Plan your work and work your plan.”
I think I first heard those words almost twenty five years ago. I was involved in the Amway business and basic principles of success were constantly taught as a way of helping you see beyond the reality of your current existence. Amway and other multi-level market organizations were often cited as income opportunities that could enable one to get beyond their “personal matrix” or maze. Remember, the maze or “rut” you may think you are in is simply a condition of your mind. This may sound like an oversimplification. But, you can not change the condition of anything, including getting out of the maze, until you change the state of your thinking. Thinking you will never get out of the maze will doom you to live in the maze eternally.
The mantras used to remind people to be motivated were essential tools in the transformation of one’s mind from one of failure – “Will I ever get out of the maze?” to one of success – “What maze?”. Mantras like “fake it until you can make it”, “receive it and believe it and you can achieve it”, or “winners never quit and quitters never win” were nice sound bites of philosophy that had much deeper meaning. “Plan your work and work your plan” is like that. Several things should be pointed out as this simple but powerful phrase is broken down.
First, the statement assumes a PLAN is in place. Do you currently have a plan? What is involved in having a plan? Have you set goals and put measureable milestones to those goals? Are the goals realistic? In other words, have you prepared or intend to prepare in terms of cultivating skills, talents, and abilities to meet those goals? Are you willing to put in the effort (i.e. work hard) to achieve the goals?
Second, the statement assumes the plan is YOUR plan. Have you taken ownership of the goal? Do you understand WHY the goal is important to you? Are you pursuing something you are truly passionate about or have you decided to do something out of convenience or at the bequest of someone else? Is it truly YOUR plan?
Third, the statement assumes you will WORK. Nothing has ever been accomplished by dreaming and leaving it in the dream state. The dream eventually has to equate to action. Have you taken your dream and started on the road (even if you are taking baby steps) to the fulfillment of those dreams? If you have not started the work, how will the goal ever be accomplished? When you look at the statement in its entirety, “Plan your work and work your plan” is about you making the most out of your time, talent, and ability. I will borrow a very simple plan of success from a dear friend and brother, who also happens to be my cousin.
Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.
And, don’t quit.
If you follow these simple rules, you will have a basic formula for success in all of your endeavors and the reality of being confined to the maze will be a distant memory.
“Plan your work and work your plan.”
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Let's Get A Job !
Back in the 70’s I grew up watching a game show titled, “Let’s Make a Deal”. The basic premise of the game was to choose the “right” door to win fantastic prizes. Choose the wrong door and you go home with nothing or something you couldn’t give away. Today’s show “Deal or No Deal” is similar but instead of three doors you have many boxes. Fundamentally they are both the same.
Living inside the maze is akin to playing a game. It’s not quite like “Let’s Make a Deal”, but there are elements of the maze that make it very much like a game. The task is simple – choose the right path and get out, choose the wrong path and wander aimlessly around for infinity with no way to get out.
The game is supposed to have an outcome, which you can influence. That is, there should be a winner, a loser, a method for keeping score and you should be able to influence the ultimate destiny through choices. The game should have rules and there should be some mechanism for enforcing the rules and governing what happens inside the maze. Does the maze have a keeper? Who oversees the activity of the maze? As I ponder these things, I am reminded of what I felt many years ago while in the attempt to pursue my life’s work. It was necessary for me to find a job. Jobs are a type of maze and one of the chief players in the game of “Job” is the recruiter. Have you ever dealt with a recruiter who seemed to possess equal parts crypt keeper, magician, and comedian? I think I did once and it made the experience of the maze seem every bit like a game. Let me take you back to a time in my life when I left one maze only to embark upon seeking another one.
I was looking for life after Enron. I believed life after Enron existed and I thought I would find it, but I was caught in the abyss of unemployment – the black hole of a dwindling bank account, limited resources, and no sight of a maze on the horizon. I was simply “in between jobs”.
But I held on to the notion that there is life after Enron and I would find it.
Ken Lay has passed – may he rest in peace. Jeff Skilling is living in another type of gated community complete with barbed wire, a personal 24 hour security staff, and neighbors who probably have aliases like “Big Papa,” “Baby Boy,” or “Slick”. As for me, I have landed in several other mazes since then, but none of them have taken me out to the yellow brick road of total fulfillment where my talents and abilities intersect with opportunity. The ultimate yellow brick road will lead to fulfillment in the work I do, at a livable, reasonable salary, and a sense I am contributing something positive to the world.
When you are in caught in the maze and your mindset has been conditioned to believe there is nothing outside of the maze, you believe a job is the sole source of producing an income and the essential ingredient for fulfillment. The maze defines your existence.
Living outside the maze is to avert the trap of the notion that a job is the ultimate maze.
There was a time in my life that I believed a job was the ultimate. Sometimes, even when I don’t think I believe it still, I still fight the comfort zone of being in the maze. It was that comfort zone that kept me looking for a job at a time when I might have considered pursuing other interests.
Do you continue to look for jobs when a career or life calling is knocking at your door? Have you decided not to open door number three when it beckons you like a voice from your past constantly in your ear?
I think I have done that.
In fact, the job market is downright scary, and that’s typical even if you don’t have to look for one. After spending over twenty five years in corporate America in various positions and companies, I am convinced there are organizations in this country that do not “get it” regarding hiring, retention, and nurturing of employees. Business is brutal sometimes and the commodity, employees, is expendable in most cases. Nevertheless, the goal of producing an income stream is essential and a job is one way to do it. Thus, I continued to look for a job, as many others often do. I was looking for a job when I should have been looking for an opportunity.
The maze does not have to define a job. The maze is what you make it when you realize you are not bound by it.
Let me take you to the game…
Several years ago I responded to a letter I received from one of the local organizations involved in assisting people with gaining employment. I responded gleefully to the opportunity and I set up an appointment to discuss my situation with a counselor. I was requested to come to the career center for a two-day workshop on job search and resume preparation. Trust me, I needed the help. But, I was not quite prepared for what I experienced over the course of the next two days.
I’m wondered at times if I was sane. I felt fine. I did not have any outward signs of diminished capacity—no runny nose, slob in the corner of my mouth or the glazed looked of a person on high doses of chemical substances. And, I did not fiddle my fingers over my lips while making that silly blip, blip, blip noise. There were days when I felt like that, though. However, on that particular day as I sat across the desk from my career counselor, who did not appear incapacitated but was in a small “Dilbert-like” cubicle with a door and a roof, I began to ponder my fate, again, in the pursuit of corporate America.
Does the person who is unemployed, err “between projects,” suddenly become less intelligent, less skilled, less aggressive, and less worthy than a person with a job?
I know for a fact it is easier to get a date, when you have a boyfriend/girlfriend. And, unfortunately, I know it is easier for some married folks to pursue other (ahem, Please excuse me.) “opportunities” while being married. Furthermore, if you can prove you don’t need credit, then, it is easier to obtain credit. If you have money, you attract money. And, I have often heard it is easier to get a job while you have a job. You know what I am talking about.
I think there is some truth to all of those, especially the job part.
I don’t want to be misunderstood or appear ungrateful. There were some key elements to the workshop that I found helpful. However, I will discuss some elements of the workshop to illustrate why I suspected a personal bout of temporary insanity.
Upon arrival at the career center, I greeted the receptionist and I took a seat in a room that had a typical waiting room look to it. The chairs were cramped and close together, there was one vending machine, which appeared to have six-month old snacks in it, and all of the people in the room looked like they were sorely in need of an income source. I’m not “hating,” Ebonically (Is that a word?) speaking, as I was in the room too! I felt like I was in an office applying for public assistance. But then again, looking for a job is probably not much different. I must admit, I started to understand a little bit about the “counseling” I was soon to get.
After waiting approximately thirty minutes, all of the job seekers were ushered into a conference room and we received a thirty-minute orientation on the program and what to expect. I was the only former Enron person in the group, which meant I gained immediate sympathy from one person in the group—the person sitting next to me. As tragic as the Enron situation had been, there is still a segment of the population that felt Enron people were arrogant, overpaid, and got what they deserved. I was told that on several occasions, which was unfortunate. And, I think I was in the room with some of them. But, that is another story.
We were required to fill out the requisite forms—I9, job application, and information retrieval disclaimer for background checking--reference, education, credit history, etc. Upon completion of the forms, I was taken to the office of my counselor for another meeting.
It was at this point that I started to feel a little bit funny. The last time I had this feeling was at the doctor’s office, and my doctor requested the nurse to bring him some lubricant. Some things are necessary.
Let the games begin! I was starting to feel like a contestant in “Lets Get A Job.” The goal, or objective of the game, is for me to feel a sense of worth, gain insight, get more aggressive, and acquire specific skills for getting and retaining a job, which by the way, may not necessarily make sense, but they achieve the objective. Have you ever done anything that on the surface did not appear to make sense or be comfortable (remember the doctor’s office), but it produced positive results?
Are any of you married? Okay, I’ll stop, but I want to be clear.
Win the game, get a job. However, you lose the game, you will be back at the career center, a lot. I think I know the real incentive for the game.
Monty Hall, err I mean, Mr. Smith (not his real name) seemed pleasant. He gave me his background, which included an undergraduate economics degree from Connecticut, career at Shell Oil, and a stint in entrepreneurship with executive recruiting. After tiring of the business world, Mr. Smith decided to pursue an opportunity in the non-profit world and he accepted a position with a United Way agency. In my mind, his credentials fit the job function he held and I started to develop some confidence that he could help me. We discussed my aspirations, where I had been and what types of roadblocks I had been facing.
Then, he hit me with the first punch smack dab in the mouth.
“Mr. Brown, I think I know what your problem is.” And, I responded, “Really, what is it?”
Mr. Smith, said, “It’s your resume.”
Boom! I heard the Star Spangled Banner playing, fireworks exploded, and I almost thought I had seen a sign of the Apocalypse, but his office was too small. So, I just sat there in utter awe and with a little bit of disdain. I felt my eyebrow raising and the first signs of the poker face were becoming manifest. I can get a blank look too and it doesn’t require high doses of drugs!
My resume I thought. I had reduced it to three pages. I am on the ten thousandth revision of my resume and I have multiple versions, including a two-page version! What is wrong with my resume this time? Anyone who has seen my resume would know immediately of what Mr. Smith spoke. But, according to Mr. Smith, the latest resume was too long, and no one wants to read a long resume. (He alluded to the premise that the resume was "Enronized," which meant it worked well within Enron, as the glowing language indicated, but the outside world was not interested in ALL the accomplishments or stuff, if you will.) I agreed with him eventually. The reality is resumes are scanned manually or electronically for a short time. Machines have limited reading capacity. Some people have limited reading capacity or reading time. Some people in hiring positions can’t really read. When are the resumes actually read anyway?
So, the first order of business was to redo my resume.
Behind door number one, there will be a one-page resume, which will not tell a potential employer anything about you really, but because it is easier to read, you may have a better chance at an interview.
What? Did I understand that correctly? Less is actually better. I am thinking about posting a resume on a web site with my objective, job titles, and years of employment-- no descriptions, no skills, no education, no certifications, no nothing except titles and years. Do you suppose anyone will read it?
Sorry, I am a little perturbed by the premise. We live in a society that craves information, yet no one wants to read or listen for too long. You can’t see everything? Burn all of the televisions! How the &^%$#@^* does anyone learn anything in America? Are you still with me? I don’t mean to offend and I hope you are still reading this!
After I recovered from the staggering blow to my ego and writing skills, Mr. Smith proceeded with the workshop material. We developed my marketing skills statement, which is the equivalent of a sound bite—a brief three or four sentence account about what I can do. We covered how to complete a job application, write an effective cover letter, and how to use the telephone directory to search for opportunities. We discussed using the Internet and interview skills. We did most of this in about two hours. I listened intently and Mr. Smith spoke with purpose. I tried not to interrupt him with irrelevant questions. Most of the information was review for me. But, some tidbits caught my attention.
Wham! Mr. Smith hit me again! This time, all of my sensibilities were shaken like a punch-drunk boxer fighting for meal money. I will not claim it was an uppercut, but the impact was similar.
Did you know when completing a job application, you should stay between the lines with the writing?
Yes. I understand your reaction. It’s not coloring books--it’s a job application! The last time I checked the boxes are so small if you stay within the lines you need to supply the reader with a magnifying glass to read the writing. If you have penmanship that uses a block letter style of writing, which is how I write, it is almost impossible to stay within the lines all of the time. You have to write really small to do it. I hope the reader’s bifocals have high- powered lenses. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. But, I realize now why I may have missed out on a number of job opportunities. I probably missed a box or two where I did not stay within the lines. Who knew? You may want to check with your current manager to determine if they received an “A” in kindergarten for “Coloring.” If they did, please don’t refer me for a job.
Behind door number two, there will be a coloring book, which will be a practice tool, because let’s face it, if you can not stay between the lines with your writing on a job application, you can not possibly be worthy of a position.
As I awoke from my kindergarten daydream and the uppercut, I think, that preceded it, I realized I was a full-grown adult and I was sitting in a room for three small people, two people were in the room, and I was the smallest. I’m thinking; let’s finish the work before the room gets any smaller. We proceeded to cover resume writing tips, job retention skills, and workplace etiquette. I completed an exercise reducing my resume to one page. The worksheet I used was given to one of Mr. Smith’s colleagues to type a draft version. I retained a copy of the worksheet for my personal use. I have a one-page resume today. Thank God! Mr. Smith had punched me twice, so to speak, but he helped me get up too.
After five hours spread over a two-day period, we completed a workshop that normally takes three days. I have attended some three-day workshops in the past. However, given the size of the facility, I don’t think three days would have been ideal. I was glad for the brevity.
During the resume writing tips session, I learned a tip, which similar to the “between the lines” tip caught me by surprise. Mr. Smith had struck again. He was going for the knock out blow.
Did you know people lie on their resumes? And, CEOs approve cooking the financial books and Martha Stewart allegedly made money from insider trading, and Enron is hiring people, and the cow jumped over the moon. Yes, yes, yes, yes, and no. I don’t really think a cow jumped over the moon. But, all of the other stuff seems pretty fairy tale like. Doesn’t it? No. Not really. Fact is making good non fiction and I am thinking about writing a book where we send some of these CEOs to the moon and replace them with cows.
There is a remedy for resume embellishing. Mr. Smith encourages signing your name at the bottom of the resume. A signature at the bottom of the resume is akin to endorsing a check. Your endorsement on a check is your word to pay money and your signature on a resume should attest to the truthfulness and accuracy of the information.
I’m sorry, but I am absolutely, positively, confused and perturbed. I am at a high level of pisstivity. (New word--pisstivity – to be highly perturbed.) Mr. Smith started me out by telling me that people don’t read resumes, but then, he wants me to sign something they really will not read. Am I the only one who doesn’t get this? I’m calling my mother!
Once again, I have to do something in response to an absurdity in America.
I once mused about corporate responsibility? I compared CEOs cooking books to people lying on resumes. If the leaders are lying, how can we expect the followers to do anything differently?
“If a chief executive officer tacitly approves the restatement of earnings or “cooking of the books,” or misappropriation of funds and other types of deception, how do I teach college students that cheating on tests is not right? Or, embellishing resumes is wrong? Or, selling faulty products is unethical? The business leaders are providing the worst types of examples and they really expect the situation to rectify itself in time? (Brown, 2002)”
Yes, people lie on resumes. People cheat on their taxes. For some, the question of survival in this world is more important than eternal life. The moral question does not enter the equation, or if it does, it truly is a dilemma.
However, all that withstanding, I thought the resumes were not really being read anyway???????
But, now I should sign my resume.
Behind door number three, there will be a Moral Compass (Brown, 2002), which will help you decide what to do in the case of the resume dilemma. I can not tell you what do to personally, but maybe a moral compass will help you. If the moral compass is good enough for CEOs, it should be good enough for the mere minions of the world. Right?
It was now time for me to choose a door and ride off into the sunset of the job seekers. The workshop was over and Mr. Smith thanked me for my time. I thanked him also and I felt I learned something from him. Hopefully, he learned something from me too.
He left me with a couple of words I think were not meant to offend, but for a moment, I felt a twinge of insult.
As I examined the source of my angst, I started to realize it was due to a couple of simple words that should have been meaningless in the whole scheme of things, but for some reason, the two words really stood out in my mind. I began to wonder if the person really wanted to work in my best interest, or if he was just doing his job. I have not completely decided which it is. But, I do know what I heard.
“Good luck.”
The tone did not have the sound of someone who had my best interests in mind. The sound had a certain “doom and gloom” quality about it. You may know the sound.
Try calling your local airlines, speak with an agent and request a round trip ticket to Constableville, New York. Pay close attention to how he or she closes the conversation.
Have you tried flying commercial to Constableville, New York?
You don’t. It’s a trip to Robert Frost’s grandmother’s house. Over the river and through the woods…-- you don’t get there easy. Take a plane, rent a car, drive 9 gazillion miles, and wait for an Amish horse and buggy rider, then, walk two miles down a dirt road. Then, you arrive.
I really felt bad for a moment. Then, it hit me.
Getting a job and keeping a job is just a game. It’s just another maze. “Lets Get A Job” is no different than “Lets Keep A Job.” I have been on both sides before. Maybe Mr. Smith did not really mean anything.
So, I guess a person who is “between projects” is still intelligent, skilled, aggressive, and worthy of a job. They just need to realize that it is a game. Most importantly, they need to realize that maybe they don’t have to play. I was looking for life after Enron, when I should have been looking for life outside the maze.
Shouldn’t I have been telling Mr. Smith, “Good luck”? After all, he was the one with the office where you could sit in the middle of the room, spin around, and touch every wall in the room.
And, I was going home to start the game again. Because, I chose door number four—the exit.
Find your “exit” today. Life outside the maze means having an exit strategy. What is your exit strategy?
===================================================================
Sources:
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. Does Crime Pay? -Vol. 2. Iss. 3. July 3, 2002.
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. The New Era of Corporate Responsibility?-Vol. 2. Iss. 6. July 9, 2002.
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. Let’s Get A Job – Vol. 3. Issu. 2, August 7, 2002.
Living inside the maze is akin to playing a game. It’s not quite like “Let’s Make a Deal”, but there are elements of the maze that make it very much like a game. The task is simple – choose the right path and get out, choose the wrong path and wander aimlessly around for infinity with no way to get out.
The game is supposed to have an outcome, which you can influence. That is, there should be a winner, a loser, a method for keeping score and you should be able to influence the ultimate destiny through choices. The game should have rules and there should be some mechanism for enforcing the rules and governing what happens inside the maze. Does the maze have a keeper? Who oversees the activity of the maze? As I ponder these things, I am reminded of what I felt many years ago while in the attempt to pursue my life’s work. It was necessary for me to find a job. Jobs are a type of maze and one of the chief players in the game of “Job” is the recruiter. Have you ever dealt with a recruiter who seemed to possess equal parts crypt keeper, magician, and comedian? I think I did once and it made the experience of the maze seem every bit like a game. Let me take you back to a time in my life when I left one maze only to embark upon seeking another one.
I was looking for life after Enron. I believed life after Enron existed and I thought I would find it, but I was caught in the abyss of unemployment – the black hole of a dwindling bank account, limited resources, and no sight of a maze on the horizon. I was simply “in between jobs”.
But I held on to the notion that there is life after Enron and I would find it.
Ken Lay has passed – may he rest in peace. Jeff Skilling is living in another type of gated community complete with barbed wire, a personal 24 hour security staff, and neighbors who probably have aliases like “Big Papa,” “Baby Boy,” or “Slick”. As for me, I have landed in several other mazes since then, but none of them have taken me out to the yellow brick road of total fulfillment where my talents and abilities intersect with opportunity. The ultimate yellow brick road will lead to fulfillment in the work I do, at a livable, reasonable salary, and a sense I am contributing something positive to the world.
When you are in caught in the maze and your mindset has been conditioned to believe there is nothing outside of the maze, you believe a job is the sole source of producing an income and the essential ingredient for fulfillment. The maze defines your existence.
Living outside the maze is to avert the trap of the notion that a job is the ultimate maze.
There was a time in my life that I believed a job was the ultimate. Sometimes, even when I don’t think I believe it still, I still fight the comfort zone of being in the maze. It was that comfort zone that kept me looking for a job at a time when I might have considered pursuing other interests.
Do you continue to look for jobs when a career or life calling is knocking at your door? Have you decided not to open door number three when it beckons you like a voice from your past constantly in your ear?
I think I have done that.
In fact, the job market is downright scary, and that’s typical even if you don’t have to look for one. After spending over twenty five years in corporate America in various positions and companies, I am convinced there are organizations in this country that do not “get it” regarding hiring, retention, and nurturing of employees. Business is brutal sometimes and the commodity, employees, is expendable in most cases. Nevertheless, the goal of producing an income stream is essential and a job is one way to do it. Thus, I continued to look for a job, as many others often do. I was looking for a job when I should have been looking for an opportunity.
The maze does not have to define a job. The maze is what you make it when you realize you are not bound by it.
Let me take you to the game…
Several years ago I responded to a letter I received from one of the local organizations involved in assisting people with gaining employment. I responded gleefully to the opportunity and I set up an appointment to discuss my situation with a counselor. I was requested to come to the career center for a two-day workshop on job search and resume preparation. Trust me, I needed the help. But, I was not quite prepared for what I experienced over the course of the next two days.
I’m wondered at times if I was sane. I felt fine. I did not have any outward signs of diminished capacity—no runny nose, slob in the corner of my mouth or the glazed looked of a person on high doses of chemical substances. And, I did not fiddle my fingers over my lips while making that silly blip, blip, blip noise. There were days when I felt like that, though. However, on that particular day as I sat across the desk from my career counselor, who did not appear incapacitated but was in a small “Dilbert-like” cubicle with a door and a roof, I began to ponder my fate, again, in the pursuit of corporate America.
Does the person who is unemployed, err “between projects,” suddenly become less intelligent, less skilled, less aggressive, and less worthy than a person with a job?
I know for a fact it is easier to get a date, when you have a boyfriend/girlfriend. And, unfortunately, I know it is easier for some married folks to pursue other (ahem, Please excuse me.) “opportunities” while being married. Furthermore, if you can prove you don’t need credit, then, it is easier to obtain credit. If you have money, you attract money. And, I have often heard it is easier to get a job while you have a job. You know what I am talking about.
I think there is some truth to all of those, especially the job part.
I don’t want to be misunderstood or appear ungrateful. There were some key elements to the workshop that I found helpful. However, I will discuss some elements of the workshop to illustrate why I suspected a personal bout of temporary insanity.
Upon arrival at the career center, I greeted the receptionist and I took a seat in a room that had a typical waiting room look to it. The chairs were cramped and close together, there was one vending machine, which appeared to have six-month old snacks in it, and all of the people in the room looked like they were sorely in need of an income source. I’m not “hating,” Ebonically (Is that a word?) speaking, as I was in the room too! I felt like I was in an office applying for public assistance. But then again, looking for a job is probably not much different. I must admit, I started to understand a little bit about the “counseling” I was soon to get.
After waiting approximately thirty minutes, all of the job seekers were ushered into a conference room and we received a thirty-minute orientation on the program and what to expect. I was the only former Enron person in the group, which meant I gained immediate sympathy from one person in the group—the person sitting next to me. As tragic as the Enron situation had been, there is still a segment of the population that felt Enron people were arrogant, overpaid, and got what they deserved. I was told that on several occasions, which was unfortunate. And, I think I was in the room with some of them. But, that is another story.
We were required to fill out the requisite forms—I9, job application, and information retrieval disclaimer for background checking--reference, education, credit history, etc. Upon completion of the forms, I was taken to the office of my counselor for another meeting.
It was at this point that I started to feel a little bit funny. The last time I had this feeling was at the doctor’s office, and my doctor requested the nurse to bring him some lubricant. Some things are necessary.
Let the games begin! I was starting to feel like a contestant in “Lets Get A Job.” The goal, or objective of the game, is for me to feel a sense of worth, gain insight, get more aggressive, and acquire specific skills for getting and retaining a job, which by the way, may not necessarily make sense, but they achieve the objective. Have you ever done anything that on the surface did not appear to make sense or be comfortable (remember the doctor’s office), but it produced positive results?
Are any of you married? Okay, I’ll stop, but I want to be clear.
Win the game, get a job. However, you lose the game, you will be back at the career center, a lot. I think I know the real incentive for the game.
Monty Hall, err I mean, Mr. Smith (not his real name) seemed pleasant. He gave me his background, which included an undergraduate economics degree from Connecticut, career at Shell Oil, and a stint in entrepreneurship with executive recruiting. After tiring of the business world, Mr. Smith decided to pursue an opportunity in the non-profit world and he accepted a position with a United Way agency. In my mind, his credentials fit the job function he held and I started to develop some confidence that he could help me. We discussed my aspirations, where I had been and what types of roadblocks I had been facing.
Then, he hit me with the first punch smack dab in the mouth.
“Mr. Brown, I think I know what your problem is.” And, I responded, “Really, what is it?”
Mr. Smith, said, “It’s your resume.”
Boom! I heard the Star Spangled Banner playing, fireworks exploded, and I almost thought I had seen a sign of the Apocalypse, but his office was too small. So, I just sat there in utter awe and with a little bit of disdain. I felt my eyebrow raising and the first signs of the poker face were becoming manifest. I can get a blank look too and it doesn’t require high doses of drugs!
My resume I thought. I had reduced it to three pages. I am on the ten thousandth revision of my resume and I have multiple versions, including a two-page version! What is wrong with my resume this time? Anyone who has seen my resume would know immediately of what Mr. Smith spoke. But, according to Mr. Smith, the latest resume was too long, and no one wants to read a long resume. (He alluded to the premise that the resume was "Enronized," which meant it worked well within Enron, as the glowing language indicated, but the outside world was not interested in ALL the accomplishments or stuff, if you will.) I agreed with him eventually. The reality is resumes are scanned manually or electronically for a short time. Machines have limited reading capacity. Some people have limited reading capacity or reading time. Some people in hiring positions can’t really read. When are the resumes actually read anyway?
So, the first order of business was to redo my resume.
Behind door number one, there will be a one-page resume, which will not tell a potential employer anything about you really, but because it is easier to read, you may have a better chance at an interview.
What? Did I understand that correctly? Less is actually better. I am thinking about posting a resume on a web site with my objective, job titles, and years of employment-- no descriptions, no skills, no education, no certifications, no nothing except titles and years. Do you suppose anyone will read it?
Sorry, I am a little perturbed by the premise. We live in a society that craves information, yet no one wants to read or listen for too long. You can’t see everything? Burn all of the televisions! How the &^%$#@^* does anyone learn anything in America? Are you still with me? I don’t mean to offend and I hope you are still reading this!
After I recovered from the staggering blow to my ego and writing skills, Mr. Smith proceeded with the workshop material. We developed my marketing skills statement, which is the equivalent of a sound bite—a brief three or four sentence account about what I can do. We covered how to complete a job application, write an effective cover letter, and how to use the telephone directory to search for opportunities. We discussed using the Internet and interview skills. We did most of this in about two hours. I listened intently and Mr. Smith spoke with purpose. I tried not to interrupt him with irrelevant questions. Most of the information was review for me. But, some tidbits caught my attention.
Wham! Mr. Smith hit me again! This time, all of my sensibilities were shaken like a punch-drunk boxer fighting for meal money. I will not claim it was an uppercut, but the impact was similar.
Did you know when completing a job application, you should stay between the lines with the writing?
Yes. I understand your reaction. It’s not coloring books--it’s a job application! The last time I checked the boxes are so small if you stay within the lines you need to supply the reader with a magnifying glass to read the writing. If you have penmanship that uses a block letter style of writing, which is how I write, it is almost impossible to stay within the lines all of the time. You have to write really small to do it. I hope the reader’s bifocals have high- powered lenses. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. But, I realize now why I may have missed out on a number of job opportunities. I probably missed a box or two where I did not stay within the lines. Who knew? You may want to check with your current manager to determine if they received an “A” in kindergarten for “Coloring.” If they did, please don’t refer me for a job.
Behind door number two, there will be a coloring book, which will be a practice tool, because let’s face it, if you can not stay between the lines with your writing on a job application, you can not possibly be worthy of a position.
As I awoke from my kindergarten daydream and the uppercut, I think, that preceded it, I realized I was a full-grown adult and I was sitting in a room for three small people, two people were in the room, and I was the smallest. I’m thinking; let’s finish the work before the room gets any smaller. We proceeded to cover resume writing tips, job retention skills, and workplace etiquette. I completed an exercise reducing my resume to one page. The worksheet I used was given to one of Mr. Smith’s colleagues to type a draft version. I retained a copy of the worksheet for my personal use. I have a one-page resume today. Thank God! Mr. Smith had punched me twice, so to speak, but he helped me get up too.
After five hours spread over a two-day period, we completed a workshop that normally takes three days. I have attended some three-day workshops in the past. However, given the size of the facility, I don’t think three days would have been ideal. I was glad for the brevity.
During the resume writing tips session, I learned a tip, which similar to the “between the lines” tip caught me by surprise. Mr. Smith had struck again. He was going for the knock out blow.
Did you know people lie on their resumes? And, CEOs approve cooking the financial books and Martha Stewart allegedly made money from insider trading, and Enron is hiring people, and the cow jumped over the moon. Yes, yes, yes, yes, and no. I don’t really think a cow jumped over the moon. But, all of the other stuff seems pretty fairy tale like. Doesn’t it? No. Not really. Fact is making good non fiction and I am thinking about writing a book where we send some of these CEOs to the moon and replace them with cows.
There is a remedy for resume embellishing. Mr. Smith encourages signing your name at the bottom of the resume. A signature at the bottom of the resume is akin to endorsing a check. Your endorsement on a check is your word to pay money and your signature on a resume should attest to the truthfulness and accuracy of the information.
I’m sorry, but I am absolutely, positively, confused and perturbed. I am at a high level of pisstivity. (New word--pisstivity – to be highly perturbed.) Mr. Smith started me out by telling me that people don’t read resumes, but then, he wants me to sign something they really will not read. Am I the only one who doesn’t get this? I’m calling my mother!
Once again, I have to do something in response to an absurdity in America.
I once mused about corporate responsibility? I compared CEOs cooking books to people lying on resumes. If the leaders are lying, how can we expect the followers to do anything differently?
“If a chief executive officer tacitly approves the restatement of earnings or “cooking of the books,” or misappropriation of funds and other types of deception, how do I teach college students that cheating on tests is not right? Or, embellishing resumes is wrong? Or, selling faulty products is unethical? The business leaders are providing the worst types of examples and they really expect the situation to rectify itself in time? (Brown, 2002)”
Yes, people lie on resumes. People cheat on their taxes. For some, the question of survival in this world is more important than eternal life. The moral question does not enter the equation, or if it does, it truly is a dilemma.
However, all that withstanding, I thought the resumes were not really being read anyway???????
But, now I should sign my resume.
Behind door number three, there will be a Moral Compass (Brown, 2002), which will help you decide what to do in the case of the resume dilemma. I can not tell you what do to personally, but maybe a moral compass will help you. If the moral compass is good enough for CEOs, it should be good enough for the mere minions of the world. Right?
It was now time for me to choose a door and ride off into the sunset of the job seekers. The workshop was over and Mr. Smith thanked me for my time. I thanked him also and I felt I learned something from him. Hopefully, he learned something from me too.
He left me with a couple of words I think were not meant to offend, but for a moment, I felt a twinge of insult.
As I examined the source of my angst, I started to realize it was due to a couple of simple words that should have been meaningless in the whole scheme of things, but for some reason, the two words really stood out in my mind. I began to wonder if the person really wanted to work in my best interest, or if he was just doing his job. I have not completely decided which it is. But, I do know what I heard.
“Good luck.”
The tone did not have the sound of someone who had my best interests in mind. The sound had a certain “doom and gloom” quality about it. You may know the sound.
Try calling your local airlines, speak with an agent and request a round trip ticket to Constableville, New York. Pay close attention to how he or she closes the conversation.
Have you tried flying commercial to Constableville, New York?
You don’t. It’s a trip to Robert Frost’s grandmother’s house. Over the river and through the woods…-- you don’t get there easy. Take a plane, rent a car, drive 9 gazillion miles, and wait for an Amish horse and buggy rider, then, walk two miles down a dirt road. Then, you arrive.
I really felt bad for a moment. Then, it hit me.
Getting a job and keeping a job is just a game. It’s just another maze. “Lets Get A Job” is no different than “Lets Keep A Job.” I have been on both sides before. Maybe Mr. Smith did not really mean anything.
So, I guess a person who is “between projects” is still intelligent, skilled, aggressive, and worthy of a job. They just need to realize that it is a game. Most importantly, they need to realize that maybe they don’t have to play. I was looking for life after Enron, when I should have been looking for life outside the maze.
Shouldn’t I have been telling Mr. Smith, “Good luck”? After all, he was the one with the office where you could sit in the middle of the room, spin around, and touch every wall in the room.
And, I was going home to start the game again. Because, I chose door number four—the exit.
Find your “exit” today. Life outside the maze means having an exit strategy. What is your exit strategy?
===================================================================
Sources:
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. Does Crime Pay? -Vol. 2. Iss. 3. July 3, 2002.
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. The New Era of Corporate Responsibility?-Vol. 2. Iss. 6. July 9, 2002.
Brown, Milton. The Milton Report. Let’s Get A Job – Vol. 3. Issu. 2, August 7, 2002.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Living or Existing
“Being in the maze and existing versus being outside of the maze and living is a choice you can make. It's up to you.”
I thought about these words Sunday night and I was made to ponder my current career choice. Am I doing what I was meant to do with my career? Am I making the best use of my skills, interests, and talents? Do I merely exist, or am I living to the fullness of my abilities?
Each of us on an individual basis, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, will have to address the questions I have posed above. The maze or “personal matrix”, as we defined it previously – a physical box with no way out and your destiny is not one you define, is the place where the questions of life are lived. However, it is not until you get outside the maze and become objective about who, where, and why you are, will “life outside the maze” become a reality. What is the point? The maze does not define you. Who you are is independent of the maze.
How do you get outside the maze?
Did you find yourself experiencing a bout of anxiety that comes with the imminent approach of Monday morning and the fade of Sunday evening as the weekend drew to a close?
Did you pay special attention to the clock as the weekend faded to black and you reminisced about all the fun you experienced during the weekend? (Or, if it was not a “fun” weekend, it was time away from the job.)
Why do you suppose you felt that way, if you did?
Being in the maze can create anxiety. Confinement or constriction of any type only serves to magnify our limitations, fears, or inhibitions. If you are not free in your mind, how can you be free?
Living outside the maze is an exercise in freeing your mind from the limitations, conventions and traditions the maze seeks to impose upon you. Living outside the maze is a continual effort to see beyond the walls – to embrace the possibility that exists, but is not apparent in the maze. Living outside the maze is simply about the right mental approach to living that is part of the daily cycle of life. Living outside the maze becomes the reality – not the perception.
In the days to follow, I’d like to take you a on a personal adventure where life outside the maze as seen through the eyes of a humble soul might help you “see” beyond the walls of your personal matrices.
Sunday nights will never be the same.
I thought about these words Sunday night and I was made to ponder my current career choice. Am I doing what I was meant to do with my career? Am I making the best use of my skills, interests, and talents? Do I merely exist, or am I living to the fullness of my abilities?
Each of us on an individual basis, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, will have to address the questions I have posed above. The maze or “personal matrix”, as we defined it previously – a physical box with no way out and your destiny is not one you define, is the place where the questions of life are lived. However, it is not until you get outside the maze and become objective about who, where, and why you are, will “life outside the maze” become a reality. What is the point? The maze does not define you. Who you are is independent of the maze.
How do you get outside the maze?
Did you find yourself experiencing a bout of anxiety that comes with the imminent approach of Monday morning and the fade of Sunday evening as the weekend drew to a close?
Did you pay special attention to the clock as the weekend faded to black and you reminisced about all the fun you experienced during the weekend? (Or, if it was not a “fun” weekend, it was time away from the job.)
Why do you suppose you felt that way, if you did?
Being in the maze can create anxiety. Confinement or constriction of any type only serves to magnify our limitations, fears, or inhibitions. If you are not free in your mind, how can you be free?
Living outside the maze is an exercise in freeing your mind from the limitations, conventions and traditions the maze seeks to impose upon you. Living outside the maze is a continual effort to see beyond the walls – to embrace the possibility that exists, but is not apparent in the maze. Living outside the maze is simply about the right mental approach to living that is part of the daily cycle of life. Living outside the maze becomes the reality – not the perception.
In the days to follow, I’d like to take you a on a personal adventure where life outside the maze as seen through the eyes of a humble soul might help you “see” beyond the walls of your personal matrices.
Sunday nights will never be the same.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
In the beginning there was a Maze...
and it was not mine.
What do I mean by that? I was part of a system of things that I did not help create, but merely existed as a pawn, or rat if you will, in a game or maze for which I had no control of my destiny. Sure, I could travel in any direction I chose; but, in the final analysis, I was caught in a box with no way out. I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, but I would not get out. If this were a movie and I looked like Keanu Reeves, it would be called "The Matrix".
Are you caught in your own personal matrix? I was and I did not know it, but the epiphany came when I was ceremoniously dismissed by Enron. Do you remember Enron? It was once the seventh largest corporation in America. Unfortunately, it was a "house of cards" - a sham company in an age where style was worth more than substance and "membership had its privileges". I was "dismissed" because the company went bankrupt and my job was not part of the strategic plan. It was the dismissal in December 2001 that started my thinking again about the possibility of life outside the maze. Did it really exist? Were there other individuals there too? Could I expect to find other intelligent life forms outside the maze? (Notice how I included myself in that group -- "intelligent life forms") What was life like outside the maze? I had not considered the possibility; but, December 2001 forced my hand.
As far back as I can remember, I believed there could be a life outside the maze. I was not adventuresome enough to seek it out. Rather, I had to have the maze I knew dismantled, which forced me to seek another maze. I never really considered the possibility that I could live outside the maze. As I once heard it said, "it was beyond my realm of possibility thinking." I think Rev. Robert H. Schuller (the elder Schuller) coined that phrase. It seems quite appropriate in this instance. I did not know what I did not know.
It is my desire over the course of the next few months or longer to give you a perspective of life outside the maze. How? It is simple.
The Maze is physical. It is not mental. The mental aspect of the maze means you can actually be wherever you want to be. You are not bound by your maze or "personal matrix". You are bound by the condition of your mind. Being in the maze and existing versus being outside of the maze and living is a choice you can make. It's up to you.
What do I mean by that? I was part of a system of things that I did not help create, but merely existed as a pawn, or rat if you will, in a game or maze for which I had no control of my destiny. Sure, I could travel in any direction I chose; but, in the final analysis, I was caught in a box with no way out. I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, but I would not get out. If this were a movie and I looked like Keanu Reeves, it would be called "The Matrix".
Are you caught in your own personal matrix? I was and I did not know it, but the epiphany came when I was ceremoniously dismissed by Enron. Do you remember Enron? It was once the seventh largest corporation in America. Unfortunately, it was a "house of cards" - a sham company in an age where style was worth more than substance and "membership had its privileges". I was "dismissed" because the company went bankrupt and my job was not part of the strategic plan. It was the dismissal in December 2001 that started my thinking again about the possibility of life outside the maze. Did it really exist? Were there other individuals there too? Could I expect to find other intelligent life forms outside the maze? (Notice how I included myself in that group -- "intelligent life forms") What was life like outside the maze? I had not considered the possibility; but, December 2001 forced my hand.
As far back as I can remember, I believed there could be a life outside the maze. I was not adventuresome enough to seek it out. Rather, I had to have the maze I knew dismantled, which forced me to seek another maze. I never really considered the possibility that I could live outside the maze. As I once heard it said, "it was beyond my realm of possibility thinking." I think Rev. Robert H. Schuller (the elder Schuller) coined that phrase. It seems quite appropriate in this instance. I did not know what I did not know.
It is my desire over the course of the next few months or longer to give you a perspective of life outside the maze. How? It is simple.
The Maze is physical. It is not mental. The mental aspect of the maze means you can actually be wherever you want to be. You are not bound by your maze or "personal matrix". You are bound by the condition of your mind. Being in the maze and existing versus being outside of the maze and living is a choice you can make. It's up to you.
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