The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 8

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 8

Video Resumes: Advantages and Disadvantages

Allen Ulbricht is looking for a position as a product manager. Greg Honor is an experienced project manager. They both have some amazing accomplishments and might be a great addition to your workplace. I don’t know any of these people personally. I found them on YouTube.

Job seekers are turning to MySpace, YouTube, MetaCafe, personal blogs, and other new web technologies to impress potential employers. On the surface, it seems like a great idea. You can bring your resume to life by making a two-minute video of yourself detailing your skills and why an employer should hire you. However, is the effort of recording yourself, editing the video, and uploading to YouTube worth it?

The Disadvantages

I’ll list the disadvantages first so I can end this article on a positive note!

I was speaking with a recruiter who says that she does not view video resumes because of potential legal ramification. Consider this scenario:

An employer is interested in a candidate and visits the candidate’s MySpace page. The employer views the person’s video resume and reads the site’s content. On paper, the candidate was excellent, however, on video, the candidate’s “communication skills” seem sub-par. So, the employer decides not to pursue the candidate. The issue is that the candidate is in a protected monitory class as defined by Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

This is new and uncharted territory. Many recruiters are opting not to view these videos simply to avoid legal issues.

In addition to the legal ramifications, there are other drawbacks. First, not everyone is an effective communicator on camera. Your verbal and written communication skills may be excellent, but on video, you may seem flat and uninteresting. Kennedy was better on camera than Nixon. Reagan was better than Carter. Clinton was better than Bush. Communicating on camera is a unique skill-set that takes practice and experience to develop.

Second, unlike a traditional paper resume where there are standards to ensure resume effectiveness, no such standards exist in regards to video resumes. For instance, common practice dictates that a traditional resume should include an objective, educational history, work history, skills, and references. What should a video resume include? Third, according to a Dice.com article, busy hiring managers spend an average of 10 seconds reviewing each applicant’s paper resume. Are they going to invest 60-90 seconds to watch a video resume? Finally, even with today’s hardware and software, it takes time, effort, and creativity to produce a video resume.

Advantages

I hope I didn’t scare you away from video resumes just yet because there are many advantages. A video resume gives you the opportunity to highlight one or more parts of your resume in greater detail. You can pick a specific project and give a narrative as to why you were successful in its completion. You can verbally explain how you saved your previous employer $300,000 as noted on your resume.

A video resume also demonstrates your creativity and ability to learn and adopt new technologies. It also shows that you are hungry for an exciting and challenging position. Everyone has a resume and a cover letter. By producing a video, you are demonstrating your drive and ambition. Successful people aren’t successful because they do things everyone does. Successful individuals are creative and position themselves as unique.

You want to make a great impression. You want to stand out from the other applicants. The jury is still out as to the effectiveness of video resumes. However, if you want to produce a video resume, my next post will give you some tips on creating a one (or many) that will work for you.

Wishing you much success,

Ron Desi
Director
The UB/Towson MBA

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 7

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 7

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 6

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 6

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 5

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 5

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 4

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 4

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 3

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 3

Steps to Better Meetings

It is easy to dismiss meetings as the most effective way to waste time in corporate America today…but that would be a mistake. Meetings can be both effective and efficient.

Here are some tips from the Daily Idea that can help you have more effective meetings.

 Wishing you much success,

Ron Desi
Director
The UB/Towson MBA

5 Steps to Career Planning: Step 1

Step 1: Know Thyself

I had Steve Schneiders from Sudina Search, a Baltimore-area executive and professional recruiting firm, speak to one of my classes. He told the class (and me) that everyone should have a career plan. He explained the importance of a plan and how critical it was to career and personal success. As obvious as this sounds, I did not have a career plan!

Since that time, I’ve taken his advice to heart and now impart what I learned going through the process. I crafted a 5 Step Process for Career Planning which I hope helps you in your planning process.

However, before we get to the 5 Step Process, watch this short video of Joni Daniels, Principal of Daniels and Associates, speak about the importance of career planning.

Step 1 of 5: Self Assessment

Socrates said, “Know Thyself”. This 2,000 year old advice is the first step in developing a career plan. To uncover your passions and strengths, I suggest taking one of many assessment tools.

Below is a list of tools available to all UB/Towson MBA students. To take any of these tests, please contact the UB Career Center (410-837-5440) or the Towson Career Center at (410-704-2512). There is a small fee to take these assessment tests.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI provides you with information about your preferred methods for taking in information, interacting with people, making decisions and planning your life. This self-knowledge is useful; it will enable you to better assess work environments and determine if they provide you with an atmosphere conducive to your preferences. Several versions of the MBTI are available, including MBTI Interpretive Report, MBTI Interpretive Report for Organizations, MBTI Step II (Expanded Analysis Report), and the combined MBTI/Strong Report. A counselor can provide you with more information about the available versions.

Strong Interest Inventory
Whether you are exploring careers or considering a job change, the Strong Interest Inventory® provides the most valid, powerful and up-to-date information to help you make informed decisions. The Strong’s items measure your interests in a broad range of occupations, work activities, leisure activities and school subjects. Your pattern of responses is compared to the patterns of responses of people in different occupations with the idea that if you have similar interests, you are likely to find certain occupations satisfying.

Values-Driven Work Card Sort
Helps you clarify those characteristics of work that are most important to you. Values are the core principles that give meaning to your life. When your values are aligned with your work activities and surroundings, you are more satisfied; when they are not aligned with your work, you tend to be less content with your life. The Value-Driven Work Card Sort helps you assess your work values in four areas: intrinsic values, work environment, work content and work relationships.

In addition to taking these tests, there are a few other ways to “know thyself” a little better. The following exercises can help you uncover your purpose, values, and strengths.

NOTE: For all of these activities, write your comments on a sheet of paper or into your computer.

Exercise #1: Think of an activity, outside of work, that you enjoy. Pick an activity that is challenging, but fun. Pick an activity that totally engages you for hours while it only seems like a few minutes have passed. Write down the activity (or activities).

Exercise #2: Think about that activity. Why do you enjoy it so much? What qualities make it enjoyable? For example, if you play recreation league soccer, is it the game of soccer itself? The competition? The exercise? The team work? The social component? Again, why do you love this activity?

Exercise #3: Now, think of a time at work where you thoroughly and utterly enjoyed an activity. Choose an activity that made time melt away and put you in “the zone”.

Exercise #4: What was it about that activity that made you so engaged? Was it the quiet time? Was it the mental complexity? Was it the creativity you demonstrated? Was it working with others? Why was this activity so engaging? Write down your thoughts.

Exercise #5: If you became a sudden billionaire and never had to work again, what would you do for free? Why would you do it? List the qualities and skillsets that this task entails.

Exercise #6: One day, you won’t be here. Death is a reality. What is the legacy that you want to leave? Remember your legacy lasts long after your death. How do you want people to remember you? What would you want them to say about you at your funeral?

Exercise #7: How you see the world and yourself is based on your belief system. What are the beliefs you hold about yourself, others and the world? Do you see yourself as confident or insecure? Do you see the world as lacking where there are have’s and have not’s or abundant where everyone can be successful despite the odds? Do you trust or distrust others? List out everything you can possibly think of that defines how you see yourself, other people and the world in which you live.

Exercise #8: What do you do well? What do you do that is better than most other people? What can you do that no one else can? List all of your strengths (all strengths, not just the ones associated with work).

Exercise #9: Define success in your own terms.

Exercise #10: Are you happy? Not content, but truly happy. Why or why not.

After you answer these questions you will have an amazing snapshot of yourself. You’ve uncovered your passions, values, strengths, definition of success and your current state of happiness or unhappiness. This is the starting point.

In my next article I will discuss Step 2 of 5: Career Historical Assessment.

Wishing you much success,

Ron Desi
Director
The UB/Towson MBA

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 2

We moved! To read this article, please click the link below:

The Office: Business Lessons: Season 4 Episode 2