Don't Let 'Culture Shock' Keep You From Getting A Job

Portland, OR - March 24, 2009 - Many job-seekers may be unknowingly excluding themselves in the tight competition for available jobs by failing to show what they can bring immediately to a position, as well as setting themselves up for a potential "culture shock," according to OI Partners-Pathways (Portland), a global career transition and coaching firm.

In addition, companies now seeking or planning to hire employees may want to more closely examine how job candidates can immediately contribute, and how they fit into the current and anticipated future organizational culture, or business environment, according to Jean Erickson Walker, Executive Vice President of OI Partners-Pathways (Portland). http://www.oipartners.net/

There are two ways that applicants need to show potential employers how well they fit in - and for which companies should be screening, according to OI Partners-Pathways. These are:

- Fit in with immediate needs. "Businesses today want to know, and should determine, what candidates can bring immediately to a job. Can they bring in business now? Can they cut costs? Can they bring aboard skills that the employer is currently lacking, or anticipates needing in the short term?" asked Walker.

- Fit in with the employer's business culture. "Applicants are closely focusing on the best ways to present their skills and abilities to potential employers. But, they are often ignoring that they also need to demonstrate how well they would fit in with the company's business environment. In this poor economy, where there have been many layoffs, companies may want to hire applicants who can do the work of two people, or who are accustomed to having little administrative support. In addition, employers may want to hire people willing to work long hours," Walker added.

"Job applicants will not be able to show that they fit into the desired culture of the company unless they know what it is. And, they will not be hired unless they can communicate they fit in with the business environment as well as they can convey their qualifications," Walker said.

OI Partners provides these tips to both job candidates and companies on how they can get the best possible fit for jobs:


Job applicants should:

- Conduct research into the potential employer's recent business results, sales and earnings forecasts from the company and financial analysts, its management style, and human resources policies.

- Talk with as many people as possible until they can get an accurate assessment of what skills and abilities are most in demand now at the targeted employer, and what its business culture is.

- Communicate how they meet, and exceed, the immediate business needs in all phases of their contact with potential employers- resumes, cover letters, telephone interviews, personal interviews, and follow-up communication.

- Be as specific as possible about how their career achievements can help the potential employer right away.

- Demonstrate that they not only have the skills and abilities desired, but also match the company's business culture.


Employers should:

- Determine precisely what they want new hires to be able to work on as soon as they join the organization.

- Develop a short list of the two or three most critical goals and objectives they want new hires to achieve within their first six months on the job.

- Closely and objectively examine what type of business environment they have, and how well new employees will fit in. "Don't hire someone with an authoritarian management style into a laid-back, participatory environment, or someone unable to work without a lot of assistants into a do-it-yourself type of company," said Walker.

OI Partners Newsletter: Personal Branding

Personal Branding

March 2009

In this issue:

• The Power of a Personal Brand
• Do I Have a Brand and Where Did It Come From?
• Take Yourself from Brand X to You Inc.
• Personal Branding: Myths and Opportunities
• Five Ways Your Personal Brand Can Help You Get and Keep More Business

One of today's hottest topics in business is branding. Companies spend millions to brand themselves, their divisions, their products--and even their HR practices. The news is that employees are finding that branding is relevant for them as well, particularly in this economy in which finding and/or keeping a job is high on the minds of so many workers. Personal branding is a powerful career development and career acceleration technique. This edition of the OI Partners newsletter is devoted to exploring that idea.

Sincerely,
Ronald F. Ennis, Ph.D., CMF
Jean Erickson Walker, Ed.D., CMF

OI Partners Newsletter: Personal Branding Summary

The Power of a Personal Brand
At its core a "brand" is a locating mark. It separates the product you are looking for from all of the other similar products and allows you to do so quickly, correctly and repeatedly. And so it is with people....we all have personal "brands" too. Personal brands are the labels we use for ourselves, the labels others use to describe us. Your personal brand defines and differentiates you from all others in your competitive set. Your brand is your creation and it either helps to accelerate your career success or it keeps you squarely where you are.

Do I Have a Brand and Where Did It Come From?
A personal brand develops when multiple people see us in a particular way. When we are clearly known for something or known in a specific way, people begin to use descriptive language to convey that vision of us to others. Start thinking about your own brand and its relevance to your career aspirations by asking yourself the eight questions outlined here. You can shape your brand by choosing the language, the emphasis and focus of your personal brand statement.


Take Yourself from Brand X to You Inc.
If you think hard work and good fortune will be your yellow-brick paving stones to career success, you may already be living in fantasy land. Hard work is just table stakes in today's world and luck is too fickle to depend on. Your name has to stand for something more distinctive than worker bee in your boss's mind. Think of it as creating a brand for You Inc. We all carry labels and it's up to you to craft yours into a marketable brand.

Personal Branding: Myths and Opportunities
It is no doubt that a good leader and skilled communicator is an asset for an organization. But what happens when the skilled communicator becomes a brand along with that of the organization? In the ever-increasing list of things "brandable," one of the most talked about is personal branding - or the leader as a brand. Personal branding opens up for both opportunities and pitfalls, and at the same time leads to some special challenges where the individual brand becomes linked with the company brand itself.

Five Ways Your Personal Brand Can Help You Get and Keep More Business
Your personal brand is important in today's business climate. It is communicated through your physical presence, but your business tools, marketing efforts and office environment also can influence how people view your brand. When your essence is represented in all of your branding efforts, it will result in greater sales and career growth. Use these five tips to critique what message your personal brand is communicating so you can take the steps needed to consistently project a professional personal brand in every segment of your business.