Welcome to Friday Smackdown – Halloween Edition. Last week we had a couple of brain-teasers to solve that produced a great turnout. Sanjeev got away with a win and got two free movie tickets as the prize.

Today we are going to change it up a bit. “Same channel, different challenge”!

Between 2 pm CST and 3 pm CST, I will put up a picture of a jar full of candy corn / pumpkins. Your objective will be to guess how many pieces are in the jar.

Whoever guesses it correctly wins a $25.o0 AMEX gift card. It is as simple as that. Gift card will be mailed on 11/2/2009 via www.americanexpress.com.  See you at 2:00 pm CST

As a professional career consultant who speaks to hundreds of people a week about their life, jobs and future needs / wants, I hear a lot of good stories and a lot of bad stories.

Today I am going to write about the common theme amongst the bad stories and how I recently conquered a similar situation in the past.

Specifically I want to address job related stress as it applies in our new economy. Do you believe that work related stress can be a major contributor to the onset of diabetes, cancer or even heart disease?

According to a study conducted by Sarah Burgard and James House of the University of Michigan and Jennie Brand at the University of California, Los Angeles, “job insecurity – not necessarily job loss – poses a major threat” to US workers.

Stress from job insecurity is one of the main catalysts to a domino effect that creates a slippery slope headed for disaster. Today there are more people concerned about the future of their job than ever before. 

Those of us who were not laid off had to take pay cuts, work longer hours and maintain a heavier workload. All the while dealing with the added pressure of tighter production requirements, stressed out managers dealing with similar issues and the possibility of being laid off at any give time.

What results from this “perfect stress storm” is a lower quality of life that not only affects  your professional life but also your personal life. Medical science has proven a direct link between stress and health problems. Are you stressed out? Here are some warning signs from WebMD (www.http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/stress-heart-attack-risk) that you might be:

Physical signs
Dizziness, general aches and pains, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, ringing in the ears, stooped posture, sweaty palms, tiredness, exhaustion, trembling, weight gain or loss, upset stomach

Mental signs
Constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor, poor memory

Emotional signs
Anger, anxiety, crying, depression, feeling powerless, frequent mood swings, irritability, loneliness, negative thinking, nervousness, sadness

Behavioral signs
Bossiness, compulsive eating, critical attitude of others, explosive actions, frequent job changes, impulsive actions, increased use of alcohol or drugs, withdrawal from relationships or social situations

Remember though, it is not just doom and gloom. In 2008 I relocated 2,000 miles away from my home of 28 years for a great opportunity. 2 months later the economy crashed and my life went into a tail spin. What I planned for and what I got was the difference between a kite and a space shuttle. For a short while I was highly stressed. But I chose not to let it get to me. I recalibrated, accepted the new reality and developed a plan based on my new circumstances.

I found comfort in the lessons I had learned in the past. One in particular really hit the nail on the head. A very smart group of people once told me, “plan your work, then work your plan”. This came in very handy because as soon as I developed a plan I did not feel as stressed. In fact I started to look forward to seeing my new plan unfold.

It is very easy to develop tunnel vision under high levels of stress. The key is to keep your mind open, your attitude in check and to treat your body right. I believe that as long as you are eating right, working out and laughing often there isn’t a situation on this planet that can keep you down!

If you are in a situation where you have bills to pay, children to care for and a life to live, but it does not seem possible right now. Don’t worry because in time everything sorts itself out.  Your new job is to drive the new plan of your life. Whether that means find a new job, start your own company or move to another country, it doesn’t matter. Those are details that you will find a way to hash out.

The point is, do something. Change everything if you have to, but don’t stand by and do nothing. If your health is in jeopardy and you are treating your body badly by sleeping less and consuming more junk food or whatever your coping mechanism is, just stop. Ask yourself if you are being rational. Are you losing sight of what is important?

Consider this,  you are already under a lot of stress. So why don’t you choose what to be stressed about? You had no say so in the economy crashing or your job being in jeopardy. But you do have a say so on how things go moving forward. Life  is nothing but a journey of problems and solutions.  It is time for you to take charge of what solutions you want to see through.

1. There is only one way to throw a ball with all your might and have it come back to you. The ball has no strings attached to it, no other person is there to toss it back to you and it won’t be bouncing off anything. How is this possible?
   1. Answer: Throw the ball up and no matter how hard you throw it,  it will come back to you.
2. You are playing ping-pong outside and the ball falls into a narrow metal pipe embedded in concrete about 1 foot deep. All you have is the laces from your shoes, your tennis paddle and your bottle of water which is too big to fit in the pipe. How can you get your ball out without damaging it?
   1. Answer: Fill the metal pipe up with the water from the bottle so that the ball will float to the top.

The winner: Sanjeev – clearly he demonstrated his high mental wattage by answering both riddles correct the first time. Mind you, these were not easy riddles. Some argued that he gave me too many answers, for the second riddle. I considered this before making a decision. Since both answers to the second riddle could have been right and one of the answers was the one I was looking for, he won by a technicality.

The runner-up: Alexis, a personal friend of mine who I know is a genius in his own right. He has helped me solve numerous highly technical issues on many occasions. So I was hoping he would not catch wind of my competition, because I knew he would get the answers right and I really wanted someone new to my network to win. You have to meet him to know what I am talking about, but for  now you can trust me; he is brilliant. So needless to say, he did get both answers right, but Sanjeev just happened to beat him to the punch.

I hope everyone who participated enjoyed the challenge and I am looking forward to keeping you all on your toes.  Check back this Friday for a special Friday Smackdown, Halloween Edition!

From now on, it will be Friday Smackdown on my blog every Friday. You will have a chance to win cool prizes by correctly answering the brain teasers that I have selected for your mental crunching.  They aren’t going to be easy, but I am sure they will be fun!

Some of the smartest people I have ever met are readers of my blog, so its only fitting that the riddles are challenging.

Today you get the opportunity to flex your mental muscles to win 2 free movie tickets to any movie of your choice. The rules are simple. There are two riddles posted below, if you are the first person to answer both riddles correctly, you win! The cut off time is 5 pm CST.

Prizes will be awarded by 11:59 pm CST the same day. Tickets will be sent via email using Fandango. Answer by leaving a comment below.

Good Luck!

1. There is only one way to throw a ball with all your might and have it come back to you. The ball has no strings attached to it, no other person is there to toss it back to you and it won’t be bouncing off anything. How is this possible?
2. You are playing ping-pong outside and the ball falls into a narrow metal pipe emedded in concrete about 1 foot deep. All you have is the laces from your shoes, your tennis paddle and your bottle of water which is too big to fit in the pipe. How can you get your ball out without damaging it?

If a correct answer has not been posted by 2 pm CST either or both riddles, I will post a clue!

Because you are a high caliber professional who hasn’t needed to interview in a very long time. Before being ruthlessly laid off you were probably a rock star with your previous employer. Now you are just another name on a list of candidates being considered for a vacant job.

I personally know “grade A” pro’s who have been on 6 or more interviews for jobs they could do in their sleep. But they aren’t getting them. This is not only troubling to them it is also troubling to me. And at the core of these setbacks is the way they interview.

It is hard trying to sell your skills to someone you don’t know. Especially if you are not a salesperson. It is also a bit undignified if you think about it. You are a proven industry veteran who has been there and done that, so why should you have to prove yourself? Well, because life must go on.

In this three part series, we are not going to focus on the why’s behind you having to interview but the how’s on how to ace the interview. How are we going to deal with this new job landscape? We are going to polish our interviewing skills.  So the next time you are in-front of an interviewer, they are going to know who they are talking to!

Step one is preparation. I believe this is 90% of the interview. You have to prepare extensively at each stage of the interview. Don’t prepare once and expect it to carry over to the next round. Do it in detail each and every time. Here is your checklist of “to-do’s” before each interview:

1. Read the job description in its entirety.
2. Review the hiring company’s website in more detail than you ever dreamt of doing.
   1. And take notes, lots of notes.
3. Memorize your resume and how it relates to the job you are applying for.
   1. Write down key points that pertain to the new job.
   2. Write down all of your key accomplishments.
   3. Know your dates of employment by heart.
4. Remember that your interviewer is only thinking one thing, ”WIFM”!
   1. WIFM = What’s In It For Me!!!!????!!!!!
      1. What ever you talk about, remember to make sure there is some value in it for them.
      2. So don’t tell long winded stories that don’t pertain to the job, the interview or the hiring company.
      3. Only talk about what matters.
5. Get your state of mind right!
   1. Being out of the job market, it is easy to forget who  you are as a professional.
   2. Remind yourself that you are a top notch professional, and that is the point of view from which you will interview.
6. Prepare your outfit ahead of time. And dress for success. Go formal all the way.
7. Drive to your interview destination the night before. This way you know how long it will take you to get there and you won’t get lost looking for it right before your interview.
8. Make 5+ copies of your resume and bring them with you. And make sure you use good resume paper.
9. Check Linkedin, Google and all the other networking sites to get background information on your interviewer. This will help you gear approach.
10. Prepare questions that you will ask during the interview. Write them down on a note pad and bring them with you to the interview.

Once you have gone through these  steps, you will need to utilize them during your interview. In the next part we will discuss execution. How to achieve excellence in execution after you have demonstrated in brilliance in preparation.

Stay tuned!

Because you are a high caliber professional who hasn’t needed to interview in a very long time. Before being ruthlessly laid off you were probably a rock star with your previous employer. Now you are just another name on a list of candidates being considered for a vacant job.

I personally know “grade A” pro’s who have been on 6 or more interviews for jobs they could do in their sleep. But they aren’t getting them. This is not only troubling to them it is also troubling to me. And at the core of these setbacks is the way they interview.

It is hard trying to sell your skills to someone you don’t know. Especially if you are not a salesperson. It is also a bit undignified if you think about it. You are a proven industry veteran who has been there and done that, so why should you have to prove yourself? Well, because life must go on.

In this three part series, we are not going to focus on the why’s behind you having to interview but the how’s on how to ace the interview. How are we going to deal with this new job landscape? We are going to polish our interviewing skills.  So the next time you are in-front of an interviewer, they are going to know who they are talking to!

Step one is preparation. I believe this is 90% of the interview. You have to prepare extensively at each stage of the interview. Don’t prepare once and expect it to carry over to the next round. Do it in detail each and every time. Here is your checklist of “to-do’s” before each interview:

1. Read the job description in its entirety.
2. Review the hiring company’s website in more detail than you ever dreamt of doing.
   1. And take notes, lots of notes.
3. Memorize your resume and how it relates to the job you are applying for.
   1. Write down key points that pertain to the new job.
   2. Write down all of your key accomplishments.
   3. Know your dates of employment by heart.
4. Remember that your interviewer is only thinking one thing, ”WIFM”!
   1. WIFM = What’s In It For Me!!!!????!!!!!
      1. What ever you talk about, remember to make sure there is some value in it for them.
      2. So don’t tell long winded stories that don’t pertain to the job, the interview or the hiring company.
      3. Only talk about what matters.
5. Get your state of mind right!
   1. Being out of the job market, it is easy to forget who  you are as a professional.
   2. Remind yourself that you are a top notch professional, and that is the point of view from which you will interview.
6. Prepare your outfit ahead of time. And dress for success. Go formal all the way.
7. Drive to your interview destination the night before. This way you know how long it will take you to get there and you won’t get lost looking for it right before your interview.
8. Make 5+ copies of your resume and bring them with you. And make sure you use good resume paper.
9. Check Linkedin, Google and all the other networking sites to get background information on your interviewer. This will help you gear approach.
10. Prepare questions that you will ask during the interview. Write them down on a note pad and bring them with you to the interview.

Once you have gone through these  steps, you will need to utilize them during your interview. In the next part we will discuss execution. How to achieve excellence in execution after you have demonstrated in brilliance in preparation.

Stay tuned!

Recruiting in this new economy is tougher than it has been in many years. I have asked many industry vets with 20+ years of recruiting under their belts what they think of this current job market. They all have told me that this is the worst they have ever seen it. Companies are really taking their time to find the “perfect” candidate.

So if you are recruiting for a client and your candidate has some glitch in their background, you can count on them being put on hold in hopes for a better option later on.

What is causing this mass procrastination by employers? There are three main culprits:

1. Per position it is not unlikely for an HR professional to receive 200+ applicants. Pre-recession, most of those 200 applicants would not have met the qualifications for the job. Today, many of those 200 applicants are highly qualified for the job. So employers have a larger pool of qualified candidates to select from.
2. More than ever before you are competing with in-house recruiters who cost a lot less than your professional fees.
3. Employers are hiring passively and are not in a hurry to expand their workforce. That is not expected to change till Q2 2010.

Today, the only way to add value to your clients is to differentiate your talent pool from all of their other sources. Keep in mind, their in-house recruiters are on all the job boards already. They are using other recruiting services who are also on all the job boards. And active candidates are applying with them in hordes.  So don’t waste your time recruiting from job boards. You will be broke by the end of the year!

What you can do to rise above all this activity is to present candidates that they could not find without you.  These are folks who are still employed and meet all the criteria that your client is looking for and haven’t updated their resume in 5+ years. Believe it or not, employers will pay more for this type of candidate under current economic conditions. The element of security and proven expertise is very valuable right now.  This is why a truly passive candidate has great value in this job market.

This is no knock against the highly qualified candidates who are actively in the job market, but to compete we have to produce better results.

Passive recruiting is a 24/7 activity. Your call volume needs to be in the 50 – 70 range on a daily basis. Be responsive and stay focused. There is a lot of money to be made and its being made by those of us who are presenting truly passive candidates. My pipeline is full of passive technical candidates who I attract or reach out to on a daily basis.

I am recruiting candidates today that I might not place for 6 months to a year from now. But the seeds I am planting now will bear the same fruit that I am feeding off from seeds I planted last year. I want you to do the same as well. So scour your data sources and start connecting with everyday professionals who are in the market.

Keep in mind, “networking” is a loose translation of “passive recruiting”.  And networking can and should be done all the time. By doing so, you will find great candidates at the grocery store, amongst friends, on Facebook, at seminars… all over. Just keep your eyes and ears open and keep your business card handy!

It certainly can and definitely has affected job prospects for many Americans. Employers use your credit worthiness as a barometer for your job worthiness. The logic is that if you can not properly mind your own business, how can you mind anyone else’s business effectively?

But what is considered a bad credit score? If you are buying a home or applying for a loan the cut-off seems to be 620. According to Experian’s National Score Index, the national average credit score is 693. (source: http://www.nationalscoreindex.com/)

However, we are talking about jobs not home purchases or car loans. So what does your score say about you and what is a client looking for in the analysis of your score?

They are looking for integrity, honesty, responsibility and accountability. These are typically the core values of most major organizations. As a result they want to hire people with the same set of core values. I have evaluated hundreds of credit reports for prospective employees to determine their eligibility with my clients.

And I can tell you, spotty credit is not a very common deal breaker. The silver lining is that employability can be determined by a number of important factors, credit being just one of them. If your credit is less than good, there is one thing you can do to reduce the likelihood of being denied a job because of your credit history.

Disclose your credit issues with your prospective employer upfront. Legally no employer is able to pull your credit score without your written consent. So you know ahead of time who uses your credit to determine your eligibility. You will see a form with your new hire paperwork called a “Consumer Report Authorization”. This is the form authorizing the employer to pull your credit report.

If you get this form and you have bad credit, then you need to disclose on your employment application that you have negative items on your credit report. You don’t have to go into detail, just indicate that your credit is less than perfect and you will gladly explain further if needed. Disclosing up front releases a pressure valve that can be a sticking point later if left undisclosed.

Unless you are in banking, finance or a role that requires you to manage a P&L, credit typically takes a backseat to your overall background check. If you have a history of a violent crime, theft/fraud or a sexual offense, then you are less likely to get hired than if you simply have bad credit.

Just remember to be open about your credit history and talk about it up front. It is the only way to demonstrate that you accept accountability for what is on your report and that you have many other wonderful qualities that make you an excellent candidate for the job!

Company Profile

Hiring company is a global manufacturer of household goods with leading sales volume in over 100 countries. They are a forward thinking organization utilizing Lean Manufacturing principles. Client maintains a full-time workforce of ~9,000 employees. One of the few companies to have posted sales growth in 2008 due to an intelligent Globalization Strategy that fueled growth in Q’3 2008 and the first 9 months of 2008. Currently the organization is on a solid trajectory of growth and is adding to its team aggressively.

Position Title:
Lean Manufacturing Engineer

Primary Function:
To drive the Lean Transformation by developing and implementing continuous improvement tools and operating systems.  Assist in facilitating and leading Lean Enterprise initiatives at the location.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct Time Studies on jobs within the plant for the development of Standard Work procedures
• Conduct Task Analysis and Ergonomic Assessments to support training development and LEAP initiatives
• Develop Standard Work / SOP’s / Best Practices for various jobs in the facility and be able to coach / teach others on how to develop Standard Work / SOP’s / Best Practices using standard formats
• Data mine historical data, summarize and present to Employee Involvement teams for the identification of opportunities for improvement
• Demonstrate proficiency in Lean tools and methods
• Participate on Steering Committees and help to drive the Lean Transformation throughout the organization
• Lead teams to identify opportunities for process improvement and waste elimination
• Lead the development of value stream maps and identify projects in alignment with value stream strategy
• Determine Employee Involvement / Lean projects based upon projected cost savings and risk analysis.  Prepare and present these analyses for the Committee with sets of recommendations.  Verify proposals and calculate and verify savings
• Assist in facilitating rapid improvement teams to develop ideas and plans for improvements to processes.  Oversee project implementation and report on results of rapid improvement teams
• Assist in leading rapid improvement events to problem solve and implement improvements in identified areas.  Provide education, coaching, leadership and guidance to rapid improvement team members
• Continually deepen personal understanding of lean methodologies and continuous / quality improvement systems, and disseminate that knowledge throughout the organization

Minimum Requirements:

• 5 years (preferred) Industrial Engineering experience
• 5 years (preferred) LEAN facilitation experience
• Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering or equivalent experience with Industrial Engineering methods.
• Excellent computer skills (Visio, Excel, Power Point, Word)
• Strong multi tasking skills
• Outstanding leadership skills
• Strong problem solving skills (DMAIC experience preferred)
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong analytical capabilities
• Strong communications skills, including written and oral communications and presentation skills
• Strong meeting management and facilitation skills
• Team player

 Desired Sills & Experience:

• SPC
• DMAIC
• Kaizen
• Lean Manufacturing
• PE or EIT
  

Benefits:

• State of the Art manufacturing environment
• World class management team and co-workers
• Highly competitive compensation, benefits and growth plans
• Financially stable organization with significant growth potential
• Excellent work / life balance

Contact:

John Sanders
johns@zakkt.com

Why? The cost is way too high for most companies to post on the national job sites. Some postings cost anywhere from $3k – $8k per posting. That is why you will mostly see the same large companies with the same postings day in and day out. And 70% of the postings will be by recruiting companies. So how and where do you find the real jobs with real viable companies within your own city? They are all in the smaller, cheaper local job listings.

This includes your local newspaper, employment guides, career sites and sites like Kijiji and Craigslist. Each city has its own local listing sources and I would highly recommend searching them out and applying through them.

What you will find is the sweet spot of the hiring world. These are the mid-sized companies that don’t post on the national job boards and focus more on local hiring. They are also easier to access because they don’t have multiple layers between you and the hiring manager. Typically there will be one recruiter internal or external and that is it.

Also, you are more likely to find actual contact information of someone specific within that company via the local postings. I have found a number of my clients just by searching the local listings. If they are willing to pay me to find you so that they can pay you, then I am sure they will be glad to cut me out of the loop.  All you have to do is search them out and apply. Not everyone will do this so I know my job is safe but for those of you that do; I am glad. Because in this tough job market it pays to go out-of-the-way a bit to find a job.

Another parting bit of advice that I would like to offer is that during your job search you have to be very assertive. Once you submit your job application, wait 2 – 3 days and then call the company you applied for. Call right into the front desk and say the following:

“Hi, my name is (name) and I am a (profession), I recently applied for the (job) you had posted on (site) and I wanted to speak to the person in charge of hiring for this position.”

 9 times out of 10 you will be cut off and transferred immediately to the internal recruiter or the manager for this job. The first time you will probably get a voicemail, but carefully write down their name and leave the following voicemail:

“Hello, my name is (name) and I am a (profession), my number is (xxx-xxx-xxxx). I saw that you are hiring for a (job); I wanted connect with you because this is what I have been doing for the past (x) years with (company). I would like to schedule a time to meet with you to discuss my background in further detail. Please call me when you next get a chance. Again my number is: (xxx-xxx-xxxx). Have a great day!”

Next follow up with voicemail the next day and ask for the person directly. (You should know their name from their voice message)

Don’t leave a voicemail every day. Wait 2 – 3 days between voicemails. Otherwise, sooner or later you are going to get a hold of that person. That is when you tell them how wonderful you are and how you would be a great fit for their opening.

If you follow these steps, you will be interviewing in no time. The job seekers who are applying for jobs and then sitting and waiting for something to happen are being left in the dust. Companies are hiring right now, but are not hiring those who are waiting to be hired. They are hiring people who are out there  and are wanting to get on board with a company.

So if you are currently unemployed, please consider this advice. I have seen it work many times and I want it to have the same results for you. If you need any further help with your job search, then feel free to contact me. John Sanders.