I used to know what kind of job I was going for. Now everything has changed and I’ve several ideas why:
We need a leader who will engage other leaders and provide leadership opportunities for other leaders to lead and make our company a leader.
You must be self-directed (but management will ride you every step)
Facilitate equals do it by yourself, no-one is around for help or guidance.
Participate is always a good one. Participate means everyone has to leave their real work for several hours to hear a “leader” tell them about participation then have that person not follow through.
At least ten years experience. That means they’ll pay for one year experience.
We have distributed teams means you’ll be on the phone at 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. with India and London after working a 14-hour day and crawling into bed after a slice of pizza, only to get up and do it all over again in two hours.
We want someone to foster/mentor. No. Cutting costs is the issue. Manage deliverables, that’s your job.
Galvanizing force/change agent. Never happens. That’s a trick to get somewhat smart people to bite the hook. Really smart people don’t bite. I’ve been a change agent and right now would rather be a free fish.
We want you on our team. We’ll call you, interview you, perhaps have lunch with you but we don’t have any jobs right now and can’t afford to hire you so may call you if we have an opening in a few months.
I can’t tell you the kicker, because if I did I’d have to kill you (kidding of course). I think when pen and paper, ink and paper went away the world was a different place. We only had a few resumes to send out and only knew about a few jobs that were open. I believe it was a more honest society. If I have to type the resume and attach references it takes a lot of work.
That would mean that if I get the job the employer is somewhat invested in me and everything may go well. Now one applies online, and may be hired that way, perhaps with a phone interview. It’s no wonder there’s no personal investment either way.
My grandmother (my husband’s grandmother as I never had one) said it would be OK for us to marry if I made sure he got a job for 50 years and a gold watch at the end of his career. I said to dear Nanny that the world doesn’t work that way anymore and your grandson is in software. God bless her, she now has learned to shop online and my husband has assured that she has an Apple so his “tech calls” are now few.
Nanny and my mother both knew stenography. My story is one of the private sector, not even government. That would be another story, another day. Take care and beware the NSA every day, Dee
