Polly Pearson's Blog

Two New Ways Social Networking Can Hurt / Help Your Career

I see two new opportunities with regard to career management and social network participation emerging. One could hurt your career. The other could help.

The story unfolds in an email exchange between two of my colleagues below (names and job opening removed to protect those who shared!). 

To jump to the chase, here are the two new ways:

THE HURT:

Even in Web 2.0 savvy companies, too much Tweeting is not a good thing. 

Today was the second instance I've heard of managers being freaked out by people with tsunami-esque tweeting habits. 

Of course, you could argue, it should all boil down to whether the person can get the day job done well. That said, voluminous tweeting sends signals to your manager -- or a peer of yours who feels s/he's working harder than you are. The message you're sending to these people could be: "not enough to do." 

You might find this totally stupid, and having no indication on your ability to do your job. Just thought you should know: your Tweeting habits, if extreme, could make or break an opportunity for you.

TIP: When Tweeting during prime time for most of the workforce, consider the content of your tweets (95%+ professional and/or helpful to other professionals), the value of your tweets to your company (are they helping to build your company's brand while presumably building your own?), and the volume of your tweets (don't push it.)

THE HELP:

Pay career-minded attention to the internal profile you fill out about yourself. By now, most of us have written a LinkedIn profile.   At EMC, a profile that registers us to use an internal collaboration/social network, is starting to be used, unofficially, in internal talent search. 

As the story unfolds below, this little task of filling out your profile could be very strategic for your career.  Savvy managers are using such networks to search key words with the hope of finding key talent.  Are you making it easy or hard for opportunities inside of your company to find you?

TIP:  Spend a bit of time on your internal profile. Consider key words that summarize your skills and your passions (you never know, interests such as photography, music, or languages spoken could be relevant to a particular position).

-- I'll fall on my sword on this tip -- until I got the email below, I too have ignored this opportunity. --

---

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 1:53 PM
To:
Subject: story

 

My group looking to hire a xxxxxx ... on paper, one candidate looks to have the right experience ... tenure, technical and presentation skills, writing skills.

 

I've noticed one issue in the past with the candidate, however, and checked again today ... 40+ tweets in the past 24 hours ... that's a big red flag. That's an over-the-top what is wrong with this person red flag!

 

People who get involved in Social Media 2.0 need to be savvy enough to realize potential hiring managers might actually look at their online presence

_____________________________________________________________________

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:05 PM
To:

Subject: RE: story

At some point, in comes the question of "do you need something more to do at work if you have all that free time?"

 

It's definitely a challenge, and one I always advise folks of - especially when talking to Campus Hires, Interns, and participants who are not always familiar with that notion.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:43 PM
To:
Subject: RE: story

"do you need something more to do at work if you have all that free time?"

EXACTLY!

 

and speaking of Social Media 2.0 savvy ... or lack thereof ... people should ALWAYS post their picture on EMC ONE, title and a bit on what they do!

 

I look at some of these profiles on EMC ONE  ... and many profiles are junk.   I guess people love their jobs so much they never ever ever would consider the opportunity to join another group and get a promotion and new title.

 

jeez.

------------------------- Talk Back ----------------------------

If external social networks can help present new opportunities, can you see the same potential with internal networks?

If external social networks can help boost your career search, can you see also how they could hurt your career ... without your even knowing it?  It likely won't be your manager who notices all your Tweets and Facebook updates during the day -- it will probably be someone else, someone who makes mention of it to your manager.  That mention could make your manager feel as though he/she isn't doing a good enough job managing you. .... oooohhhh. At that point, pain and embarrassment start rolling down hill (in your direction!)

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

 

---

---

Secret Competitive Weapon: "Employee Engagement and Trust" ... Really?

An industry analyst this week cited "Employee Engagement and Trust" among a certain successful company's top  "Secret Weapons" in its competition against industry giants with mega brands.

I'm sorry, what was that? 

How can sappy HR stuff be a competitive advantage or a key take away from a tech briefing for an industry analyst who is "one of the most recognized commentators on tech?"

Because Employee Engagement and Trust is no longer the stuff of sappy HR folks.  It is the stuff of wise business people.

Gallup cites 25 - 29% of employees at any given company are engaged. I've seen other reports that go as high as 40%.  [Reminds me of a joke EMC Founder Dick Egan used to say when asked how many people worked for him. "About half," he'd reply.  Ha. Ha. Ha.  .... only it isn't really funny, is it?]

Payroll is generally a company's biggest expense.  Last I knew, at EMC, payroll was over $4 billion a year (a stat at least 2 years old).  Getting the most bang for a BILLION-plus expense, is a business basic, if you asked me.  

Engagement and Trust are the Energy Sources of THIS Century

It is time companies paid more attention to the hearts and the minds of their people. Respect them and they will respect you, your customers, and your business objectives back in spades.

We are in the knowledge era, no longer the industrial era.  Our people are the new factories.  How do we get the most productivity from the people?  (Hint: Our factories needed fuel to run.) So do people.

What fuels people in business?

Things like trust, being treated like adults, being respected, being allowed to do what they are good at, being heard, being recognized, being able and empowered to make things happen! All the studies point to the pay check as the lowest contributor to an employee's satisfaction and engagement levels.

This isn't hard, once you decide to put your mind to it. You give your kid's teacher respect, you give your next door neighbor respect. You can't give at least that same level of a trusting, adult-to-adult level relationship to people who work for your company? Who actually have a vested personal interest in your company's success? (Note: I doubt they like being called "employees." They are people who choose to work at your company, just like you do.)

When we stop treating our workforce like mis-behaving children who need to be kept in a playpen and held to the rules "OR ELSE," they just might surprise you by being happy to be there, and give their best to help you amaze your customers, and destroy your competition.

See the analyst's full note titled, "EMC's Secret Weapons Against HP and IBM," here. 

------------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

Does your company still use "us and them" language that puts employees on another, lower feeling level? 

Do you think professional adults with degrees like BAs, MBAs, and Ph.D.'s like being talked to on a lower level?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

The 2.0'ing of Business Behavior

When I share with people what I'm up to lately, my answers are often phrases like this:

•  "Working on 2.0'ing EMC."
•  "Building community and connections, aimed to better connect the people with the strategy."
•  "Furthering the employment brand, and the EMC culture."

Why?

• "Because people who feel engaged, respected, and connected build better relationships with customers and prospects, ... which furthers profit, revenue and shareholder value."
• "How can people salute the flag, if they don't even know the colors of the flag? (aka: How can we expect new employees, or acquired companies, to have loyalty or passion for the company and its mission, if they don't yet know the culture, and what is important to us as a company?"

With certain people I've known for a long time, especially those who see me still as the Investor Relations VP, I might also toss in this reply:

• "I feel as though I'm helping to make EMC a better place."  When I say this, I have in my mind "little" things that I've been involved with ... things that can mean a lot to the people of the company, and things that I believe our Founder would smile upon if he were still here.

*******************************************

Today I wrote a comment on a blog about "Personal Brand and the Humanization of the Corporate Brand," by Shel Israel.  His thoughts echo my own.  I then started to wonder about people arriving at this blog for the first time. Would they know what I found to be important? 

When doing a quick read of recent posts, perhaps I have been too subtle. The highlights tell a story, I hope, that ties to a transformation afoot -- one that truly values people in the workforce, and one that results in a better company for all concerned. 

Highlights from several of posts are below, starting with what might be a good umbrella post for the rest -- written on June 24th:

Culture Contrast: Harnessing the Power of People -- thoughts on the shift taking place today, and the power that can be gained for business when people are treated like adults and the environment is tweaked a bit so that they can willingly DO, and BE more. June 24th.

Culture and Innovation  --  the inverted pyramid, the shift away from command and control, and some of the benefits to be expected for both the people of a company, and the company itself. October 13th.

Work is Getting Personal -- people being people, at every level of the company, helping one another. Oct 9th.

Information to the Brain -- people connecting with one another, including on social platforms, is becoming a major factor in driving business results. This blog features some recent articles/books/happenings which with more insight on the science behind this. Oct 7th.

Learning, Innovation and Career Choices -- innovation case studies are buried in this folksy post, outlining the huge benefit to the business when people are engaged-- in this case, global voluntary innovation. Sept 30th.

EMC HR says "Yes" to doing Personal Business at Work -- executives/companies are realizing that the walls are blurring between work and home and that it no longer makes sense to try to keep people from being their own person (in addition to being an employee) while at work.Sept 24

What's New? -- consumerism, personal brands, diverse professionals as true friends, and the now humorous look on how the command & control model got started in business. Sept 17

Facebook can be an asset -- rethinking the "personal network" of Facebook to actually being an asset in "match making" of person and opportunity. Sept 10th

 Does an MBA Matter ... plus the next 6, "get a job and career tip" posts  -- a series providing tips to people if they, or someone they know is looking for a job, leveraging the insights of EMC's recruiters.  July 20th through  Sept 10th

It isn't the smart idea, it is the addition of passion and connection that bring success -- evidence of people connecting with one another in unexpected and wonderful ways, facilitating an atmosphere for future success.

Initiative, Passion and Cultural Evolution; We Run EMC -- EMCers at every level coming up with ideas and driving the business, and connections, forward.  July 8, July 10

Themes in my blog tend to come in story form. It is my hope that by reading the blog, you get introduced to some of the latest thoughts relative to the blog's banner title:  "Building and Branding Careers, Culture and Cool."  In the case of 2009, "cool" often relates to the impact of 2.0 business behavior models!

----------------------- Talk Back ---------------------

Does it make sense?

Do you see business value in this work?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

A Tipping Point for "People" at Work?

Something is going on. I feel it.

Business people, journalists and professors are suddenly eager to discuss -- for real -- "Employees" as "People."  And I'm not talking about HR-focused execs.  It is happening with, and among the BUSINESS LEADERS.  You know, those folks who care about the sale, the customers, the EPS, the share price, and about public image. 

Why do I think this?

Well, I couldn't help but notice the media, consultant, talent search, and author interest which continues to grow like snow on a windshield on a winter New England day. (Sorry about the analogy. It is getting really cold around here lately!)

Here are a few examples of some of the coverage on the work I get involved with at EMC in the realm of Employment Branding and use of Social Media / Web 2.0 behaviors and tools over the last few weeks:

*** EMC's Employment Branding Work has been featured in the following *****

Harvard Business Review and Bloomberg C-Suite:
    How EMC Maintained Morale While Cutting Costs

North Carolina State MBA Class Case Study:
    Polly Pearson Showcases EMC Social Media

FORTUNE.com, CNN Money.com:
    Watch Out LinkedIn, Facebook is Gaining on You

Human Resource Executive:
    Measuring the Value of Web 2.0

GravitySummit at Harvard University:
    EMC Case Study on Employment Branding and Social Media

**********************************

The year kicked off with a feature of EMC's work in this area in the January, 2009 book Closing the Engagement Gap, "How Great Companies Unlock Employee Potential for Superior Results."

At EMC, we have in NO WAY mastered this subject. It seems we're doing something noteworthy, however. And, clearly, the C-suite is interested!

---------------- Talk Back --------------

Have you had a tipping point encounter on this subject?

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers

Career Tips, apparently by Me.

Today I was a guest at a Lunch & Learn, where people from around the company gather in a conference room over lunch to ask questions in a casual manner, and learn about someone's career.

Have you ever answered a few career-oriented questions, told a few career-oriented stories, and wondered what the audience got out of it, if anything at all?

Following is an excerpt from an email of thanks I received from one of the attendees of today's event. It recaps her take aways.

• Move around to grow your network
• The great way to grow your career is to do the job, volunteer to help others, and build relationships
• Use, read and respond to postings on EMC|One (our internal collaboration network)
• Ask for what you want from your manager - ask for the job, they aren't mind readers
• Earn your seat at every table - don't be shy, share your ideas and be passionate
• Ask your manager for their goal list, and help them accomplish their goals
• When you need help from a friend or mentor on something important to you, don’t include them on the email but instead talk to them on the side
• Characteristics that managers look for: No whining, Getting things done, Positive attitude, Proposed solutions.

I loved to see that so many people came to today's Lunch & Learn -- and that they represented so many functions at EMC.  People joined from sales, engineering, alliances, marketing, and more. Humbling. (Thank you.)

Yesterday, EMC held our Speed Coaching event (sort of like Speed Dating, but on career coaching.)  I was delayed and didn't end up coaching -- but I did check out the room. It was like a beehive on a concert sound system. The place was packed (and obviously buzzing!)  I ran into EMC's Distinguished Engineer, Steve Todd, afterward.  He was glowing and said it was the most fun he'd had all week.  I asked him was his career tip was. His reply?

"You know, my usual.  Get your job done well and early, and then do whatever you like." (Said with a giant smile, and a nodding head.)

---------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

If you happened to be in the room for today's Lunch & Learn or yesterday's Speed Coaching, what tips struck a note with you?  Please share. Spread the wisdom.

Thanks!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

It isn't the Smart Idea. It is the addition of "Passion," + "Connections," that Bring Success.

I spent the day yesterday with a room filled with 200-300 really smart people. Not just a little smart, but truly fabulously smart.  There were finalists from our global innovation idea contest, distinguished engineers (our elite force), a fellow (turbo-elite), a few authors, a couple of CEOs, and in total, hand-selected, innovation-minded representatives from every major functional area at the company. 

[PHOTO:  Three of EMC's tech elite Distinguished Engineers. Helen Raizen, Peter Madany, Dan Cobb. Taken during the Innovation Conference by talented EMCer, David Elmes.]

If that wasn't intimidating enough, I was asked to present.  It was all fine and good until the morning of the event when I told my 8th grader why I was rushing off so early. "My goodness," I thought to myself, "what have I done?!"

In my last blog, I shared a bit of what I discussed. The fun part of the presentation, for me, was when others joined me on the stage to share a story of something they witnessed at the company by way of an innovation. I asked them to highlight the ingredients that came after someone having "a great idea" -- the "Passion" and working toward "Success" parts.

Sometimes you have to be a bit of a Pest

The first story to be shared came from a non-engineer, Tom Broderick, a Director at EMC, involved with Business strategy and our global Centers of Excellence. His story was about a radically new pricing strategy for EMC in 2003 (think depth of recession.)  He said the team presenting this idea was shot down 2 or 3 times by the executive committee at the company. Each time, they tweaked the plan, build their network of supporters, and essentially, refused to give up. Their conviction, passion, and yes, smart work sold the strategy.  The result? It transformed the industry pricing model and, looking at EMC's dramatic rise in revenue from 2003 - 2008 (roughly $6 billion to $15 Billion!), I'd say it had an impact on the company, too.

Sometimes you have to be Master Networker

The second story to be shared came from EMC technology strategist, Barry Burke.  He couldn't list just one innovation idea he witnessed. He recited a long list of mainstream products at EMC which would never would have seen the light of day had it not been for .... "the idea generator forgetting it was his/her idea and making it the idea and passion of others."  He said it was the network of believers that drove those ideas over the finish line and into the giant product success circle that they live in today.

Sometimes you have to put yourself out on a limb in the interest of making it great

A third story came from an engineer/manager, Dave Spencer, about a work in process.  He told of an engineering team working on a stealth product. One of the members of the team suspected that something wasn't quite right and could be better.  He confided in a senior member of an engineering team not associated the project.  This senior person had a full plate, and was on an aggressive schedule managing another product release. But, in true EMC fashion, he listened, thought about it, and he, too, suspected there could be a better way.  Tireless work began to unfold in parallel. The work is still in play. We don't know how it will end.  One definition of success for sure is the opinion of the senior engineer. He said he hasn't had this much fun at work in years!!

---------- Oh that Feeling When Someone Connects -------

A highlight for me was when a senior engineer and finalist of the global innovation idea contest quoted my presentation during he panel he sat on.  He said we need more of the culture I discussed -- one filled with passion and connections. As a global and wide-reaching company it is more important than ever that we support one another, know what one another is working on to move FASTER!  He also pointed to the opportunity to eliminate waste from projects that get done, that others don't know about and ultimately get under-utilized.

----------------------- A surprise! -----------------------

Another highlight was meeting EMCer David Elmes, who works in API support for our eRoom product.  He told me he was an English major and we started talking about EMC ONE, our internal collaboration network, and how we found some photographers there recently. Ends up he, too, is a professional photographer. He asked if he could take some photos.  Ends up, he took the one at the top of this blog and many more amazing shots. He took this one of me too ...

An amazing day.  Lots of connections and inspiration, and family building.  At the cocktail hour that followed the day there was even more!

... Check out Stu Miniman's blog for a great recap and a video of the conversations at the bar!

------------------- Talk Back ---------------------------

Personal connections, uber smart people/engineers.  Do they mix?

Is more needed, or is everything just fine thank you?

Culture and Innovation

Tomorrow I am presenting on Culture & Innovation to the Massachusetts arm of EMC's annual Innovation Conference and Idea Showcase.

My message will be on the inversion of the command & control pyramid. The upside down version, if you will, invites ideas and interaction from every member of the company community to join with those at generated at the classic "top" of the company.

In a word, we all get "More."

More insights

More ideas

More context

More bullet-proofing

More engagement

More people "working for the cause"

More passion

More fun

More results!!

I recall the wisdom of EMC's founding father, Dick Egan, in what today we consider the essential ingredients of our culture:  Innovation, Passion and Success.

Dick used to "try to look beyond" the fact that some people had a ton of degrees or expressed expertise in a particular area.  His belief that if people were smart and passionate and delivered results, THEN they were worthy.  Often times, if a person was "only" smart, or "only" offered expertise in a particular area, it wasn't enough.  At the pace of a business like this, you need smart people who can adapt on a dime and always be on the look out for a break-through way to make things happen.  And that STILL wasn't enough.  You needed people who had the passion to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Example: back in the early days of the 1990s, Dick set a goal of beating IBM in the IBM mainframe storage market.  This was a CRAZY idea!  They called it the "IBM Mainframe Storage Market" because IBM invented it, and owned more than 80% market share.  When Dick came up with this idea, paired with an innovation that stood a fraction of a chance, his PASSION for the goal came in spades.  His passion led the motivation of the entire workforce.  We worked non-stop and celebrated every hair-brained idea, and every sale we came up with to make it happen.  In less than 5 years, little no-name EMC beat IBM. They've been in our rear view mirror ever since in that market (and then some!)

And that's just one example.It was my first one and I lived it intimately.  It forever changed my professional life and my vision of what success could look and feel like.

Today, EMC is moving rapidly toward to the Inverted Pyramid, the one where everyone can have an idea, be passionate about it and facilitate success.  We are transitioning from the world of one spiritual leader/mentor/motivator in a company to Many -- all joined by community, customers, and a common goal. This is our 2009 Pyramid, reflective of the faces behind the best ideas from the more than 1,400 submitted by EMCers in 19 countries this past few months.

The submitted ideas were voted on -- promoted or demoted -- by the people of the company inside of our internal social network, EMC|ONE.  The result of one such vote, the "People's Choice" award, will be shared tomorrow, along with what the CTO office deemed to be the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Here's a short clip of Dr. Burt Kaliski, from our CTO's office. Burt discusses how the idea contest and conference was coordinated, with a few stats and stunners.

--------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What do you think of this model? 

I was delighted to see the writings and thoughts of Gary Hamel, "the world's most influential business thinker" according to the Wall Street Journal, as he shared these views as well.

Let me know if you've experienced a benefit from an inverted way of getting business results. 

-- Polly Pearson

Work is Getting Personal. Calling all humans!

Who Turned the Tables?

Employees Now Setting the Agenda with Execs in Coaching Forums

 

[PHOTO: EMCers taken during a random day in the life this past year.]

Two cool things just happened.

ONE:

I was just briefed on an event where the organizers are ditching the usual podium speech, where one exec (or "expert") feels like the celebrity, and shares what s/he believes is good information -- leaving, as these types of presentations generally do, the audience to consider how one or more of these information nuggets might help their particular situation.

In this use case, I love that the organizers are turning the tables in favor of giving celebrity-level love to the individual people in the audience.  VALUE!

What's the event?  A "personal," 1x1 speed coaching program, designed by the people of EMC, for the people of EMC. It will take place later this month in multiple US locations. It has full executive sponsorship and participation. All the people had to do to get it done was to ask.

What will it be like?

Envision 50 people getting personally-relevant coaching from multiple company executives in a spirited "speed dating" format. That is, in about an hour, these 50 individual employees be able to ask their questions, of importance to their particular goals or situation, in one-on-one fashion to three different execs. Chances are, these people would not have had the opportunity, or the personal comfort level, to ask such questions of these execs in the course of their normal business routine.

Who put this together? The people in EMC's Black Employee Affinity Group. Those at EMC can learn more and register for the event here.

But Wait! There's More!

They're even going to leverage EMC's internal collaboration network, EMC|ONE to document the event, share tips, take aways, and provide a repeatable "kit" so that the event's model could be replicated anywhere in the world by any person who chooses to put it together.

TWO:

I just got an invite in my mailbox that, once again, puts the people of the company in the drivers seat in a very personal way.

A group of people in EMC's marketing group (graduates of EMC's college hire "Marketing Leadership Development Program") decided to launch a "Lunch & Learn" series with EMC executives.  They limit the amount of the people in the room to just those who can comfortably sit around a conference room table.  They invite execs in to share their story, and to take questions from the other folks in the room, with a focus on the person and the personal. No Powerpoint. No product, organizational, or other real-time business content required. The focus is on the person, their careers, and knowledge exchange of relevance to the particular people in the room on that day.

Yeah, but what executives do the people get to have lunch with?  A pretty good variety of folks, if you asked me. The invite that was just sent out has

 

[Photos:  Brian, Art, Rich, Polly]

• a division President (of our uber-cool Security biz, RSA): Art Coviello
• two senior vice presidents in engineering who oversee the innovation within multi-billion dollar product lines, Brian Gallagher and Rich Napolitano
• and me

Those who work at EMC, can connect with the Lunch & Learn program, sign up for these events and be in the know about future L&L's here.

Revolutionary?  No. Personal, yes. Cool, I think so. 

Both events leverage EMC's internal collaboration network, and enable those who attended to share stories and insights relevant to their personal worlds. 

------------------------Talk Back----------------------------

Are you getting personal career attention?

Are you thinking of ways to make that happen?

Career Growth and Development is always at, or near the top of the chart on desired factors by employees. In times of recession, employee views of career development tend to go down (or plummet!). I thought these were to interesting, free, and relatively easy ideas to put in play that can really be of value to the people. Everyone could use more love and attention, especially in times like these!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Information to the Brain: Interesting Reads

My kids must be getting older and more self-sufficient ... or maybe it is the bite-sized morsels found with social media communication that can squeeze themselves in the middle of every aspect of every day, but I seem to be reading more lately.

What has stood out in the last week or so?

Articles that focus on speeding information into brains, on connecting, on unleashing human power.

PEOPLE CONNECTION for BUSINESS:  New Research on Happiness and Social Networks, as found on WIRED in this featured article, "The Buddy System: How Medical Data Revealed Secret to Health & Happiness."

Sidebar: It was fun reading that this discovery was based on data gathered from people in a town just down the road from my house. I read this feature while sitting in my new gazebo (aka my second house) on a Sunday afternoon, amidst the sounds of nature.

[Illustration: Crop of WIRED's feature article on Happiness and Social Networks]

PEOPLE CONNECTING FOR BUSINESS: The modern thoughts on management models for business success by Gary Hamel as found in the Tweetstream coming out of the World Business Forum today. Here's an example of some of his thoughts (which I share), found in this FastCompany post, "HAMEL: Time for Management 2.0."

Sidebar:   I found this as I wanted to stay up on a big day for two EMCers who were invited to be official bloggers at the World Business Forum, @SteveTodd and @Stu.

[PHOTO: EMC Distinguished Engineer Steve Todd and Chief Technologist Stuart Miniman have some fun on stage at Radio City Hall while blogging on behalf of the World Business Forum]

 

PEOPLE CONNECTION FOR BUSINESS:  A book on science, leadership, the practice of management, and building a connection culture to elevate business performance.  "Fired Up or Burned Out" by Michael Stallard.

Sidebar:  I read this on a train to NYC this week. (I had my blackberry going and this book open, reading both at the same time. Every time there was a delay retrieving a web  page on my mobile, I'd get in another few pages in on this great book.  Made for smooth, latency-free brain food!) Michael kindly gave me this book months ago. I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner!!

 

CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE FOR BUSINESS:  New Research is out on how the brain works and how to have better Powerpoint connections to connect with audiences. The info is covered in this terrific post, "New evidence bullet-points don't work" on the blog, "Speaking about Presenting."

Sidebar:  I read this while looking at what has become my micro-RSS feed -- a Twitter column of my favorite thinkers.  This article was shared by an EMCer who lives in the field of technical education, and studies human behavior (that's you @GMinks).

CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE FOR BUSINESS:  Odd coincidence, I found this CIO Magazine article, "Q&A feature with the author of 'Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs,'" on Steve's art in connecting with audiences today as well.  

Sidebar:  Found this one when viewing the thought leadership quotes coming out of the World Business Forum. One of the people covering the event, had sent this article as well.

----------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What have you found interesting of late?

Adding more to my theme, today I interviewed Pat Gelsinger, EMC's new President, and asked him what he has read recently which stood out for him.  He replied with the now famed book on connecting with people in how we communicate, "Made to Stick."

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Learning, Innovation and Career Choices: Does Company Size Matter?

Last night I got together with EMC's Dr. Burt Kaliski, a senior member of EMC's Office of the CTO, and a rock star in the realm of collaboration with the top minds in global academia and tech.

(It was in a meeting with Burt back in early 2007 when we were planning our first Idea Contest and Innovation Conference that the light bulb went on my head on the power of Web 2.0 collaboration. My professional life hasn't been the same since.)

As we were going over the design of the 2009 Conference, Burt talked about how the size of EMC as a company is perfect for learning and application of knowledge.  Really? I hadn't considered that. 

He compared a company of our scale to a smaller company, where he used to spend his days.  "Everyone there knows the same things," he said.  He compared our company to a much larger entity, and said something along the lines of "That company is so massive, it would be miraculous if an internal collaboration network like our own could come off the ground. Ideas and people get lost."

 Here, he tells the story through the lens of our innovation project at hand:  (turn up your system's volume, please. My error.)

Juicy stuff.  The type of thing, now that I think about it, that Steve Todd often writes about over on The Information Playground  and in his new book, Innovate with Influence.  Steve compares every new EMC invention and every new acquisition as a type of toy he gets to think about relative to what is in his toy box. What if he mixed this with that? Could that combination solve a customer problem in a new and needed way?  I get that. I just never thought of it relative to the "have nots" or "have too much" companies of the world.

Career Choices and The Toy Box

It made me think of a conversation I had over the weekend with a friend, and former EMCer. He's at  another company now. It has about 100 employees.  This former EMCer's body language slumped visibly when he told me about all the collaboration they don't do, in part, because the company is so small. Everyone knows each other, and yet at the same time, they fear sharing. It is run in a total command and control manner. New ideas need not apply.

Can you imagine having a large toy box filled with diverse ideas to play with, and then having just one toy, one idea, one color, to tinker with, all inside of a box that someone else defined?

--------------------- Talk Back ---------------------

What is your experience in innovating, learning and company size?

I thought Burt's words, and the former EMCer's words were compelling relative to the EMC experience and triangulated well with the many interviews I have done with people where I asked them, "What is inspiring or compelling about working at EMC?"  The most common answer is this: "At EMC, I get to innovate (or solve problems) every day."  THAT is what people mean when they call EMCers "Intrapreneurs."  Love that.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

EMC HR says "Yes" to Doing Personal Business at Work. Really?

Meet Jack Mollen, EMC's EVP of HR.  Yesterday we got together to discuss an upcoming lecture he's doing at MIT on the subject of recruiting and retaining talent. 

(He made the mistake of noticing the flipcam I brought with me to his office, which prompted me to turn it on to share some of his gems with you.)

Here's a bit of what he had to say. He covered career decisions, compensation, company culture, and touched on a sore spot for many execs:  doing personal business on company time. All in 1 minute and 28 seconds.  Check it out! 

VIDEO:  Jack Mollen, EMC EVP of HR and thought leader on Web 2.0 behavior models at work.

Jack actually has a lot of views that the old guard might find surprising. Take LinkedIn for example. I nearly stopped cold the first time I heard his view on this subject a few years ago:  Forget about banning LinkedIn on the office network! He thinks employees should be on LinkedIn.

Why on Earth would a head of HR say that?

To paraphrase, he believes that given the pace of the world today, there will be times in your career where you out-grow your company, or your company out-grows you. In learning cultures within dynamic industries in particular, needed skill sets evolve with every strategy evolution. Not everyone will be able to keep the pace.  His heart breaks for people who find themselves in that situation having no contacts or connections to the world outside. In addition, he recognizes that it helps his company's brand by having you, and your expertise be known and found by others. Not everyone poking around in LinkedIn is a recruiter.  

Your Portable, Living, Business Rolodex

Stated simply, LinkedIn isn't just for job search anymore. I see it as your portable, living, business rolodex that enables you to find your professional contacts now and forever in the future, and enables others to find you.  Those in the know are also using it as a way to get expert advice on any question imaginable, or to further their reputation as an authority on a given subject. You never know what doors could open up -- for your company and for yourself -- by being found on such a gold mine of networked professionals.

PHOTO: Lindsey Pollak, a Career-focused Networking Author, Speaker, and LinkedIn Pro

A real expert on LinkedIn is my friend, GenY guru & author, Lindsey Pollak. LinkedIn even hired her to teach others how to use it. If you're interested in investing 1 hour in your career to learn the latest, check out this free library of webcasts, where she walks you through it. Please share any tips that spoke to you in the comment section of this post. (Thanks!)

-------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What do you think?  

Should your manager see this?!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

What's new?

No time to write lately. Here's a quick list on the what's "new" or randomly notable for me in the realm of work.

TelePresence

Had my second TelePresence virtual meeting this morning with a group of CIOs on a tour of companies in Ireland. They were at EMC's operations in Cork, meeting with people there, and easily changed gear to meet "live" with a few of us in Hopkinton. Boy, was that easy. When I first got the invite from our Country Manager in Cork inviting me to present our Web 2.0 transformation to this group, I immediately thought of international travel. Drag. Cost. Time. Airports, and all that.

The CIOs, btw, were really interested in consumerism inside of an enterprise. They had lots of questions of EMC's plan to treat PCs similar to mobile devices -- allowing users more freedom to use the device they wish. 

John Chambers was my First.

Photo: a screen shot of my flip cam library, showing a few of the clips I took during the meeting at Cisco. 

I did my first TelePresence (TP) meeting last week with John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, and a group of communication pros from FORTUNE 200 companies at Cisco's NYC offices last week. I loved his story about telling his engineers, on seeing the prototype for TP, that he wanted to "be like Scotty on Star Trek" during TP virtual meetings.  Do a TP meeting, you'll see what he means!

After hearing the state-of-the state of 2.0'ness among these companies, I was really proud of where EMC is in this journey.

Connections and Development

I did a little bit of a time investment in my own professional development by going to a boot camp for Board of Directors, put on by the most networked person I know. It was interesting, even at this session run by people who started their professional careers a long time ago, how many times the phrase "personal brand" came up. As a CEO who joined us said, "When we're interviewing Board candidates, we're going to give you a brand. A nick name that categorizes you in some way." The lesson of course was to define what we want that brand to be before the interview. It will help people place you into opportunities and help make sure you will be differentiated in the process. Sound familiar?

The Train

 

Trains are not new or sexy, and they are totally under-rated in my book. I've been on the train between Boston and NYC a few times recently and it is simply the way to go. Easy. Fast. Civilized. Not cramped. Inexpensive. Not smelly. Friendly. Easy to Work. When work is done, wine.

Recession-Fab Hotel

Since the near-travel-ban took effect last year, every time I travel, I try to go in a recession-friendly way. I've taken to staying with friends over hotels. This week was no different. As a result, I had great catch up time with a friend and got to see a part of her life I never would have seen. Which, btw, was a fabulous 2-story apt near the park in the upper West side decorated in white --  evidence that no kids or pets live there!

On the Bookshelf

An EMCer some time back gave me the book "Essential Drucker, the Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management."  Read this on my train ride home. Amid this transformation toward new organizational models, it was interesting to read how the practice of management started. Net: the practice is less than 150 years old, and was modeled after the command-and-control norm of the army. Of course, the army at the time was comprised of people with educational levels that pale in comparison to today's norm.  EMC's Stu Miniman shared this article with me today by Gary Hamel on a new management view. Nice! Love the last line, especially.

------------ Talk Back ----------

What's new with you? 

Business dynamics?  

Cost/spend/lifestyle dynamics? 

Management perspectives?

Personal development insights?

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series, #6: Facebook can be an ASSET in job search!

I can hear the advice coming from everyone. It sounds like a nagging mother telling her kids to look both ways before crossing the street.  Yeah, mom, I know. I know.

The nag I hear most about social networks, especially to the college set, is: "Beware. Don't. Watch out."

Google the subject and you'll get links like this one at the top of the list leading with the risks and warnings about participating on social networks and blogging, as they relate to your career prospects. It is a good post, everyone should be aware of the risks. It is a super post in that it also sheds light on opportunities blogging provides ... yet, the take away impression is still "WATCH OUT!"

Trend spotting: Facebook is the friend of Job Search!

Two days ago, I clicked on something of interest in my Tweetstream which brought me to a wonderfully insightful blog post which suggested looking at Facebook profiles and updates as a tool that can attract, not detract. Brilliant! It had me at hello. 

Today, I saw this theme again in a piece that Jessica Shambora (@jessshambora) of FORTUNE wrote. Title? "Watch Out LinkedIn, Facebook is gaining on you."  Jessica was kind enough to include me in her article so I can vouch for the fact that she was onto this theme at least dating back to last Tuesday, September 1st, when she interviewed me.

Let the sunshine in!  Yes!, everyone's doom and gloom can also mean a big opportunity!  Blue Ocean, Red Ocean, and all that.

This, I think, is a job tip and a trend spot of the moment.  I did a Twitter Search to find that blog post I read with the breakthrough thought.  Should have known. It was from Guy Kawaski.  Way to go, Guy.

To be fair, the first opportunistic write up I saw on Facebook for job search came from this great experiment and resulting post on job seekers placing ads in Facebook by Willy Franzen on his blog, One Day One Job. Oddly, Willy wrote that one year ago to the week.  

It is early days with this, though an indication of things to come. Good stuff.  Take that naggers. 

-- My kudos to anyone else who may have had this breakthrough thought. Feel free to share a link to your opportunistic take in a comment on this post. --

-------------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

Okay, let me have it. Tell me all the terrible things that happen on Facebook.

Then for those who wish to swim in blue oceans, can you see the opportunity? Can you see the world seeing the genuine you?  That the genuine you will likely be attractive to a company and a culture where there is a genuine fit? What do you see?

And what could be the next opportunity, for people or business, with tools that we dismiss or diminish for certain applications today?

If you want to continue the conversation on what's now and what's next in the realm of careers, culture, cool, and the world of employment branding, feel free to follow me on Twitter and/or subscribe to this blog.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post # 5: "Salary Discussions and Attitude"

Should you really tell a recruiter the truth about how much money you currently make, and your truthful, agreeable price range for the job you're seeking?

Honesty is the foundation of any good relationship. Great companies will pay market salary for outstanding candidates. Answering every question directly and honestly will only work to cement that relationship with your recruiter. In addition, most hiring managers require salary information/history before they will consider a candidate.

Net: holding out, or obfuscating the facts will hurt you for the job you apply for, and forever more with that particular recruiter. 

--------------------------------------

Today's tips come from EMC recruiter, Paul Guidoboni:

1. It is okay to give salary information. Evading the question or not giving an answer is not going to endear you to the recruiter.
   
2. Be honest with everyone you talk to.  Whether it is job experience, education, travel requirements, etc., honesty is always the best policy.
   
3. From the Front Desk to the CEO, be courteous and respectful of everyone you meet. A smile and great attitude always makes a  good impression.
   
4. Follow up on the resume that you sent in to a recruiter; a quick call or email will separate you from the pack.
   
5. Don't get discouraged; finding the right job takes time. Look at every interview as a new opportunity.
   
6. Network, network, network. You never know where the next opportunity is going to come from. The more people you talk to, the more chances you have of finding the right job for you.

---------------------------------------

What I've observed about the way recruiters work in a Corporate Setting:

• Recruiters can often be looking to place 30 - 50 jobs at a time. 

• They're evaluated on "time to fill" positions.

• Their reputation depends on presenting quality matches and enabling the company to fill requisitions as swiftly as possible.

• They tend to have "job category specialties," that they hire people into.  (If you're not right for the req they have today with a particular salary or experience spec, you might be perfect for the req they get tomorrow.)

• While sounding calm and collected with you on the phone, they are working like mad, and every minute is money to them. Don't waste their time!

• That said, they're handling such a high volume of resumes and postings, they welcome reminders from talent -- phone calls or emails. Such contact, they say, will help you stay on their radar.

----------Talk Back ---------------------

What do you know about how recruiters work that can help out a job seeker?


- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson


If you or someone you know is looking for a job, check out EMC's easy to navigate job posting site:  http://www.emc-careers.com. 


Paul, btw, is currently looking to fill these East coast jobs:

SharePoint/MOSS Architects  - New England & NYC Metro Region – Multiple positions – Strong MOSS experience required

Sr. Business Intelligence Architect - Mid Atlantic (Philly & DC) and NYC Metro Regions - ProClarity or  Performance Point and Microsoft Stack required

Information Architect – New England & NYC Metro Region – SharePoint/MOSS Experience a huge plus

Technical Solutions Program Management – New England Region – PMP certification required, SharePoint/MOSS experience a plus

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post #4 "Preparing for your Job Search"

A Job Search Made Easier

 

Today's tips come from Paul Henneke. His first tip struck a note with me: Volunteering. 

The last time I decided to change companies, career expertise, and look for a new job, the first call I made was to offer my services in a volunteer role in the field in which I wanted to work. 

It worked! 

"Getting the volunteer job" enabled me to maintain full confidence in my search, as I knew I had a place to go, while at the same time, I would be building my skills (and resume) in the right direction.  I wrote more about this experience in one of my first posts, here.

 

Tips from Paul Henneke on how to prepare yourself by engaging and connecting:

Volunteer - Look to non profits, schools, etc, to put your skill set to use. This will show prospective employers your passion for your area of expertise, and on a personal side, will show prospective employers you are interested in the community. Also, many corporations have volunteer or support organizations, providing a great opportunity to network. I know of several candidates that were hired by the organization, or from a supporting organization, as a result of volunteering.

Join networking groups in your area - Check out clubs, Yahoo groups, and religious organizations. They may have networking groups that meet regularly. They present good opportunities to network, and often recruiters speak at these groups.

LinkedIn - Connect to as many former co-workers, peers, and supervisors as possible. Join LinkedIn groups, as most have job sites that recruiters are using to post positions. Join LinkedIn discussion forums, and get on the radar of others by offering answers to questions in your realm of expertise.

Continuing education - Keep current, take on-line courses, attend seminars, events, etc. Not only will this help your professional development, but you will expand your network. When recruiters call, and ask, "so what have you been doing since you left XYZ company," you can talk with confidence about your new learnings.

Take a drive - You know the top companies in your area, by reputation or by the "big" corporate campus. But what about the companies with smaller sites? Drive around the local business parks, or drop in to a large office building and see what companies have an office there. Then check out their corporate sites, looking for what function that office handles.  Is it a sales office?  Does it have a full suite of job functions? Do some digging on the web.

 

Thanks Paul!  For those interested in volunteering, it has never been easier.  Check out this awesome new on-line resource, Urban Interns, to search for "intern" job opportunities by industry, task, schedule and education required.  Positions listed are just in New York today, but this resource will soon be coming to more cities, such as Boston.

 

------------- Talk Back ----------------

Have you had positive experiences with any of these tips?

Care to share a tip of your own? 

Note, you can search EMC's job openings by just about any parameter at this cool new site: http://www.emc-careers.com.

 

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com 

 

Paul's Current Openings:

Senior Storage Dev - NDMP - NetWorker Products, Santa Clara, Calif; Req 44248

Consultant Storage Dev - C/Java - Avamar, Southborough, MA; Req 42405

Senior UI Engineer/Designer - NetWorker Products, Santa Clara, Calif; Reg 44249

Consultant SW Engineer, Cloud Dev - NetWorker CTO group, Santa Clara, Cali; Req 42621

Principal SW Engineer, Client Service - Avamar, Irvine, CA; Req 42622

 

The Career & Get a Job Tip Series: Post #3 "Interview Prep"

Preparing for a Job Interview

Today's tip should be basic knowledge -- yet it remains surprising how many people don't research either the company or the interviewer well enough before the interview.  In the world of social networks and search, this simple act has never been easier or more revealing!

As the must-read and timeless book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" points out, most people cherish the opportunity to talk about themselves, and they love the sound of their own name. If you communicate in a manner which leverages this human trait, you will connect better with your target audience.

When applying that tip to an interview, that means, if interviewing with Mary Jones at BALL, Inc., -- you'll have a better ability to connect with Mary and the people of BALL, if you talk about them! (In my view, interviews really are not about you ... they are about what you can do for them/their company!) How do you do that?  You invest time to learn about them, and their interests.

 

Today's tip comes from Mitch Schneir, a top notch recruiter within EMC's RSA Security Division.

Always do research when preparing for an interview. Start off by searching the web for the company home page, LinkedIn, industry sites, and bing.com to name a few.  While searching a company’s home page read about the products, customers, job openings, white papers, profiles of the Board Members, as well as the Management team and don’t forget press releases. Press Releases are very important because it will provide you names of key employees, competitors, and industry experts that you can then research and find more information about.

All this information gives you a good insight into what the company does, what their products do, what they are known for, what they have done in the past, and what they plan to do in the future.  This will help you during your interview when you are asked “What do you know about us?  This will also help you with questions you will need to ask at the end of the interview about the company and/or the interviewer.  It helps you find out who the players are and where they come from.  Take advantage of this information and research all the names. 

LinkedIn will give you insight into the person’s background, personally and professionally. Research who they are connected to, what groups they belong to, what blogs they subscribe to and who recommended them.  The better educated you are about the interviewer and the company; the better your position will be in the interview process.

If you, or a friend, are an engineer looking for a new opportunity, Mitch has some terrific openings right now within our hot security division in San Mateo, RTP North Carolina, and Bedford, Mass. (details below).

For anyone looking for a job, this site is a MUST -- it is a live, easy-search listing of every one of EMC's job openings by category and location.

Note: I am not a recruiter. My interest in sharing these tips is that I think they are topical, can be helpful to others, and if they happen to put EMC on the radar of some amazing talent -- this is goodness too! Everyone should be in the business of connecting with great talent and I can't help but notice we have a ton of openings.

-------------------- Talk Back ---------------------

What are your best Interview Prep tips?

Have you used LinkedIn or other research tools to get to know your interviewer's work and perspectives, as well as those of the company?

A friend of mine, a VP at a high tech company, loves to tell the story of how she ended up hiring her Operations Director.  As a candidate, the individual researched the VP and discovered she was a member of certain professional groups, as well as passionate soccer player.  As a result, they were able to make some immediate connections. The hiring VP was impressed with the extra effort made and the up-to-date skills this candidate displayed. It helped seal the deal.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Mitch's current openings:

44466BR – Bedford, MA - Senior Software Engineer, This is a position is great for someone that wants to combined their creative side and technical side.  Here is your opportunity to work on an engineering team developing the GUI front-end for RSA’s  state of the art product “Authentication Manager”

44474BR – RTP, NC – Senior Partner Engineer – Are you a technical person that likes to talk with customers, does your background include software development, implantation, training, and/or technical support. If you said yes then check out this opportunity it could be the next step in your career

44159BR – San Mateo, CA – Manager, Software Engineering –
44150BR – San Mateo, CA – Senior Software Engineer -
Here the chance to work on one of the hottest product in the security industry today, DLP (Data Loss Prevention) the most important component to DLP is identifying what documents would be considered sensitive versus non-sensitive. Come join our team of experts in building different automated categorization technologies to achieve the highest rates of accuracy. 

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post #2 "The Interview"

I recently sent a note out to our recruiting organization asking them for their top tips for job seekers. 

Seriously, how many people know how job search works these days?  In this market, with modern day tools, etc. etc.

Reading through their tips is fascinating!

I'll share the ones that struck a cord with me -- followed by the Recruiting Management's Team Top 5 Picks.

Today, I'll share the tip that EMC Recruiter Mark Walsh provided on "The Interview." I loved this tip because it works for people moving around inside a company as well as those on the outside.  It should help you understand the "real deal" on the job, as well as avoid that terrible moment I've seen too many times when the candidate doesn't seem to have questions to ask the interviewer.

What do you say on the Interview?
Mark Walsh's "Road map for Success" Tips:

• As soon as possible in an interview with EACH person ask, "What is your idea of what the job is?"  
  
  
• Right after question 1, follow up with, "What skills are needed both technically and personally for someone to be successful in this position? "   

• Third question, to set up the interview for success, "What have you seen in candidates that you like and what have you disliked?" 

According to Mark, "This gives a road map for success in the interview - gives the view of the job - what is needed to be successful - then what to stay away from."  He said the questions have evolved over his 20 years of recruiting, and that many people have told him they wished they had these tips earlier in their careers.

By the way, Mark is currently looking to fill a Technical Marketing Manager position in Cambridge (#37012BR). You can search for more information about this job, and all of EMC's current openings here.

------------- Talk Back ----------------

What do you think of these tips?

I loved this guidance because most job openings I've been involved with generally come with not fully-defined elements.  Questions like this can let you know how clear the organization is (or isn't) on the actual job. It can indicate if the manager has his/her act together and that, if you get hired, you would be left to figure everything out, or be set up for success.

Don't get me wrong, I love ill-defined jobs (all the better to shape them myself!). I just like knowing that the job is ill-defined before I show up.

I also love these questions because they follow a strategy I like to use with marketing.  Simply, "find out what the target market wants, and work to give them that."  It helps ensure you meet the mark.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career & Get A Job Tip Series: Post #1

This morning I presented to room of 100 summer interns -- and a few recent new college hires -- on some of my favorite subjects, "Careers, Culture and Cool."

My goal was to provide them one or two gems that might help them in their careers -- and help them get a job once they graduate from college.

To put their current opportunity in context, I shared that only about 20% of college grads this year got jobs after graduation.  Of all the people that applied for a summer internship position at EMC's headquarter campus, only 5% got in. 

I'll share my tips with you -- but first, let me share Rachel's.  Rachel managed to be one of the 20% of grads to land a job this year. And, she also managed to get into EMC's ultra elite Marketing Leadership Development Program.  She sent me these tips this afternoon saying that her job search experience is still so fresh in her mind, she thought these tips might help someone else out.

Rachel Rosenfeld's "Get a Job" Tips for College Seniors

 

1. Start your job search NOW. Don't wait for the fall career fairs and recruiters to come to you. Do your research now and know ahead of time what careers interest you. Doing so will save you a lot of time at career fairs, recruiting events, and so on.

 

2. Be proactive. Send recruiters your cover letters, request more information on a position that interests you. Building contacts and getting your name out there early-on will make you more memorable, and desirable as a potential candidate for an interview.

 

3. Use your network. Leverage your professors for contacts and openings in positions that interest you. The contacts you build at school (professors, advisors, coaches, career counselors) are valuable resources and you should take advantage of it! Get to know them, get their advice, and use it to guide you through the job search. They may even set you up for an interview!

 

4. Don't jump on the first offer, even if it seems great. Weigh out your options, wait, and make an informed, smart decision. If the company wants you, they will give you a grace period before you must except the offer. Don't cancel all scheduled interviews just because you made it through round one of interviews with a great company. Keep your options open, and do it professionally. When a recruiter asks you who else you are interviewing with, tell them.

 

5. Be professional. Shockingly, I saw individuals dressed in jeans and a t-shirt walking around a campus career fair and speaking with recruiters. DO NOT DO THAT.  Remember etiquette. Make a business card with your information to give to recruiters, always send a thank-you email or card after an interview or meeting. Obey professional dress codes, speak professionally "totally, cool, yup" and other informal language should be avoided when making a first impression.

 

Rachel ended her note to me with this comment, "I am fortunate to be one of 20% of college graduates to have a job, and in a position that I love."

---------------------- Talk Back --------------------

Do those tips resonate with you?  What would you add if giving get a job tips in today's market to the college set?

By the way, Rachel has only been with EMC for about 5 weeks. If this proactive type of value-add participation is any indication of the type of engagement and passion she brings to the job, she will thrive here!  Smarts, passion, energy, caring, winning, and exceeding expectations are the stuff this place is made of.


- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers

Does an MBA Degree Matter?

During a book interview tonight on modern-day great companies, the author/professor asked about the relative importance of MBAs to EMC. 

The answer, delivered by an EVP, made me smile -- as it supported my own observations.

The answer was, "We don't get hung up on MBAs or other such trappings here."

Contrast that Real-World Answer with this:

Two twenty-somethings shared with me in the past six months news that they were going to quit their well-paying jobs -- jobs where they were well-respected and thriving -- to go to grad school.

"Why?! I hope it isn't to meet some societal impression that you're not worthy until you have an MBA or a Law Degree," is what I wanted to say.

What it is like where I work.

At EMC, I have found that you get respected for what you bring to the table. Once you're in the door, we don't care about what school you went to, your major, or the degree you obtained. We look at how you think, how you solve, and how you make things happen.

If you have to learn something new, we expect you to do that. If you want to get even smarter than smart on a subject, we love that too.  In fact, we make it easy to do this  -- we have the #1 learning and education offerings in the world in high tech. (Training 125 results places EMC in the top 5 rankings across all industries, globally, for the past 3 years.)   At HQ, we even offer an on-site MBA taught by Northeastern.

If you think an MBA will earn you a ticket to greatness, I think you are likely mistaken.

At least, that is the way at EMC.  Your MBA or other advanced degree, will hopefully  make you smarter and thus better at delivering results.  If it doesn't, it was a waste of your time and money.

If you're thinking about how to get ahead and perform better, consider looking first at "the diamonds under your feet."  Network and volunteer to work on projects where you can learn more.  Seek out people who can teach you things. Take a course at the company university. Use their tuition reimbursement offerings, if they have them (EMC reimburses $10K per year.)

If you're wondering if you should quit, and presumably get in debt, to get an extra degree -- please ask yourself "why am I really doing this?"

When I went to look for some stats on this subject (via near all-knowing and quick Google), all the data seemed a bit dated, none caused me to change my mind. 

Granted, if you don't have a job and feel you have no hope for finding a job in today's market, that could be another discussion.  The EVP in tonight's interview also added that he believed MBAs are more worthwhile once the person had been out of school for a few years (and could better appreciate and apply the information.)

---------------- Talk Back -----------------

If someone is performing exceptionally well, before you give them a raise or a new assignment, do you check and see if they have an MBA? 

Full disclosure:  I do not have an MBA. I have taken advanced education courses at Harvard, MIT, IMD, Boston College, Duke, The Center for Creative Leadership, Babson, and EMC's University. Of these, a week-long, "Sustaining High Performance" class with my global company peers at IMD in Switzerland, and a week-long "C-level" course at The Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado (were I was in a small class with a 4-star General, a CIO, and a few CEOs), were my stand-out favorites. My best education continues to come from being part of this place, where my brain cells get to hop about in an espresso-like caffeinated state daily (and I get to benefit from the MBAs and PhD's I get to work alongside of!).

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

 

We Run EMC.

We Run EMC.  That's the name of a community of runners inside of EMC's social network. I thought that was so funny. What a great title, on many levels. I joined the group -- hoping for a little inspiration as my training has been lagging for a Triathlon I signed up for, and which is about to bite me in the behind if I don't get going! 

How Did I Miss This?

This afternoon, when checking out some new employee story videos added to the EMC Careers section on EMC.com, I noticed a very special new one I've managed to miss up until now -- View it here.

What a great story! EMC runners from Peru, Italy, Oregon, and more, can be seen sharing their views on a very untold part of EMC ... and at the very end, you see the reason they worked to raise money, train, and then fly themselves into Hopkinton for a 26+ mile run into Boston.  

 

 

Here it is again. It will lift your spirits, and show you something a little unexpected. I promise.

You can see why we let people like this run EMC.

PS: Glad to say I had a GREAT run today! 

-------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

Have you pushed yourself lately -- or supported making positive impact in addition to profit?

Some times we all just need a little inspiration to get the motivation. Right?

 - Polly Pearson

http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers

http://www.pollypearson.com

Initiative, Passion and Cultural Evolution: Day in the Life.

Some stand outs from my day at EMC:

C-level blogging and transparent communication
Meeting with our Vice Chairman and head of Global Sales, Bill Teuber, who wants to blaze new communication ground and is ready to personally share -- via blog, vlog and more -- the stories he encounters as EMC stakes its sights on a new level of success.

[Pictured: Bill Teuber on my flipcam.]

Moonwalks & SpongeBob StorageMan
Meeting with two EMC women who took initiative to bring back EMC HQ's "bring your child to work day." They proposed it, creatively figured out how to fund it, designed the event and are now going through the final details to make it great.  Included will be the first ever Jumpy House/Moonwalk in the courtyard at EMC's headquarter building and a Sponge Bob Square Pants-like character depicting our CLARiiON product.

[Pictured: Moonwalk, SpongeStorageMan, EMC Courtyard at HQ (in a storm.)]

Art Showing & Sale outside the Board Room
Spending ten minutes at a Gallery Showing of art for sale by local artists -- located right outside my office in a hallway leading to the Board Room.  (I want to buy 3 of them!) This excellent showing, the second of its kind, came from a man who creates graphics for our execs by day. He had the idea for such a showing by local artists, and made it happen. (Kudos Chuck!).

[Pictured: The Gallery Guide & The Gallery]

 

Achieving victory in a Roadblock-filled Deal
Seeing the agreement for a certain hot asset to join EMC. There were many moments in this deal's history where a company could have thrown in the towel. Not this place.

Oh, yeah, and a Tornado!

Excerpt from WBZ: At 3:10 pm, the National Weather Service Doppler Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Hopkinton or 7 miles northwest of Milford moving southeast at 15 mph some locations in the warning include Holliston and Hopkinton.
 

----------------- Talk Back ---------------

How was your day?

How is your culture?

What I find enjoyable about EMC's is that it is consistently full of passion and initiative -- yet is also always evolving. It is not the same company from year-to-year -- and yet it is.

 

Culture Contrast: Harnessing the Power of People

A colleague emailed me this NYT article titled, "Apple's Obsession With Secrecy Grows Stronger."

It reeked of old world thinking to me. I truly hope it isn't true ... because up until reading this I've had a secret professional crush on Steve Jobs. Let's face it, he's charming and the products his vision and his team create either make you smile, or woo you with their beauty.

But wow.

Contrast the "lock it down, speak nothing, tweet nothing" culture, as depicted in this article, with what EMC has going on.

While we take confidentiality seriously, we're also moving at warp speed to the model that leverages more connections, more collaboration, more sharing, and everything else 2.0.  (Kudos to EMC leaders like Board Member, Jack Egan; Division President, Mark Lewis; HR EVP, Jack Mollen; and CTO, Jeff Nick; Marketing VP & CTO Chuck Hollis; and the influence of folks who joined us from RSA Security like Dr. Burt Kaliski, for "getting this" early on and encouraging EMC to learn new skills to unlock the business magic within 2.0 management and behavior models.)

The evolved EMC culture is a mecca for empowered Intrapreneurs, for people who like to be treated like adults, who enjoy the riches of connections and collaboration, and who have an abundance of gifts to share which, when harnessed, can fast-forward growth of nifty things like revenue, profit, markets, market share, brands, life-saving efforts, market value, awards, and customer appreciation of game-changing strategies.

Earlier today, I wrote a comment on another blog which discussed how one might position the value of a 2.0 model to companies looking for ROI.  My reply is intimately related to this discussion of workplace cultures -- and the business value of that culture model decision. It follows.

*********************************

*********************************

"Yesterday I presented my thoughts on the next wave of social media to an audience of business leaders for the TARA Exchange. I found myself using the analogy of a Triangle to show the value.

 

Imagine the top of the triangle as the "normal" top down driven way of getting information out and engaging audiences.  This is the typical command-and-control world.

 

Now look at the relative size of the bottom of the triangle.  Consider the backdrop of today's global business world where things change in a flash, and companies are looking for "strategic agility" to get growth, growth and more growth.

 

Would you like to have just the precious few engaging the world with your mission -- the top?  Or everybody? Will “just the top” get you there fast enough?

 

• Entrust your people. (99% will do the right thing; they really do want to help your business rather than hurt it.)

 

• Allow them to practice these new skills.  (Try an internal social network first. Ensure that the environment is supportive, and people understand that mistakes will happen – this is good. This is the place to learn. Encourage peer mentors in these new skills.)

 

• Provide them with some guidelines. (Be genuine yet positive; Connect & Engage as well as promote; Be careful to share only 'public' information; Mentor your peers with external tools as well and look out for one another; invest your time wisely; etc.)

 

And watch them become the most powerful and engaged organic brand managers you've ever seen! They'll do it for free, willingly, on their own time even ... and have a blast as they see the needle moving as a result of their efforts! They are a new type of leader in the 2.0 world. Here, leaders emerge at every level and pay-grade … and they come with faithful followers.

 

By leveraging the other side of the triangle, everyone is working with you to achieve growth, growth and more growth.

 

Look again at your triangle. 

You know what else it represents?  Think 'Delta,' the symbol of 'Change.'"

------------------------- Talk Back ----------------------

Thoughts?

I like to think that when the triangle is turned upside down, it really makes music ... for your shareholders, your business results, and the happiness of your really engaged people.

http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

EMC: Best Place to Work, New Video

It is crunch time for every company working on big Best Places to Work submissions, such as the one for FORTUNE.

Kudos to Taline Badrikian in EMC's Executive and Internal Communication Group who volunteered to put a little video together to share EMC's recent slew of recognition in this regard!

I especially LOVE the Austin Powers-esque sound track! Dig it baby.

----------- Talk Back -----------

Talk back all right. For EMC, the FORTUNE survey is currently taking place in America. Next week the Boston Globe Best Place to Work survey happens in Massachusetts. And the week after that, every EMCer can add his or her voice in the global Employee Satisfaction and Motivation Survey.

What? It's end of Quarter?  Didn't anyone tell the survey hungry people that?!

Well, at least someone is asking. I just saw a research report by an HR consultant firm that listed everything companies are cutting back on given the cost environment.  Seems a ton of companies cut the employee survey.  

http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

<

Pride and People: Great News

A Story about Wonders

Years ago, when I was running Investor Relations for EMC, a little voice in my head said, "This is fun and all, and gee, a lot of people are making a lot of money thanks to these efforts ... but one day, it would be nice if I could really and truly feel as though I was also working toward making the world a better place."

... and now I see our folks in IR, Marketing (including me!), Human Resources, and every where else here, making differences in ways well beyond commerce. Yes, our technology inventions and services keep the world of on-line everything humming every day ... and we're also helping families. We're helping to save a life. Not in a slogan sort of way. Truly.

[About the illustration:  This artwork is hung on the walls of our Mothers Rooms. These rooms are set up to be Oasis' for our nursing mothers, so that they can continue to keep their focus on their family, while knowing that the EMC family supports them doing just that.]

Enter the story of Nick Glasgow.

 

Exactly 30 days ago, EMC's EVP, Jack Mollen, heard that Nick, a 28 year-old EMC employee needed a bone marrow donor in order to save his life. His doctors told him there was zero chance of a match due to his Asian/Caucasian mix. In minutes, Mark Fredrickson, VP of EMC in Marketing, was engaged and asked to see what we could do to help. Within an hour, our PR and Marketing Communication/Social Media abilities and practitioners worked to help get the word out to see if we could help Nick find a bone marrow donor that could match his needs ... F-A-S-T!  (I think most every EMC blogger, micro-blogger and Facebook user put out the word to their network as soon as they got the news.)

The full, and still unfolding, story of this journey is documented on a blog, "The Race to Save Nick Glasgow," Mark and Dave Farmer, our head of Corporate PR, set up to help rally more interest and help while keeping everyone informed of the progress.

The most recent chapter can be found here, in an email Mark sent to all 42,000 EMCers tonight. (Shared with permission from Mark.)

Hope has been Found: Two Matching Donors Located.

_____________________________________________
From:   Fredrickson, Mark 
Sent:   Thursday, June 18, 2009 4:55 PM
To:     EMC ALL-Employees
Subject:        Nick Glasgow: Great news on an employee in need

In the weeks since we first shared Nick Glasgow's desperate situation with the EMC community, thousands of you have responded with action, support and kindness in ways that have provided tremendous hope and encouragement to Nick and his Mom, Carole -- both EMC colleagues in our Content Management & Archiving business based in Pleasanton, California. 

This week, Nick and Carole received the best news they have heard since his ordeal with Leukemia first began -- the hope of two potential bone marrow donors who appear to be extremely well-matched and willing. I am forwarding Carole's message about her son's encouraging news, as so many of you have asked to be kept informed. 

Nick still has a challenging road ahead of him. What is clear is that the heart of EMC people, which quickly spread beyond our company and into many other communities and businesses through the speed and efficiency of social networking, really can make a difference in ways beyond the work we all have in common.

Nick's story has brought unprecedented attention to the need for more people to register as potential donors, and the volume of new registrations has skyrocketed. We truly hope that Nick's life is the first of many to be saved by this compassionate response -- and that anyone considering joining the registry will do so.

For those who wish to follow Nick's progress, this blog will continue to be updated:
The Race to Save Nick Glasgow

Best,
Mark

Nick, we're with you.

----------------- Talk Back ------------------

What are you thinking right now?

A big "thank you" for the efforts to find a match goes to EMC customers, partners, employees, bloggers, Tweeters, and most of the entire tech industry for contributing in ways such as: getting tested personally, setting up and funding testing centers,and getting the word out to others via Facebook,Twitter, phone calls, emails, and personal pleas.

http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

The Other Kind of "Culture" Alive and Well at EMC

Artists.

This gorgeous, living photography show is a Flickr stream populated by EMC photographers, globally. It greets me every time I log into our internal social network, EMC|ONE.

-----------------------------------------------

Another art-oriented group really seems to be taking off at EMC as well.  This one is known as the "Creators, Artists and Art Lovers" group.  In this group, they encourage and celebrate one another's work via monthly "art challenges." Lately, they started a monthly personal challenge by posting an illustration for inspiration (that evolution of the idea came from an employee in India). The work created, as a result, is posted in the community for all to appreciate.

Creators, Artists, Art-Lovers Group

A place to share creative efforts or discuss them. Painting, Photography, Dance, Sculpture, Poetry, Music, Literature, Pottery/Ceramics, Fabric, etc.

Featured work within this group has included watercolors, poetry, quilts, Persian rugs, and oil painting portraits like this employee-created wonder by Ian Kabat:

------ Talk back -----------

Suprising? Cool?

I think so.

Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson