The dial-in Job Search Team call has been operational for seven months.  It is a weekly call for Executive MBA and Technology Management MBA students and alumni actively engaged in job search.  The initial goals were to provide a flexible format for support, ideas, and resources.

With a typical weekly group of 4-8 individuals, each participant takes a few minutes to provide a brief introduction (name, target next position and stage of search) and then has time to ask for insights on a particular search strategy, to share a quick win or new resource, and most importantly what’s working (and what’s not working). 

Sometimes the facilitators will take a few minutes to share information related to search, i.e. executive recruiters/headhunters, salary considerations/surveys, social networking, Foster School events, etc. 

In last week’s call, we talked about applying for positions at Microsoft (with a referral); these techniques certainly apply at other companies too.  This week, the group had a rich conversation about the steps for effective informational interviews — “career development research” is probably a better name!

I will post a debrief of our next search-related topic.  It might be information helpful to you now or in the future.

Susie Buysse, Career Services Manager

In my work, I’m fortunate to partner with Ann Girarde, my colleague from the Executive MBA program. We hold various Executive Networking events for both student populations. Recently, we hosted:

May 2009: Personal Leadership with Jan Dwyer, Founder of Boundless Results

It was a lively night with a wealth of practical information. The goals & takeaways were:
o Discover ways to become more self-aware and objectively assess your leadership potential
o Identify how a high “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence) can accelerate your leadership with others
o Identify ways to create meaningful relationships with others

June 2009: Orville Pierson of Lee Hecht Harrison joined us for an informative morning on Highly Effective Job Search Using Highly Effective Networking. He shared tips and techniques on how to:
• Speak effectively and comfortably with your networking contacts.
• Leverage even a small network to reach insiders and decision makers before the job opening is announced.
• Get the right message to the right people.

I especially liked his step-by-step process and tips for networking with professional contacts:
1. Determine who you want to meet
2. Map their networks
3. Look for overlap with yours
4. Locate someone to introduce you

Remember to be interested & be interesting! How to be interesting:
o Do your research
o Share information on organizations, industries, people, best practices in your profession

Remember, networking is about information exchange on topics that interest both of you.

I took away some valuable notes. Topping the list was to make people comfortable with my request ensuring them that I don’t want them to find a job for me, but simply want an introduction. The other revelation that was helpful is the vastness of my network when I broaden the parameters.
TMMBA alumnus attendee

Susie Buysse, Career Services Manager

The better it looks, the better you look

TMMBA students often inquire about a resume tune-up. They want to stand out in the competition and possibly secure interviews. Some students have technical resumes and want and need a greater focus on the MBA degree and business knowledge. I’ve also seen resumes that detail, in multi-pages, a long history of every job held, primarily stressing job descriptions and responsibilities.

Since you have just a few short seconds to make a strong first impression, here are six pivotal tips:

1.Eliminate a fluffy objective statement that describes the type of position desired.

2.Instead, add a compelling Summary or Profile right under your heading, highlighting your important skills and abilities that are relevant to the kind of work you are seeking. This should be like a Super Bowl commercial; every word counts and convinces us to buy. It tells the reader what you realistically want to do and it’s your best argument as to why they should hire you.

3.Include a number of short compelling accomplishment bullets under each position listed. Be sure to clearly describe how your actions contributed to the team, department, or company. Always quantify or qualify the result and avoid task-oriented bullets.

4.Humans (and computers) look for key words and phrases. Check major job boards or corporate websites to find popular key words related to your target position and company. Incorporate these as well as industry buzzwords in your resume.

5. Make your resume easy to read quickly. Get to the point. Eliminate groups of words that could be said in a single word. Avoid large paragraphs (over six or seven lines) jammed with text. Use lots of white space.

6.Don’t waste any precious space. Remove “References available upon request” at the bottom of your resume. Hiring managers and recruiters assume that you have a list prepared and will ask if they want to see it.

To get started with your resume review, please feel free to contact me after gaining admittance into the TMMBA program. We’ll work together on creating a resume that gets noticed!

Susie Buysse, Career Services Manager

One of my favorite quotes is “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing” by Theodore Roosevelt. It’s thought-provoking. What do you love to do? What motivates you to do your best work? Who are you becoming?

These questions often surface when a TMMBA student or graduate talks about a wish to contribute to the betterment of society or people. This can take many forms ― joining the renewable energy industry, working for a company that models corporate philanthropy, or perhaps becoming a fair leader with both business and technical strengths.

In Developing a Strategic Vision for Your Career Plan, Randall S. Hansen, PhD. outlines key steps for building a short term plan:
•Analyze your current/future lifestyle. Be sure to identify the key characteristics of your ideal lifestyle.
•Analyze your likes/dislikes. What kinds of activities — both at work and at play — do you enjoy?
•Analyze your passions. Reflect on the times and situations in which you feel most passionate, most energetic, most engaged and see if you can develop a common profile of these situations.
•Analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Think in terms of work experience, education/training, skill development, talents and abilities, technical knowledge, and personal characteristics.
•Analyze your definition of success.
•Analyze your personality.
•Analyze your dream job. Look for ideas internally, but also make the effort to explore/research other careers that interest you.
•Analyze your current situation. Before you can even do any planning, clearly and realistically identify your starting point.
Here is an additional interesting tip. “A study of Harvard students 10 years after graduation showed that those who had specific goals made salaries three times greater than the salary of the average Harvard graduate. Those with written goals made 10 times the average.” (“Targeting the Job You Want,” Kate Wendleton)

I recommend taking the time to define your career ambitions and set specific goals. The self-reflection is often insightful and can certainly be helpful in defining your next or future career steps.

Susie Buysse, Career Services Manager

August – how did we get so far into summer so fast? This is my first entry so I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Susie Buysse and I manage Career Services for the TMMBA program. I bring more than 18 years of experience in the private sector, including the aerospace, medical device, and advanced electronics industries. I’m available to discuss your specific career development and job search needs (resumes, cover letters, interviewing, networking, salary negotiations, etc.)