Guest Post: Jonathan Yen

Jonathan Yen is another of my students. Here he writes about what's on pretty much everyone's mind at one point or another: how to get a job.

       More often than not, when we find ourselves looking for a job whether it is a IT job or any other job, we commonly faced with a multitude of questions of trying to figure out if the job and company is really the right one for us. To help in the processes I’ve accumulated a step through of top tips to help find the kinds of companies one would want to work for and how to get the job interview.

1)     Figure out what it is that really want out of both work and life.  

What is it you really want to do that can make use you your passion, skill set and beliefs. Something you can imagine yourself doing for enjoyment and not for the monitory reward.

2)    
Narrow down and focus on defining the job you really want.

Research, network and find jobs that allow you to fully utilize the traits you worked out in the first step. Take a look again at your ideal job and see re-evaluate your options, the job your looking for could be simpler than you imagine.

3)     
Research and come up with companies that have positions that meet your ideal position.

Create a list of all possible companies with positions that meet your ideal criteria’s in the regions you would you like to work.

4)     
Evaluate the companies that have your ideal position.

Do specific research on the companies you have selected from your list in step three and find out if it is a company you would like to work for. Check to see if they treat their employees the way you would want them to be treated and if it is somewhere you can image yourself working and being happy there.

5)     
Prepare for the application process

Take the time to prepare for a resume, portfolio or any other additional pieces that are needed to help make the application process as smooth as possible. Also prepare for the possibility of an interview or even a 30 second pitch. Preparation is key to success; not getting caught off guard or unable to thoughtfully answer a question.

6)     
Make direct contact with decision making personal rather than the company.

When contacting a company in regards to your ideal position, try to find a contact within the company that can make decisions rather than addressing your application to HR in general. This allows for you to directly present yourself to them opposed to having a HR recruiter present you up the corporate ladder. This gives you the ability to fully express yourself in person to someone who actually can make a decision. Even if the job is not open, it still gives you the opportunity to express your interest in them and that you are in essence selecting this company and job as your ideal position. 

7)     
Intern if possible.

Intern is a great way to hone in on the skills and qualifications needed for your ideal position. Once you have your foot in the door it gives you the opportunity to demonstrate what you can do for the company in terms of work and in terms of their culture.

[1]

So once you know what it is you want to do and the ideal job, best place to start looking according to job-hunt.org is:

a.       “Finding Employer Websites

b.      Finding Jobs on the Employer Website

c.       Associations and Alumni Groups

d.      Job Sites

e.       Ads

f.        Recruiters/Staffing firms”[2]

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[1] http://www.quintcareers.com/job-hunting_secrets.html

[2] http://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml

Guest Post: Tien-Shih Chen

Gavin Chen is one of my students. Here are a few of his thoughts on what many consider to be the least important part of their day:

When people think of bad meetings, the first thing that comes into their mind is “wasting time”. However, according to Steve Kaye, a leadership expert, “Bad meetings waste a fortune. My surveys show that companies waste almost 20% of their payroll on bad meetings.”[1] It is true that bad meetings not only waste time but also reduce productivity, and further affect the payroll insidiously. Hence, there is no doubt that good and effective meetings are critical to firms.

“How to run a meeting like Google” [2] is an article from BusinessWeek. The author, Carmine Gallo, interviewed with Marissa Mayer, Google’s VP of search products, who holds about 70 meetings a week. Google is well-known for its creative culture, so there must be some tips that are worth a try. I consider the 3 major points Marissa mentions are extremely critical of running an effective meeting:

1. Set a firm agenda
A clear and precise agenda is essential to an effective meeting. A well-designed agenda can save people a lot of time and guide attendees in the correct direction of the meeting.

·      2. Stick to the clock

It’s pretty obvious; don’t waste time and focus on the schedule. However, I don’t know for sure if I like the idea of a giant clock, because the clock may put too much pressure on some people. Sometimes, haste makes waste!

·      3. Assign a note-taker.

It’s a good idea to keep everybody on the same page during a meeting. Also, the notes are excellent for people who miss the meeting or for attendees who just want to review.

Also, I truly like the rule “Discourage politics, use data.” The master of management, Peter Drucker says, “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” A data-oriented meeting means that decisions are made based on real data and customer feedback, not just personal preferences.

Besides the advice from Marissa, I would like to add a key concept that I learned from Public Speaking taught by Professor Chris Labash:

Do we REALLY need a meeting?

Prior to deliberate how to run an effective meeting, people should ask themselves the most important question: do we really need a meeting? Any unnecessary meeting is literally inefficient.

Generally speaking, the article is worth a read to get some ideas on how Google-style meetings operate.

[1] http://stevekaye.com

[2] http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2006/sb20060927_259688.htm