What's in a diploma?

While watching the Food Network’s “Who Wants To Be The Next Food Network Star?” finale last night (the right candidate won in my opinion!) I couldn’t help but ponder Jag’s position and situation. For anyone not familiar, he was one of the final two contestants but ended up taking himself out of the competition when it was discovered that he had lied on his application, listing both service in Afghanistan and graduation from culinary school; none of which he had accomplished. Why anybody would lie on a resume or application when you’re vying for a public job on national TV is beyond me but that’s not what I was thinking about. Jag showed up for the finale and seemed to have tremendous camaraderie and respect from the rest of the cast. It seems that his skills and performance had left a strong enough impression on them that they chose to disregard his fibbing a resume which made his presence on the show even a possibility.

It brings up a topic that is very relevant to the business world as well; the measure of a candidate’s true skill versus what is on his or her resume. Some of the most brilliant people I know never graduated from college. Other very talented professionals (I know) graduated from a community, or non-name brand, college. Michael Dell (Dell), David Geffen (Dreamworks) and Richard Branson (Virgin Air) are among some well known executives never graduated from college.

The pressure to present excellent credentials and an impressive resume weighs heavily on applicants to Fortune 500 companies. In a world where hiring managers and recruiters look only at “names”, whether that is prior experience with a Fortune 500 or a top school, it is tough to stand out. But the question remains, are those candidates without a degree or without the pedigree lesser qualified? I don’t always think so. Unless I am hiring for an entry-level position, I usually look at work experience as the main indicator of a person’s talent, with education being secondary qualifiers.

One might think “once you’re in, you’re in” but think again, a lady I worked with (highly skilled and super sharp I might add) was not applying for higher level management positions because she did not have a college degree. She worked for the company for over 15 years but worries that she wasn't qualified for senior level positions. Frankly, I didn't know anyone MORE qualified!

A college diploma and/or a name-brand school are wonderful qualifiers for those that have them. I would however like to see more “… or equivalent work experience” added next to the required degree in job postings. It opens up the playing field to include some truly wonderfully qualified candidates, many of whom I have been fortunate and honored to work with.

A person shouldn’t have to lie on an application if they truly feel that they qualify. Jag might have had his own TV show today had he not fibbed the resume (though he never was a favorite of mine, for reasons other than his background). He apparently was skilled and personable enough; both of which carried him through to the finals. If anything, that should tell America something about what really matters.

Interview Feedback

I recently contacted Jason Alba at JibberJobber asking him if he could put out the word to his (awesome) readership asking folks for their opinions as it relates to feedback from interviews. This is a topic that I think really deserves some spotlight as so many managers are confused as to best practice and/or what is appropriate.

I often get asked “What could I have done better?” or “Why wasn’t I chosen?” after turning down applicants. Heck, I’ve often wondered that myself if I didn’t end up getting chosen in an interview!. In today’s uber-vigilant HR world, where every action has to be guarded and closely monitored in order to avoid getting sued for discrimination or wrongful hiring practices, have we become so paranoid that we cannot help guide candidates along at all?

The general policy when folks ask for references is “Provide employment dates and confirm employment. Period.” While I fully understand corporations taking this stance and I realize that one cannot have hiring managers telling candidates “you should cut your hair, you look too nuts” to the right or left, I do feel that a manager could practice their best judgment and at least provide some high level comments on why they chose one competitor over another.

For instance, I would have loved to be able to tell a recent candidate that he/she had excellent skills in theory, yet had no actual real life examples or case studies to point to (where they had applied said theories). Unfortunately, I couldn’t. I’m sure it would have helped the candidate tremendously to dig deep and see where some of his or her ideas truly had been put into practice, if nothing else for future interviews where the candidate surely would be asked the same question.

One of my favorite personal comments was following an interview I had as a candidate many years ago; I was six months pregnant at the time. A day or two after the interview I received a thank you card in the mail with a business card attached. The note read: “Call us back in six months after your maternity leave ends. We will be interested”.

No, I didn’t sue but I did marvel at the sheer ignorance of the sender. Perhaps it isn’t such a good idea to have hiring managers practice best judgment after all? Are we too paranoid?

It's a Google World

I just finished watching a TV special (WTTR) on Google that I highly recommend; "The World According to Google". Having read multiple articles about how Google is the best employer on the market, how their culture allows for more of a college campus culture than corporate and how Google employees are the best taken care of in the world, it is easy to want to work there. Google becomes the Holy Grail for programmers, engineers and computer scientists. For marketers ... frankly ... not so much. Let's get real, it's not a marketing or sales organization. It's an algorithm company mostly consisting of Stanford, Yale and MIT grads. A friend of mine that works there recently told me; "Google is all about the education". After talking to a recruiter there (not for work mind you, merely at a networking event) their reputation as being education snobs is true. Not saying that if you have a community college degree you are ruled out, but an Ivy League stamp seems to be the preferred choice (and why not, they can get them!). As a candidate you are put through rigorous interviews, scrutiny and multiple panels where your every educational step, accomplishment and personal achievement or community involvement is examined. It can be mind bending and probably very intimidating. I will say, however, that some of the nicest and most professional folks I know in the corporate world work at Google. They are clearly doing something right when choosing their teams.

Back to the point of big brothering, which is what the documentary was all about; the fear of Google taking over our lives and what the big brother factor is all about. Having read about this issue in several newspapers I hadn't paid too much attention. Watching the documentary caused me some concern suddenly. I blog on a Google owned blog machine. I own and use a Gmail account. I search on Google nearly exclusively. I use Google Maps. I practically live on Google platforms (online). Google stores ALL my personal data performed on these engines for an unlimited amount of time. Yikes. Then there are these sites ... clearly being VERY anti-Google and frankly, really freak me out.

That said, there is something to be said for the Google culture. The Google folks I know and have heard or read about are fanatic about their brand. The typical culture of yes present in most of Corporate America does not exist at Google but something else does ... something I cannot put my finger on tangibly but that is so evident in every interaction I have with them both as a consumer and as a business contact; a culture of transparent ambition. The people, the engines and the culture is ambitious. I only hope it's not too ambitious ... if you know what I mean.

Are you worried about Google and if yes/no, why?

Why do you blog?

I took the time today to read blogs. A ton of blogs. Blogs across industries, blogs across mediums and blogs across authors. I read some great blogs, some boring ones and some fantastic ones. As I was reading them, I took mental notes of what was good, what worked (and what didn’t) and how the blogger was engaging the reader. In the lesser quality ones I realized that the blogger was simply engaging in a self-absorbed rant; writing to hear themselves think out loud. In the incredibly engaging ones the discovery was that the level of engagement with the reader, coupled with the author’s assertiveness or authority on the topic, made all the difference. The authors who ended their blogs with a question or poll obviously had a different reader involvement since they were inviting the end user into an actual dialogue, as opposed to a diatribe.

In the end it truly comes down to goals. What are you trying to accomplish with your blog? I’m currently watching the Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star” show (for some reason these cooking competition shows are highly addictive!), where there recently was a comment made to one of the competitors:

“You are too all over the place with your cooking. What do you want to be known for, what is your signature?”

As in previous discussions about personal trademarks, the issue again comes up about taking a stand and knowing who you are as well as why you blog. One of my main personal trademarks is that I say what others only think, usually to the great relief of those who aren’t as comfortable speaking up about the uncomfortable things. My blog goal is simply to help people do the same; speak up. Not just online but offline as well. My goal in general is to help facilitate an openness in Corporate America that is not currently often there. Hopefully my personal trademark and my personal goal shows up in who I am and what I represent, both on-and-offline.

I must admit that one thing that popped out at me this morning perusing blogs is that I understand that linking to other articles, blogs and posts is important for visibility. However, what I did find that that I'd be in the midst of really enjoying one particular post, only to be completely detracted by a link in it that would lead me to another post, then another etc. An hour later I finally found my way back to the window that had the original blog I was reading. Links are great but sometimes a clean piece of writing, sans links, actually gets (and keeps) my attention better. So - no links in this posting. Yes, I want your attention. :-)

What is your goal for blogging?

Read Read Read to Grow

I'm a big fan of self-help books. There, I said it. Does that make me an "airy fairy New Agey" type of person? Perhaps. What I'd like to think that it makes me growth oriented. Business and self-help books out there today are better than they've ever been. It should be a priority for any person in business today to read some of the great material out there and to continue wanting to always grow, always learn and always strive for better. Something I've enjoyed discovering is exactly how much I don't know, a fact underscored by every great personal growth author on the market. Every day I hear about a new book I want to read or a new philosophy I'd like to learn more about so there is never any shortage of amazing material. Since time is limited I enjoy listening to books on audio and try to listen to at least one a week during my morning commute. Some of the ones I've recently checked out include:

• "The Tipping Point", by Malcolm Gladwell - a classic for any industry or person. Delving deep into behaviors and what drives consumers at the core, it's a fun and very enlightening read.
• "Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes For An Answer", by Michael A Roberto - a bit more of an involved read but truly great message; addressing the "yes culture" so prominent in most corporations today, and how to deal with it.
  
• "Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die", by Chip Heath - great logical flow from The Tipping Point. Fun cover and fun read. Marketing must!
  

Just consider an excerpt from Mr. Gladwell: "I think that word of mouth is something created by three very rare and special psychological types, whom I call Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen." Now ... wouldn't you be curious as to which one YOU fall under, or if you are a marketer or salesman, which one your customer or boss falls under?

Mentors come in different shapes & sizes

The topic of mentoring is an issue of demand and supply, as well as the mentored person him or herself. Everyone wants one, few have one and fewer yet are ready for one. My husband recently reminded me of a saying that is ancient yet very appropriate here: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears”. Most of us proclaim we are more than ready, often feeling resentful when the teacher does not appear as timely as we feel they should. Something to keep in mind when searching for a mentor is that you have to be ready.

“Ready” means being:

• Humble
• Receptive and open-minded
• Interested
• Passionate
• Curious

I mention being humble for several reasons; in order to learn anything you must accept that you don't know everything. A great example of this is Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie", an incredible story about a successful journalist, an old man and learning life skills. My favorite mentor and one whom I attribute a great deal of my personal success to, was an incredibly difficult teacher. "Tough Love" does not come close to describing his approach to mentoring me. I was in my early 20s and arrogant to boot. Ken took me under his wing, "broke me down" (sounds awful but it's effective) in order to build me up and then gave me a foundation to stand on my own two feet in business. I've been lucky enough to have several mentors since then, all with their own twist on things and with their own unique approach. However, as different as each of my three mentors have been, there is a common red thread; there was no sugar coating, no pampering of ego and no silk gloves. I miss that.

On a final note ... be open to the fact that your mentor may not take the shape and form of a silver-haired, all-knowing zen master look-a-like. Sometimes the best mentors are simply those that you respect, whose advice you value and whose direction is proven. Age can play a factor but a good mentor is really more about being wise than old. With maturity comes wisdom, with wisdom comes leadership. Since true leadership is earned and not awarded many fantastic mentors might be informal leaders; not in title but in spirit. Seek out those in your organization whom you respect and the rest will follow.