As I type this post, I unfortunately am being subjected to the music of "Bad Bad Leroy Brown". "Meaner then a Junkyard Dog" is what I am going to be. Life in the Cubicle is not pleasant. Today's knowledge worker has to manage large amounts of information. Concentration is essential to do this type of work. Yet, we are subjected to working in cubicles with people next to it jamming to the local "soft listening" radio station. Sure, I have asked my next cubicle mate to turn it down. The volume just seems to rise the next day.
Tomer Hanuka of Fast Company has written a great article about the "Death of the Cubicle". If you are as frustrated as me, I highly recommend you reading it. It brightened my day.
I think company's need to wise up. As the talent war heats up, company's should take advantage of recent technology booms in Wireless Internet and cheap Cell phone plan packages. It's now possible for knowledge workers to work from anywhere. We do not need to be strapped to a desk in a dark and dingy cubicle. Company's should look into issuing Lap Top's with Wireless cards and cell phone's to employees. Believe me, I'd be more productive if I was working from an easy chair at Panera Bread right now.
1/30/2006
1/26/2006
My comments on the Ford layoffs
What we are seeing in all these layoffs is the transformation from an Industrial Nation to a "Knowledge Worker" Nation. Just as we transformed from an Agricultural Nation to an Industrial Nation in the late 1800's we are making a new transition. If you are a fan of history like I am, you will remember that the late 1880's saw the end of the widespread Family Farm. People were in hysterics at that time, because they were afraid that the US would not be able to feed itself. All the farm workers were moving to the Cities to find jobs in the factories. Now that the factories are shutting down (and most of them have) it's not an economic issue. It means that we are seeing a transition of our work force. We need to re-train these Industrial Workers into careers that are needed.
The Department of Labour's Bureau of Statistics has great information about what skills will be in demand until 2014. Computer Scientist and Network Engineers are just a couple that come to mind. Counties like India and China are getting all the factory jobs because they are about a 100 years behind us. We went through the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800's but they are just now going through it.
I personally think America needs to stop complaining and do something about it. Let's roll up are sleeves and transition these workers into high demand positions.
The Department of Labour's Bureau of Statistics has great information about what skills will be in demand until 2014. Computer Scientist and Network Engineers are just a couple that come to mind. Counties like India and China are getting all the factory jobs because they are about a 100 years behind us. We went through the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800's but they are just now going through it.
I personally think America needs to stop complaining and do something about it. Let's roll up are sleeves and transition these workers into high demand positions.
1/18/2006
Top Ten Reasons for Telecommuting
If your thinking of asking your employer to telecommute, here's some ammunition. I found this list on the net from 1994 but I feel that it's relevant today.
1. Conserving Energy: Although energy utilization will continue to grow as we expand our industry and improve our standard of living, efficient use of energy will always be of prime importance. By telecommuting to work instead of using more conventional methods, there is a great potential to save energy.
The three major areas where energy can be conserved are: Vehicle-related materials and resources; Highway-related materials and resources; and Office-related materials and resources.
A tremendous amount of energy is required to produce transportation equipment such as automobiles, buses, trains and jet aircraft. If telecommuting is promoted, there will be less use of this equipment and less energy will be required for production, maintenance and repair of this equipment. Fuel resources needed to operate this equipment will be reduced, as well The building and repair of highways and maintenance requires a large consumption of energy, not only in the operation of the highway construction and repair equipment, but also in the manufacture and transportation of the required materials. An increase in the percentage of people telecommuting to work will decrease the need for expanded highways and associated road maintenance. The first two areas related to getting to work. Once a person arrives at work in a central office location, he or she represents another energy consumer, often times magnified many times over what would be required at home. The office building has heating, cooling and lighting needs, and the materials to build it and maintain it require energy in their production and transportation. Working from home requires only modest incremental demands on energy for heating, cooling and lighting needs, and makes effective use of existing building space and facilities.
2. Preserves Our Environment by reducing land use requirements for highway expansion and by reducing slow-moving automobile emissions. Highways and parking lots are continuing to consume large quantities of our land surface area. If a larger percentage of people telecommuted to work, existing highways could be reduced in size and parking lots could be converted to parks. One of the largest sources of pollution is the automobile. This is especially true of slow-moving automobiles that often exist in heavy, congested rush hour traffic. Of course, one solution to this problem is increasing the size and number of our roads, but an even better solution is to encourage those who can to telecommute, so we will not need additional highways, parking lots, and airports in the future. And, when we do choose to drive our cars, it will be in fresh air, on less crowded streets, when we are not in a hurry to get somewhere.
3. Promotes Safety by reducing highway use by people rushing to get to work. There are thousands of traffic-related deaths every year and thousands more people severely injured trying to get to work. In addition there is substantial property loss associated with traffic accidents that occur as people take chances in order to make the mad dash from home to the office. Often times people have made the trip so often that they are not really alert, often fall asleep and frequently become impatient by traffic jambs and slower travelers. More and more people are becoming frustrated by the insistence that they come into the office every day, when, in fact most, if not all of their work could be accomplished from their home or sites much closer to their home.
4. Improves Health by reducing stress related to compromises made between Family and Work. The stress associated with commuting back and forth to work away from the home is real, and telecommuting offers a renewed opportunity for workers to rediscover the joys of working from their homes. This is a rediscovery, because centuries ago it was commonplace for "cottage industries" to exist where work was produced in ones home, often times incorporating the talents of the entire family in producing a product. With advanced telecommunications technology a large segment of our workers can return to this mode of "work-at-home" productivity not compromising either their Family living or their Job productivity.
5. Allows closer proximity to and involvement with family. Working in the home offers people a greater opportunity to share quality time with family members, to promote family values and develop stronger family ties and unity. Also, time saved through telecommuting could be spent with family members constructively in ways that promote and foster resolution of family problems. The strength of a society derives from the strength of its individuals and the strength of its individuals often times derives from the strength of their families.
6. Allows proximity to extended family (location where employee has "roots"). There are a wide range of scenarios that constitute what is best for any given individual or any given family. However, often times people are forced to leave a community where they grew up and have a large extended family of parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and all sorts of family relations. Many people long for the opportunity to return "home" where they can spend their lives with old friends and family. While this is not true for some people, there are a large number of people who stand to enhance the quality of life through the flexibility that telecommuting offers. Through telecommuting, a person can work for a company in one part of the world, while living in another.
7. Allows selection of a remote worksite that is mutually acceptable to all family members and allows spouse an opportunity to pursue his/her career. How many times have you seen the situation where a husband or wife has a job opportunity in another town and must choose between the new opportunity and no opportunity, because their spouse does not want to or cannot change employment? If either person could telecommute, the decision is much easier, allowing for a more congenial relationship and reducing the potential stress and possible breakup of a relationship.
8. Allows employee freedom to choose an environment that is more suitable from a social and economic standpoint and to live in an area with people of common interests. For couples as well as singles, people who can telecommute do not have to quit their jobs and move, when they determine they are not compatible with the town they are living in. This occurs often, following a divorce or when a single person discovers an incompatibility with the area surrounding his or her employers business. Telecommuting affords an employee the freedom to look for another place to live, where he or she can feel comfortable both from a social, as well as an economic standpoint and live near people that have common interests. All this, while remaining loyal and productive for their employer.
9. Improves Productivity: Time saved can be used to improve productivity. Much time is spent on unnecessary activities by people who commute back and forth to work in the conventional manner. Time is wasted from the minute one gets up to go to work until the minute one goes to bed after returning from work. With telecommuting, one no longer needs to be always preparing for the commute and for being "presentable". One can go to work simply by tossing on a robe and slippers, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down to the terminal. You no longer worry if the car will start, if your clothes are neat, or if you're perfectly groomed. That may still be important to you, but it no longer has to be. And you no longer are interrupted by all the idle chatter that inevitably takes place at the central work place - some of it useful for y
our work, but a lot of it just a waste of time and a perpetual interruption. (Now you can stay up on latest rumors at your convenience using electronic mail.) For persons with health problems or handicapped persons, working from home may offer some comforting and productive opportunities, as well.
10. Reduces number of people "job hopping"; decreasing training requirements. Many people job hop each year, and much of this "job hopping" is because people want to move to a new location. They enjoy their work, and they would keep working for their present employer, but they do not like their present location. If people could move without losing their jobs, because they could telecommute, the amount of retraining would be reduced substantially. This would increase overall employee productivity while keeping loyal and productive employees on board
1. Conserving Energy: Although energy utilization will continue to grow as we expand our industry and improve our standard of living, efficient use of energy will always be of prime importance. By telecommuting to work instead of using more conventional methods, there is a great potential to save energy.
The three major areas where energy can be conserved are: Vehicle-related materials and resources; Highway-related materials and resources; and Office-related materials and resources.
A tremendous amount of energy is required to produce transportation equipment such as automobiles, buses, trains and jet aircraft. If telecommuting is promoted, there will be less use of this equipment and less energy will be required for production, maintenance and repair of this equipment. Fuel resources needed to operate this equipment will be reduced, as well The building and repair of highways and maintenance requires a large consumption of energy, not only in the operation of the highway construction and repair equipment, but also in the manufacture and transportation of the required materials. An increase in the percentage of people telecommuting to work will decrease the need for expanded highways and associated road maintenance. The first two areas related to getting to work. Once a person arrives at work in a central office location, he or she represents another energy consumer, often times magnified many times over what would be required at home. The office building has heating, cooling and lighting needs, and the materials to build it and maintain it require energy in their production and transportation. Working from home requires only modest incremental demands on energy for heating, cooling and lighting needs, and makes effective use of existing building space and facilities.
2. Preserves Our Environment by reducing land use requirements for highway expansion and by reducing slow-moving automobile emissions. Highways and parking lots are continuing to consume large quantities of our land surface area. If a larger percentage of people telecommuted to work, existing highways could be reduced in size and parking lots could be converted to parks. One of the largest sources of pollution is the automobile. This is especially true of slow-moving automobiles that often exist in heavy, congested rush hour traffic. Of course, one solution to this problem is increasing the size and number of our roads, but an even better solution is to encourage those who can to telecommute, so we will not need additional highways, parking lots, and airports in the future. And, when we do choose to drive our cars, it will be in fresh air, on less crowded streets, when we are not in a hurry to get somewhere.
3. Promotes Safety by reducing highway use by people rushing to get to work. There are thousands of traffic-related deaths every year and thousands more people severely injured trying to get to work. In addition there is substantial property loss associated with traffic accidents that occur as people take chances in order to make the mad dash from home to the office. Often times people have made the trip so often that they are not really alert, often fall asleep and frequently become impatient by traffic jambs and slower travelers. More and more people are becoming frustrated by the insistence that they come into the office every day, when, in fact most, if not all of their work could be accomplished from their home or sites much closer to their home.
4. Improves Health by reducing stress related to compromises made between Family and Work. The stress associated with commuting back and forth to work away from the home is real, and telecommuting offers a renewed opportunity for workers to rediscover the joys of working from their homes. This is a rediscovery, because centuries ago it was commonplace for "cottage industries" to exist where work was produced in ones home, often times incorporating the talents of the entire family in producing a product. With advanced telecommunications technology a large segment of our workers can return to this mode of "work-at-home" productivity not compromising either their Family living or their Job productivity.
5. Allows closer proximity to and involvement with family. Working in the home offers people a greater opportunity to share quality time with family members, to promote family values and develop stronger family ties and unity. Also, time saved through telecommuting could be spent with family members constructively in ways that promote and foster resolution of family problems. The strength of a society derives from the strength of its individuals and the strength of its individuals often times derives from the strength of their families.
6. Allows proximity to extended family (location where employee has "roots"). There are a wide range of scenarios that constitute what is best for any given individual or any given family. However, often times people are forced to leave a community where they grew up and have a large extended family of parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and all sorts of family relations. Many people long for the opportunity to return "home" where they can spend their lives with old friends and family. While this is not true for some people, there are a large number of people who stand to enhance the quality of life through the flexibility that telecommuting offers. Through telecommuting, a person can work for a company in one part of the world, while living in another.
7. Allows selection of a remote worksite that is mutually acceptable to all family members and allows spouse an opportunity to pursue his/her career. How many times have you seen the situation where a husband or wife has a job opportunity in another town and must choose between the new opportunity and no opportunity, because their spouse does not want to or cannot change employment? If either person could telecommute, the decision is much easier, allowing for a more congenial relationship and reducing the potential stress and possible breakup of a relationship.
8. Allows employee freedom to choose an environment that is more suitable from a social and economic standpoint and to live in an area with people of common interests. For couples as well as singles, people who can telecommute do not have to quit their jobs and move, when they determine they are not compatible with the town they are living in. This occurs often, following a divorce or when a single person discovers an incompatibility with the area surrounding his or her employers business. Telecommuting affords an employee the freedom to look for another place to live, where he or she can feel comfortable both from a social, as well as an economic standpoint and live near people that have common interests. All this, while remaining loyal and productive for their employer.
9. Improves Productivity: Time saved can be used to improve productivity. Much time is spent on unnecessary activities by people who commute back and forth to work in the conventional manner. Time is wasted from the minute one gets up to go to work until the minute one goes to bed after returning from work. With telecommuting, one no longer needs to be always preparing for the commute and for being "presentable". One can go to work simply by tossing on a robe and slippers, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down to the terminal. You no longer worry if the car will start, if your clothes are neat, or if you're perfectly groomed. That may still be important to you, but it no longer has to be. And you no longer are interrupted by all the idle chatter that inevitably takes place at the central work place - some of it useful for y
our work, but a lot of it just a waste of time and a perpetual interruption. (Now you can stay up on latest rumors at your convenience using electronic mail.) For persons with health problems or handicapped persons, working from home may offer some comforting and productive opportunities, as well.
10. Reduces number of people "job hopping"; decreasing training requirements. Many people job hop each year, and much of this "job hopping" is because people want to move to a new location. They enjoy their work, and they would keep working for their present employer, but they do not like their present location. If people could move without losing their jobs, because they could telecommute, the amount of retraining would be reduced substantially. This would increase overall employee productivity while keeping loyal and productive employees on board
1/10/2006
Name dropping on your resume
Question from Job Seeker: I have worked on numerous projects for many large Fortune 500 and 100 companies while working for a software developer. Each project lasted 6 months to one year. When I write my resume can I put the names the of the Fortune 100 companies in my resume? Or do I leave them out? I have so many different companies that I have done work for that are really high profile and I am trying to figure out how to convey that in a resume.
Answer: It never hurts to include the names of the companies that you did projects for. If you worked at these companies as part of a consulting firm, then include them in your job description for that company.
Example:
8/2000 – Present
XYZ Consulting Company
Postion: Software Developer
- Served as Software Developer for project based work at fortune 500 and 100 companies.
- Projects included:
- Served as valued team member for C# project at Microsoft Corporation from 1/2001 to 9/2003
The more specific that your resume is will give it a better chance of relating to a job opening at your future employer. You resume is designed to market you. It never hurts to name drop.
1/06/2006
Using Yahoo Local to research potential employers
Yahoo Local is a well developed tool to find potential employers in your city or nationwide. http://local.yahoo.com/
It gives you the ability to search your city, search your industry, find out how far you’re from the company and get directions to it.
You can find a directory of cities here.
This directory will point you to the city that you live in or hope to live in. When you find the city of your search, you can narrow your search to the industry that you work in.
Example: The city of Atlanta page is located here. If you click on “see all categories” which is locate halfway down the page you get a list of industries. Then click on Computers & Electronics to further narrow the search. The next page contains a link that says Computer Software (232). Software Engineers can find a complete list of 232 software companies located in Atlanta there. Yahoo Local includes a map with the companies listed on it, to see how long of a commute you’ll have.
It doesn’t take a huge stretch in thought to find an employer that may have a position that fits your education and experience. For example: I know as a recruiter, if I can find all of the employment agencies in Atlanta, I’ll have a good chance of finding a position by networking with those companies.
Once you have the list of potential employers in your area, it gives you the phone number to call. Call the company and ask Human Resources if you can send them a resume.
This is just one tool that you have at your disposal. You don’t have to wait at home for a recruiter to call. Be proactive in your search.
It gives you the ability to search your city, search your industry, find out how far you’re from the company and get directions to it.
You can find a directory of cities here.
This directory will point you to the city that you live in or hope to live in. When you find the city of your search, you can narrow your search to the industry that you work in.
Example: The city of Atlanta page is located here. If you click on “see all categories” which is locate halfway down the page you get a list of industries. Then click on Computers & Electronics to further narrow the search. The next page contains a link that says Computer Software (232). Software Engineers can find a complete list of 232 software companies located in Atlanta there. Yahoo Local includes a map with the companies listed on it, to see how long of a commute you’ll have.
It doesn’t take a huge stretch in thought to find an employer that may have a position that fits your education and experience. For example: I know as a recruiter, if I can find all of the employment agencies in Atlanta, I’ll have a good chance of finding a position by networking with those companies.
Once you have the list of potential employers in your area, it gives you the phone number to call. Call the company and ask Human Resources if you can send them a resume.
This is just one tool that you have at your disposal. You don’t have to wait at home for a recruiter to call. Be proactive in your search.
1/04/2006
Fun with Dick and Jane
This weekend I saw "Fun with Dick and Jane". It stars Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni. The movie description is: Dick and Jane are in love and living the American dream--until one day it becomes an American nightmare. When the company Dick works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he takes the rap, Dick and Jane are forced with the prospect of losing everything. After playing by the rules and getting burned, Dick has an idea: If stealing was good enough for his boss, then it's good enough for him. Using his newfound skills, he and Jane decide to exact hilarious revenge and teach big business a lesson.
Coming out of the movie I realized that being a recruiter has warped my view of the world. I realized this by the fact that my wife got a different message from this film then I did. The message I took away from the film is that the American Worker has to take control of their future. We no longer can put our families’ financial future in the hands of our employers. We can only rely on ourselves. We must keep our education and skills up to date so that we can make money for any employer.
I am currently reading Steven Covey's 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Steven talks about how we have transitioned from the Industrial Age to the Information/Knowledge Worker age and because of this, we have to learn new skills and "frame of minds" just like are ancestors had to when they transitioned from Agricultural to Industrial. We are all Free Agents and as such we must be ready to take are "A" game to the next employer if we have to. Only doing this will allow us to secure our financial future.
My wife took from the movie that Dick's employer was bad for using its employees that way. Let's not focus on what employers are going to do, let's focus on what we are going to do. Employers are going to worry about the company and the bottom line.
Coming out of the movie I realized that being a recruiter has warped my view of the world. I realized this by the fact that my wife got a different message from this film then I did. The message I took away from the film is that the American Worker has to take control of their future. We no longer can put our families’ financial future in the hands of our employers. We can only rely on ourselves. We must keep our education and skills up to date so that we can make money for any employer.
I am currently reading Steven Covey's 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Steven talks about how we have transitioned from the Industrial Age to the Information/Knowledge Worker age and because of this, we have to learn new skills and "frame of minds" just like are ancestors had to when they transitioned from Agricultural to Industrial. We are all Free Agents and as such we must be ready to take are "A" game to the next employer if we have to. Only doing this will allow us to secure our financial future.
My wife took from the movie that Dick's employer was bad for using its employees that way. Let's not focus on what employers are going to do, let's focus on what we are going to do. Employers are going to worry about the company and the bottom line.
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