve up several options, and you can take as long as you like to ponder them and make changes to your investment strategies. The consumer can set constraints and pull in accurate account information across all their institutions that agree to partner and share and be open in the metaverse with the touch of a button.

How Do We Get There?

metaverse concept

Going under the hood of the metaverse to discover what it takes to make this happen. What type of data analytics platforms will be leveraged in the metaverse? I will not go deep on this as the post could be hundreds of pages long but let me give you the essential technologies that will be needed:

A modern, customer-centric data analytics and CRM architecture will need to be built out to power up these capabilities in the metaverse. These are not new ideas, but the combinations of skill sets, technologies, and people will be needed to meet the metaverse moment. Typically, what I am about to list would be laid out in DA architecture circles in layers: connect, ingest, process, storage, analytics, consumption, and more. I will highlight the big rocks below, but more is needed: a mega metaverse DA ecosystem (MME) to make the metaverse a reality.

Capabilities that firms can no longer live without!

1) A customer data platform/digital marketing platform. This is the infamous 360 view, but it is a next-generation version that joins customer experience with the measurement of outcomes.

  • 360 view of customers and prospects will become more critical than ever
  • Pega and Adobe marketing automation stack/ecosystems (many tools)
  • CRM tools such as Salesforce.
  • A plethora of channel point solutions

2) An open garden in the cloud: I don’t think the metaverse will get traction if it’s a closed garden.

  • Identity resolution and identity graphs are vital
  • Information security strategy and skill sets
  • This might include data staging and storage tools such as snowflake, which everyone knows I am a massive fan of. See previous posts. Remember, there are many layers in the cloud, for example, lakes, for unstructured data and structured data like SQL.
  • Like open banking, we will need open easy-to-connect platforms because of the communities and partners we will need to work with in the metaverse.
  • Data fabric and mesh

3) Very thoughtful API and integration strategies to connect to other communities.

4) Real-time decisioning and streaming data: Kafka and Cassandra and more. This will become utterly mainstream in the metaverse as the metaverse is all about real-time interactions. Pega customer decisioning engine. The properties in the metaverse, like some aspects of digital, are always on and always there. So, the exchange will need to be real time.

5) Analytics layer: This could include tools like data bricks, SAS Viya (yes, SAS Viya is still viable; they have made progress), Tableau, and PowerBI for self-service analytics.

6) Data science layer: Such as ML automation and operations. Machine learning will become an essential metaverse capability serving as metaverse infrastructure (MI). The metaverse is a massive opportunity for data science as machine learning will drive everything in the metaverse and will no longer be just a supporting role. The career path for data scientists will be excellent with the metaverse.

7) Database operations (dev ops) and data governance layers. Data governance is a huge conversation; I have covered this in previous posts.

As of this writing, many platforms are emerging for the metaverse. We look forward to seeing how all these components evolve into a cohesive metaverse marketing and business strategy. From the Analytics Hall of Fame perspective, the other opportunity is to create training for data analytics and technical training in the metaverse.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the metaverse. What aspects do you think will gain the most traction? When do you think the adoption of the metaverse as a full-on channel will occur?