Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Work

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative outside, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work.

  • 3 Things Business Leaders Can (and Should) Do to Help Marginalized People

    3 Things Business Leaders Can (and Should) Do to Help Marginalized People

    This year, I have the opportunity to take part in Leadership Greater Hunstville. This program focuses on educating and equipping business leaders to also be community leaders through intense exposure to all facets of the community.

     “Human Services Day” took place this week.  It focuses on understanding the needs of the community and the not-for-profits that help meet these needs, many of which focus on helping marginalized people. The day began with a poverty simulation (CAPS), and we spent most of the afternoon hearing from a variety of not-for-profit entities in the community.  One of the not-for-profit leaders participating said that there are estimated to be between 1600-2000 not-for-profit organizations serving the community in just Madison County which currently has a population of around 375,000 people. 

    I was shocked by this number. I was also shocked at how little was said about business leaders/employers doing what employers should do best- employing people- to combat the systematic issues in the community that many of the not-for-profits we heard from sought to address.  It seemed like that focus was on the business community giving the nonprofits money and possibly volunteer hours.  What about providing meaningful employment and living wages? 

    I think business leaders can make one of the biggest impacts on marginalized individuals by focusing on employment and employability.  This should create a sustainable and far-reaching impact.  

    Here are three things to consider in doing so as seen through quotes of leaders that have spoken to us throughout the Leadership Huntsville experience: 

    1. “Get in the arena.” First, hire people on the margins. Whether it be someone with a physical or mental disability, someone with a criminal record, the single mom that has been living in generational poverty, or the veteran, etc. make an active effort to connect with these individuals and meet them where they are to offer employment. 
    2. “Breaking down barriers is the role of a leader”.  There are multiple barriers that prohibit marginalized people from getting employment and sustaining it.  The poverty simulation we participated in placed a large emphasis on the barriers of transportation and childcare.  My role in the poverty simulation was that of a 20-year-old mother of a one-year-old trying to go to college and work part-time.  Due to the fact that childcare for a week cost more than I could make part-time in a week, I was “forced” to leave my one-year-old with my nine-year-old brother in order to go to work and not have to pay for childcare.  In a world where I actually have a one-year-old son and nine-year-old son, I would never leave my nine-year-old to have to keep my one-year-old while I worked, but I don’t have to worry about earning enough money to feed them both.  What would you do? As business leaders, we need to think long and hard about how we can address these barriers and examine what role providing living wages plays in this. 
    3. “Think to ask. You need to know the story to lead.” Breaking down these barriers requires a knowledge of the barriers and understanding that, yes, sometimes poor choices have created those barriers, but also many barriers go well beyond issues of choice and behavior.  Provide compassion and empathy to those you employ and seek to employ by asking what challenges they face and why. Then help connect and provide resources to address the issues.   Sometimes the help to address the issues is simply an understanding of the issue.  I’d encourage all business leaders to find a way to connect with someone who is a part of the marginalized population and spend regular (weekly) time with them one-on-one.  You’ll learn a lot and grow a lot as a leader. 

    As the founder of Manna House told us to kick off the day, “God didn’t ask me to quit this to do that,” speaking of her experience to continue to work full-time as a government contractor and open Manna House to help address food vulnerability in the community.   Her story was impactful.  My hope is business leaders realize they don’t have to quit their day job to impact the most pressing issues in our community.  In fact, their day job is probably the best way to address them through an effort to hire and retain people on the margins, providing meaningful work and living wages.   I would dare to say we’d need a lot fewer non-profits and a lot less government programs if we all did this. 

     

    How are you making an impact through your business leadership? 

  • Interview Prep for Today’s Job Market

    Interview Prep for Today’s Job Market

    I’ve received several requests over the past few months in regard to preparing for an interview. Interviewing can be tricky. It varies from job to job and from employer to employer. Throw in a pandemic with virtual interviews and it gets even trickier!

    Just last week, I received a text from a wonderful client who was unsure of how well she did in a recent interview. She (jokingly) asked, “is there a class for interview anxiety?” If you don’t get anxious during an interview, please share your secret with the rest of us! On a side note, I’m sure she did amazing!

    Also last week, a colleague shared a few fabulous resources that are great for interview prep. One of the resources was specifically about what to do during the interview. Here are my favorite takeaways:

    • Ask the Right Questions: Come with prepared questions and ask questions during the interview. Ask informed, open-ended questions to show your interest in the company and position. (examples include: What is your vision for this department? What challenges do you expect in the next six months?) On a side note, don’t ask the wrong questions (avoid questions about vacation time, benefits, or salary).
    • Sell Your Skills: Match your skills to the skills sought by the company. You can usually determine this from the job posting’s “required and preferred skills” section. Share a concise description of your experience that matches the company’s needs.
    • Keep Responses to the Point: Be a good listener. Stay on track and be direct with your responses. Keep your answers to a two-minute maximum. To prepare/practice, try the S.T.A.R. prep tool. Check out The STAR Method: The Secret to Acing Your Next Job Interview to find out how to use the S.T.A.R method.

    If you are preparing for a virtual interview, check out 20 Video Interview Tips to Help You Dazzle the Hiring Manager and Get the Job.

    Stay tuned, maybe we will offer an interview class soon!

  • Resources are the Bread and Butter of Career Planning

    Resources are the Bread and Butter of Career Planning

    Take a look at the diagram below of the Career Planning Process. Did you follow this process in your own career? Did you know a model like this even existed when you were making critical decisions in your career planning? At Horizon Point, we use this model to train educators and career counselors as part of a Facilitating Career Development course, and we spend a lot of time focused on the center of the diagram: resources.  

    Source: https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/105650/_PARENT/CC_layout_details/false

    Looking at the basic model, resources are generally defined as materials you can lay hands on, whether print or digital. There are fantastic resource materials available through the National Career Development Association and National Association of Colleges and Employers. If you are a student or educator, there are likely resource materials available through your institution. 

    Resources also include people. Teachers, counselors, coaches, mentors, friends, family. People we learn from, people we live with, people we know through someone else in our personal or professional network. Resource materials are necessary, but resource people bring materials to life and practical application. Who are your resource people? 

    The career planning process follows 7 steps that repeat on a loop throughout our lives. Each step requires the use of resources. Let’s explore potential resources. 

    Step 1: Become aware of the need to make a career decision

    Typically the first step occurs at or after a milestone like graduating high school or college, losing or quitting a job, moving to a new city, etc., and resources are likely heavily weighted in people like our friends and family. 

    Step 2: Learn about and/or reevaluate yourself

    Resources for understanding the self can be both material and people-oriented. There are many formal and informal assessments available in print and online versions, and there are trained career coaches and counselors who can drive critical thought around self-exploration. 

    Step 3: Identify occupational alternatives

    Step 4: Obtain information about identified alternatives

    Step 5: Make tentative choices from available occupations

    Step 6: Make educational choices

    For steps 3-6, the quickest resource is of course the internet. A great, free tool is My Next Move through O*Net. However, the most comprehensive resource is a career coach or counselor who has detailed information and insight about occupational alternatives and which might be the best fit. 

    Step 7: Get a job

    Getting a job also requires the use of resources such as resume guides and recruiter relationships. We know from research that about half of all jobs are filled through relationships, also referred to as the “hidden job market”, as opposed to the “public job market” of online job boards. People resources are equally critical to career planning as resource materials. 

    Repeat 

     

    Every decision we make relies on resources. The questions for you to consider today are: What resource materials do you use or need? Who are your resource people and/or how can you grow your network to include more people resources?

  • Are There Differences in What Women and Men State as Career Needs and Goals?

    Are There Differences in What Women and Men State as Career Needs and Goals?

    “Grow in my current role.”& “Personal growth.” 

    “Financial security.” & “Growth in earnings.”

    These are two sets of responses gathered working with our clients and with Horizon Point and MatchFIT team members when posing the question, “What do you want out of your career?” as a part of our Leaders as Career Agents Process. 

    Which pair do you think came from men and which one do you think came from women?   

    Although not a scientific study, I have seen over and over again how the majority of men focus on the financial aspects of career growth and plans whereas women focus on getting intrinsic satisfaction from that growth.   Both men and women cite impact and influence on others in career growth fairly equally as I’ve seen it.

    There are a million reasons that play into these differences and similarities I would venture to guess, but I think the reality of this is important. 

    If you are a leader facilitating some type of solicitation of this type of information, I would encourage you to help balance these discussions if they are weighted more heavily towards financial or personal growth needs by asking open-ended questions like:

    • Tell me what your thoughts are on your current compensation and where you’d like to see yourself move throughout your career in terms of pay and rewards?
    • Tell me about your personal growth and learning goals?  What would you like to be exposed to? Who would you like to learn from and what would you like to learn?
    • How do you see yourself giving back to the organization and others throughout your career? 

    Finally, as a leader, take ownership in helping people understand what they are worth and driving them towards the learning and development that helps them reach their financial needs and desires.  Engage in helping people feel comfortable talking about both. 

    What differences have you seen, if any, between what women and men state as career needs? 



  • 7 Things to Consider in Wage Fairness

    7 Things to Consider in Wage Fairness

    Pay disparity has long been a topic, most notably with discrepancies in pay between women and minority groups.   The #metoo movement and #blacklivesmatter movements have brought this issue even further to the forefront.   And rightly so. 

    Payscale published its annual Gender Pay Gap Report in March, stating that, “Since we have started tracking the gender pay gap, the difference between the earnings of women and men has shrunk, but only by an incremental amount each year. There remains a disparity in how men and women are paid, even when all compensable factors are controlled, meaning that women are still being paid less than men due to no attributable reason other than gender. As our data will show, the gender pay gap is wider for women of color, women in executive-level roles, women in certain occupations and industries, and in some US states.” 

    The report is definitely worth a deep dive to read if you have a chance.  

    If your organization is concerned about pay disparity, what should you do? It starts with considering all the factors that go into determining pay:

    1. Consider what your organization values.  What creates value for your organization by creating a competitive advantage?  These are compensable factors.   As another Payscale report states, “It’s also perfectly reasonable to pay people in the same position differently as long as the compensable factors are justified and aligned with legal requirements.” 

    2. Consider time.  Years of experience overall and tenure with the organization are important factors that affect pay. 

    3. Consider performance.   Performance can and should affect pay.  Make sure you have a documented and systematic way of measuring performance that can justify and backup pay differences. 

    Examine your wage data.

    4. Conduct a pay equity analysis.   A professional in the field can help you conduct regression analysis to see what factors are contributing to pay disparities if any, and if these factors are based on protected classes and/or on factors mentioned above like years of experience, compensable factors, etc. 

    5. Get your legal team involved.  I know, I know, I hate to call the attorney too unless it is absolutely necessary, but it is necessary here.  This can help you do a pay equity analysis under attorney-client privilege, and based on what you discover, help you chart the right path forward. 

    Finally, consider ways you can help to combat systemic issues with pay disparity: 

    6. Consider policies and “norms” that impact gender or other demographic factors like race differently.  A documented reason for macro gender pay disparity issues is tied to women leaving the workforce altogether or seeking more flexible work opportunities to raise children.   Considering how your organization can retain female talent during child-rearing years is an important consideration for individual organizations and for the entire economy on a macro level. 

    7. Teach advocating and negotiation skills to women and minority groups.  I personally believe one of the reasons women and some members are of minority groups are paid less is because they don’t ask for what they are worth.  There is evidence to support this (and there is evidence that contradicts it).  Helping people understand the market for their skills and experience and giving them the confidence to stand for what they are worth and ask for it is empowerment at its finest.  I’ve found that many people just don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to the knowledge and skills needed to advocate and negotiate, so they just don’t.  Over a lifetime, this could mean a substantial difference in lifetime earnings. 

    Are you concerned about pay fairness and pay disparity at your organization?