Princeton POEM’s Venture Workshop
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Kathleen McGinn Spring were prepared for the May
22, 2002 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
New Skill Set For Job Hunters
Get out there and tell everyone you know that you’re
looking for a job. That is the conventional wisdom, but
Schwartz, owner of ROBELE Career Solutions, says it is no good.
Or at least it does not go nearly far enough.
"You’ve got to get out of your comfort zone," says Schwartz.
Networking at trade shows, association meetings, and among decision
makers, no matter where they gather, is a lot better, in his opinion,
than spreading the word among friends, family, and the delivery
people.
Schwartz speaks on "Professional Career Marketing" on Tuesday,
May 28, at 7:30 p.m. at a meeting of Jobseekers at Trinity Church
in Princeton. The group, organized by
Princeton Management Consultants, provides a free place where the
downsized — and career changers of all kinds — network and
learn effective job search techniques. Call 609-924-2277.
Before forming ROBELE, named for his daughters Robin and Elena,
Schwartz
worked for the Robert Jameson career counseling firm in Princeton.
He was introduced to that company as a client, and stayed on to become
a counselor. His background before that career switch was in chemical
engineering. He holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering
from the City College of New York (Class of 1964) and a master’s in
chemical engineering from Cleveland State University. He started his
company in 2000. It has nine employees and locations in Morristown
and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Schwartz says even seasoned executives, even those with years
experience
in hiring and firing, are ignorant of the essential basics of a
successful
job search. "Some have been downsized," he says. "They’re
good at what they do, but they’re not good at marketing
themselves."
He identifies some common problem areas:
over,"
says Schwartz. Moves to a similar position, in other words, are a
snap compared with taking on a whole new career. But sometimes such
a change is necessary. A surgeon, he gives as an example, may have
suffered nerve damage that makes operating impossible. Or, more
commonly,
a telecommunication middle manager may find there are simply no
openings
in his field. It then becomes a matter, he says, of not only
identifying
transferable skills, but of leveraging them to gain entry into a new
career.
clients
jump at any offer, and while this will put food on the table, Schwartz
says it is not a good long-term strategy. Neither, in his opinion,
is accepting less money than the former job paid. He does admit,
though,
that "it’s supply and demand." Sometimes an executive in a
field going through major downsizing is facing so much competition
that he might have to consider a cut in compensation. Still,
"overall,
it’s not a good idea."
are terrible at their jobs, says Schwartz. So it is up to the
successful
job hunter to take over, and to make sure the interviewer knows about
the ways in which he would contribute to the company’s success.
Telling
stories, he suggests, is an excellent way to do this. Everyone
remembers
a good story, and it is up to the job hunter to leave the interviewer
with several, each illustrating how he handled tough situations or
contributed to successful outcomes at his former jobs.
at working a room, says Schwartz. It is not necessary to speak to
everyone, but it is necessary to seek out and speak with decision
makers. When doing so, he implores, avoid the Big Mistake. "Never
ask for a job!" he exclaims. Make friends, establish connections,
and then, before saying good-bye, ask if the person with whom you
are speaking knows anyone you should talk to. Then go talk to that
person, and get more names.
it is laying off 16,000 employees this quarter, and axing a few
thousand
more later in the year. Does this mean you should forget about
contacting
XYZ for a job? Absolutely not, says Schwartz. For one thing, the
company
still needs to hire for some positions, but, aware that cost-cutting
is roundly applauded by Wall Street, will not be eager to publicize
that fact. For another thing, when heads begin to roll, many of the
best people in the company will head for the exits. They will have
to be replaced, though, again, this fact will not be publicized.
making money, Schwartz observes. Study the business news to find out
niches where the economy is strong. Also take note of any major
personnel
changes. New CEOs and vice presidents often like to bring in their
own teams, and may be looking for good people.
looks for jobs on the Internet, and that, says Schwartz, is why so
few find them there. Classified ads are over-used too. By all means,
check out both, but make them a small part of your search strategy.
close the deal," says Schwartz. It is a terrible idea, he
explains,
to bring up salary, benefits, or vacation before an offer is made.
Once an employer does commit to hiring you, drive for the best deal
you can, making sure to do research beforehand to determine what a
person with your experience is now commanding.
work hard at formulating and following through on a job search plan,
says Schwartz. The economy isn’t what it was three years ago, but,
he says, there are still good opportunities for those with good skills
and the good sense to market those skills effectively.
Top Of Page
Princeton POEM’s Venture Workshop
Organic electronics can include anything from flat panel
displays and next generation smart cards to organic solar cells and
large arrays of organic sensors and actuators. In Princeton, the
poster
child for this technology is the Universal Display Corporation, which
incubated at Princeton University starting in 1994 and is now on
Phillips
Boulevard.
The Center for Photonics and Optoelectronic Materials (POEM) is
holding
a full day venture workshop on this technology on Tuesday, May 28,
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Princeton University’s Friend Center on
Olden Avenue. Cost: $100. Venture capitalists, angels, and the
investment
and technology business communities are invited, and a limited number
of spaces are open to the public, but preregistration is required.
Go to the website (www.poem.princeton.edu) or call
at 609-258-2553. For additional information contact
Montemarano
at E-mail: jmonte@princeton.edu. The co-hosts are the Princeton
Materials
Institute and the Princeton University Office of Licensing and
Technology
Transfer.
Among the opening speakers are
University,
Pechter,
president & CEO of Prosperity New Jersey.
organic
electronic (OLED) research was responsible for the founding of
Universal
Display Corporation, will speak on "Organic OptoElectronics:
Technology
Underpinning Promising Applications."
discuss "Organic Light Emitting Devices: Today for Displays,
Tomorrow
for Lighting."
about his company’s new OLED production system, now being tested at
Universal Display.
Forces can use OLED technology.
After lunch,
University,
will tell about "diagnostic pajamas" and giant blankets that
can identify faults on an airplane’s skin, followed by two other
scientists
who work with large area electronics.
To add a note of financial reality to the technology fantasizing,
about how OLED can be commercialized.
Photonic Energy Corporation will consider the knotty problem of
timing.
Just when will an IPO window open? In science and in finance, timing
is everything.
Corrections or additions?
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