Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • Computers Don’t Give People Jobs- People Do.

    Computers Don’t Give People Jobs- People Do.

    A recent LinkedIn group posting by a job seeker asked the question, “Tons of  applications vs. networking (in a new place) – Which might work best?”


    While applying online for openings is a necessary component to job search, I think this chart and table answers the job seeker’s question clearly:

    wherejobopportunitiescomefrom

    Mark S. Granovetter, a sociologist at Harvard, investigated how people get jobs. His study included professional, technical, and managerial workers who recently found jobs, and the chart shows the methods by which jobs were obtained.

    Granovetter’s data also indicated that of the people who found jobs through personal contacts, 43.8% had new positions created for them.

    Granovetter concludes: “Personal contacts are of paramount importance in connecting people with jobs. Better jobs are found through contacts, and the best jobs, the ones with the highest pay and prestige and affording the greatest satisfaction to those in them, are most apt to be filled in this way.”

    Recommended Job Search Effort Allocation

     

    Priority

    Method

    Recommended Effort Allocation

    1

    		 Unpublished Sources

    70%

    2

    		 Advertisements

    10%

    3

    		 Executive Search Agencies, Job Fairs

    5%

    4

    		 Present or Former Employer

    5%

    5

    		 Targeted Mailings

    5%

    6

    		 Other

    5%

    So if you are searching for a job, spend the majority of your time focusing on networking to find out about most of the jobs- the unpublished ones.

    Next week, we’ll give some recommendations on how to network and provide you with a tool for planning and tracking your networking efforts.

  • 5 Steps for Managing Upward

    5 Steps for Managing Upward

    In my first “real” job out of college, I had no idea what managing upward was and had no idea how to do it. More importantly, I didn’t know why it was necessary. In hindsight, I got passed over for a job opening in the department that I wanted because I didn’t manage upward, I got more work than any other person in the department thrown on me because I didn’t manage upward, and I ended up being pretty miserable because I didn’t manage upward.

    In my personal experiences and in coaching middle managers, I’ve learned that the topic of managing upward, or the act of realizing that you have a responsibility in managing the relationship with your boss and thus your career just as much as he or she does if not more, is an issue that comes up quite frequently.

    If I had followed these steps for managing upward, who knows, I might still be with the same organization I was with 10 years ago. (Or maybe not, but that’s a post for another day).

    1. Know your career goals. Write them down. Where do you want to be in one year, in five, in ten?
    2. Communicate your career goals to your boss. Request feedback from them on how you might be able to make these goals a reality with their help. Communication is critical in any type of relationship.
    3. Be open to your boss’ feedback and implement their suggestions.
    4. Ask or volunteer for assignments that help contribute to your goals.
    5. Realize that sometimes, your boss wants you to do stuff that you don’t want to do or that you do not see how it would add value to the organization or your career goals. And sometimes, you have to realize, just like we tell our three year old, “Because I said so” is a good enough reason to follow-through on what is asked (as long as it isn’t unethical). Following through on assignments on time, on budget and with solid results can lead to quicker career growth regardless of the assignment.

    How have you been effective in managing upward relationships?

  • 6 Reasons NOT to Strive for Perfection

    6 Reasons NOT to Strive for Perfection

    I used to get so frustrated as a recruiter when I asked the question “What are your weaknesses?” in an interview and I would get the response “I’m a perfectionist.” It seemed to me to be a way to state a “weakness” when in reality striving for perfection, I thought, was a characteristic that is desired in the working world and in fact classified as a strength.

    I’d turn around and probe the applicant in a way that made them tell me what bad behaviors or results arose because of their perfectionism. Most people just stared at me after asking this question. I wanted to say,  “Now give me an answer to this question that isn’t canned!”

    But, now I’m beginning to believe perfectionism truly is a weakness. Here’s why:

    Perfectionism leads to paralysis. In other words, decisions aren’t made because of perfectionism.

    The inability to make decisions leads to stuff not getting done. Number 23 in the article 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself,  states “#23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.

    When stuff doesn’t get done, the organization can’t meet customer needs and can’t move forward. You can’t vision for the future and think strategically when you are always trying to make things perfect.

    Perfectionism in the extreme sense is really is just another word for neurotic. If you know a true perfectionist, then you know what I mean. One client engagement I had last year was to improve their hiring practices in order to improve organizational results. After performing an analysis, it was obvious that we needed to implement some type of screening that tested for neurosis. Low performers were exhibiting this characteristic over and over and it was often described as “perfectionism”.

    Learning doesn’t occur when things are perfect.  We often learn more from our failures than our successes, which drives continuous improvement. And continuous improvement does move people and organizations forward.

    Quite frankly, perfect is boring.  And it is never going to happen.

    So if you want to drive results and strategic thinking in your organization, stop telling your people that they need to deliver “perfect”.  Tell them instead they need to be better today than they were yesterday- striving for continuous improvement.  A little bit better today than yesterday is a lot better than being paralyzed today because yesterday wasn’t perfect.

  • Birthing Babies and Running Races: Pushing Past Your Breaking Point with Positive Feedback

    Birthing Babies and Running Races: Pushing Past Your Breaking Point with Positive Feedback

    We were excited to be featured as guest blogger on the awesome Fistful of Talent this past weekend. Now, we’re sharing this blog with you! 

    —

    I’m in labor.

    One nurse is holding one foot; another is holding the other. There’s a doctor in-between my legs, and my husband is at my side. (He was instructed under no uncertain circumstances to go below my knees.)

    It’s time to push. I, of course, am drugged with an epidural. They have to tell me when to push because I luckily can’t feel a thing. I don’t know the results of my efforts, whether I’m doing it right or wrong because:

    1) I can’t feel it, and
    2) I can’t see far enough down to know if a baby is coming out as I push.

    I’m getting no internal feedback from my body.

    The nurse to the right starts to give instructions as I push. It goes something like this:

    “Don’t push with your legs.” “Don’t breath like that.” “You’re leaning too far forward.” Real positive and motivating. Thanks, lady. Did I mention I can’t feel a thing? By her feedback, I was never going to get this child out.

    The nurse on the left gives instructions as she watches the progress, or lack thereof, of the baby crowning,“You’re doing great, now push with your bottom.” (Sorry—this may be too graphic, but that is apparently the way you’re supposed to do it and there is no other way to put it.)

    “That’s it, that’s it! Good!”  she says.

    A contraction finishes. She says, “Great, now rest.  You’re doing such a good job. When the next one comes, take a deep breath and do it again. I’ll count to eight while you push, and then you take another deep breath and push again.”

    I tuned out nurse to the right and focused on nurse to my left. The instructions laced with “Don’t” weren’t helping me get the 7 lb. 2 oz. bundle of perfection out, but the positive feedback and specific instructions about how to do it were going to help me have this baby. And it worked.

    The same principle applies to performing other physical feats—It’s not just for baby mamas. In fact, in a recent study How Your Thoughts Affect Your Running Efficiency, posted on Runner’s World, researchers sought to see if “enhancing expectancies” through positive feedback improved running performance. Feedback given was something like this:

    “You’re doing great. Your oxygen consumption is in the top 10th percentile for your age and gender.”

    Nurse-to-my-left type feedback was given, leading to increased running efficiency as indicated by their VO2 Max.

    Want to increase performance that leads to results?  Then my personal labor experience and running research suggests the following to enhance performance:

    1. Give feedback
    2. Give positive feedback (i.e., “You’re doing great!”)
    3. Give instructional feedback that helps direct efforts (i.e., “I’ll count to eight while you push, and then you take another deep breath and push again.”)

    Hopefully, no one is going into labor at the office, but coaching people to optimal results necessitates continuous feedback. And positive feedback is all the better, or least that was the case for me. My body and our baby girl thank the nurse for the positive feedback and the results it achieved.

  • Dream Job

    Dream Job

    After finishing my senior year, I will start the next four years deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life. I will have to consider the economy and job markets when deciding on a major and future career, but I don’t want to neglect what I might be best at doing and what I would enjoy.

    If money and unemployment didn’t matter my choice would be a lot easier. I would rule out any job that has anything to do with blood, makes me work with spreadsheets, or forces me to understand chemistry. With those jobs out of the way I have narrowed down my list of dream jobs to three.

    Here is my Dream Job list:

    1. Antique Hunter- I love the thought of looking through old barns to find hidden gems and learning the history behind them. Then I’d like to have a cute store to sell what I find. I think I have watched Antiques Road Show with my mom one too many times.
    2. House Flipper- I have always had a fascination with old homes. Each one has a unique architecture and layout. I would love to be able to uncover the beauty and potential of homes that have been forgotten.
    3. Full- Time Babysitter- Babysitting is the best job I will ever have. I get to play with the kids and play with their toys that were much cooler than mine ever were. Then when you get tired of it, the parents come home and you get to leave.

    I realize going to college for any of these jobs would be pointless and wasteful. Maybe down the road when the economy is better and I have enough time and money I will peruse the jobs! Trying to balance what the market demands with what my passions may be is a challenge, but I hope that I can find a balance in making sure that what I do in life leads to fulfillment.

    Other helpful blog posts related to this topic:

    A Final Word on Talents and Passions