Creating At Will Newsletter - June, 2005 - check references, corporate training, military personnel transition

Under The Radar

GETTING AND GIVING REFERENCES

What do you do when you want a former employer to give you a glowing reference and you know you’ve had some difficulties in that job?

Employers check references more often than not these days. They may even check references for part-time and temporary employees. That puts references pretty high up on the job prep food chain. Falsified information is being detected by professional reference checking services, though you should never lie or be tempted to stretch the truth. Your best approach is to ask your employer straight out, “Do you feel you could give me a good reference?” and wait for their response. If you’ve had a positive relationship with an employer, they may agree to review and sign a letter you write on your own behalf. It pays not to “burn bridges,” but to leave each working situation acknowledging what has or has not occurred in your performance, emphasizing your agreed upon strengths, while asking for a reference.

If they say they’re not sure, say, “I realize my performance hasn’t been as expected within the last three months, perhaps you could reference my experience previous to that?” You can also offer them a written list of benefits you feel you brought to the job and say, “I realize that I haven’t completely fulfilled the expectations of this position, but I did bring some value to the job. I’d like that mentioned in a reference for seeking a new job. I’ve listed those qualifications in this memo to you, since that might be helpful to capture those you agree with.”

For additional information, see http://jobsearch.about.com/od/gettingreferences and articles by Alison Doyle.

What do you do when you’re asked to give a reference and you’re not thrilled with your association with that individual, or are familiar with that person’s negative work history?

Liz Ryan, CEO of WorldWIT, suggests these five steps: “1. Define your boundaries. Will you actively help this person with their job-hunt? Will you be a reference? It’s important to decide what you are willing and not willing to do. 2. Make a distinction. Distinguishing between providing support and assistance will keep you from getting entangled in the ex-employee’s business. For example, if your former workmate says, ‘I’m looking for a job,’ Ryan suggests something similar to: ‘Wonderful! What sort of job are you looking for?’ It’s important, she says, to avoid inadvertently volunteering to help. Be concerned and sympathetic, but keep your distance,’ says Ryan. Say, ‘I wish I could write that reference letter, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable.’ Say it. Stop. Be silent. 3. Stick to your guns. If avoidance doesn’t help, try saying, ‘I’m not familiar enough with your work to be a reference,’ or, ‘Joe, I like you as a person, but I can’t be a business reference.’ Ryan advises saying as little as possible to avoid getting pulled into something you may not want to get involved in, and remember to be friendly. 4. Offer advice instead. Try pointing your former co-worker in the direction of a networking or employment website. Though you won’t be providing help he or she originally asked for, you will still be of some assistance. 5. Tell the truth. ‘You don’t have to rub it in, but if asked the direct question, don’t lie,’ adds Ryan. ‘He or she may be hurt, but they will respect you much more than if you try to weasel out of answering the question.’”

Source: excerpt from Bob Rosner, LA Times Career Builder, 3-06-05

Recent Career Trends

CORPORATE TRAINING PROGRAMS

You’ve heard of companies that offer their employees unique programs, often run by outside experts, to boost morale, promote teamwork and risk-taking, and ultimately encourage productivity. These are the types of programs that include rapelling, skydiving, white-water rafting and other similar physical and interactive activities in their repertoire. Many of these were popular in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, but what has happened with interest in these since then? Research online showed some new packaging, but with the same agendas. And why not? The same experiences may not gel for us one time and yet make a lasting impact the next time. The claim from some of these sites, that their program is different and new, isn’t always true, but as long as it has effective, long-lasting results, who cares? A few programs to research today if your company needs a jolt in cohesiveness are:

Environmental Team Building http://www.mcvinney.com “By tying team development activities more closely to the work the teams are actually doing, we are seeing more real and transferable learning occur.”

OWLS Corporate Learning Center http://www.owlsadventures.com “The focus of the Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School has been on providing retreat programming…today our leading focal point is on corporate team building, management training, and what we call ‘Corporate Adventure Learning.’ We do this in all different kinds of environments from meeting rooms and event halls to rope courses, team building workshops, white water rafting and games.”

Team Work and Team Play http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com is one of several online adventure based training companies. They offer a companion book to their custom teambuilding programs and you can order equipment they’ve invented for their games.

Corporate Event Channel will help you locate murder mystery programs for your corporation In every city nationwide. http://www.corporateeventchannel.com/murder-mystery.htm

Ideas and Training http://www.ideasandtraining.com offer a wide variety of business and human resources’ programs for corporate, business and employee training. They also offer a wide range of videos to bring you the best programs from around the word.

Scott Simmerman’s Performance Management Company http://www.squarewheels.com boasts world-class team building, training and development tools.

For non-US training programs, try entering online “company training games, ___” (add your country)

Career-Life Symmetry

A recent article by Ed Lightle on Fine-Tuning Your Formation Skydiving Skills, in Parachutist Magazine, April 2004, offers some unique comparisons for the transitions we all make. Excerpted here are some of his tips to remind you how to approach your next change and improve your flying skills.

“Always have a dive plan. There is no substitute for preparation, and skydiving demands it. One wrong decision (or none at all) can spell disaster. Each time a jumper exits the plane, he must have a dive plan. The dive plan for a beginning jumper should include things like checking the spot, opening at the proper altitude, dealing with malfunctions and landing safely. As the jumper becomes more experienced, these things become habit so that the jumper can focus on new skills and ones that still need polishing. In short, a dive plan consists of skills committed to memory, as well as skills to learn and practice.

“Help fly the formation. The work isn’t finished once jumpers have docked on the formation. Everybody must help it fly…stay level with jumpers on the other side.

“Anticipate your next move. Brain lock is one thing, but lack of anticipation is another. Build anticipation into your dive plan so that any time you’re looking for the key, you are also thinking about for your next move. It’s not break-look-move; it’s look-break-move.

“Stay put during transitions. A common beginner’s mistake is to break for the next point and back away from the formation during the transition.

“All of this takes practice, and tunnel time with a coach is a good idea. Watch video and read skydiving articles. Watching nothing but skydiving bloopers is a bad idea and can actually reinforce bad habits. It’s OK to watch them once in a while, but focus on good videos [and books].

“Ask for help. Don’t be shy. Walk up to the load organizer and ask him how you can get some one-on-one coaching. This shows the load organizer that you are serious about improving your skills. You might have to forego the fun loads for a while, but it will be worth it. Find a coach, and work on things like leg flying and anticipating the next point. If you can afford several weekend fun jumps, you can afford to pay for a little coaching.

“So take the time now to improve your flying skills so you won’t have to doubt yourself on that next challenging formation skydiving load. Don’t expect to go immediately from A-license qualification to the hottest loads on the DZ. …If they hear that you have done well on coaching jumps and small loads, they will give you a chance. When you get that chance, however, be honest about your flying skills. If the load organizer gives you a slot you know you are not qualified to handle, speak up and ask for one that better suits your skill set. Perform well in that slot, and you are more likely to get invited back. But don’t let it go to your head. No matter how good we think we are, our flying skills can always use a little fine-tuning.”

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“According to the Army/Navy Times, 280,000 military personnel transition out of the military and into the civilian workplace each year. Not only are they disciplined and have be trained in specific skill-sets, they often have security clearances resulting from personal investigations more thorough than your company or outsourced background check service would do. The best news is that they're probably underpaid compared to the private sector, so they're often willing to make that jump if you'll give them a chance!”Recruiting Online

“The Transition Information Center http://www.taonline.com recommends that military personnel use their Personal Qualification Standards to explain their jobs to employers. These required standards, which are documented within the scope of the service member’s specific job description, will show employers specific tasks completed while in the military.

“Transition Assistance Online (also at http://www.taonline.com offers a complete transition office directory for all branches of the service. This Website also features a database for translating specific skills from military to civilian life. The Army Career and Alumni Program ( www.acap.army.mil) also provides useful information about the separation process and assistance that is available, including workshops and counseling.”

http://www.usajobs.org/listjobs USAjobs, Inc. is a not-for-profit , non-commercial, public service agency for possible job matches that include post service positions.