REACHING THE JOB APPLICANT – AN AUTHOR’S DILEMMA

In the past six months readers have offered a range of comments on Crafting a Successful Career: 9 Principles for Winning in a Challenging World. Those in school and not yet on the job market often are too busy with their classes to read non-assigned material, so their comment is, “I didn’t read it yet.” Some in the job search who have about completed their academic training and are actively working the market have perused the copy, selected the topics with appeal, and incorporated some of the thinking into their search while others see those same chapter headings and think my listed goals and approaches lack the proper aggressiveness. Others, still completing their schooling and actively searching the job market have attended one of my book talks and have found the subject enriching, garnered some principles to aid in the search, transition, and beginning of their working days, and said, “This is outstanding; a great help.” And some in mid-career and beyond have read Crafting and said, “Where was this when I first started my career?” And in that category, the ones even later in their careers have read it and passed it along to their sons and daughters who are still in school or early in their working careers saying, “This is worthwhile.”

What a range! And why? Because the philosophy of the book is a simple, eye-to-eye, honest sharing about life in the real world and it concludes with the positive end game—you CAN be successful…on your own terms. Our greatest hurdle as new-to-the-workforce people is that for so long, many of us have been nurtured in the positive to the degree that to think of being anything but Number One is unthinkable, certainly unacceptable.

Well, the problem is there is such a thing as a Bell Curve. Averages exist. And in any sample—take a look—there is but one Number One. How can a class of 95 buy the teaching that they are all Number One in the same place at the same time and in the same circumstance? It doesn’t work that way. We may have all received a trophy for being outstanding in every school activity we ever participated in, but in real life, the non-academic life, they keep score in a different way. And there, there’s but one Number One—and only one person gets to be IT at a time.

So the reason for the range is that experience causes us to see our goals in ways different from when we were students. Forces are in play that we don’t always see and working out our career plan with that understanding can be helpful. That’s why I suggest that you start with your definition of success; it’s the only definition that has any meaning for you. Then set your goals within that framework and work your plan every day to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself. That way, down the road, regardless of outcomes you will have defined the end game in terms that you either can control or containing risks you were willing to run.

Success is about you and your future. You can define it and only you have to live with the outcome. Define it carefully and enjoy the adventure.

That’s where I start, but it’s not where I end. We’ll pick up the discussion at this point, next time.

SPEAKING OF REVIEWS

SPEAKING OF REVIEWS
When I published “Crafting a Successful Career” I never thought about the impact of reviews. Now I see things from a different perspective and I appreciate the work these reviewers have done in behalf of potential readers. Thank you, reviewers.

Jessica Kramascz published one on the Amazon site and an unknown reviewer published another in James A. Cox’s Small Press Bookwatch. I’ve included them below, just in case you missed them. Quite favorable, I’d say.

1. Review by Jessica Kramascz in Amazon, 5/14/2011
In “Crafting a Successful Career: Eight Principles for Winning in a Challenging World” RA Kuffel provides the framework on which anyone can build a successful career.
With sound advice and a casual and humorous, yet to-the-point style, it’s like having a mentor beside you, guiding you through the minefield of the corporate world. At a time when many college graduates are discovering that jobs are hard to find and even harder to keep, the advice in this book may be what they need to succeed. The step-by-step approach is easy to follow and the insights that come from years of experience are invaluable. I wish I would have read this book fifteen years ago.

The principles in the book are timeless, and though it’s written from the perspective of a “corporate” employee, most of the principles apply to those in other situations as well. Starting a small business? You still need a mentor. Work independently? A network is still essential. The broad scope of the principles make this is a book that you can benefit from regardless of your particular occupation. I found that many of the situations he described were ones I could relate to both in the corporate world and now in a small ministry job.
No matter where you are in life, just starting out, midcareer, or looking for something new, this is a book you need to read.

2. Review in Small Press Bookwatch, 3/2011

A career is something that has to be planned and developed well. Crafting a Successful Career: Eight Principles for Winning in a Challenging World is a guide for planning one’s career and making the most of it. From starting strong, finding good leadership, being the best you can be, and having a fallback position, Crafting a Successful Career is a must for anyone who wants to have a career instead of a series of jobs.

Hope in 140 pages

During my lifetime I’ve been surrounded by caring, intelligent, helpful people and that covers right up to the present moment. I hope this is true for you also. And may this brief article be just one portion of that good in your life.

In conversations during my getting back on my feet I came across two friends who left me with two wonderful challenges expressed in three comments: tell them you provide hope in 140 pages; ask them if they are looking for a book or are they looking for a life; and help your readers/audience to believe in themselves.

Providing hope in 140 pages caused me to look at Crafting a Successful Career from a different point of view. I looked at the basic flow—defining success for you, finding a job, finding a mentor, getting good at what you do, building your network, understanding and using sponsorship, performing, and creating Plan B and Plan C—and decided that’s exactly what this book does. It says, “Hey, be sure you don’t live with someone else’s definition for success. You have one in mind that suits you; live with it!” Then it goes on to speak of getting a job. Here, I’ve grown that segment quite a bit in my most recent talks to groups of people in transition and to new college graduates just entering the workforce. I dwell a bit more on the interview and their presentation, relying a bit on Roshini Rajkumar’s Communicate That! book I found so helpful. And since I’m confident something will open up, I encourage my readers to find a mentor to help them get attuned to the way business is conducted in their new surroundings—a little defense to go along with their great offense. And I take it way beyond that. Bottom line: there’s hope, people. But you have to have a plan. Then execute it.

Mine is not just a book, it’s a way to look at your career life. The same is true of Roshini’s Communicate That! and Harvey Mackay’s Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door, and Gaye Lindfors’ Find a Job: The Little Book for BIG SUCCESS.” You’re not looking for just a fun book. You’re looking for something that will work for you to have a productive life that provides the balance you are looking for, where you get to work hard and well, you get the rewards that accompany a job well done, and you have time and energy to pursue the other things in your life that make you, you. These aren’t just books; they’re means to an end. I encourage you to read them and to employ the principles they suggest—the one’s that work for you.

And once you cast your die, live with it. You’ve made some good decisions in the past. You know what it was like when you were appreciated, when you did well, when stuff was working. Well, you have an opportunity to do it again here in the job search, the job itself, the crafting of a successful career. Stay with it! You’re on the right track. And if something doesn’t work—fix it and move on. You know the drill.

Hope really does spring eternal. Just a thought.

INFLUENCE EXTENDS BEYOND DIRECT CONTACT

“Like riding a bicycle,” my coach says as I pick up pen to write a blog that has lain dormant since the first quarter of last year. He may be correct, but you and I will have to make that judgment when we get to the end of the page. Last spring I published my second book, a non-fiction work targeted at helping people put together a good career beginning with Day One, their first day on a new job. I focused on getting their head right before they launched their career, then discussed getting a job, getting good at it, building a network, and several other points that would help anybody. As I initiated my program to sell the book, life intervened. My doctors informed me that I needed a minor medical procedure involving my heart—but combining the terms minor and medical when it’s MY heart we’re talking about is an oxymoron. So, on April 14th I underwent the minor procedure. All went well, but along the way they found a congenital condition that needed repair—this one was major. That surgery took place on June 14th and was followed by a three month recovery before I could put away some of the medications and another three months to ramp up my energy level to withstand life’s normal challenges. But I’m doing well as I now sit down to write. Now, back to the book. “Crafting a Successful Career” taught a student to engage successfully in a real world job. What surprised me is that the lessons geared toward employment actually helped me to cope with my new situation. I had to redefine success—survive and be able to do certain things. Then I had to take steps to reengage, rely on people who had been there before (mentors), build my network of encouraging people, and proceed with my life just like I would have to do in a new job. A further application of the principles came in November when a friend of mine had to deal with an addiction issue and found himself facing a month-long rehabilitation program. He read Crafting a Successful Career and used the principles to prepare for what he’d face in recovery. He has since completed the rehabilitation and has initiated the early stages of a 12-step program. His conclusion, “Your concept works even here.” So I wrote a book to help people new to the work force, but found out that the lessons apply to more situations than I could imagine. Maybe some of the principles of “Crafting a Successful Career” apply to you and your current challenge. To that I can only say, “Stop by for a visit. You might decide to stay!” Well, writing is not at all like riding a bicycle, but it sure is fun to get back to the keyboard. My lesson learned in this exercise: Just remember that your span of influence exceeds your line of sight. What you do really does have far broader impact than you can imagine. At least, that’s how I see it. Just a thought.

Graduates, You can have it all

On May 27, 2010, Laura Vanderkam wrote an insightful article for USAToday (Section: News;Page:11A) entitled, “Graduates, you can have it all: As Millennials increasingly demand a work-life balance, they might just teach the other generations a thing or two.”

Here’s Vanderkam’s opening paragraph.

“Complaining about young people is an old tradition, but folks graduating from college these days inspire a particular incredulousness among middle-aged sorts. The Canadian news media have been howling lately over a study finding that most students expect to be promoted in 18 months (with a 63% rise in pay in five years, naturally). Here in the U.S., Fortune has floated the word “entitled” to describe the generation often called Millennials, marveling over a willingness to send e-mails to company presidents from Day One.”

I love that article because it sent me back to my early days in industry and caused me to wonder why people bother to complain about the next generations—we, probably just about all of us, did the same things those entering the workforce today are doing.

In the late 1960s I worked in a laboratory with people who could solve just about any problem and challenge the future with their thinking on any topic. I found similar groups in the 1980s and had lunch daily with similar people into the late 1990s. None of these people even discussed the ifs of their careers—everything was about when. They were talented people who evaluated the organization for what it was, recognized good execution when they saw it and spotted poor performance where it existed, often declaring we can do better than that. Each of these era groups observed the politics, appreciated the performance of those rising from the morass that was the corporate world, and determined to rise above the idiocy that prevented us from being great.

I think about those conversations and still don’t count the attitude as arrogance, nor do I  classify it as naiveté; it was just clear thought expressed in clear speech evaluating neutral conditions using no filters. Later all of us learned to soften our language, but I don’t think any of us changed our perspective all that much. We matured. We modified the way we looked at things. We broadened our understanding of how business operated. But we retained our honest approach to the world as we saw it. I’m sure groups new to the corporation are still doing the same today.

How is that different from Laura Vanderkam’s new person entering business today and declaring that he or she is willing to work an honest 40-45 hours per week, but wants to do better with their families, wants to live a life outside the corporate walls? I think they’re doing the same things we did; they’ve just added a few more bells and whistles in a world that operates by some different rules than some of us lived under.

In time, I think they’ll modify their position, a little. Why? Business rewards results. Despite our brilliance (and some reading this are brilliant) we need to sort out what our employers need from us, what we’re willing to give, and come to an agreement that is beneficial to both of us. It’ll still boil down to time management and priorities, but in a world where the average person may have 12 jobs and three separate careers, there has to be room for flexibility.

I think Laura Vanderkam presented an excellent perspective on the next generation and I think her conclusions have value. But I think these idealistic people will grow to be a bit more pragmatic—they’ll adjust a little to meet those offering the paycheck a little closer to half way.

At least I hope they do.

INFLUENCE EXTENDS BEYOND DIRECT CONTACT

“Like riding a bicycle,” my coach says as I pick up pen to write a blog that has lain dormant since the first quarter of last year. He may be correct, but you and I will have to make that judgment when we get to the end of the page.
Last spring I published my second book, a non-fiction work targeted at helping people put together a good career beginning with Day One, their first day on a new job. I focused on getting their head right before they launched their career, then discussed getting a job, getting good at it, building a network, and several other points that would help anybody.
As I initiated my program to sell the book, life intervened. My doctors informed me that I needed a minor medical procedure involving my heart—but combining the terms minor and medical when it’s MY heart we’re talking about is an oxymoron. So, on April 14th I underwent the minor procedure. All went well, but along the way they found a congenital condition that needed repair—this one was major. That surgery took place on June 14th and was followed by a three month recovery before I could put away some of the medications and another three months to ramp up my energy level to withstand life’s normal challenges. But I’m doing well as I now sit down to write. Now, back to the book.
“Crafting a Successful Career” taught a student to engage successfully in a real world job. What surprised me is that the lessons geared toward employment actually helped me to cope with my new situation. I had to redefine success—survive and be able to do certain things. Then I had to take steps to reengage, rely on people who had been there before (mentors), build my network of encouraging people, and proceed with my life just like I would have to do in a new job.
A further application of the principles came in November when a friend of mine had to deal with an addiction issue and found himself facing a month-long rehabilitation program. He read Crafting a Successful Career and used the principles to prepare for what he’d face in recovery. He has since completed the rehabilitation and has initiated the early stages of a 12-step program. His conclusion, “Your concept works even here.”
So I wrote a book to help people new to the work force, but found out that the lessons apply to more situations than I could imagine. Maybe some of the principles of “Crafting a Successful Career” apply to you and your current challenge. To that I can only say, “Stop by for a visit. You might decide to stay!”
Well, writing is not at all like riding a bicycle, but it sure is fun to get back to the keyboard.
My lesson learned in this exercise: Just remember that your span of influence exceeds your line of sight. What you do really does have far broader impact than you can imagine.
At least, that’s how I see it. Just a thought.

NETWORKING HAS MANY FORMS

When I wrote about networking in Chapter 5 of Crafting a Successful Career, I wrote of the practice as a forward-leaning, career-enhancing activity. Earlier this year we published the book and I’ve since written some blogs about the subject, all from that same perspective. Readers have responded favorably to the thoughts shared, and I felt confident of my perspective.

Then, as I moved toward marketing the book, I had to stop the program to have a medical procedure—a heart ablation to correct a congenital condition. This was a surprise to me since I was generally asymptomatic, but we went ahead with the procedure and came out of it well, looking to get back to the book.

Well, not so fast. In the workup for the ablation, my medical team observed a more complex issue that called for major open heart work. We considered the options and chose to have the work done in June, leaving the summer open to recuperate.

I’ve just completed six weeks of rehabilitation, been cleared to begin cutting our lawn, found I can walk an hour a day at a pretty good pace, and begun again to work on my writing and the marketing of the book.

All that to say this: there’s a lot of “I” in those first four paragraphs, but nothing came about without a great big “we” involved. My wife has been my primary support and a blessing throughout this adventure—she’s made it a seamless transition. And the medical teams that did their work in marvelous fashion created a healing potential that has been actualized far more rapidly than I could have imagined. And our family has been there to help every step along the way where we’ve needed some support to negotiate new terrain. Now, a specific mention—our friend, the surgeon from another part of the hospital, who knocked on my door every morning at 6:45 to announce, “paper boy,” and return at the end of the day to see how I was doing—he brought humor, great reading, and real comfort every day; and I never asked him to do it.

Then there are the folks who stopped by at the hospital, those who called to stay close to the progress and express their concern and, in so many cases, to remind us that they were praying for us—it was touching, and I’m still awe-struck by the number of people who actually care, and are thoughtful enough to express it. Wow.

I guess my point is this: networks operate even when we aren’t trying to make them function. They exist. And because they exist, they function. Whether we turn the dials or not.

And I am/we are grateful.

GRADUATES, YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL

On May 27, 2010, Laura Vanderkam wrote an insightful article for USAToday (Section: News;Page:11A) entitled, “Graduates, you can have it all: As Millennials increasingly demand a work-life balance, they might just teach the other generations a thing or two.”

Here’s Vanderkam’s opening paragraph.

“Complaining about young people is an old tradition, but folks graduating from college these days inspire a particular incredulousness among middle-aged sorts. The Canadian news media have been howling lately over a study finding that most students expect to be promoted in 18 months (with a 63% rise in pay in five years, naturally). Here in the U.S., Fortune has floated the word “entitled” to describe the generation often called Millennials, marveling over a willingness to send e-mails to company presidents from Day One.”

I love that article because it sent me back to my early days in industry and caused me to wonder why people bother to complain about the next generations—we, probably just about all of us, did the same things those entering the workforce today are doing.

In the late 1960s I worked in a laboratory with people who could solve just about any problem and challenge the future with their thinking on any topic. I found similar groups in the 1980s and had lunch daily with similar people into the late 1990s. None of these people even discussed the ifs of their careers—everything was about when. They were talented people who evaluated the organization for what it was, recognized good execution when they saw it and spotted poor performance where it existed, often declaring we can do better than that. Each of these era groups observed the politics, appreciated the performance of those rising from the morass that was the corporate world, and determined to rise above the idiocy that prevented us from being great.

I think about those conversations and still don’t count the attitude as arrogance, nor do I  classify it as naiveté; it was just clear thought expressed in clear speech evaluating neutral conditions using no filters. Later all of us learned to soften our language, but I don’t think any of us changed our perspective all that much. We matured. We modified the way we looked at things. We broadened our understanding of how business operated. But we retained our honest approach to the world as we saw it. I’m sure groups new to the corporation are still doing the same today.

How is that different from Laura Vanderkam’s new person entering business today and declaring that he or she is willing to work an honest 40-45 hours per week, but wants to do better with their families, wants to live a life outside the corporate walls? I think they’re doing the same things we did; they’ve just added a few more bells and whistles in a world that operates by some different rules than some of us lived under.

In time, I think they’ll modify their position, a little. Why? Business rewards results. Despite our brilliance (and some reading this are brilliant) we need to sort out what our employers need from us, what we’re willing to give, and come to an agreement that is beneficial to both of us. It’ll still boil down to time management and priorities, but in a world where the average person may have 12 jobs and three separate careers, there has to be room for flexibility.

I think Laura Vanderkam presented an excellent perspective on the next generation and I think her conclusions have value. But I think these idealistic people will grow to be a bit more pragmatic—they’ll adjust a little to meet those offering the paycheck a little closer to half way.

At least I hope they do.

SOMETIMES MENTORING GOES BAD–HOW CAN WE PREVENT THAT OUTCOME?

When I speak of mentoring, whether it’s in my Crafting a Successful Career: 8 Principles for Winning in a Challenging World, here in the blog, or when I’m speaking to groups, I’m always leaning forward into the land of positive outcomes. Rarely does it cross my mind that sometimes mentoring fails and changes must be made. But when I encountered “When Mentoring Goes Bad,” a wonderful article for the Wall Street Journal published May 24, 2010, written by Dawn E. Chandler, Lillian Eby and Stacy E. McManus, I paid attention.

In the article the authors consider some ways relationships fail and provide directions regarding how the mentor, their protégée or the organization can spot the problems and take remedial steps. It’s an excellent article and I recommend it to you.

Late in my career I met Randi Pintens whose company, PRISM, helped us set up the mentoring program for the research center in my company. Having been tutored by a pro, I appreciate the help those who’ve worked in this arena can provide.

Early in our program, Randi helped us focus on two things: mentor selection and matching—who in our company did we want in our mentoring corps, and what match-ups of mentors and protégées had the greatest probabilities for success. Wise focus.

Why wise? Not every experienced person can function well as a mentor, and the chemistry between individuals is important—random pairing just doesn’t work.

Let’s focus on the mentor. In my terminology, a mentor is not an advocate, a “ticket to the big leagues” as the WSJ article mentions, a route to promotion. No. A mentor is an experienced person who is willing to share honestly his or her experience, to point out possible pitfalls, to suggest alternative action steps which might lead to better outcomes—a person who is willing to walk with a less experienced person and help them find their way more knowingly.

An experienced person does not become a mentor to have their “community service ticket punched” to say to management, “I am a good person because I’m willing to serve my fellow humans by reaching out and touching someone—see! I even mentor lesser individuals. I share my time and experience. I am wonderful. And by the way, what else should I have on my resume to be considered for promotion?” No. A person demonstrating such a point of view should not be considered for the program. That is the wrong motivation. But it’s hard to spot and even more difficult to weed out once it’s part of the program.

The mentor-protégé relationship is built on trust. If either person enters the relationship with improper motives, the trust will not be built and the contract will fail. Diligence on the part of the selection group is mandatory.

But the protégé must really want a mentor’s help and not just be seeking a quicker route to corporate advancement. And be teachable. Without both those pieces in place, the contract will fail and the getting together will be a waste of time—for both parties—and it will damage the program.

So, how do we prevent bad outcomes? We start by selecting people who have proper reasons to mentor as the mentors; selecting teachable people who really want to learn and grow as protégés; and provide them the opportunity to work together. Still, it all boils down to trust and honesty, and those are individual virtues. But if we practice them, we can prevent bad outcomes.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION—WHAT HAVE WE LOST?

In the classic How To Read A Book—the classic guide to intelligent reading, Adler and van Doren “class history, the story of the past, more often under fiction than under science—if it must be affiliated with one or the other.” I think they mean this: history is the event as it happens. Everything said about the event is, to a lesser or greater extent, an interpretation—an account seen through someone’s eyes, therefore interpreted.

When we engage in what my friend, Chance, calls “high touch, people-to-people networks where you can see their eyeballs, drink coffee, and have a real conversation,” we are present as history is being made. The event is real—it’s happening before our eyes. A whole different communication ensues if we shift to electronic interaction.

Why do I say this? Two reasons. First, it is said that something north of 80% of communication in a face-to-face setting, is non-verbal. Second, our trial-by-jury system depends on eye witness accounts (not second party information) for evidence. Also, appeals to trials can be based (I’m told) on procedural and other such issues, but not on how the jury reached their outcome. Why? Because the jury had the advantage of seeing evidence presented and thereby had opportunity to evaluate the credibility of the presentation or the presenter.

Here’s my point: When we choose to e-mail or text a collegue rather than phone or meet face-to-face, we are networking (to a degree), but we are missing an opportunity to deepen a relationship. We’re removing something from the equation. It’s like we’re opting to play conversational Trivia Pursuit instead of engaging in a real idea exchange about real issues. Were there gravitas to be plumbed, we’re skirting it.

Someone recently told me of a Sunday afternoon in their home. Three young people with their new Blackberries got together in the living room, all seated on a sofa. The room was quiet. No speech. The person telling me the story couldn’t believe what was happening. Three kids. No noise. No talking. What was going on? They were texting—each other! Now it could have just been the novelty of the equipment, except that they had owned their devices for some time. Texting was their preferred means of communication!

I applaud their ability to make those devices sing—incredible. And the fact that they’re reaching out to friends and keeping in contact. But I’m concerned with the social outcome. Those devices are making us more available to each other, but they’re causing us to live real lives farther apart. I think this is a real concern. The art of conversation seems to be dwindling to a recitation of reality show sound bites. I’m concerned.

How do we address my concern? I think we should use the devices to facilitate communication; that’s what they’re designed to do. But I think we must remember that networking is a high touch world—to create a real relationship, we have to really get to know people and let them know us. Then blend the two communication styles properly.

Live in the moment and create your history in a way that even the most jaded recorder must applaud your efforts—that’s my thought.

Down the road, we’ll have to talk about social networks and their place in our lives.