If you really, really want the job...

Most of my career, I've had the opportunity to review resumes, and it always surprises me how people sending resumes get more caught up in the form than in thinking through what the experience will be like for the person who receives it at the other end. After all, resumes aren't reviewed by corporations, they are reviewed by people.  Typically several people.  Interviews?  Also by people. 

Simply by changing your focus from the sending end to the receiving end can adjust your strategy and give you an edge.  With that in mind, consider the following...

1.  Ask yourself...Do you really want this job? This very one?  If so, it is worth taking the time to do some homework.  Spend time on the company's website. Using a person's name (rather than "to whom it may concern") and referencing specifics of what you like about a firm keeps your resume from being considered generic. People are much more concerned in finding an employee who is interested in the firm than someone to whom any job will do.  You may also need to tailor your resume so that it highlights the requirements of a specific job opening.  Again, if you "really, really, really want this specific job", it is worth the effort.

2.  Take the time to write a connecting cover letter.  The person reviewing resumes is typically receiving many each day.  The cover letter is your only shot to reveal anything about yourself other than bare bones facts and figures. Be warm and be likeable.  Consider that if your cover letter is stilted and formal, then it might come off like an awkward conversation.  At the same time, being too familiar or coloquial can be offputting.  See if you can find the passion and personality of the company in what you read about them, then do your best to write a cover letter that connects with that.

3. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.  No doubt it is difficult to write about yourself, your strengths and your experience. (It is the reason that few corporate executives write their own bios.)  However, I've read enough letters and resumes over the years to say that by far people err on the side of arrogance when trying to communicate confidence and experience.  One of the things that has shifted over the years is that companies are moving from looking for "I" resumes to looking for "We" resumes.  Instead of "I did this" or "I did that" consider using phrases such as "I was part of (or led) a team that...." or "I collaborated on"  or "my team was part of"....  Business today is far too complex for the one-man show.  We need people who can work in teams and foster the art of collaboration.

4. If you are seeking a technical job or one in a niche industry, a personal website or LinkedIn profile is a must.  If you are looking for a high level position, it helps if people can find you professionally in a Google search.  Of course, this is a two edged sword, so hopefully your personal profile on the web is a good one.  One day, I Googled someone I was scheduled to meet via teleconference. Her facebook profile photo made it impossible for me to keep a straight face on the call...

5. Call, but don't be pushy.  Chances are there is a list of "must haves" for the position.  Either education level, a software skillset, or a number of years of experience.  The person culling resumes may move yours to a "no" pile because you don't have a skillset that is needed.  Occaisionally you can get through to the hiring manager to ask if your resume is still under consideration and if not, find out what the differentiator is. (If you are out, you can also let the hiring manager know that you believe his/her firm is a great match for you and ask if there are other positions available for which you might be qualified.)  If you get stonewalled by a gatekeeper, don't go to heroic lengths to get past.  People in offices talk with each other and you can get blacklisted by being condescending to someone you think isn't in a position of authority. That kind of information gets passed on.

6. Interviews are bi-directional.  Again this is about doing homework.  Consider the person you are interviewing with and what might interest them.  Then come armed with your own questions.  Not the transactional ones like insurance and salary...the ones that will show you actually care about the work itself.  Ask a firm about a project you know they've done...whatever about it interests you.  Ask the interviewer what books people in their office are reading.   What classes they are taking.  Your questions should reveal you are a growing, breathing person, interested in both the job and the people you are going to work with.  Of course, depending on the type of person who is interviewing you, you may never get to even one on your list, but it helps to be prepared.

7 Follow up immediately and specifically.   E-mail is perfectly acceptable, but handwritten follow up cards are still classy.  Thank the person for the interview.  Refer to something specific you learned or enjoyed and let them know you would like the opportunity to work with them.  If you had the opportunity to meet with a team, consider sending something they can all share like a tin of popcorn or cookie bouquet to thank them for their time. (Only send this in a group situation, not to a single supervisor.  It's the difference between doing something appreciative that gets you remembered or obviously sucking up.)

Keep in mind, after all of this you still may not get the job.  Job hunting is a full-time job in itself and most likely you will have to go through this process a number of times before you are finally hired.   But taking an aim and shoot approach rather than a scattergun tactic is better way of ensuring you wind up some place you really, really want to be.

© Cathy Hutchison 2010

AD Trading Cards

Each year Marketing does a gift at the holidays that celebrates our team. One of the great things about having Erin Brady join us a few years ago is that she brings a lot of creative energy to this.

This year, Erin developed AD trading cards for our Dallas and San Diego offices. (All 30 of us).  Not only did she find really funny photos , but each card had the "team player's" name and "nickname" on it. (Which Erin made up.)  The back of the card contained "mostly true" facts about each person and all of it was hilarious.  (Nancy Jumper and I served as contributors for that part.)

I love it that we work in a place that we know each other well enough to even have that type of content.

Now, wouldn't you like to know what we have planned for next year. (Smile.)

Note: Jason McKelvey would probably like me to add that his nickname "Barbie Paparazzi" has to do with a project he did for his photography class.  He was running tight on deadline and couldn't find anyone to model on the one day he had to shoot, so he wound up using his daughter's dolls.  (Which turned out oddly real looking with 1940's movie star lighting.)  I should probably also clarify that Brian's nickname has to do with the fact that he played Santa at our company Christmas party. Last year, Brian's three-year-old son almost gave the game away by pointing and calling out "Daddy Ho Ho."

© Cathy Hutchison 2009

Committee vs. Task Force

::Image is myself and Michele Baird of Acoustic Dimensions San Diego--we are meeting today via Skype as part of a task force::

It occurs to me that committees don't work. They move slowly. They often require a lot of energy for very little result. Task forces on the other hand are efficient. They move quickly. They operate more like 'special ops' than a full army.

So what is the difference? Why would one group of people--with an intent to collaborate--function so differently than the other? I believe the key difference is in the construct and expectations.

Committees are typically made up of people representing different interests. For example, a university facilities committee might have representatives from the various departments, there may be student representation, administrative members... Each person is there with a mission to represent their group.

A task force--however--is made up of people selected for their individual skills as it relates to an objective. For example, a site search task force might include a commercial realtor, an assessor, a marketer, someone with administrative talent, a person with deep understanding of the user group... Each person is there to complete the objective.

Committees serve long term with different members rotating in and out. Issues can be debated and decisions made with no real impact on the individual members. In fact, many times as the make-up of the committee changes, it can be difficult to trace back why certain decisions were made in the first place. Success would be measured differently by the groups represented based on how well their agenda was met. In fact, this idea of "different agendas" may be the single reason committees so often produce mediocre results.

Task forces are mission-specific. Success is measured based on the objective rather than by individuals in the group. Moreover, when the objective is complete, the task force dissolves and new task forces are assembled to complete different objectives.

So, the next time you are asked to serve on a committee...pass. Task forces are much more satisfying.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009

Posterous 101

If you are using multiple media outlets to create an online presence for your company--or even if you are just maintaining your own personal lifestream--Posterous makes it easy to get content where you want it.

One of the things about social media is that each platform does its own thing well. Flickr and Picasa are designed around sharing photos. Twitter is structured for SMS posts (140 characters or less). YouTube and Vimeo are for video. And the list goes on... And while it is wonderful to have all of these services that host our content so well, most of us who live and breathe social media find ourselves managing multiple accounts. But what if we didn't have to? What if a single service brought all of the elements all together?

Posterous started out as a simple blogging platform that has now become a vehicle for posting to everywhere simply. In fact it is so simple that you don't even have to sign up for an account. You can simply send an e-mail with the content you want posted to post@posterous.com and voila! your posterous stream has begun. (Of course, you will likely want to claim your account to give ownership to the content posted so you can manage it.) The ease of Posterous is that it works via e-mail. You send text alone or attach photos (jpg, png, gif), video (avi or mpg), mp3's or documents (doc, pdf, ppt) to your e-mail and they are posted in real time.

How to use Posterous

Say, for example, say you want to post a simple blog post with an image. In your e-mail, make the subject your title line. Make the blog post your e-mail text. And attach the photo you want posted with your content. You can even tag your post by adding ((tag: tag1, tag2)) to the subject line. That's a double parenthesis, the word 'tag' with a semicolon, then the tags you actually want to use and close double parenthesis. Once you hit "send" a few seconds later the content is formatted and goes live. You will want to delete your e-mail signature or type #end after the text you want posted.

What makes Posterous different from Blogger or Wordpress--who also let you post content via e-mail--is that Posterous will not only post the content to your Posterous page, but also to every other account you have linked to it...Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Blogger, etc. Making it very easy to manage all your social media sites through a single outlet. Of course, you won't always want to post the same things to all of your accounts, so Posterous has an option for that. To post everywhere, you would send to post@posterous.com. To post only to twitter, send your e-mail to twitter@posterous.com. Flickr? flickr@posterous.com. Your blog? blog@posterous.com. You can even combine them: facebook+blog@posterous.com.

Smart Posting of Content

One of my favorite features is that Posterous is "smart" when posting your content. Content over 140 characters sent to Twitter is shortened as a link. MP3's that are posted (simply by sending as an attachment with your e-mail) are put into a player so that the post shows up as an easy to press "play" button. Photos are resized to be web friendly, and video is transcoded to a flash player that shows in your browser. (They host the file so there is no work to do.) URL's are posted as a link, but if you send a YouTube link, Posterous automatically embeds the player.

When you post multiple photos via email, Posterous automatically creates a gallery of those images. If, you’d like all your images to appear inline in the same post, just add this exact syntax to your subject line: ((nogallery)).

Easy Analytics

Posterous makes it easy to track traffic on your site. You can use their dashboard to monitor site views and page views per post. You can also add in your Google Analytics Domain ID in the settings portion (Manage -> Edit Settings) of your Posterous account. You can also track your RSS feed using Feedburner. Once you burn your Posterous RSS feed, you can paste the new feed URL in the Feedburner box (below the Google Analytics box).

Using Posterous with Multiple Contributors

Posterous is easily used as a community site. Simply click "Manage" at the top right of your Posterous account, then select the "Contributors" tag. Enter the e-mail addresses of the people you want to invite and Posterous will invite them. They will send content to post@nameofsite.posterous.com. Your settings can allow contributors posts to go live immediately or be moderated by you. You even have the option of giving the site a group profile--which allows you to show a different profile and photo of your blog from your own.

How Much Does it Cost?

As with most social media platforms, Posterous is free. Expect advanced features to be released in the future to allow the team at Posterous to make some money.

Of course I highly encourage you to take Posterous for a test drive, simply open an e-mail, type in some content, and hit send.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009

On communication, connection and static

One of the beautiful things about the digital world is that you have access to people you never had access to before.

Your best friend from elementary school? Facebook.

The consumer who is into Czech glass beads? Ebay.

Fly fishing enthusiasts? The North American Fly Fishing Forum.

Conversations of people in your neighborhood? Twitter. (You can narrow the conversation to just your zip code.)

There is unprecedented opportunity to connect in a digital world. However, the flip side is that everyone knows this, so the volume from salesmen, marketers, old friends, business people, charities and causes is at an all time high. A digital world life skill is learning to tune out static. We all do it. (We’d go crazy if we couldn’t.)

So given that you have this amazing opportunity being obscured by the static, how do you communicate in a way that connects?

Build a reputation for relevance.

The term “relevance” is tossed around a lot, but in its most basic form the word relevant means that it is applicable to the person who receives it. For example, if you send me a postcard about a carnival for preschoolers, I’ll toss it. I don’t have preschoolers. It isn’t relevant. Send me an invitation to an event for middle schoolers, and again I’ll toss it. If the next postcard (or e-mail or tweet or blog post) is about something not relevant to me, then my mind will classify your communication as irrelevant and I’ll stop reading/listening. You will have become static.

Probably the best example of this—relevant to you the reader—are the e-mails to you receive from the person who has completely mastered the forward. Remember when you first got on e-mail and actually read the jokes/political commentary/dire threat of a new computer virus? It doesn’t take long to stop opening the e-mails that start with FW:. And if a single person continuously sends them to you, then it doesn’t take long to start hitting delete without even scanning the subject line for the FW.

In a world of static, you can’t afford to broadcast. You have to adopt a narrowcast methodology. Find the person—or group of people—you want to connect with and communicate relevant to them. Or maybe more importantly, make sure they are screened from the communication you send that is irrelevant to them.

Choose visual simplicity.

To survive the volume of visual information we learn to glance and process quickly. We stop reading and learn to scan. So, design your digital connection strategies with that in mind.

The cool thing is that most digital communication is visual—which works well when people are in “scan mode”. So learn to communicate visually and learn to do it well. Garr Reynolds’ blog, Presentationzen.com is one of the best free tutorials on communicating simply using visual media. Check out his post from August of last year on Learning Slide Design from an IKEA Billboard.

Duarte.com is another good resource. You might know Nancy Duarte from her book, slide:ology.

Learn to leverage white space, headers, and brevity of language in the pursuit of simplicity. Simplicity has value in a sea of complexity. Sometimes people will receive your message simply because it is visually simple.

Be the “easy toaster.”

The question I ask most often in my office is “yeah, but is it easy toaster?” The phrase “easy toaster” is based on Seth Godin's blog post about his fancy new toaster that had all kinds of bells and whistles but takes ten steps to make toast. It made him long for his old toaster that only took two steps.

In every opportunity for connection, you have to ask yourself…”is it easy toaster?” If you make people go through ten steps to get to you, chances are they will give up in the process. (Which makes me curious why such a high number of companies require people to fill out forms on their contact page rather than supplying a phone number and e-mail address.)

View every website, postcard, e-mail, program and event through the eyes of the person who is engaging for the first time. Then make absolutely certain that you are the ‘easy toaster’.

The best advice?

While none of us would ever pick up the phone, dial a random number, and start telling the person who answers how much we enjoy sushi, we frequently develop and send digital communication without actually considering the person receiving it. Take the time to develop a connection strategy. After all, it is better to wait and truly connect than to lose your chance later because you’ve been labeled as static.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009

A new world for me...

I'm in this odd phase of discovering myself as an artist. Interestingly, my friends would tell you that it has always been there, but it continues to surprise me.

Recently, I was invited at the church I attend to be part of the team to create this mural. There are three of us: Jody Neice, Sunny Raschke and myself. We began by painting a tree modeled off of a piece we saw on the internet and modified for our purposes. Then each of us has been painting a scene live during worship that centers on the piece of the Bible that is being taught. The series goes through the whole story of the Bible in eight weeks.

This week was my week to add. (I also did the 'dove' piece above.)

One of the things about painting in worship is that you focus on the symbology. Never before did I notice the continuity of the dove that came to Noah with a twig in Genesis and the dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel books. Never did I notice the theme of the thorns as part of the curse in Genesis and the crown of thorns in the Gospel books.

This idea of creating art during worship is not unique to my church. It has become a trend. A trend I believe is fueled by the image-rich, interactive digital world that we live in.

I'm really enjoying this.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009

Increasing the health of organizations...

It occurs to me that because organizations are made up of people, the first question when something is wrong starts with "Who?" "Who did that?" "Who isn't participating?" "Who is the problem?" But I'm curious if "who" isn't the wrong way to start the question entirely.

Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan in their book, The Three Laws of Performance, say: The First Law of Performance states that how people perform correlates to how situations occur to them.

Once while working for Caldwell Scott, five-year-old Bianca came up to me perplexed that the Coke machine wouldn't work. When I went to help her, it didn't take long to see why not. Bianca had torn her dollar in half and the machine wouldn't accept it. When I asked her why she tore the dollar, she said, "So I could have a Coke and Katherine could have a Coke."

What would be irrational behavior to you and I (tearing a dollar in half) made perfect sense to five-year-old, Bianca.

The thing is, with children, we tend to ask about behavior we don't understand. But with adults, we assume they are seeing the world the same way we are and that their reactions are irrational. Moreover, we've been trained to think in terms of there being a "bad guy." But unless you happen to have a genuine saboteur, chances are there is no "bad guy." Just a group of people who aren't experiencing the world the same way and therefore aren't working together in harmony.

Which brings us to Zaffron and Logan's Second Rule of Performance: How a situation occurs arises in language. "No matter how smart or insightful people are, we are all prone to being hijacked by what is unsaid – especially the unsaid about which people are unaware."

Kevin Graham Ford, in his book, The Thing in the Bushes asserts that most of the time, organizations do know what is unsaid. They simply won't--or feel they can't--talk about it.

The ability to engage the unsaid is one of the most powerful skills a leader can develop. Because until the "unsaid" is dealt with, it will continue to haunt an organization. In churches--which are by nature non-confrontational--this is particularly challenging. Years and years of the unsaid can build up with people being edited out along the timeline without solving the problem.

Zaffron and Logan point out that once the unsaid is unloaded, there is space to begin to use language to transform the future. And believe it or not, language really does have the power to transform the way you see a situation.

Recently, I had a disconcerting interaction with a group. Their language revealed they thought I wasn't doing some things they felt I should be doing--and given that I only knew them in context of someone else in my life--I realized I hadn't been spoken of well. That she had complained about me to them.

And this bothered me. REALLY bothered me. First that someone close to me would air complaints without sharing them with me. (I didn't know there was a problem.) And secondly, because I actually liked these people.

The heaviness in my soul was erased completely by two simple statements uttered by Elsa-the-Poet when I told her the story. "They don't know the Cathy that you really are." and "If she needs for them to think better of her by making you look bad, why should that bother you? You can do that for her."

And suddenly, it didn't matter any more. It really didn't. It shifted my focus in knowing that their opinion didn't change my identity, and reminded me that my friend has a deep insecurity problem that she often manages with scenarios like the one above. Language changed my perception of the situation.

The language we use...perhaps better put...the stories we tell...can shape our future. But if we tell positive stories without engaging the unsaid, then it feels like whitewash. As if it isn't really true.

What if the questions we need to ask ourselves when we see an organizational "engine light" isn't a who, but a how? "How are the members we view as behaving 'irrationally' experiencing the world?" "How do we engage the unsaid?" "How do we use language to shape a better future?"

Those are powerful questions...and likely far more effective.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009