Proof Reading Your Resume

Some things need no explanation - one important piece of information though is that the candidate below applied for one of our research positions that happens to be within the pharmaceutical industry. It came in just this morning. May the excerpt below leave a lasting impression. I know it did for me.


Click on the image below to see it more fully.

Now, for some real pointers:

1. Always spell check your work. Any misspelled werds cood cost u the job.

2. Read your work out load - when you hear how it sounds you will know how it reads.

3. Don't bunch items together in long sentences and paragraphs. Resumes should show the hiring manager who you are and what you can do. They shouldn't have to search for it. It should be obvious to them.

4. Don't be afraid to bold or underline key qualifications

5. Use bullets and lists

6. Don't put an objective (unless it is unsolicited) or interests on a resume. They add little to no value and take up precious space

7. Use a consistent format

8. Tailor each resume to each specific job. Don't use the same resume for every job. Each resume should be a work of art - carefully drafted to the eyes of the beholder. If it isn't special, chances are that it won't catch their eye. It should as closely mirror the job posting as possible while still being honest about your history and skills.

9. Keep it simple. Don't worry too much about the one page rule but don't go overboard either.

Hopefully these few guidelines will help you as you look for your next opportunity.

An Object in Motion...

Newton's first law was the law of inertia, or motion. Simply put, it states, "An object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an outside, unbalanced force."

I have often thought of how these laws, in a metaphysical sense, apply to us as human beings. Through a conversation with a friend, I came to understand this law a little better recently.

It is true that each of us is a creature of energy and in our world this law is also applicable. If we are looked upon as objects, the direction we choose to go is the force of our motion. We will remain in this motion until we are given a reason to change that motion.

Simply put, here is Newton's Law of Motion for human behavior: "A person will not change unless they are given a good enough reason to change."

In the workplace this law has immediate application. There are really two kinds of workplace problems:

1. Skill Set Misalignment
2. Values Misalignment

Notice how I didn't put "personality misalignment." Personality fit is usually not a problem as long as there is skill set alignment and value alignment. We can deal with the personality quirks - just not the other two.

To set a person in a better motion, aligned & attuned to the motions of others within the company, they must be steered to choose to align themselves. Unlike an inanimate object that can merely be pushed or stopped by force, people can only change their motion by their own free will - hence, they must be given a reason to change their motion.

To apply this to your situation, if the person in motion is out of tune with the skill set needs, show them first where the misalignment is, then show them the benefits of increasing their skill set. Finally, show them ways they can make up the gap and recognize them for their new skills by placing them in positions to use those new skills.

If the person in motion is misaligned with the organization's values, first show them the misalignment and that the organization's motion is heading in a direction other than their own, and that eventually, there will be a great divide between the two objects. Show them the benefits of attuning their motion to that of the organization's and then provide them with resources to make the choices to re-direct. These resources include coaching, 360 degree feedback, regular reviews and discussions, and recognition for any changes that are being made.

Nevertheless, with all of these tools the organization can provide, these reasons for change may not be enough. Certain values cannot change without significant reasons for change, such as deep pain, suffering or a personal, if not spiritual, transformation. However, these types of experiences the organization cannot offer.

Be prepared to recognize the ever increasing divide in the motion of two objects misaligned on values and to let them part ways. Doing so is the best for all parties. People will never change unless they are given a good enough reason to change.

An organization with a noble direction, with its employees harmonized in that same motion, create an inertia, or synergy that can do amazing things. Never let the dissonant tones of misaligned people destroy the motion of the whole.

"That's What You Kindly Pay Us For."

Last week I was privileged to be the recipient of some excellent customer service. The person who rendered this service is our account manager for one of our benefits providers. I was very impressed and sent her a "Thank You" e-mail letting her know how much I appreciated her help. She responded with this:

"That is what you kindly pay us for."

I had to stop and think about what she wrote. Is that what we kindly pay her for?

Do we pay her to provide excellent customer service or do we pay her because she provides us with excellent customer service? There is a subtle, but important, difference.

If we pay her to provide excellent customer service it implies that only by paying will we get customer service. What if I weren't paying her and what if I was just a Joe on the street that needed directions. Would she help me? I believe she would because that is the kind of person she is. To provide a service only because one is paid to provide it is cheap and degrading to one's own self.

We kindly pay her because she provides us with excellent customer service. It is out of recognition and retention - not out of motivation - that we pay her.

We are not paid to be coerced into doing something. We are paid because we do a good job and employers knows that unless they recognize us fairly - based on market standards - we will need to go somewhere else for that recognition.

So, I answer my Account Manager's comment. I would have to agree - as long as it is understood we don't pay her to render that type of service. We pay her because she does render that type of service and that is the kind of person she is. We are not cheap and we should not be treated as commodities to be bartered or sold - nor should we sell ourselves. We should respect ourselves enough to always act our best and to render service to our fellow man at all times to the best of our ability. This service by act, word and commodity which meets a need and is squared by integrity and measured by the golden rule, is the one that is most desired.

And, in our imperfect world, that is what we should be kindly paid for.

What You Give

With the exception of those few lucky breaks in life, what you give will in large part determine what you get.  Our education, athletic capabilities, musical talents, and careers all tell us this same thing. What you put in will be returned to you. 

Today I was speaking with a good friend and we were both commenting on how we would like to play the guitar better - like a real virtuoso. A thought came to my mind, "You will never be that good unless you put in the practice and have a skilled mentor to train you." 

How many Corporate Executives say the same thing regarding their companies - that their company will be a real virtuoso in its field? Here are some examples:

Coca Cola's Vision Statement:

To achieve sustainable growth, we have established a vision with clear goals.

Profit: Maximizing return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.
People: Being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.
Portfolio: Bringing to the world a portfolio of beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy peoples' desires and needs.
Partners: Nurturing a winning network of partners and building mutual loyalty.
Planet: Being a responsible global citizen that makes a difference.

GM's Vision Statement

"GM’s vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. We will earn our customers’ enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people."

Your company probably has something similar to this - "To be the Market Leader..." These vision statements are great but if you don't put anything into them, you will be just like my friend and I with our vision to play the guitar like a virtuoso - or rather, you will be just like GM - on the verge of bankruptcy. 

The people at your organization are the key to its very success. You may have great workflow software, an incredible vision, lots of money and even casual Fridays, but if you don't have a culture that puts your people first and helps them to truly succeed, they won't put you first either. If you don't add the value to their careers and their very selves as human beings, you cannot expect them to deliver everything they have to you. They may give you some good work, but they won't give you what only they can. They won't give you their all, their passion, their love for their work and therefore the best they have to give. You can't take their best, it can only be given. 

Try to take it, and you will fail. Truly serve them and you won't even need to ask for their commitment and their best - you will already have it. It was the Master who said, "For with what measure ye meet it shall be meted unto you again, packed down and overflowing." Give all you have to them, and let them know you are sincere and you will see it come back 100 fold. 

Your Home Away From Home

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. Your colleagues are your neighbors, your houses are your offices or cubes, the village green is the cafeteria and the police station is human resources. The president is the mayor and there are lots of cousins and people as close as family.

And just like in any community, there are people selling their products. Each of us are like our own companies - supplying our own specialized services to the community. And what is the community? It once was the town, now it is a "town" within a town.

The town has employed the baker, butcher and brewer because it values their services. It likes those services so much that all of the sudden the baker, butcher and brewer need help. The baker needs someone to take orders because he has so many orders to fill that he has to spend all of his time baking. Soon, because there is someone there full time taking orders, he has more orders than he has the capacity to fill. He needs an apprentice - and so the business grows. Along the way the baker is forced to raise the prices on his products because of his additional overhead. Just as the town hired him, he has hired them. Over time, as the town wants more and more of his products, he will have multiple bakers, apprentices, book keepers, store clerks and purchasers - and someone to hire them all (Human Resources) and make sure they treat each other well.

Does the town employ the bookkeepers? Does the town employ the clerks? No, they don't. If they did, they could fire them, right? Who employs them then? The town within the town. The baker has created his own little community - a company.

Those same principles of why the baker exists are why we, in our specialized positions, exist. The community ultimately buys the company's products and really is only interested in them. My community (that is, the company) is interested in my services - helping that company be better capable of supplying its products to the community - whatever that community is. For that reason, it is so important for businesses to recognize that there is a truly human need to make our businesses feel like a community.

Just as my town has city services of water, sewer and lights, so does my business. They provide water, bathrooms and electricity - just as my town does.

My town also provides parades, firework shows and public safety. So does my company - we do company picnics, parties and we have a security guard.

My community has a flag - something that identifies us as One. My company has a logo identifying us as a group of individuals united in a cause.

My community has laws. My company has policies.

Companies are like towns, towns are like small states, states are like small nations - all providing opportunities to sell products & services that people want and providing the basic infrastructure to make that happen.

I am my own "baker," except what I do the town wouldn't buy, but the baker would. The baker needs me and my services.

Just the same as the citizens of a town can go to another baker, my company can go to another HR person. It is my job to ensure that the company, a.k.a., my community, has the best HR services available. Why? You will have to read the previous post.

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. I hope your home away from home is a good one.

Ken Coman

Why do Companies Exist?

Do companies exist to make products? Do companies exist to make profits? Do companies exist to do well in the world? What is the fundamental reason why companies exist and therefore why we work?

If a person goes to the very basic 'companies' - sole proprietorships, we can ask some questions and perhaps extrapolate from those answers the fundamental reason why we do what we do.

Why does the butcher, the brewer and the baker cut meat, bake bread and brew beer? Do they do it to provide exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer? Do they do it because they like to do it? Do they do it because people need meat, beer and bread?

Let’s answer the questions one at a time.

Do they do it for the intrinsic value of providing exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer?

Is it possible that the butcher, the brewer or the baker awoke one morning after a lifetime of farming on the land to the thought, “I am going to be the best butcher, brewer or bread maker alive. That is really what I love doing and I don’t care if I die doing it!” I think that is highly unlikely.

Or, did the decision to bake, brew and butcher meat come from the evolution of society when in a certain village of farmers a certain man had a natural talent that turned into a skill to bake, brew or butcher so well that people really liked their bread, beer and beef so much that they preferred it above everyone else’s?

From the baker, butcher or brewer’s perspective, providing bread, beer or cut beef for their own families would not be a hassle, but providing them for the whole community would be. Even so, the community liked their bread, beer and meat cuts so much that they eventually, to compensate them for the extra time it took to make these products for them and to induce them to do the extra work for them, began to offer something in return for the bread, beer or meet. Could it be that they first traded things that had different value to the different people? For example, they offered a pair of trousers to the baker, a candle to the brewer and a shiny stone to the butcher? They like their new items so much that they offered to provide the respective bread, beer and cut meet for more of them – the only problem is, you can’t eat trousers, candles or stones. You also can’t bake, brew or butcher them.

Following this possible scenario along, the village people liked these products so much that they were willing to support them in their specialization by providing the ingredients for them – as long as they got some of the desired product.

There is a slight problem though if the baker wants beer and all he has to trade with is bread and trousers while the brewer only wants candles (his wife made good enough bread). It is therefore possible that soon after skill specialization that a common medium of trade had to be agreed upon – something that all the people in the village valued and would accept as a medium of exchange. This medium would represent buying power.

Now, what if another baker opened shop in our village?

First, we have to ask why another person would even begin to sell bread if someone else already is. The answer is because they see some benefit in it for them. They see either more buying power in that or perhaps a better way of life for them. Baking bread all day, although it is tough, may be more appealing than tilling the ground and caring for animals. Baker #2 also sees that his talent can make him some of this new medium of exchange. This baker is innovative though; he added cinnamon to his buns. With this new development there is all of the sudden competition. They are all competing for the same “customers.” Baker number one is losing customers and baker number 2 is gaining them.

It is in that state that the baker wakes up and says, “I have to do something or else I am not going to be able to xyz (buy food, buy my wife that new scarf, provide meal for my animals, etc)! How am I going to sell my bread again? I know! I will provide my customers with better bread than baker #2! It will be the best bread in the whole village! Surely they will come back to my bread”

Baker number one then adds cinnamon AND sugar to his bread and starts to add additional benefits to customers for buying it such as a “So nice to see you today Mr. so and so. I sure do hope you come back soon. Thank you for buying my bread” and so on.

Why does he choose to make these improvements? Is it because he likes bread? Not necessarily; he wants to make the village’s best bread because if he doesn’t, not enough people will buy his bread to support his life style or physical needs to remain alive or maintain his level of temporal happiness. He also will not have enough buying power to provide for himself and others dependent on him any longer.

So, based on this quick response to that first question, do they do it for the intrinsic value of providing exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer? I don’t think so.

Our second question was, “do they do it because they like to do it?”

Do they do it because they like to do it? That is a great question. I am forced to ask this follow up question, why do we like doing what we do? Let’s just take sports. There are many people that like sports – many, many people. I am not one of them. Why don’t I like them? I don’t like them because I am not good at them. I am not even good at watching sports so I don’t like that either. Millions of people do like them though – why? I presume it is because they are good at sports and receive that positive reinforcement both from without and from within that comes from playing them. When we do something right (i.e., win the game, play the right move, make a loaf of bread that is the perfect taste and density, etc.), people tell us so and we tell ourselves too. We feel good – and we like it.

This reinforces whatever we are “good at” and we do it more. We like it as much as we do not just because we are good at it but because people reinforce it for us. When they ask us to be on their team it makes us feel good. When the crowds go wild as we make that tie breaking game winning score we like it so much we go crazy. When people like our bread and say, “My, that is the best bread I have ever had. Do you have the recipe?” We feel good. We all of the sudden like making bread more than we did before.

As a person becomes a better ball player they are known among their family, friends, peers, and the community as a great ball player. It becomes a part of their identity – it may even be their identity depending on how much playing ball consumes their time.

The same goes for the baker – he becomes known as the man who can make bread better than others. He becomes known among his friends and family and community as the baker. Not only can he make bread but he can make sweet bread, cinnamon rolls, pies and great birthday cakes. The whole town comes to him for their special occasions to make sure they have the right food. He does it because they tell him what a good job he does. Everyone knows him as a great baker. He becomes part of everyone’s family in a way.

Lets not forget though that the baker does still need to get some intrinsic value and like it just for the sake of liking it – irrespective of the outside. How can he get this intrinsic value? It is by his own adding of value to his own creation. It is by taking that bread and by making it better, and better and better. It is by making sure that it really is his best. It is the constant quest to get it to perfection but secretly hoping that it never makes it.

It’s when perfection is reached and sustained that a person stops liking what they do. But that is a whole other subject…

So, does the baker cook his bread before he likes it? Yes and no. He cooks it because of the reinforcement he gets each time he cooks it and he likes that.

He doesn’t like it just because he likes it, he also likes it because everyone else likes it too – and that is what he likes about it so much – that is why he continues to cook bread and sell it.

Finally, do they do it because people need meat, beer and bread?

Does the village buy or trade for it because they need it? Well, they can cook their own bread, do without beer, and hunt/cut their own meet. But they don’t want to. Why? For a myriad of reasons but need isn’t the only one. Some buy the bread because they like it – not because they need that bread.

People survived for a long time without their bread, beer or cut meet. So in the very primary sense, the sense of survival, they don’t need the bread, beer or meet. However, the people buying their products feel that they need it – for whatever reason. They “need” it for a birthday party, they need it to “drink their sorrows away” or they need it to have a family BBQ. They want it – so, in their minds the need it – and filling this need will advance them in their own personal goals – which we can assume are good because of the nature of man.

We can make the assumption however that they would only make enough bread, beer and cut meet as there are people to buy or trade for it. If they had no buyers they wouldn’t make their product.

So, do they make it only because people need it? Well, they make it - or as much of it as they do – because there is someone there to buy or trade for it. If there weren’t, there would be no bakers, brewers or butchers, right?

Not entirely.

There is something great in human nature – something that provides a service to others with the expectation of nothing in return. Let me explain.

While in Brazil, I saw something amazing. One skill, not that of a baker, brewer or butcher, became one that was needed but not compensated for. It was the skill of teaching. The teachers in a town where I lived had not been paid, that is to say compensated for the trade of their skills, for over 18 months. They worked diligently. They even went on strike in an effort to get the city to pay their wages. However, the city answered simply by saying, “We have no money to pay you.” And the teachers went back to work. Why? Because kids need an education and these people cared about their fellowman to such a degree that they were willing to give, with nothing – except gratitude and satisfaction – in return. So, they did it because there was a need – a true need – for it.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, we can understand why, in this scenario businesses exist. They exist because they have a talent that they develop into a skill that others are willing to trade for. In trading, the skill holder earns collateral that is desirable for the person’s needs and wants. He improves his skill due to competition and to ensure that he is able to meet his personal and family needs. He uses skills not only as a means to an end but as a means in and of itself. They like it because others do and they like it because it provides a personal sense of fulfillment. Finally, they do it because there is a need for it. People need them to do what they do and therefore they need them – even if they can’t pay them for it. They do it because they are good and can do good for others.

The growth of society, the comfort of society, the advancement of society and the good of the human race depends on business and the people that make it work.

What does that mean for us? To do (which assumes there is a market & need for it) what we love most – because that is probably where we are able to make the greatest contribution because that is what we do best – and to do the best we can at it for the good of mankind and society.

It also means that large corporations, those that extend beyond the village must, in order to fill the purpose of their existence reach out and become a part of the community, do things out of the good of their hearts wherever they operate, do the best they can, and provide needed services. Why? For the good of society and the advancement of the race and to show that their existence is warranted and human.

It Just Takes One...

It just takes one person to change a culture. Could it be so simple? It not only can be - but it is.

Think of it this way, how does one "difficult personality" affect the culture of your workplace? What if they are your boss? If so, they effect it even more. Each one of us has an impact on the whole world. I believe that we are creatures of energy and light. It reminds me of the truth in the humerous phrase:

"Everyone brings a light into your life. Some when they come into it and others when they leave it."

Although it is humerous, it is true. Driving change for a positive culture is as easy as being good, showing respect, holding your tongue, saying thank you and telling someone "hello" in the morning.

The more the needed change, the more the need to have people with the desired culture in positions of influence to make that change. You can have excellent coworkers but a terrible boss. The coworkers can't compensate for the boss; hence the need for a Human Resources team that recruits not just on competencies but also on values. This also will show the need to have a Human Resources team who lives the values you desire for your culture.

Does it all start with the CEO? No, it doesn't. It starts with you and may your influence be strong enough to reach to the top and touch the CEO with new possibilities - with a better way.

It just takes one. Will you be the one it takes?

Finding the Right Match

In my experience, finding the right match is a combination of skills and value alignment. We erroneously spend most of the interview and recruiting process trying to find the right skill set and not enough time trying to find the right value set.

Values are a critical piece of the right employee. Most of the people I have had to be a part of letting go are people whose values didn’t align with ours – not their skill set. They could do the job but either they didn’t (didn’t possess the value of hard work), or did something else that detracted from their work (dishonesty, harassment, etc.).

No matter how good the work product, if their values don’t align with the company's, the net product is a bad product. How so? How is it that a wonderful seller who exceeds their numbers every month can actually destroy a department or company? If they hit their numbers but simultaneously cause a decrease in productivity in their co-workers, the net result is all the numbers are lower. Also, if their integrity is low, the service side of the business will spend the next year trying to fix the lies they told your new customer just so they could get their sale. Imagine a manager who is great technically but can't treat his staff with respect - the net result is higher turnover, lower productivity and a staff who may hide things from their boss in order to not be treated poorly. These are just three examples of a very real problem.

Value alignment must become a more critical piece of the recruiting process. It also must become a central piece of the business. If the business is to succeed, then recruit people with your company’s values and then live by them.

Recognition v. Reward v. Motivation

From my last posting, I have heard some feedback regarding the sometimes gray line between recognition and rewards. These two words are almost always included in the same breath when talking about one or the other with a Human Resources professional. It is my belief that they are two different things.

What is the difference between recognition and reward?

A reward is something that someone works toward with that something being the principle object of their work. It is also in possession of someone else and it is their honor, as one having something the other does not, to bestow it.

Recognition on the other hand is something that we don't necessarily work for, but that without we lose the desire to work. It is also something that in a way we are all in possession of – not just the manager, although a manager is one of the most important people to give it. Recognition recognizes the equality of humanity whereas rewards have the aura of elevation.

Additionally, rewards are instituted for the purpose of enticing one to act – to create within a person motivation. Recognition is ever existent, although at times dormant, within mankind. The use of this wonderful tool is that it awakens the already existent motivation for higher, more noble purposes than simply the reward. It guides a person in their quest for excellence. Rewards guide a person in their quest for rewards.