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Management Meeting – Focus Groups‘Invest in Your Career’

Jeff Goldman and Harlan Cohen2-04-02

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Objectives

Use Study GroupsRemove Job Search Roadblocks

Reduce Duplication of Effort

Focus on Industries and Job Functions

Build Business Relationships Report Results at the Management Meeting Structure the Job Search It’s Still Your Job Search

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Initial Study Groups

Meet Prior to Mgt Meeting in Room 1, 9:00 am Mondays

Mfg.

Mkt’ing, HR, etc.

IS/IT

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Remove Job Search Roadblocks

The Study Group works to offer encouraging solutions to job search roadblocks

Bring problems to Management Meeting when an answer is not forthcoming within a study group.

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Reduce Duplication of Effort

Collect and share corporate research. Reduce the ratio of calls and letters to

responses (150:20) by getting corporate research done first and reducing dead-end targets.

Rotate leadership & roles.

JG

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Initial Breakout Group Objectives

Goals Learn more about each other to share more

effectively Share Company Research to be more productive Obtain meetings with company leadership to network

more effectively Resume Exchange Plan How to Research and Evaluate Accept Responsibilities for the following meeting

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What’s Your Criteria?

Job leads and informational interview contact exchange

Industry profiles, growth prospects

Company background, growth prospects, hiring practices and culture

Career Development and training news

Job Postings Website Links and other

Resources

Salary and Benefit trends New networking strategies Finding hidden jobs in new

fields (editorial jobs in web content)

News that affects the job search (laws impacting jobs, job cuts)

Tips for the job seeker from the employer to differentiate you

JG

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Brainstorming

What is Brainstorming? Brainstorming is a method for developing creative solutions to

problems. It works by focusing on a problem, and then deliberately coming up with as many deliberately unusual solutions as possible and by pushing the ideas as far as possible. One approach to brainstorming is to 'seed' the session with a word pulled randomly from a dictionary. This word as a starting point in the process of generating ideas.

During the brainstorming session there is no criticism of ideas - the idea is to open up as many possibilities as possible, and break down preconceptions about the limits of the problem.

Once this has been done the results of the brainstorming session can be analysed and the best solutions can be explored either using further brainstorming or more conventional solutions.

http://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html

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How to Brainstorm The following rules are important to brainstorming successfully:

A leader should take control of the session, initially defining the problem to be solved with any criteria that must be met, and then keeping the session on course. He or she should encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among brainstormers and encourage participation by all members of the team. The session should be announced as lasting a fixed length of time, and the leader should ensure that no train of thought is followed for too long. The leader should try to keep the brainstorming on subject, and should try to steer it towards the development of some practical solutions.

Participants in the brainstorming process should come from as wide a range of disciplines with as broad a range of experience as possible. This brings many more creative ideas to the session.

Brainstormers should be encouraged to have fun brainstorming, coming up with as many ideas as possible, from solidly practical ones to wildly impractical ones in an environment where creativity is welcomed.

Ideas must not be criticised or evaluated during the brainstorming session. Criticism introduces an element of risk for a group member in putting forward an idea. This stifles creativity and cripples the free running nature of a good brainstorming session.

Brainstormers should not only come up with new ideas in a brainstorming session, but should also 'spark off' from associations with other people's ideas and develop other peoples ideas.

A record should be kept of the session either as notes or a tape recording. This should be studied subsequently for evaluation. It can also be helpful to jot down ideas on a board which can be seen by all brainstormers.

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Research Companies, Leaders, and Industry Individuals research one or more companies

and returns with information for the group Industry

An Executive Summary (see Value Line) Industry Associations from which to obtain leads

Company Financials and Competition SWOT Culture Leadership -- name and title of at least one

individual important to the study group Classification -- A Star or a Dog?

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Market

Growth

? Star

DogCash Cow

Market Share

Classification and Study Group Follow Up Present Research within

group Evaluate companies as

Targets for Marketing Effort

Request Meeting (s) Individual Informational

Interviews Or Structured Focus Group

with Company Participant, leading to Informational Interviews

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SWOT Analysis To carry out a SWOT Analysis write down answers to the following questions: Strengths:

What are your advantages? What do you do well?

Consider this from your own point of view and from the point of view of the people you deal with. Don't be modest, be realistic. If you are having any difficulty with this, try writing down a list of your characteristics. Some of these will hopefully be strengths!

Weaknesses: What could be improved? What is done badly? What should be avoided?

Again this should be considered from an internal and external basis - do other people perceive weaknesses that you don't see? Do your competitors do any better? It is best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

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SWOT Analysis (2) Opportunities

Where are the good chances facing you? What are the interesting trends?

Useful opportunities can come from such things as: Changes in technology and markets on both a broad and narrow scale Changes in government policy related to your field Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes, etc. Local Events

Threats What obstacles do you face? What is your competition doing? Are the required specifications for your job, products or services changing? Is changing technology threatening your position? Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems?

Carrying out this analysis is will often be illuminating - both in terms of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into perspective.

http://www.mindtools.com/swot.html

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PMI - Plus/Minus/Interesting

What is PMI? PMI stands for 'Plus/Minus/Interesting'. It is a valuable development (by

Edward de Bono) of the 'pros and cons' technique used for centuries. PMI is a basic decision making tool. When you are facing a difficult decision, simply draw up a table headed up 'Plus', 'Minus', and 'Interesting'. In the column underneath the 'Plus' heading, write down all the positive points of taking the action. Underneath the 'Minus' heading write down all the negative effects. In the 'Interesting' column write down the extended implications of taking the action, whether positive or negative.

Scoring your PMI table You may be able to make a decision just from the table you have drawn up.

Alternatively, consider each of the points you have written down and assign a positive or negative score to each appropriately. The scores you assign can be entirely subjective. Once you have done this, add up the score. A strongly positive score indicated that an action should be taken, a strongly negative score that it should be avoided.

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PMI Example Should I move to the big city?

Plus Minus Interesting --------------------------------------------------------------------- More going on Have to sell my Easier to find a new job? (+5) house (-6) (+1) Easier to see More pollution Meet more people? (+2) my friends (+5) (-3) Less space (-3) Difficult to get work done?(-

4) No countryside (-2) Easier to get More difficult to get to work? places (+3) (-4) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 -14 -5

= - 6 Total = -6 - I'm happier living just outside the city.

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Industry – Packaging Machinery SIC 3565 Supplies to $100 Billion US Market $4.8 Billion in 2000, 8.8% compound annual growth ’96-’00 690 Companies, largely small and medium 40% Employment in OH, WI, CA, MN Exports declining, -1.8% ’96-’00, (strong dollar?) Partnering and forming Consortia to supply complete packaging

lines Factors driving demand

Tracks with the mfg. base Replacement to improve production and efficiency before current

equipment effectively obsolete New product introductions can require new packaging equipment or

systems. US Industry and Trade Outlook 2000

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Company Research

Bulk of Revenue from subassembly market 700 Employees $100 Million Sales 2.5% - 10% International SIC’s Served

3559 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical mfg. equipment 3842 Medical 2839 Pharmaceutical 3678 Electronics

Corptech Directory of Technology Companies

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What do you think?

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Report Results at Management Meeting Each group reports issues and results to

Mgt. Meeting Questions and issues can be brought to

developers Each group shares successful strategies

as well as results Keep reports brief

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Publish the Stars

Success Stories for the Management Meeting

Collection of Researched Companies for examination and update

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Build Business Relationships

Within the Group and For the Group Effective Sales and Marketing Positive Mental Attitude Vision of a Desired Future Acquire Good Information Enthusiasm Focus on what can be managed or controlled. Plan Your Work. Work Your Plan.

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Bring Inventiveness Into Search

Be Creative Brainstorm Strategies Respect Each Other’s Ideas

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Still Accountable for Your Own Job Search Program is not meant to de-emphasize the

importance of doing your own job search It is designed to be a way to make the job

search process more effective especially in tough times.

The more you put into this process, the more you will get back.

JG