Employers are looking for indicators of passion and enthusiasm in potential employees. If you can demonstrate these qualities, you will achieve an advantage over other candidates who are simply interested in a “job.” How do you demonstrate these qualities to a recruiter?

• Participate in the industry – Most industries have formal associations who gather regularly to share information. Become a member; in most cases, student rates are inexpensive and an excellent investment in your future success. Most have conferences and other gatherings that will provide you with the opportunity to meet like-minded people. You will learn the latest practices. These events will also give you the opportunity to network and inquire where the high-growth areas are and where there is a need. You can find out about these events through industry associations, Web sites and periodicals.

• Become informed – Be a regular reader of industry magazines, periodicals and Web sites. This will keep you up-to-date on the latest trends. The more inside information that you have about a profession, the better prepared you will be for your interview. You will be able to impress a potential employer if you can talk well about industry trends or articles. Many of these publications also have advertisements for companies who are seeing employees.

• Develop your soft skills – In today’s world, it’s not enough to simply be knowledgeable about your area. Today most employees work in teams where effective social skills and teamwork are essential qualities. Those who are not successful in interpersonal interactions will not achieve career success.

• Ask for the job – Make it very clear that you want to work for your preferred organization. Take the time to research the organization so that you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge of the company’s history, products, clients and successes. Find out about the company’s values so that you can highlight how your values coincide. Identify the skills that will make you a good match for the company.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• Toyota is known as a company that has risen quickly to be a giant in the automobile industry. In “Strategic Deployment: How to Think Like Toyota” [IndustryWeek, 256(11), pp. 34-37, November, 2007, www.industryweek.com], Jill Jusko discusses a management system called “hoshin kanri” that helps Toyota remain competitive year after year. Hoshin planning gives manufacturers a clear idea of where they are going and how to get there. Jusko covers key hoshin elements, as well as planning that is driven by vision translated into tangible and measurable objectives for achieving the breakthroughs.

• Many wealthy individuals are involved in philanthropy. In “The Most Elite Club in the World” [BusinessWeek, #4060, pp. 45-48, 26 November 2007, www.businessweek.com], Ali McConnon examines this exclusive club, whose members come from 68 of the wealthiest families in 22 countries. In a similar vain, FORTUNE published an article about Melinda Gates entitled, “The $100 Billion Woman” [FORTUNE, 157(1), pp. 44-57, 21 January 2008, www.fortune.com]. The article provides many new insights into the lifestyle of Bill and Melinda Gates and the philanthropic work that they do.

• An effective succession plan must be reviewed and revised regularly. In “Implementing Your Succession” [Training and Development, 61(11), pp. 54-58, November, 2007, www.astd.org/TD], Christee Atwood discusses six key elements of a good succession plan and provides a list of 10 pitfalls to avoid. According to Atwood, a good succession plan according assesses your company’s leadership needs, determines key positions within your organization, and identifies the core competencies needed for those positions. Atwood provides a checklist for determining how the rollout of your succession planning is going.

• When an organization has made the decision to outsource, effective communication is essential to addressing employees’ concerns and ensuring business continuity. In “Taking the Pain out of Outsourcing: Developing a Comms Strategy” [Strategic Communication Management, 11(6), pp. 32-35, October/November, 2007, www.melcrum.com], Jennifer Tuck explains how a well-planned transition and communication strategy can assist in a successful outsourcing transition. Elements discussed include: building a change management team, guiding principles for the transition, creating a negotiation strategy, creating a change management strategy, communications, moving forward and keeping employees engaged. The author highlights five rules for achieving better employee communication during an outsourcing initiative.

• Many organizations are obsessively preoccupied with efficiency. In “No Innovation for You!” [CIO, 21(4), pp. 50-54, 15 November 2007, www.cio.com], Elana Varon interviews Gary Hamel, who blames obsolete management practices that focus on efficiency for failure to establish a culture of innovation. The interview provides interesting new insights on innovation that highlights the fringes of the Web, listening to the millennial generation, challenging dogma, understanding the early sights of shifts in technology, regulation and an understanding of the hidden or unarticulated needs of customers.

• “The Race is Not Always to the Richest” [The Economist, #8558, pp. 69-70, 8 December 2007, www.economist.com] provides an interesting perspective on the practice of wealthy countries investing money and political energy into education in an effort to impart the skills and knowledge needed in today’s globalized and competitive workplace. The article, based on studies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [www.oecdwash.org], explores the notion that “money and effort aren’t enough to impart the skills and knowledge needed in a cut-throat world.”

 

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