Creating At Will Newsletter - August, 2005

In this issue:

Under the Radar – Technological Measuring of
Information “Value”
Recent Career Trends – Economists Can’t Determine
Full-Employment
Career-Life Symmetry –Dr. Phil’s Health Coaching
Career Tool Resources & Services
Coach Article This Month - Interviewing for your Next Big Thing
Field Focus – Construction
The Coach Notes - A Whale of a Time

Quote of the Month

“All means prove but a blunt instrument if they have not behind them a living spirit.”

– Albert Einstein

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Under The Radar

TECHNOLOGICAL MEASURING OF INFORMATION “VALUE”

“[W]e use information technology to plan, stage and execute a value proposition to generate revenue and improve the balance sheet, and start the whole process over again. This occurs in a highly collaborative environment. This age-old paradigm is about to shift. The digitization of old processes and the creation of new processes that leverage powerful software, ubiquitous networks, and hardware that more than doubles its processing speeds every 18 months have turbo-charged and globalized commerce. But the next step in the evolution of commerce will come from the realization that the definition of the term '’value’ is being rewritten.”

“It’s impossible to separate the impact of information from the value of the product or service with which it’s associated.”

“In the professional services environment, where knowledge is the commodity of value, the worth of services delivered ― indeed of the business itself ― changes as knowledge workers are engaged in assignments, projects are completed, and the availability of talent is matched against the demand for specific expertise.

“A company may bill out two lawyers with similar credentials and years of experience...” however the one who recently completed a similar case vs. one who studied about it, will be more valuable to the client. “This illustrates how the worth of the value proposition changes in real time as the lawyer interacts with the issues to accumulate new experiences during the engagement with the client. It also demonstrates interesting operational planning, marketing, and business-development implications that companies ignore at their peril.”

“The moving-atoms concept…” as is described by this article, “represents the next frontier in the evolving efforts by public and private companies to be more responsive to the needs of individual customers or constituents. It’s the next step away from the legacy thinking and infrastructure that supported mass marketing and mass production and that still lingers as an echo of an industrial era in many companies. And it’s a step that CIO’s should lead their companies to take.”

Excerpted from Optimizemag.com, 3/20/05, Robert B. Carter, Ex. VP/CIO of FedEx Corp., The Value of Moving Atoms

Recent Career Trends

ECONOMISTS CAN’T DETERMINE FULL EMPLOYMENT

“Economists call full employment the ‘natural rate of unemployment’ ― the lowest rate consistent with stable inflation. Go lower, and tight labor markets trigger a wage-price spiral. Unfortunately, we don’t know what it is. The Congressional Budget Office now puts it at 5.2 percent. But past estimates have been too high and too low, because the ‘natural rate’ ― despite the label ― isn’t natural and constantly changes. It’s influenced by population changes (younger workers have higher unemployment rates) and government policies, among other things. Our ignorance makes it hard to judge when to be satisfied.

Although I could extend this list, the message would remain: change has outpaced comprehension. Should we be worried? Maybe. What confuses us may threaten us. But here’s an intriguing irony: the less we understand the economy, the better it does.”

Excerpted from Newsweek, 6/27/05, Robert J. Samuelson, Time to Toss The Textbook

Career-Life Symmetry

The January 2005 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal had an interview with the ever popular, Dr. Phil, who has added to his solution centered counseling books with cookbooks and diet books. Much of this advice comes from his counseling of overweight patients as a clinician in Texas. However, his awareness is also personal, since his father died of heart disease related to obesity. Let’s face it; Dr. Phil looks fit. He prescribes to a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise and clearly practices what he preaches. The energy he gets from this serves his busy work pace. I bullet-pointed some of his coaching comments. How well do you coach yourself to a healthy body, or is it time you got support?

Coach Article This Month (view others at our website)

You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines and my Web address in hyperlink for others' sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to Laurie@CreatingAtWill.com.

Interviewing for your Next Big Thing
Laurie Sheppard MCC, Copyright 2005

Now that you’ve decided your career field, here are seven “P’s” to know this is the interview you want and how to prepare for landing that job.

--Profile—Have you done your homework? What did you learn about the company from your research and how does it fit your future projections? You can’t expect a company’s direction to fit with yours without first knowing what you want your own life to look like down the road. Walk in with clear objectives for feeling what’s right and getting and giving the information you intend.

--Philosophy—Ask your interviewer about any employee recognition processes or merit systems. Find out about their review process, it’s frequency, regularity and approach. Whenever possible talk with the current incumbent or other company contacts before your interview. Any information you glean from conversations with current or former employees could be helpful to distinguish you from the competition. Upon arriving at the company, get a feel for how the group interacts with each other and gauge the sense of comfort in the environment. Is there a feeling of camaraderie as you walk down the halls? If you have a poor feeling about the interviewer, it can give you some insight into the bigger system, since they hired someone like that. As a general rule, go in with the assumption your philosophies are aligned, unless proven otherwise.

---Pitch—Did you cover your key objectives in your resume or cover letter? If not, now is the time to convey what you are most looking to do. If you’re not given the opportunity to ask questions, that should tell you something about the company. But when it’s offered, know the most important things you look for in a company and don’t leave until you have a clear picture of whether they exist there or not. It’s okay to ask how many interviewees they plan to see and what they are looking for. Most often the interviewer is assessing your style of communication and “fit” for the company.

--Place—The basics cover such issues as the location (distance from your home), onsite parking availability and public transportation availability to the actual physical work environment. Don’t forget to learn their reputation, history and leadership track record. Is there an open book financial policy? Do they have a confidential employee assistance program? Do they support continued education programs?

--Players—What’s the longevity of their employees? How involved do their employees get to be? For example, Fortune has consistently rated Proctor and Gamble high for knowing how to treat employees right. Employees participate in multi-functional teams and are supported by a career management system for development of their work and personal plan. This company’s attitude is reflected in the critical mission statement they strive to live up to: “touching lives, improving life.”

--Product—Know clearly what they do and what their aim is. If you’re staying in the same field, don’t assume their focus is the same as where you came from. If their goal is to stay consistent in size, but you are an active marketer and go-getter, then it won’t be a match.

--Part—What is your job description? Be clear on the expectations. How flexible is your job title? If you are bringing in additional skills and experience you may be able to upgrade your position from the outset by clarifying the additional benefits you’ll bring to the company. At the same time, don’t be in a hurry to move up, but know there is room for it.

Now listen attentively, speak clearly and deliberately, keep open physical posturing, relax and be yourself. You wouldn’t want to sell them on anything short of who you are!

IN OUR SEPTEMBER ISSUE—How to Stand Out As The Best Job Candidate, also by Laurie Sheppard

The U.S. Census Bureau defines construction workers as: “…all workers up through the working supervisor level directly engaged in construction operations, such as painters, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. Included are journeymen, mechanics, apprentices, laborers, truck drivers and helpers, equipment operators, and on-site record keepers and security guards.”

A second major group, group 15, is defined as “General Building Contractors and Operative Builders,” which includes, “ general contractors and operative builders primarily engaged in the construction of residential, farm, industrial, commercial, or other buildings. General building contractors who combine a special trade with the contracting are included in this major group.”

“Special trade contractors in Group 16 are those who “undertake activities of a type that are specialized either to building construction, including work on mobile homes, or to both building and non-building projects.

News Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor 2005 employment statistics shows the full-time, quarterly averages of construction and extraction occupations, per the number of workers and not seasonally adjusted) as: