“You’re overqualified for this position”, Did this just happen to you? March 7, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt.Tags: Overqualified
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I think this may have just happened to me. It’s a great company, and I’m still pursuing other opportunities with them, but several questions came up in the interview for this position about expectations and how they almost never even interview MBA candidates for the position. I’m willing to put in the hard work and lay the foundation for a career within a company so mastering the basics really isn’t an issue.
It’ll work out, it’s just one of those things. For a list of some of the reasons why companies might say this, check out this article here.
Networking is critical to career success March 5, 2008
Posted by John in Job Hunt.add a comment
One of the primary values of the MBA experience besides the skills you develop is your connections with your classmates, your unique cohort that went through alot together. When you search for the “best way to get a job” (without the quotes) in Google, the top two results relate to networking. It is in fact the way I got one of my interviews.
I’ve been acquaintances with someone from the company for several years now, and at a recent career fair I asked if there was any positions coming available that might be a good fit for me besides the one they were hiring for. He gave me the heads up on a position that wasn’t available on their career site yet, a “hidden job”. While he didn’t have the say so on hiring, it helped get me in the door early in the process.
Two lessons here: one, its good to know people and have a connection established. Two, unless you ask for it, you may never find out about certain job opportunities. So ask around, tap your connections for opportunities, see what pops up.
Microsoft and a lesson on the cost of ineffective communication March 4, 2008
Posted by John in Communication.Tags: Marketing, Vista
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Why is effective communication so important? There are variety of examples and reasons to be clear and concise, but when it comes to managing major marketing campaigns, it raises the stakes considerably. In an effort to pacify its partner Intel and other suppliers, when Microsoft was preparing to launch Vista it allowed computers that weren’t entirely up to snuff to be marketed as “Vista Capable” and more capable computers to be designated “Vista Premium Ready”. Now there is a lawsuit that has just been granted class action status over the confusion this distinction created.
Seth Godin recently made the point that its up to the communicator to be effective in the first place. If I’m not paying attention to your presentation that’s my fault, but if I’m just plain bored or confused, that’s up to the communicator. If Microsoft had done a better job and taken care of this marketing effort better in the first place, they may have avoided another lawsuit.
It’s not always easy March 3, 2008
Posted by John in ERP, MBA Experience, Personal Development.Tags: SAP
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In the pursuit of my MBA there are of course hardships and difficulties along the way. While many of my classes are very engaging with discussions and the like, a few pose a dreary task. I speak of the beast of ERP specifically SAP. For all those who deal with this software on a regular basis, I’m sorry. I’ll likely soon be joining the ranks of those that must deal with a system that displays very little to like about it.
Sometimes just comes down to hard work and just pounding your way through. No special tricks to learn, just hands on experience learning how to work in the corporate jungle. In consolation, SAP experience is especially valuable in many companies and my experience with it should help set me apart. Always try find something that sets you apart for job, whether its a technical skills or a natural talent.
For me, its back to SAP and hoping I make it out alive.
What are you reading online? March 2, 2008
Posted by John in Personal Development.add a comment
I’ve made it a personal habit to seek out information in the areas that I’m interested in. Those areas are personal finance, consumer technology, and becoming a better communicator.
I’ve picked a few of my favorite blogs that I visit daily on each of these topics and listed them below. I hope you’ll find something that interests you.
If you’ve got a site you visit on personal development, let me know by posting it in the comments.
Personal Finance Blogs
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/
http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/
Consumer Technology
http://www.engadget.com/
http://www.techmeme.com/
Becoming a Better Communicator
http://www.presentationzen.com/
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ (marketing with a communications slant)
Should you get an MBA? March 1, 2008
Posted by John in Books, MBA Experience, Personal Development.Tags: Books, Personal MBA
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The biggest question to ask yourself is how much time and money are you willing to invest in yourself? Are you willing to spend up to two years advancing your knowledge and exposing yourself to new concepts? Are you willing to forgo a lot of money you could be earning during that time? Or are you willing to do it on the side or even be aggressive in your pursuit of on the job training?
There are plenty of resources if you’re willing to develop yourself without the degree and books are always a great place to start. The Personal MBA was started with the purpose of finding the best books to educate yourself in the field of business. You can find their excellent reading list here.
