Wanted: Someone to Fail - Apply Within

WHAT? Who would put up an ad requesting someone who could fail? You might be surprised. While reading the want ads I came across an ad as follows:
Wanted: Individual to run sales and production of small company.
My first question is: So, which position is it? Is it sales, or is it production? How is this organized? What is this person’s actual focus? If this person is both running the sales AND the production, the business owner can expect to be disappointed and receive a resignation within 6 months.

The revolutionary idea of the assembly line comes to mind. A cohesive division of labor is one of the basics of business economics. Giving employees a focus enables them to excel at their jobs, feel satisfied, and produce a better bottom line.

At one time, I worked for a web-company who had their engineers doubling as sales people. This was ridiculous for several reasons. First, sales itself, is a skill. It’s a people skill, and the average engineer-though he/she may be personable- usually enjoys engineering, not selling. These poor fellows could neither take the time to be engineers, nor excel at the sales aspect. It was a waste of their time and the company’s money. Finally, this company caught on and hired actual technical sales people, but by this time it was too late. Six months later, that portion of the company shut down and ran out of funds.

In another company, I was asked to both make phone calls AND answer the phone-for sales. How ridiculous! “Hello, Mr. Customer, I was hoping to have the opportunity to ask you about, oh, wait, I have to take this call, would you mind holding?” I lasted 3 weeks at this job. With this kind of poor organization (and an unwillingness of the owners to listen) there were many more similar gaffes. I couldn’t do my primary job: make the company money.

For those looking for work, examine what you read.  Is the idea in front of you one that is reasonable?  Are you being overtasked before you begin?  Don't forget that you need to interview the potential employer about the expectations given to you as much as they need to interview you. 

For businesses, times are tight and taxes are high, but it grieves me to see companies set themselves up for what will ultimately be a frustrating and costly experience.  Two 1099 employees might be better than one full time who will quit.  There are many organizations out there who will help brainstorm these ideas for free.  Asking for help would not also be an obligation to take the advice, but it might inspire the best idea for the situation.

What do you bring? Speaking on your resume...

What to write, what to write, what to say…  Argh, right?  Here’s the question: what have you done with your time in the past?  What do you do now?  How can that be properly explained?  In a word: Exposition.  That’s right, expository writing. 

In a resume, words are your ally – they are your only true representation and there’s one shot, usually, to get someone’s attention.  Are your words succinct?  Are they properly descriptive? They need to explain:

Who you are.

Where you’ve been.

How did you lead, follow, work on a team?

In what ways (very specifically) did you benefit the company?

What tools did you use or skills did you demonstrate to accomplish these things?

What is your education? Any college at all?  Put it down.  Certifications-even in other fields-yes. Show you are willing to learn throughout your life.

In other words, what do you bring to the table?  What makes this company interested in speaking to you?  The purpose of your resume is to start the conversation.  Sometimes, it is easy for the company to also realize that you are just not the right fit for them.  This doesn’t mean you aren’t a qualified candidate, but remember that this is about finding the right fit for both of you.  If you do your best to represent yourself in an interesting, engaging, accurate way, that piece of paper can do a lot of talking for you. 

Why Even Have a Resume?

-So, why a resume? There are many reasons to keep a valid and updated resume. Naturally, the first reason is to look for work. Unemployment is very high and don’t let the numbers fool. The perception of its dropping is only because folks have run out of benefits and are no longer in the system to be counted.
-A second reason is to find new work. Maybe you just need to move on from where you are. While your progression could be from one company to another, it could also easily be within the same organization. Large companies and small often prefer to hire from within. However, even if the folks down the hall know you, they must have documentation of your skills and qualities. Each state’s laws have variation and your resume may be needed to follow those laws to protect you and the company.
-A third and simple reason is also to keep your pulse on your industry and demand for skills. As a former recruiter, I had the resumes of many highly skilled individuals who had no need for another position, but I would call them anyway to let them know what was going on in their field, see if they were interested in investigating my position, and for referrals. More times than I can count, the potential candidates to whom I was speaking knew someone who was recently out of work or looking for a new situation.
-Believe it or not, networking is a fourth and very good reason to have an up-to-date resume. I have personally brought my resume with me on different kinds of meetings: introductions, brainstorming sessions, conversation in my home and so on. It quickly provides a background for the other person. They can know my professional history quickly and have the tools they need for us to move forward in whatever project we are pursuing.
-I have a resume in hardcopy and I have a LinkedIn account (more on that in another post). I work for myself so it would be supposed that I don’t need one. But I keep it at the ready because I work for myself. I need to make sure others know my own employment history and experience so I can gain clients.