Thinking outside the box

I go to a Wednesday morning bible study at my church and this morning we talked a lot about the craze catching on around the country that pulls young people into the Church. It’s all about the music and the casual atmosphere, it seems. Is it happening in your area?

I must say, whatever it takes to get people into church is a good thing. But what does that mean for us in higher education? Are we “thinking outside the box” to lure kids into our “church”? Especially in terms of recruiting kids to our schools. Are we appealing to their interests? In this day and age when the budget is being more and more impacted by the economic situation, it forces us to look at every detail, and get better at what we do.

See the story in this week’s Chronicle on Dickinson College’s Robert Massa. Now there’s a guy who thought outside the box. Go to thechronicle.com/weekly or see the July 10 edition for more about a guy who defined enrollment management and, thinking outside the box.

Have a super day!

Selecting a good place of employment

I recently had the privilege of hearing some really good things about how to go about selecting a place to work. It could also be used by people wanting to build and lead their organization in a way that attracts great talent. The three key points are:

1. A place that needs and will utilize my skillset.
2. A place that will make just as big of a commitment to investing in my success as I’m going to make
3. A place that will recognize and reward me for a job well done.

Pretty good stuff, wouldn’t you say?

Have a super day!

 

Key Questions to consider prior to Job Interview

Some basic questions for you to consider as you prepare for a job interview:

1. Tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up, your early career and how you got to your current position.

2. Why are you interested in this position?

3. What makes you well suited for this position?

These are the big three as I like to call them. Everything else is related to your experience. So, be prepared to talk about your experience, when asked to do so. A good question related to this is, “what are the significant high points in your career?” or “What are your most significant achievements?” Sometimes you’ll be asked what mistakes you made and what you learned from those mistakes.

And remember, you’re good at what you do, because, your intelligent, you communicate well (you’re particularly good at listening!), and you’re a creative problem solver. You wouldn’t have gotten where you are today without those important attributes.

Most importantly, smile and have fun! This is not a life or death situation. If this isn’t the right fit, you don’t want to be there anyway. Right?

Good luck!

Beat Burnout

Amazingly, one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress. That’s not good. You or one of your team members may be in a burnout mode.

The Harvard Business Review recently outlined three ways to conquer burnout:

Balance: Don’t over-commit yourself. Be as efficient as you can be with the resources you are given. It’s okay not to be perfect.

Refresh: Take it day-by-day. Don’t be overwhelmed thinking weeks and months away. Also, don’t be afraid to take time off; find some peace and quiet – relax!

Significance: Is your professional life fulfilling? What about your team members? How do they feel? Let them balance their personal and professional lives. Go ahead - tell them to leave early to take their children to little league practice.

Remember, balance in all you do.

Adapting to the times

Last week I was at a Big 12 Development Conference in Oklahoma City. I heard a pretty profound piece of advice from fundraising consultant Bruce Flessner. He suggested development organizations may focus more on significant annual fund gifts rather than significant major gifts, where possible, since times are so uncertain.

For example, instead of asking for a $1 million gift now, with installments over 5 years, you may consider asking for $50,000 (equivalent of what the income from an endowment might be) – which can be spent this year.

Likeability

A friend recently mentioned that head coaches are hired for more than just their qualifications. In fact, he said that most seriously considered for a head coaching position are highly qualified. Now here is where it gets interesting…he tells aspiring head coaches that a difference maker in the search process is likeability. The hiring person or party must like you. The alumni and fans must like you. You must be able to connect with people.

It sounds too simple. The popular press often cites a person’s pedigree and coaching style in the search process, over whether they have a welcoming demeanor, but it does make a lot of sense when you think about it.

The lesson - to obtain your next dream job, it may take more than impressive accomplishments - it may take the indefinable: likeability. It’s a topic that you may want to research.

LinkedIn

I must admit, I was late to the social network revolution. There seem to be so many new social network sites popping up every couple of months. My favorite is LinkedIn. This social network site focuses on work and career, with a reported membership of over 27 million people strong. The Advantages of using LinkedIn are many. I learn more useful features every few weeks.

Think of LinkedIn as a place where you can build a network which revolves around your professional life. In many of our searches we have increased our use of it to find candidates. If we have not already done so, let’s connect soon.