Author Archives: Dorothy Dalton

The declining art of conversation and Gen Y recruitment

Much has been written about the need for changes that employers should make in order to attract and retain Millennials and now Gen Z. We have seen a veritable outbreak of company Facebook pages, inter-active web sites, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram accounts, mentoring programmes and the like. But as one client mentioned recently after a less than effective graduate recruitment job fair, an additional challenge is even more basic: to identify the best entry-level talent.

How can Gen Y recruitment adapt? I’m not even talking about text-speak or spelling errors on CVs, but basic social inter- action during the interview process which is generally the backbone of most hiring systems. Bearing in mind that the older part of this generation are in their 30s and have kids and mortgages. It’s the younger ones in the group.

Modern technology has impacted us in many ways. Many are positive. Some are not.

Good on paper only

The platforms that are typically used and relied upon for Gen Y recruitment and entry-level screening are telephone interviews, video calls, job fair meetings and regular face to face interviews. Candidates are then frequently advanced to testing processes and more rigorous interviews. Today, undeveloped interpersonal skills means that many capable candidates don’t present well, causing increased difficulties for those in the hiring process to make an accurate preliminary triage. Clients are reporting the growing cost ineffectiveness of job fairs, as a result of this down turn in social skills. Many candidates with pre-submitted CVs, look great on paper but are under-performing in the face to face interview. So although we know that Millennials communicate and socialise differently to other generations, at some point they do have to engage with people outside their age group.

What happens when skills core to the talent identification process are deficient?

I am often asked in the University and Business School programmes I run, why I start basic interview preparation in the first session. The reason is the communication skills of many Millennials are so under developed, that they need extra time to get anywhere near an acceptable performance level for interviews.

Diminished interpersonal skills

Sherry Turkle in her excellent article the Flight from Conversation eloquently portrays the downsides of the trend to block out communication and conversation on a whole generation who are “alone together”. University Career Directors both at undergraduate, Masters and MBA level report a global pandemic of students mentally checking out of their classes and using Smart Phones and lap tops to log onto Facebook and email accounts during lectures. Attention spans are reduced and the incidence of talking amongst themselves in class is high. The result is they are sabotaging their own learning processes, which impacts their career prospects.

When I asked an MBA workshop group to turn off their phones for my session, one participant reacted as if I was contravening his civil liberties. An awareness of professional and even basic social etiquette seems to be at a minimum. A device driven generation, for increasing numbers their body language and even voice projection is weak. They may have great credentials but they can’t showcase them properly. At a recent Italian job fair a client cut a candidate because he responded to an incoming text in the middle of the interview.

But is the interview texter an unempathetic communicator or merely demonstrating multi- tasking skills? The poor presenter might have excellent potential and skills that are simply not evident. The problem is we just don’t know.

First impressions unreliable

First impressions are made in less than 15 seconds. In a situation where social skills are under developed and candidates are unable to make that key engagement with an interviewer as they should (poor eye contact, the ability to listen and tune into cues from the whole range of body language and voice tone), which is critical in an interview, how do recruiters sort out the wheat from the chaff?

Here are some solutions currently being considered:

Online testing: One response from a number of companies seems to be a growing shift to mass online testing prior to personal screening, using outsourced organisations such as SHL , or in-house assessment centres. Follow-up procedures include further assessment tools before finally personal interviews to evaluate cultural fit and social skills.
Network recommendations: seem to be becoming increasingly important and will favour candidates with strong personal networks possibly via well-connected family members or previous experience. In today’s economic climate this is not easy to come by and as we have seen with the flourishing unpaid intern sector both possibilities put less well placed candidates at a disadvantage. This is also a demographic which networks widely via Facebook and other social media, but the younger part of the demographic have only just started to develop a professional network.
Modifications to onboarding programmes: to incorporate communication skills training into in-house programmes sooner rather than later have been suggested. Whether this will provide the catch-up programme required remains to be seen.

Gen Y and Gen Z workers are some of the most independent-minded and tech-savvy workers employers have encountered. Changing recruitment models seems to be necessary not just to attract the best candidates, but to identify them too.

But the significant overall message to Millennial job seekers is to switch off the lap top, iPad or Smart Phone and practise the old-fashioned art of conversation. Many competent candidates are not making the cut at interviews, simply because they don’t know how to communicate in a professional environment or even have a basic knowledge of acceptable social etiquette.

Gen Y candidates with social skills will be ahead of the game.

If you need support attracting top talent – get in touch now!

Are you ready for a professional emergency landing?

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Many of us sit on aeroplanes, especially frequent flier business trips and watch the cabin crew go through the emergency procedures with tuned-out indifference. We know the drill because we’ve seen it possibly hundreds of times in our lifetimes. Despite the commentary that all should pay attention, we dutifully turn off our electronic devices as instructed, read our books and magazines, chat to our colleagues and fellow passengers or simply settle in for a good movie, a nap and perhaps an inferior meal. After all the odds that anything will happen to us are slim. Right?

Workplace parallels
Sadly, despite the pace of unwelcome change which has become a hallmark of our economies, this is not too dissimilar to the view many take of the workplace. We have all seen many excellent people blindsided and ill-equipped to make an emergency landing which causes us to flail around in search of life-vests and oxygen masks. This can be because of redundancy, a merger, a take- over or any other unforeseen business circumstance. As the cold winds of recession blow through our economies, the reality is that having a professional emergency landing procedure in place is now taking on increased significance.

This is the professional equivalent of knowing the exact location of the emergency exits.

Need support during a difficult transition? Check out the individual coaching programmes.

So how can we do this? Here are 7 strategic career contingency measures:

Up to date professional skills – it’s important to be current in this area. Many people take their feet off the pedal in terms of professional development , quite often in mid-career and find themselves lacking particularly in relation to newer (read cheaper) employees. It’s important not to become complacent and to view education as an ongoing exercise.
Work on your network – many job seekers tap into their networks only when they have a need, by which time it’s too late. Networking should be an ongoing effort.
Pay it forward – the more you can do for other people when you are in a position to do so makes it easier to ask for reciprocation at a critical time.
Create a financial reserve – it’s hard to define in precise terms how long it could take to find another job. You could be lucky – but generally executive searches take about 3-6 months. Today the suggestion is that it can be as much as 9 months. So although it is hard in today’s economic climate, sound advice would be for all of us to have a reserve “disaster fund“ of a minimum of 6 months to cover critical expenses. One of the most terrifying aspects of job loss is the gnawing anxiety of how to meet fixed overheads. It’s a good idea to make sure that key financial contact details are in your address book. How well do you know your bank manager?
Invest in professional support – many individuals seek career support when they are desperate: it might be when they have already lost their jobs or are facing any other sort of career blip. It is important to treat a career with the same strategic analysis as one might any other housekeeping exercise. In the words of John F. Kennedy “ The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”.
Look after you – Job seekers with family or other obligations worry about letting down their families and their ability to support their nearest and dearest. But just as a cabin attendant will exhort passengers to put on their own life jackets and oxygen masks first and then look after their dependents, the same is true for the person looking for a job. Putting your own needs first will ultimately be in the best interests of the people who rely on you.
Leave your luggage behind – this is always one I imagine I might struggle with if tested, but the logic resonates nevertheless. Sometimes our baggage gets in the way and we have to let it go and take that step into the unknown to protect ourselves.

So are you ready for a professional emergency landing?

If not – get in touch NOW!

The Guilt Volcano: Women and Mentoring

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Guilt: Only one of the many reason why women need mentors

I picked up Alison Pearson’s book “ I don’t know how she does it “, the other day ,(half price at St Pancras), which I had read years ago. This was before she became a vocal right wing commentator.

In a movie of the same name somewhat incredulously the main protagonist, a Yorkshire lass, turned London Hedge Fund Manager, has been transmuted by Hollywood into a role played by Sarah Jessica Parker. I have yet to see this film, but it stretches the imagination somewhat.

A day in the life of a professional woman

All that aside, this novel depicts really well the daily angst that most professional women with kids go through. Although hilarious in places, there are details that most of us who have any career aspirations can relate to. And I had great employers when my kids were young, who were incredibly supportive. They were ahead of the game in terms of facilities for working mothers, even setting up remote access via a modem which in those days was the size of a small building block with the noise connecting to the intra -net bearing more than a close facsimile to a Boeing 747 on take -off.

But I too, have made a client presentation with baby vomit on the back of my business suit. I have looked into the wide eyes of my toddlers as I have left them to go to the office. I have deflected the raised eyebrow “ oh..not again” looks as I explain that my son has been in yet another accident requiring emergency treatment. I almost qualified for validated parking at the local hospital, such was the regularity of the visits. Don’t worry he made it to adulthood!

Hard hat area

And this is only a tiny cross-section of the debris that falls upon the heads and shoulders of the working mother which starts off as plumes of hot air, but swiftly turns into ash clouds, rocks, and eventually molten lava spewing out of the guilt volcano to engulf them. What happens then? Well many, if they can afford to, opt out, but many can’t and hard choices are made within couples. If the mother is a single parent, then the balancing act is even more fragile.

For many women this is the professional danger zone. The career hard hat area.

New initiatives

Many HR policies focus on the practical aspects of encouraging women to return to work which is clearly operationally necessary. But I was heartened to read that organisations such as Accenture, Azda ( which has recently launched a Mum2Mum Programme) Goldman Sachs, Citi-Bank, Sky and others, are introducing mentoring programmes for expectant mothers matched with more senior women, who are also mothers.

Unfortunately, these initiatives quite often stop within a year. What I would like to see is an extension of these programmes so that women mentor each other through this entire critical phase in life (which is indeed only a phase) which can last longer. This will help stem the leak in the female talent pipeline. Women look for mentors generally amongst their peers and the dearth of female senior managers very often makes it challenging for many to find one within their own organisations.

Women and mentoring

Unhappily, it can be as difficult to persuade women to mentor other women, in the way it might be difficult to persuade the UK to enter the Euro or Augusta to admit female members. But women need to start supporting each other at critical times. More senior women have to lose the “Suck it up, I did it the hard way” attitude, or worse still convey a message that not having a family is the only route to corporate success, sometimes failing to encourage junior women, or worse still, blocking them entirely.

Women (and men too) should be looking for new ways forward without the necessity of harsh compromises, where organisations are also the ultimate losers.

This article first appeared in the 3Plus International eGazine, an organisation set up to help women find mentors and sponsors and to support them in achieving their career goals. Contact me for further information

Updated 2021

Extreme commuting! Why more of us are becoming Super Commuters

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Limited local opportunities, expanded job markets and better value housing further from city centres are prompting more and more people to undertake longer commutes. Factoring in the career of a spouse or partner, slumps in housing markets making it difficult to sell or rent property, as well as issues impacting kid’s educations, commuting rapidly becomes the most viable option in a range of other poorer choices. Extreme commuting is growing.

Typical commutes

Whether by plane, car, train or any other form of transport commuting is consistently listed as one of the bug bears of modern life. Recent research in Sweden from Erica Sandhow at Umeå University, on the impact of commuting, suggests that 45 minutes could be considered a long commute. However, in the US a typical commute would be 50 minutes while the British commuter spends 200 hours a year getting to work. Although there are a number of benefits from an increased number of career opportunities, there are also significant downsides, with Sandhow suggesting that couples engaged in commutes longer than 45 minutes are 40% more likely to get divorced.

International commuting

Just the mildest of enquiries in my social circle produced the feeling that long distance commuting is more commonplace than these stats would suggest. In fact most believed that average commutes are taking increasingly longer as congestion is most towns is rising and 45 minutes elapsed time door to desk was actually on the light side.

Yet many choose to commute not into their local city, but internationally.

During a recent trip out of Malpensa airport I found myself in conversation with an Italian gentleman, Fabio, who was negotiating the security line with all the frequent flier finesse of George Clooney in “Up in the Air”. He works in international business development for an Italian conglomerate and was headed, not the 25 minutes typical Italian commute down the road, but 700 kms back home to Brussels. Fabio was quick to let me know why he has decided to live apart from his family Monday to Friday.

Tough decisions

“When I was offered a senior role back in Italy 3 years ago, it was a tough decision. On the one hand I had a great promotion but on the other I also had to factor in my wife’s career. She is British and an E.U. lobbyist, so needs to be Brussels based, as well as my children’s education. They are 16, 14 and 10 – so not great for the older ones to move. We speak English at home and the kids go to Belgian schools so they only have conversational Italian. So as I travelled 80% of my week at that time anyway – the logical solution was to find a pied à terre Monday to Thursday in Milan and commute between Belgium and Italy“.

I have been in that situation myself twice when my ex-husband commuted internationally, in the days before cheap flights and speedy boarding. It’s not easy. Fabio continued ” When I’m not on the road I can work from home but obviously I need to be in Milan a couple of days a week at least. Technology helps and I’m lucky that my General Manager is a results orientated rather than presence orientated manager, but when you run a team being visible and available is important.”

Downsides

o what are the downsides as if I didn’t know already. “When flights are delayed or cancelled – that’s a hassle. My wife struggles sometimes dealing with my 16 year old son on her own and feels isolated. It means if she needs to travel for her own work we have complex childcare arrangements as we don’t have family in Belgium. Hikes in fares means that it’s high cost too. But overall it’s the best decision for our family“

Women super commuters

Erica Sandhow’s findings show that extended commutes primarily benefit the careers of men and also contribute to polarised gender stereotyping with women assuming a greater share of domestic responsibilities in the absence of the men, while their partners become the de facto more significant salary earner. I can certainly testify to that.

If a high number of super commuters are men, what about women?

I miss my kids probably more than they miss me and have some sad moments when I can’t make an event or something is going on in their lives which I can’t be there for.

I spoke to Hannah who commutes between Paris and Amsterdam, leaving two children on Sunday evening or Monday morning, with her husband Markus until Friday night. “Yes it’s stressful but you get used to it. I find that I have to separate my work and personal life, but as the main salary earner in the family, I have to pay the mortgage and the bills. I am 16 years younger than my husband and will have to work for another 18 years at least. I miss my kids probably more than they miss me and have some sad moments when I can’t make an event or something is going on in their lives which I can’t be there for. My husband wishes I had more time, especially if I ever have to work at the weekend”

At the same time, it is reported that those fewer women who do commute long distances gain new career opportunities and higher salaries – so there are some benefits.

But are they worth it?

So how long would you commute to work?

If you need support managing your career – get in touch NOW!

Why I’m bored with boards

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Missed point

It seems that every time I pick up a newspaper, click on a link or read a blog there something to be read about women and boards. And I’m getting bored. Now this may seem a little hypocritical coming from someone like me, as I have been very vocal over the years in advocating for women in their pursuit of senior roles and do indeed write about it myself. Despite what you might be thinking, my position actually remains unchanged. There is a wealth of senior female talent which organisations and global economies fail to tap into, in my view to their detriment. So those initiatives should clearly continue.

Here’s why I am bored with boards…yep I said it

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However, when you look at the overall scheme of things, whether applied to men or women, organisations are pyramids and there are very few open positions at the top – for anyone at all. But sometimes it is important not to miss the core issue. The primary danger zone for women professionally, lies much further downstream where the numbers are much higher. The real support and mentoring that women need, is in those more junior, hazy, grey areas, 7-12 years into their careers.

It’s about the maths.

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Bad stats

Whichever statistics we use, the numbers don’t look good. 60% of European women are graduates and yet the number occupying senior positions hovers depressingly around 14% depending on the country being cited, and if you venture into Germany, a grim 3%. Somewhere in between C-Suite and entry-level, the corporate drop out rate soars and highly qualified women, find themselves making critical career decisions, very often without any long-term strategy. They leave, or give in and accept their fates consigned to the margins of the organogram. Very often they experience the “Mommy Penalty” earning lower salaries than their male counterparts. Women with MBAs are one of the hardest hit demographics. They find themselves in the double bind of having to negotiate their role and manage expectations, not just in the workplace, but also within their own relationship and families.

The new dad

Interestingly there is now some research which suggests that change is perhaps on the horizon, as a result of shifting expectations from men as well. A Fatherhood Study carried out by Boston College tells us “According to a study by the National Study of the Changing Workforce, for the first time since 1992, young women and young men do not differ in terms of their desire for jobs with greater responsibility (Galinsky, Aumann, & Bond, 2008). As a result, young women may be less prone to be the “accommodating spouse” in two-career couples, placing their career aspirations second to that of their male spouses”.

The study suggests that men also have different expectations. “Their wives are likely to be at least as well if not better educated, just as ambitious as they are, and make more money than they do. More importantly, these men feel that being a father is not about being a hands-off economic provider“

Cultural changes

It would seem that although the expectations of both men and women are changing, organisations (perhaps still run by Baby Boomers, raised in father centric households) are not adapting fast enough to the cultural shifts in the societies around them. Developing economies need not just an increased birth rate vital to support a rapidly aging population, but for women to actively contribute to economic growth, not when they are older, but now, today. The economy of the euro zone for example has been predicted to grow 16 per cent if women were in formal employment as much as men.

GenY want better work life balance

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Additionally, a new generation of both men and women are looking for better work/life balance and no longer sees the default leadership setting as male and the female setting as “atypical”. So perhaps the business model for corporate culture, which not just creates a gender divide but actually relies on it, needs to be re-examined rather than emulated.

The most demanding issue is not only about getting women onto boards, surely a symptom and result of what is happening lower down the scale, it’s also about combining organisational imperatives with the needs of both men and women in the early stages of their career, as they cope with the natural demands life makes on them. Until then I will continue to be bored with boards?

It’s time to refocus and reframe.

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Image: Board room ChesterandFields Brussels,

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Employers need to be interview ready

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Although top-level candidates are investing increasingly in their employee brands and interview readiness, I’ve heard many stories that would suggest that some organisations are getting complacent. Mistakenly they believe that either being a good manager automatically makes them good interviewers, or with the market awash with candidates they don’t have to make an effort. They have basically let their interview readiness slip. Employers need to be interview ready.

Interview readiness audit

So for many companies it is perhaps time to carry out an audit of interview processes:

Have priorities been set and agreed? It’s no good labelling the process urgent if the interviewers have operational commitments (year-end closure, sales conference etc) within that timescale and have no availability. If they are called away unexpectedly – who is the number 2?
Empower the interviewer – ensure that at least one player in the process is authorised to make the hiring decision. Delays for rubber stamping higher up the organisation chart increases the chance of top candidates being snapped up by other companies or being able to leverage their situation with their current employer in the hope of a counter offer.
Timely, clear and courteous communication by all company members to create the best possible impression. Candidates lose interest if the process is unnecessarily extended and they are not kept in the loop. They should be treated immediately and correctly by all involved in the process, even secretaries and receptionists.

The interview itself

Avoid “trial by interview”- Candidates withdraw if they are called back multiple times to talk to different managers involved in the process, only to be asked the same questions by each. For many this will mean taking several days vacation and could jeopardise their position with their current employer.
Environment – candidates should be interviewed in a location that is appropriate for the position. They will notice if the office is untidy, the furniture old and scruffy, the computers outdated and the bathrooms inadequate. Be mindful that small things send out big messages.
Professional grooming: Interviewers should be appropriately groomed for the sector.
Inappropriate or discourteous treatment: I have seen interviewers cancel appointments with 30 minutes notice, take telephone calls during the interview, invite candidates for dates, raise their voices at them, be fuzzy and unprepared about their own opening, with no job profile to hand and not having given the CV an even cursory glance, forgetting the candidate’s name. I could go on! This creates a bad impression.

Absolutely avoid

Careless talk – casual throw away remarks particularly around work/ life balance, corporate values, management style, career development and salary structure can also cause concern. Just as employers would expect candidates to be well rehearsed with their responses , employers also have to be mindful of the fall out of ill-considered statements. Body language is also important.
Inappropriate or even illegal questions. The widely publicised need for political correctness seems to have passed many by, especially when interviewing women.
Time wasting – searches are quite often conducted externally to benchmark internal candidates. If any process is for form’s sake only, be mindful to keep the time demanded of candidates to a minimum.
Record keeping It’s important to keep neutral and factual notes of all candidates seen in the process, even ones who don’t make the cut. You may want to call them back at some time in the future. Research carried out by Start Wire suggests that only 33% of Fortune 500 companies are willing to give feedback despite evidence that failure to do so damages not just their employer brand but their product branding as well.

Interviewing is not a chat

Many companies assume that people skills come naturally and interviewing is only about ” having a chat” with a candidate. Clearly personal chemistry is important, but sadly some interviewers have been found lacking, with not even minimal investment in basic training.

In this case success isn’t just about showing up!

Damage to an employer brand in today’s hi-tech culture is only one click away. Word does get round professional bodies, alumni associations and the market sector.

If any of this sounds cringingly familiar – now is the time to do an audit. Employers need to be interview ready.

If you need help strengthening your talent pipeline – get in touch NOW.

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Worker bee or job snob? Both suffer.

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Job snob – Cait Reilly a year down the line

I have followed with interest the story of Cait Reilly, the Geology graduate who instigated a judicial review for contravention of her human rights. She was made to work unpaid at Poundland, a discount store, stacking shelves and cleaning floors, or otherwise be obliged to forfeit her government benefits of £53 per week job seekers allowance. This scheme , followed by an interview for a permanent position is supposed to funnel young people into the workplace, although in Cait’s case the interview never materialised. She was already working as a volunteer in a museum which she believed would support her chosen career path. The issue for her was not working for free, but not being paid by an organisation which could afford her to give her a salary. Also significant was that the fact that the placement would not support the pursuit of her career goals. A year after this post was originally written Cait has now won her court case.

Complex messages

There are lots of complex messages here aren’t there? This contravention of a human right is hardly in the same category as a resident of Homs being bombarded by his/her own government, or a detainee being tortured and walked around naked on a dog leash in the Abu Ghraib prison. So the backlash against the seeming preciousness of Cait’s case and accusations of job snobbery were in many ways understandable. However, it was an effective and timely move, with many companies withdrawing from the discredited scheme, where unpaid graduates filled positions which should be offered on a full-time paid basis.

Inflated expectations

As you know I have been an early champion of the exploitation of Gen Y and unpaid internships. But we are observing what seems to be a massive disconnect in global economies with the training of a whole generation of young people in national education systems, leaving not only a huge number with simply nowhere to go when they graduate, but with inflated expectations. Youth unemployment is shockingly high in many countries not just in Europe and the US, but globally. But it is also happening at higher levels with graduate MBAs encountering the same dilemma.

Worker bee

Many deal with this situation by accepting any position they can get, simply to gain some type of experience, or merely to pay their bills. I spoke to John who graduated in 2009 at the height of the recession with a degree in Art. After working in a number of unpaid internships and a paid job where he was pretty ruthlessly exploited, he accepted a position in the hospitality sector gaining invaluable basic management and HR skills. The rub? In applying for jobs in his chosen area he is now told that he lacks the necessary targeted experience and effectively has “wasted” his 2.5 post graduate years. Manon, with her global MBA accepted a low-level position to start paying off her debts when she graduated in 2008 and now faces the stigma of having a ” confused and inconsistent” career history.

Job snob

But many don’t want to compromise in this way, sitting tight for the right opportunity. Follow your passion is the celebrity soundbite of the day. Enter now the job snob. This is a category of worker whose expectations have been increased by the culture in which they were raised and the education systems that have spewed them out. We have a group who rightly or wrongly, believe they are entitled to work in the field for which they have been educated, at the level they believe they deserve and which meets the abilities they think they have, to pay off the debts they have probably accrued in the process. They hold out for the right job, in the right sector, financially supported by their parents, government or both. This group is penalised for having gaps in their resumés.

Mismatch

Education systems and business organisations both play a role in this mismatch of expectations and opportunities. The business sector has to understand that the plug and play days are mainly over and many of the old assessment benchmarks are not appropriate for the times we live in.

It would seem that the only alternative would be a utilitarian approach and to cut university courses for which there are no foreseeable employment opportunities. Now the latter route would open up a serious hornets nest debate about the philosophical role of education in our advanced civilised societies. Should the best universities be measured by the employability of their graduates?

However, perhaps it’s just me but a key question seems to be left unanswered in the Cait Reilly case. Why should an individual be supported by benefits paid for by the taxpayer, work for nothing in a profit making organisation that could afford to pay them a salary?

If you need support anchoring your career goals – get in touch NOW

Helicopter parents crash into the workplace

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I have been somewhat bemused by the spate of articles over the last weeks advising managers and recruiters how to treat helicopter parents in the workplace. I do have to confess however, to quashing a particularly strong maternal urge last year to hop on the Eurostar to give my son’s boss a piece of my mind. At best he was a truly lousy manager, at worst a bully. You will be pleased to hear common sense prevailed.

Interfering or intervening?

Yesterday, I was quite taken aback by a call from a well spoken woman who introduced herself as Nina. After some solicitous enquiries about disturbing me (she wasn’t), my health (I was fine) expanding, she announced she was the mother of Christian, a candidate I seemingly had the temerity to cut from an interview process at the end of last week. Apparently, according to Mme. Nina, I had overlooked many of petit Christian’s superlative qualities. She politely wondered if I had the depth of insight, or indeed the very qualifications required to make such a judgement call. I was kindly therefore prevailed upon, in the nicest possible way, to reinstate him “tout de suite” .

Time wasting

It took me a good 30 seconds to process the implications of this dialogue. I should tell you that Christian is 26 years old, probably stands at 1m 85 in his socks and had grossly exaggerated his accomplishments, to the point where fact and fiction are completely blurred in his petit head. He and the CV writer, possibly Mama Nina, had wasted a number of people’s time, including mine.

I have also observed a recent trend of moving away from being exasperated with this reluctance to cut the umbilical cord, to one of understanding and even in some cases to accommodating this new parenting style. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters said as far back as 2008 “HR teams should turn this trend to their advantage by striking up a relationship with the families of new recruits and accepting that winning the backing of parents can considerably smooth the path,”

He continued “While I wouldn’t expect to see quite so much involvement by parents once the young person gets to his second or third job, it’s best not to be too rigid about these things. It is quite acceptable for people in their mid-20s to still want loads of backing from home.”

There are valid cases for parental intervention at this age but I am firmly in the exasperated camp

Men and women

There are indeed very valid cases where young adults need more parental support than would be expected at their age: learning difficulties, health issues or disabilities come to mind. But for fully functioning, above average IQ men and women (because this is what they are) I realise that I am clearly out of step with the zeitgeist. I still remain firmly in the “exasperated” camp and see this accommodation of a co-dependent trend, not just as a worrying infantilisation of the work place, but also damaging to the candidates themselves. So I urge:

Parents please:

Don’t write your child’s CV for him/her. They will not own their own message and fall at the first hurdle
Don’t send your child’s resume to prospective employers on his or her behalf. They should do that themselves.
Don’t call employees advocating for your offspring whether for the position itself or compensation package. It will generally lead straight to the reject heap. You are depriving them of learning valuable skills.
Don’t accompany junior to an interview, job fair or any other meeting in the process. This will in many cases be the kiss of death for him/her.

In the words of Pink Floyd “leave them kids alone”

GenY please:

Do take responsibility for your own career strategy. Be clear about your boundaries with Mum and Dad.
If you need mentoring or help and your parents are too invasive, look for a neutral professional. If you struggle financially, maybe your parents can step in – but as a loan. Make a formal loan agreement and make sure you pay it back.
Do not be afraid to fail or change your mind. Make your own decisions and accept (and pay for) the consequences.
If you feel afraid to make a decision without the deep involvement of Mum and Dad – perhaps there is a need talk to someone outside your family. Can friends or even a professional support you?

Helicopter parents do more harm than good

The parents of most Millennials are generally out of touch with the job search skills required in today’s market place and in many cases are mis-advising their kids in a number of areas. Intervening (interfering?) is not doing their children any service, but depriving them of vital life lessons which contribute to their maturity and workplace value. They are: independence, sense of achievement, self-reliance, the ability to work autonomously, the ability to self advocate, the ability to plan for themselves and to think strategically, a willingness to learn from failure and the capacity to successfully move on.

Like babies who need to crawl before they can walk, these early career knocks are key developmental experiences. Culturally we are in danger of creating a generation which will struggle to be self-reliant.

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The downside of presenteeism

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Presenteeism has crept into modern-day business vocabulary and is now listed as a new word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Defined as “presenteeism (noun): working when sick especially to avoid the stigma of being absent. “ Research about the negative impact of this trend is significant, with an estimated impact on workplace effectiveness and productivity amounting to billions.

Missed point

The focus has hitherto been on the health aspect of the definition, which is of course completely understandable. But perhaps a little brazenly I think we’re missing the main point.

For me, the key part of the definition is “to avoid the stigma of being absent“. This extends the insidious and more extensive reach of presenteeism beyond macho, masters of the universe, boiler room cultures, into business practises. Many of us encounter these every day, as organisations become “lean, mean and keen”.

This is how presenteeism is manifested:

Not taking vacations – despite all the occupational health information about the value of annual holidays, even in countries with statutory entitlement provisions – many still don’t take their full quotas.
Staying late when there is no work to be done – I have much first hand anecdotal evidence to suggest that this practise is rife and that employees who work only their contracted hours are viewed negatively, even if there is no specific deadline to meet.
Working to unnecessarily tight deadlines set by disorganised management or power playing superiors.
Working late and at weekends to avoid seeming uncommitted. Technology has created a culture of 24/7 availability and those who don’t respond to messages on their iPhones within nano seconds are perceived to be “slackers”. I have one contact who stores his emails and sends them out at what would be post business hours in various global time zones, to give an impression of super diligence.
Skipping lunch – the “lunch is for wimps” mentality is prevalent in many organisations, with one connection fainting with hypoglycemia after working for 9 hours without eating. Many eat unhealthy snacks at their desk which drains energy and reduces output.

“Lean, mean and keen business practises contribute to a false notion of efficiency

Fallout

The fallout from this culture reaches and impacts entire workforces. In particular it hits those who can’t subscribe to this charade and for any number of reasons have to work their contracted hours. Working mothers are one category to feel the judgement heat. Anyone who knows any working mum (or who has been one) understands all too well, that even if they work part-time, this phrase generally refers to compensation, rather than the hours worked. The workload managed almost certainly hovers around 100%.

Victoria Pynchon highlights this in her Forbes piece where she boldly talks about the amount of “face-time” wasted in her career, suggesting that having a family might have forced her “ … to work in a more focused manner, to organize myself and my working teams better” But truthfully having children isn’t a prerequisite for being focused, although it is certainly necessary .

But on a general workplace level isn’t it time to over turn this outdated culture, which all research suggests leads to a dramatic decrease in individual and therefore organisational productivity. Or as Brendan S. maintains that as “offices are inherently inefficient places“ we should be measuring productivity by the results obtained and not the hours spent at a desk.

The irony is that “presenteeism ” does eventually lead to “absenteeism”, with stress from heavy workloads and job insecurity fears, being the highest causes of sickness absence.

Or will we reach a situation such as we see with the Apple manufacturers in China where shamefully, a new spin on workplace Health and Safety is to install safety nets around their buildings to reduce the suicide rate.

Being present isn’t a barometer of value.

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Resumes: Dazzling or dull?

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Career coaches and search consultants spend inordinate amounts of time encouraging job seekers to dazzle and to stand out in the candidate crowd. However there is one area when it’s OK to be the diamond in the rough, unexciting and utilitarian, and when dull is completely OK if not advantageous. That is in the context of resume formatting.

I mention this in every workshop I do, but I am pretty sure as all the sophisticated CVs flood into my inbox, that most don’t take this seriously! Every job search tool box should include one CV in bog standard, Word format or PDF. In my whole, somewhat long career I have never heard anyone suggest that they are seeing a candidate exclusively because of a pretty looking or creatively designed resume.

Why? ATS software

Many large organisations retrieve candidates’ CVs from their data bases via A.T.S. (Applicant Tracking Systems) or H.R.I.S. (Human Resource Information Systems) which strip resumes of formatting when the information is imported into their own systems. The problem is that tech is updating all the time and different companies use different systems. The challenge is that oftentimes you may not know what to use.

Some ATS systems are sophisticated enough to complete this process without difficulty. They will tell you in advance the formats which are compatible with their software, which makes life simple. Others are not. Very often recruiters have to copy/paste information from a CV, into a client template to forward to the HR or hiring manager. I very often replicate contact details and if I have to retrieve those embedded in a header or PDF format, that only takes time. Others dealing with hundreds of CVs per day with a wide field of candidates, have the luxury of not needing to be vigilant.

Additionally, many companies have rigorous anti-virus software which are especially punitive of attachments. I had one client who failed to get any CVs I had sent in connection with a search for an International Tax Specialist position. We found out that their firewall blocked all mails and documents which included the letters “cialis” (a male drug).

Resumes don’t get you jobs – interviews do and what you need is the opportunity to shine in person.

PDF or not

At one time PDF format was not always advisable because it was quite often incompatible with some ATS systems which require additional software to convert back to Word, or to align with their own company templates. Many companies have this – but not all. Times have changed and when you upload a CV the system will let you know which models it will accept. Today, both Word and PDF are acceptable.

Candidates also use PDF because they fear that their CV will be modified. Honestly – no one has time and if it is tweaked it’s usually for their benefit.

Other bells and whistles which may also cause your CV to slither into the ether are: graphics (tables, charts) section divides, columns and even photos. However this is also changing frequently, and many systems are much more flexible than they used to be.

To complicate matters because 25% of all CVs are read on mobile devices, it’s good to check how yours looks on an iPhone or iPad. In these circumstances PDF format works best.

Think small

Importantly, most CVs are now read on a small screen, frequently a phone, tablet, or laptop, not even a full size desk top. It’s important that your CV, particularly the top half of Page 1 is very clear and where the punch is packed. Even then, the reader might be accessing it via a preview or cached version when complex formatting will not produce the best results.

If you do have a story to tell that requires a sexier look or illustrates a more creative side of your personality or career, fear not you still have a number of options.

Include your LinkedIn url and use the slide share function in your profile or upload it into the media section
Add a hyper link to your website
Take a hard copy of your fancy CV with you to the interview
Keep an updated copy of your CV on your phone. You never know when you will need it.

The most important goal is for your resume to be easily retrievable. This is when dull not dazzling works in your favour. Resumes don’t get you jobs – interviews do and what you need is the opportunity to shine in person.

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