Employment Survival: Find Your Niche
To MBA or Not to MBA?”>To MBA or Not to MBA?
Next Step, Blackjack?”>Next Step, Blackjack?
Corrections or additions?
These stories were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper
on April 22, 1998. All rights reserved.
Survival Guide: Career Planning
Top Of PageEmployment Survival: Find Your Niche
Now that the idea of working for the same company all
your career is a moot point, how does one persevere? Don Andersson
uses this analogy: think about employment security as opposed to job
security.
The one-time manager of Union County, the only county in New Jersey
that has a professional manager, Andersson now runs his own human
resources consulting firm, the Andersson Group, based in Cranford.
Andersson, who espouses a style of personal entrepreneurism, speaks
at the Professional Roster Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Lawrence
Public Library, Route 1 and Darrah Lane. Call 609-921-9561.
The key to making the shift from job security to employment security
is to learn one’s professional niche. The problem isn’t intention,
it’s lack of focus, he maintains. “I’ve got to know what it is
I want to reach out to, who are my potential customers, what are my
current capabilities in addressing those wants,” says Andersson.
“What additional R&D do I need to do on myself so I can be that
much more capable of meeting my customer wants?”
Andersson, who got his undergraduate degree from St. Bonaventure University
in 1957 and followed that with Rutgers MBA in 1986, has spent decades
working as an internal consultant. But he doesn’t honor the age-old
tradition of hiding behind titles or qualifications. “I’m no longer
a `director of this’ or a `vice president of that’ but I’m coming
in as a partner in accomplishing something,” he says. “We’ve
got to make a radical shift in our thinking, that is to look at ourselves
as a combination of a unique set of skills and experiences that separate
us from everybody else.”
Andersson has two areas of expertise and never introduces himself
as a just a consultant. “I define the business I’m in in two ways,
one is, primarily, I work with senior executives who want to land
a quick position and with corporate executives who want to attract
and keep the best people,” he says. “That positions what I
do in terms of what potential customers want of me and I know that’s
what I can deliver on. And that’s very different from saying I work
on retention issues.”
When doing a resume, Andersson instructs people to scrap their reliance
on titles and employment histories. Instead, he urges them to tell
the readers what they personally can do to meet customer wants.
The problem is, most people don’t know what this is. “They know
they’re busy and they can tell you a number of activities that they
carry out but they can’t tell you what they’re really in business
to accomplish for somebody,” says Andersson.
The same goes with organizations. “My experience has also shown
that most organizations and sub-parts of organizations don’t know
what they’re in business to do,” he says. “It doesn’t mean
they’re not busy, it doesn’t mean they’re not committed, but it does
mean that they have not clearly articulated what kind of business
they’re involved in. So everyone with the best intentions is working
real hard but they’re not on the same page.”
In one job Andersson was working with a CEO of a major financial institution
and his top team on strategic planning. The team hit a spot where
people were spinning their wheels and Andersson intervened, asking
the CEO and the team to write down the five key issues they felt they
were trying to accomplish. When show-and-tell time came, says Andersson,
his exercise revealed gross incongruities between the CEO’s and the
team’s strategic visions.
“Today we’re probably going to hold five or seven professional
positions in our lifetime and most of them are going to be in different
organizations,” Andersson says. “Because of that we run a
real risk for ourselves if we allow others to take charge of us and
our future. We have to take charge of ourselves, that means we can’t
simply settle for a job.”
— Peter J. Mladineo
Top Of PageTo MBA or Not to MBA?
One standard career decision that almost everyone considers
at some point is whether to go back to school for an MBA. The business
press feeds on this dilemma by doing endless reports and opinions
on the pros and cons of that investment.
If you are among those pondering the MBA, it may be useful to look
beyond this year’s commentary and instead review how the reputation
of the MBA degree has fared over time. Carter A. Daniel, the
director of business communication programs at Rutgers, covers that
territory in “MBA: the First Century” (Bucknell University
Press, 1998, $52.50 hardback).
At first glance this academically-organized tome (290 pages plus 40
pages of footnotes and index) seems destined for an early trip to
the remainder bins. But then the drama of the subject and the unusually
clear prose draw you in. Daniel has a PhD in English as well as an
MBA, and he is one of those rare academics who writes clearly.
In 1902 Dartmouth first awarded a degree in Commercial Science. Daniel
uses this date to start telling the ups-and-downs story of how business
studies earned respectability. In 1926 the “ill-conceived and
short-lived” Harvard Business Reports was supposed to apply the
principles of law (with decisions based on precedents) to the science
of management. It didn’t work, partly because legal principles are
established by decision, whereas business principles are judged by
success in the market.
Undeterred, the business schools continued to spread their wisdom
and even managed to escape responsibility for helping to trigger the
Depression. One of the few critics was Virginia Gildersleeve, dean
of Barnard College, who declared that emphasis on technical training
had produced “the current economic mess.”
When World War II struck, “business schools responded by getting
involved in the country’s affairs to an even greater degree and enlarging
their collective ego still further . . . accumulating even greater
reserves of public esteem and self esteem.”
In 1949 “one of the major assets that business schools had was
the public’s perception of them as mighty weapons in the war against
Communism.”
In the 1960s the number of undergraduate business degrees doubled
and PhDs tripled, rising 884 percent from 1958 to 1975. During the
Vietnam War business schools concentrated more on ethical and social
concerns and paid more attention to the careers of their graduates.
“The amazing MBA emerged from the fracas stronger than it had
been before.”
From 1971 to 1979, when universities began to realize their MBA programs
were cash cows, they began to innovate. Wharton established the Busch
Center for Research, the University of North Carolina adopted a modular
curriculum, Harvard opened a three-week institute for entrepreneurs,
and Northwestern offered training on how to manage change.
“After a mostly sunny decade,” Daniel writes, “MBA schools
suddenly became the objects of a storm of criticism in the early 1980s,
with complainers ranging from the new president of Harvard to nearly
every business magazine and every major newspaper in the country.
Much of the criticism was already obsolete by the time it was made,
since business schools had been continuously working on self improvement.”
Are you planning to enroll for your MBA now? This book could help
you decide whether to take the trendy new subjects (ethics, Total
Quality Management, global studies, entrepreneurism, or leadership
skills) or stick to the tried-and true like finance and marketing.
Is your MBA more than 10 years old? This book will put your degree
into context.
— Barbara Fox
Rutgers’ MBA program has scheduled on open house for Saturday,
April 25, 1 to 4 p.m., on the Livingston Campus. RSVP to 973-353-1234
or E-mail admit@gsmack.rutgers.edu
Top Of PageResumes: First Step
Many people mistakenly believe that a resume’s purpose
is to get a job. It’s not, says Paul L. Dyer, an industrial/organizational
psychologist who wrote “The Ultimate Job Search Survival Guide,”
a just-published $14.95 paperback by Peterson’s, the Carnegie Center-based
publishing firm. Dyer’s book belongs to a “survival guide trio”
that includes volumes for the new employee and for the worker in a
home office. It combines the “do what you love and the money will
follow” approach with nitty gritty tips such as how to organize
yourself, your time, and your job search. An extra-useful appendix
contains everything from questions and possible answers to interview
questions to research sources in both print and online.
“Think about your own purchasing strategies,” suggests Dyer.
“Would you buy a car based solely upon a brochure? Of course not.
Yet most cars cost less than the annual salary you’re asking an employer
to invest in you.”
“Think of the job search campaign as an introduction of a new
product,” writes Dyer. “You represent the product, and your
resume plays a vital role in the advertising strategy. You have a
20-second visual ad that must grab a potential employer’s attention.
Like the automobile company with a new model, you want the potential
buyer to take you for a test drive. In 20 to 30 seconds your resume
should convey that you obviously are a person worth learning more
about.”
The most critical part of your job search is not doing your resume,
says Dyer, but getting yourself ready to excel during the job interview.
Don’t flub it.
Top Of PageNext Step, Blackjack?
If you are bored with nine-to-five and yearn to escape
from your cubicle, consider going back to school — not for an
MBA — but for vocational skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
predicts that professional jobs will remain constant but that by the
year 2000 skilled labor will increase to 65 percent of the workforce.
And blue collars don’t necessarily earn less than their white collar
brethren, says Ismail Ghazalah, a Ohio University economics
professor who contributes to the 615-page, third edition of “Peterson’s
Vocational and Technical Schools and Programs (East and West)”.
Vocational program graduates have earned more than two-year college
graduates for 15 years. Though the study is 10 years old, in 1988
the average vo-tech earnings were over $35,000 compared to just over
$25,000 for the community colleges.
The Peterson’s book, priced at $34.95, has data on more than 5,000
programs, ranging from cabinet making at College of the Redwoods in
Eureka, California, to the Midwest Horseshoeing School in Macomb,
Illinois. New Jersey’s offerings include the expected plethora of
computer training schools and community college program but also feature
some more adventurous choices: a floral design school in Madison,
a bartending school in Montclair, a broadcaster’s training center
in Trenton, a home furnishings and equipment installation school in
Howell, a welding school in Linden, and a dog grooming school in Chatham.
Or go to B/M Casino Dealers School in Atlantic City and trade in your
PC for a deck of cards.
The New Jersey Department of Labor is again offering
a spate of human resources management classes at fire-sale prices.
Starting this month, employers can take classes in interview selection,
performance appraisals, and employee handbooks. Last year, more than
1,600 employers attended seminars on five topics, at a price of just
$10 per class. Here is a schedule of sessions in the greater Princeton
area (each starts at 9 a.m.):
“Policy Manual/Employee Handbooks” is Thursday, April23, at the labor building in Trenton. “Selection Interviewingand the Selection Process” is given three times, on Tuesday, April28, at Georgian Court College in Lakewood; on Tuesday, May 12, andThursday, May 14, at the labor building in Trenton; and Tuesday, June2, at the Somerset County Building in Somerville. “The Art andScience of Performance Appraisal” will be given on Thursday, May28, at the labor building in Trenton. Call Jesse Behrens at609-984-3518 for more information.Here’s another HR bargain — the HRLine, a by-phone consultationservice that’s free to members of the New Jersey State Chamber butmight cost as much as $90 an hour if you consulted a private consultant.Dial 609-461-4602 and you will be connected to Andrea Schutz,a human resources consultant with 20 years’ experience. She has workedfor Educational Testing Service, Lenox, and Mathematica, and can dispenseloads of advice that could stave off a lawsuit.The service runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Calls received by 3 p.m. willbe returned on the same business day; calls received later will bereturned the next business day.The Greater Trenton Job Developers Association is hostinga county-wide employment expo on Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30p.m. at the Crescent Temple, 50 North Clinton Avenue, in Trenton.More than 55 employers from Mercer County and surrounding areas willhave representatives on hand interviewing applicants for positionsin accounting, nursing, hospitality, sales, computers, clerical, paralegal,and social services.The roster includes Summit Bank, Merrill Lynch, Forrestal Center,A-1 Limousine, Princeton University and Met Life. For more informationcall Lorraine Whittaker at 609-393-9793.Top Of PageJobfinding GroupsB>JobSeekers is a self-help group designed to assistpersons involved in a job search or contemplating a career change.Volunteer coordinators provide a supportive atmosphere where participantscan explore the possibilities open to them. Meetings are every Tuesdayat 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church’s Pierce Hall on StocktonStreet. There is no charge; the group complements the work of theProfessional Roster. Call 609-924-2277.The Job Club, at the Unitarian Church, Cherry Hill Road,Princeton. A free job search workshop is offered on the first Mondayof every month at 7:30 p.m. by Susan and Jack Guarneri, national certifiedcareer counselors. On second Mondays, same time and place, the JobClub offers a free support group for career changers and job hunters.Call 609-771-1669.The Professional Roster, 842 State Road, Princeton, 609-921-9561;fax, 609-921-9572. Call between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday throughFriday or 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Members pay $30 annually. The Rosterlists job opportunities and offers one hour of career counseling for$25 to newly registered members, with additional hours available at$20. Volunteer coordinators try to match people with jobs — andthis organization attracts job listings that do not appear elsewhere.There is no fee to employers.Project Re-Employment, sponsored by the Jewish Family& Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County, offers week-long workshopsfor developing job search skills. Ten people in managerial, technical,or professional fields can attend each of the workshops taught byspecialists from the Department of Labor at the JFCS conference wing,707 Alexander Road, Suite 102. The program is open to the public andis free but preregistration is required. To register call 609-987-8100.MCCC’s Career Counseling & job Placement, West WindsorStudent Center, SC 229, 609-586-4800, extension 3304, E-mail: careers@mccc.edu.Professional career counselors Jack Guarneri and Gail LaFrance offera counseling and testing program for $190.Professional Service Group (PSG) is a Labor Department-spawnedvolunteer self-help group for job-hunting professionals. Free servicesavailable include telephone and fax and use of personal computers,photo copier, typewriters and research material.The New Brunswick PSG is at 506 Jersey Avenue, 732-418-3304; fax 732-937-4504.Top Of PageSeparating Fact from FictionLooks can be deceiving. And sometimes the informationthat people give you about themselves doesn’t match the facts. That’sprecisely why Laura Tilden and Susan Kennedy have teamedup to form a new business called Be Sure Investigations.”Let’s face it,” says Tilden, who has many years of experienceas a therapist helping individuals come to terms with the importantrelationships in their lives, working primarily in marriage and familycounseling. “In today’s world, relationships are developing muchfaster with fewer safety nets. People meet through personal ads andchat rooms on the Internet, and communicate with beepers and E-mail.And it’s difficult to know if what a person tells you is true or false.”Be Sure Investigations will contribute to a panel entitled “Home-BasedBusinesses: How To Make Them Succeed,” on Saturday, April 25,at 2 p.m., at the New York Public Library, 188 Madison Avenue. Thepanel is free with advance registration through the Ron Thomas SmallBusiness Forum at 212-689-5214. Be Sure Investigations is locatedin Chatham. Phone 973-701-8877; fax, 973-377-7574, https://www.BeSureInvestigations.com.“People have increased access to one another through all sortsof new technology, yet that doesn’t necessarily mean intimacy basedon mutual trust can easily be achieved,” says Kennedy. A privateinvestigator with more than 15 years of experience, Kennedy is oneof the few female investigators licensed in New Jersey. And she knowsNew York City and its five boroughs inside and out, having workedwith many lawyers and large firms on insurance claims and corporatelaw matters. She notes that she has also served more than her shareof subpoenas, which require tracking down people and information inways that are safe and minimize escalating emotions.People call on Be Sure Investigations for a wide range of informationneeds, says Tilden. “Sometimes people will say, `I just have afeeling something may be wrong.’ We all have times when our sixthsense kicks in, which we all know would be foolish to ignore. We area resource available to individuals — without them having to spendhundreds or even thousands of dollars,” says Tilden, noting thatthe rates for their searches typically start at $150.Employers can check on an applicant’s education and employment history.Of special interest to many is verifying a person’s marital status,alimony obligations, history of violence, financial assets, lawsuits,bankruptcies, and driving record. “The people we investigate arecompletely unaware of our search,” says Kennedy.”We can verify whether or not a person has graduated from a specificschool and what memberships they have,” says Tilden. “Butwhen it comes to employment, we can usually only verify what humanresources people are willing to provide: confirming whether or nota person was employed and dates of employment. However, most of theinquiries we receive are related to people interested in the characterof individuals they have met, to see if people are truthful in describingtheir life circumstances.”Here is just a sampling of the requests they receive:Loans: One person just bumped into an old friend at a20th high school reunion and soon heard this friend recount a heartbreakingstory, along with a plea to borrow some money.Relationships: A man meets a woman on an airplane andwants to pursue a relationship — but only after verifying thiswoman does not have a husband and family at home.Suitor Investigations: Before accepting a marriage proposalafter a whirlwind courtship, a woman takes her best friend’s adviceto see if the new man in her life has a criminal record or has everbeen issued a restraining order.”We think the need for services such as ours will grow even stronger,”says Tilden. “I can understand the concerns for parents to checkon the information given by a potential future son-in-law or daughter-in-law.And increasingly, as people live longer, more family members willhave concerns about a new person in the life of their widowed motheror father.”One mother recently explained that she has given the video “Lookingfor Mr. Goodbar” to her single daughter who just moved out onher own. And her son and daughter-in-law were given the video “FatalAttraction” to discourage any straying away from the marriagevows.”We all need to take care of ourselves first and protect ourselvesfrom harm,” says Tilden. “Then we can move along and get onwith our lives with more confidence.”– Vivian FransenPrevious StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
