Are “Years of Experience” Requirements Fair to Younger Workers? | BNET

Are “Years of Experience” Requirements Fair to Younger Workers? | BNET:

Recently I've spoken to several groups of law students about the importance of networking and its benefits for recent grads and new lawyers. When I spoke at Notre Dame's law school, the program was aptly titled, "Networking for New Lawyers." Due to these recent discussions, I've been paying particular attention to material and advice geared towards entry level candidates. I recently came across a short piece, actually a response to a question to the author, which focuses on the "years of experience" requirements that are often present in job postings. The piece appeared on bnet, part of the CBS interactive network and is linked above and throughout this post.

The question posed to the author, are years of experience requirements fair to young workers? It's frustrating as a new grad or a young worker looking for opportunities when everything out there seems to require some minimum threshold of experience. The truth of the matter is, today's market is an employer's market. Hiring inexperienced talent is an expensive business to be in. This piece paints this picture perfectly: "So, when a manager has gobs of time and cash and all that, she's willing to take the risk of hiring someone without enough experience and train him herself. When deadlines are tight, finances are tighter, and stress levels are high, she wants to hire someone that someone else has trained."

In the legal industry, as well as others, there is added pressure from clients. There have been grumblings the past couple of years, particularly in biglaw, that in a depressed economy, clients are paying closer attention to their legal bills and are not willing to pay the cost of training new lawyers. The pressure has been to add lateral hires and not recent grads in need of training. Law schools, like a lot of academic programs, generally don't teach students the necessary skills needed to survive in the work force. The author highlights this point rather bluntly: "Sorry to say, but universities generally stink at teaching skills that help you survive in the workplace."

The years of experience requirement is out there to reduce the amount of training a new hire will need. There are two suggestions given by the article to combat this. First, she focuses on internships. Your internships are experience and can be used to meet lower experience thresholds. This is an important point, taking a summer job in college that has nothing to do with your desired career because it pays well, or you like doing it, or some other reason, may hamper your post-graduation efforts. This is good advice, but sometimes finding an internship is just as hard as finding a job.

"So, what's a younger worker to do? Same thing as an old worker: Network." Networking for the less experienced can seemingly be more difficult. You don't have the experience, and more importantly you don't have the industry contacts that someone who has been in the game for years has. But this should not discourage the recent grad or young worker. Networking is even more important to them because there is no "experience" to fall back on. Networking is a way to separate yourself from the general working population. When looking for that first job, or even a second or third, the most important thing you have might be the right personal referral. A referral from a trusted source is often the easiest way for a recruiter or employer to differentiate a potential hire from the masses of applicants. Several years ago I posted regarding personal referrals, that brief post can be found here and is worth revisiting. 

So, years of experience hurdles are not prohibitive, they are just annoying. Often they are there for a reason, but in the current employment market, they seem to be there more often than not in order to minimize the amount of training. Use you network to surpass those hurdles, and more importantly, use your network to find opportunities that aren't public postings.

From unemployment to startup - The recession: Bring it on! - CNNMoney

From unemployment to startup - The recession: Bring it on! - CNNMoney:

Congratulations to my friend Steve for being featured in this piece on CNN Money. Looks like his drive and ingenuity have led to a flourishing and successful career path.

As some readers may have noticed, I took a long hiatus from posting. There was a little too much happening in my life that forced my writing to sit on the back burner for a while. Actually, it's been long enough you can say it was in the slow cooker. Last week I put some new content up. While I don't plan on writing everyday, I couldn't pass this piece up.

The article features eight young entrepreneurs who left the file and rank employment world and followed their drive to create successful start-ups. Steve and his company Vorsight are featured in the piece. An important thing to take away from this is to remember that traditional boundaries are often more perception than reality. If you have the passion and drive, you can create your own successful career path. Steve is quoted stating, "if you can't find the job you want, you should create it."

Entrepreneurship is not everybody's cup of tea, but important lessons can be taken from this. It goes back to a simple question, in today's market, an employer's market, how do you differentiate yourself from the masses? For me, it's networking. I use my network and the way I use my network to separate myself from those around me. For those featured in this piece, it was entrepreneurship, taking a good idea and hard work and running with it. These generalizations are obviously simplifications. Hard work is behind all success stories. But being able to focus on a goal can help you excel in this current economic environment. Even in a depressed economy, there are opportunities out there, you just need to know how to better position yourself to take advantage of them. An excerpt from the article captures this sentiment beautifully:

"While many people are cursing the economy and its effect on their businesses, Richard believes that the recession has played a large role in Vorsight's success. It has allowed him to attract great employees who were willing to work for his fledgling company. Also in a depressed economy businesses need more help than ever with sales techniques."

The recession has allowed Vorsight to focus on services that companies need more than ever. A down economic environment exposes shortcomings in sales techniques. Kudos to seizing this opportunity. The other key point in that excerpt is screaming at me. The recession allowed Vorsight to attract great employees.

So if you're not ready for entrepreneurship, the question to ask is, how do you position yourself to join these opportunities? I believe the answer is networking. Being patient and persistent, and watering your network garden enough to keep yourself relevant in the front of the minds of those people who can lead you to opportunities. When companies like Vorsight are seeking out qualified candidates, it's always easier to consider a candidate from a trusted source or from a trusted personal referral. A lot of opportunities are won by being in the right place at the right time. The goal of effective networking, particularly for the job seeker, is to position themselves to be closest to those opportunities.

For me, this article is more than a few success stories. It's a reminder to stay focused, stay persistent and stay patient. Congratulations again to Steve and Vorsight for the feature.

MSN Careers - Social media not your thing? It could hurt your job search - Career Advice Article

MSN Careers - Social media not your thing? It could hurt your job search - Career Advice Article

I came across a great article today that's in line with some of the networking principles I believe in. It focuses on social media, not necessarily how to use it, but why to use it. The undertones are pretty clear to me though: use your network, and use social media as a tool.

As you know, I firmly believe that social media will never replace face-to-face networking; however, it's an excellent supplement that should not be ignored. This is a topic that I've mentioned before in a post from June 2009. While social media has grown in the past few years, so have my views on its importance. Face-to-face networking is key, but social media can go hand in hand with it. The article gives some interesting figures which show that social recruiting is where many recruiters and employers are now investing their time and money when it comes to recruiting new talent. As social media continues to evolve and impact the professional world, employers and recruiters will continue to utilize this tool. The article (which as always is linked above) is definitely worth your read.

By far the most compelling line in the article is almost mentioned in passing. The author states the following, "the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that up to 85 percent of career opportunities go unadvertised, which means that you have to use your network." I cannot stress the importance of networking enough. There are opportunities out there. There are employment and business opportunities all around, you just have to know how to find them. Often, that means being in the right place at the right time, but it's more than that. You have to put yourself at that right place at the right time. That's where your network comes into play. The key is to be patient and persistent. Networking is most effective when done all the time, not just when you need it. Your goal should be to stay in the front of someone's mind. When an opportunity crosses their desk, you want to be the first person they think of. Social networking is an excellent way to help accomplish that, by using it to keep more regular contact than you usually would.

I take the time once every few weeks to go through my contacts so I can effectively "water my garden." I scan through them to see who I haven't talked to in a while and to reach out to a few of them. Now, more and more, instead of browsing my outlook contacts, I'm scanning my Linkedin contacts. So, with that, read the linked the article, think about and take note of the different ways social networking and social media can supplement your network.

An Article from ere.net - Are You Leaving Job Candidates with a Negative Impression? - ERE.net

Are You Leaving Job Candidates with a Negative Impression? - ERE.net:

As you know, typically my posts involve everything networking: networking events, networking tips, and my insights into networking in general. However, today I stumbled across this article, which is written as advice to recruiters and in-house HR departments. This struck a cord with me. As a past job-seeker, I too have a standing negative impression from a potential employer by their failure to remember me after an interview. The notions of courtesy that are stressed in this article run true in every facet of your career. I'm reminded of Robert Fulghum's book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten." (It's been so long since I've read that book that I have no clue whether or not that reference is even appropriate, but at least the title is so go with me).

Since I began my "grown-up" career after law school, I can't tell you how many times this situation has happened to me. Admittedly, many of those times, I was probably underqualified for a position I applied for. I was likely either a law student, or a recent graduate looking for employment with little to no experience. That being said, I was surprised and somewhat insulted when this happened to me recently during my job search when I decided to relocate from Chicago to Cleveland.

I interviewed at a handful of law firms in Cleveland for a lateral hire position during my search. The firms ranged from big law, midsize, and small firms. One of the firms, which will remain unnamed, did just what this article describes. After I traveled from Chicago for an legitimate interview with the heads of the practice group I was seeking to join, I never heard another word. I became a forgotten candidate. My practice was not an exact match for the position, but that does not excuse the lack of courtesy following the interview. I really appreciated the opportunity, regardless of whether I believed it was a good fit. I sent thank yous expressing my appreciation, only to receive no response and to never be notified of the results of the interview.

Unfortunately, I agree with the author of this article. From my experience, I believe there is currently a culture in career recruiting where it's acceptable, if not the norm, to forget about every candidate as soon as it's determined they are no longer useful, no longer a potential hire. This defies logic and defies notions of common courtesy.

With the influx of applications and resumes received for every open position nowadays, I admit it's easy to do this. However, like the author, I believe this is a problem. Something as simple as a follow up can avoid forever tarnishing a company's image to a person who is most likely an eventual competitor. So I guess my thought for the day is to remember those things you learned in kindergarten. Courtesy and thoughtfulness go a long way in the development and maturity of a career.

4 Reasons To Make Friends At Work - Careers Articles

4 Reasons To Make Friends At Work - Careers Articles:

This is a follow up to my post yesterday regarding the importance, and oft-overlooked value, of networking in the workplace. I came across this short blurb on the Huffington Post which gives four reasons why making friends at work is worthwhile.

The first three reasons go hand in hand. First, research apparently shows that you'll be a better worker. The research isn't cited, but this makes sense. Your overall mood in the workplace will definitely have an effect on your work product. Second, you'll engage more with your work. Anyone who is accustomed to or prefers working in a team environment knows that friendly relationships at work help foster collaberation and will keep most employees engaged. Third, you will be less negative. Negativity makes you less engaged and a worse employee. Enjoying your work environment makes you less negative towards work in general. Regardless of your job situation, avoiding or minimizing negativity is important in any career. Negativity can create a bad personal stigma that may be difficult to shed. The final reason given is obvious, but nonetheless an important benefit. Having workplace friends improves workplace communication. Communication is an integral part of any collaborative or team work environment.

Keep in mind, making friends in the work place mirrors networking in the workplace. Your goal should be good professional relationships among individuals with diverse roles at work. You can build an efficient network in the work place, and focus on bettering your work environment (and keeping your sanity).

3 Rules for Networking at Work - Management Tip of the Day - September 16, 2011 - Harvard Business Review

3 Rules for Networking at Work - Management Tip of the Day - September 16, 2011 - Harvard Business Review:

Here's an interesting "tip" from the Harvard Business Review regarding a networking topic that is often overlooked: networking at work. It raises a point that seems to be more relevant in a larger office setting, but nonetheless an interesting point.

The three rules are important and relevant to the everyday work environment. First, it's easy to deepen relationships with those that you work with or interact with daily; however, relationships with members of other teams or other departments will require more focus to foster. Second, focusing on an efficient network rather than a large network is important no matter where you are networking. The goal is not to know as many people as possible, but rather to know the right people for when the right moment arises. Focus on a broad network, not a big network. Lastly, go for the personal referrals. Find the people who have "cross-over" experience to give you a variety of introductions. Focusing on this combines the importance of the personal referral with building a broad network.

It good to see someone addressing a networking opportunity that is often overlooked. We shouldn't forget about our co-workers, this may be the easiest environment to build a network and hone networking skills.