Generational Communication – How do you lead Millennials?

 Executives  No Responses »
Feb 182013
 

By: Nicole Hitch

 What I often hear from leaders that predominantly are from either the Gen X or Baby Boomer generations are as follows;  “I have no idea what they want or how to communicate to them, they expect the world on a silver platter, it is never their fault, they haven’t put in their dues but expect recognition”… you get the idea.  They are referring to the generation known as the Millennials.  So how does one lead a Millennial?   Let’s start with, what is a Millennial? The “Millennial Generation” also known as “Gen Y” are individuals that were typically born between  1982 – 2001.  Some words that have been used by various articles on Generations to describe the Millennials include: Special, Confident, Sheltered, Generation Me vs. Generation We, Achieving, Expectant, Tech-savvy, and Social.   Not all individuals born in this specified time frame fit the type of individual who we are addressing in this article, and yet there may be some “Gen X” (born between 1960 – 1981) individuals may also fit into this category.  Either way, the question remains, how does one lead individuals who seemingly know it all, expect recognition and don’t care to put in their time?  The following are the best ways to approach this generation

VALUES

Millennial’s live by their value system, not only in their personal lives, but also in their work life.  In order to engage a Millennial they need to feel that their value system is in sync with their place of employment, including the style of management.  Savvy managers and executives will look to build in pieces to their corporate policies and procedures that hit on the following values.

  • The ability to express themselves and their skills – Give them projects that are interesting and challenging.  Give them opportunities to utilize their skills, the autonomy to do their jobs and trust that they are the professionals you hired them to be.
  •  Millennial’s need to feel you have earned their respect (regardless of your age, title or status).  Get to know them and earn their respect, don’t demand it.  After all, they expect the same in return.
  • Collaboration – Give them opportunities to collaborate with their peers, supervisors or other team members.
  • Work/Life Balance – This blends well with the next bullet point as well.  Give them an opportunity to have a life outside of work.  A 50+ hour work week can happen from time to time, but it definitely shouldn’t be expected to be the norm.
  • Flexibility – Weather this means, flexible hours (come in early, leave early, come in later leave later) and/or telecommuting options, Millennials think the idea of a 9-5 job, at your desk all day is extremely archaic.
  • Affirmation (Millennials want to know when they are doing a good job and want to be appreciated) – During their reviews as well as when appropriate, let them know where they are doing well, they also respect constructive feedback and mentoring (see the tab on learning)
  • Social Responsibility – They expect the company they work for to be socially responsible, many Millennials will not work for companies that are not.  So, give them opportunities to help with corporate philanthropic and social responsibility initiatives, and if your company doesn’t have anything now, give your Millennials the opportunity to collaborate with you on setting something up!
  • Learning – They want to do well and improve.  They are hungry for mentorship and professional growth opportunities.  This goes along with the feedback, if they are doing something wrong, they want to understand why it is wrong and how best to fix it.
  • Making a Difference – Millennials don’t just want to work for any company, nor are they interested in “climbing the corporate ladder,” they want to feel like their work is making a difference, that they are leaving behind a legacy of positive change.

COMMUNICATION

Millennials are the Tech Savvy generation, and in being technology savvy, they are extremely use to communicating in a variety of different forms and can easily transition between all of them.  That being said, the easiest way to get a hold of a Millennial the quickest is by far, texting them.  Millennials are not opposed to calls, but if you really want to communicate with them in the way they communicate most frequently about things that need a short and quick answer, get busy and text them.   In terms of communication style, Millennials could care less about corporate hierarchy, and this reflects greatly in their style of communication.  Speak to them as a person with whom you respect and you will get the responses you are looking for.  Millennials are extremely good at picking up on anyone who is talking down to them, feels they are more important than them, or in general treating them in any other way that that of a person who is respected, so that golden rule of “treat others the way you wish to be treated”  or shall I say “communicate with the Millennials the way you wish for them to communicate with you”  applies directly here.

RESPECT 

As I alluded to above, Millennials don’t just give out respect because you may be older, have more experience, have a higher title or be their boss.  They view respect as something that is earned no matter who you are.  So, as I said above, get to know them, see their value, and let them earn your respect.  You showing you honor their values and communicate with them as a respected professional will go a long ways in earning their respect.

In conclusion, I have covered three main areas that when understood and applied makes it possible and even enjoyable to lead Millennials.  These include: Values, Communication and Respect.  By understanding and honoring the Millennials’ values, understanding the best way to communicate with them and knowing how to and not being above earning their respect will also earn you an employee that will be willing to go above and beyond to accomplish your goals and mission.

Best of luck to you in your future endeavors and as always if you have any questions or wish to work with me as an executive coach, please feel free to e-mail me at nhitch@bluewaveprofessionals.com.

 About the Author:

Nicole Hitch is the Founder and Owner of Blue Wave Professionals. As a Certified Professional, Career and Executive Coach, Nicole has been extremely successful in helping professionals, in all levels of their careers, reach their goals. Nicole offers an unusual mix of pragmatism and emotional intelligence in her coaching and offers coaching packages for both corporations and individuals. For more information visit: www.bluewaveprofessionals.com

.Net Developers for Multiple Perm Opportunities Needed

 Opportunities  No Responses »
Sep 262012
 

I am looking for solid ASP.Net and C# developers for multiple positions here in the Twin Cities.  Sorry no H1B status candidates for these positions, there is also no relocation provided for these positions.  These positions range from Jr. to Sr. in level and ideally I am looking for candidates who can do both front end and back end development, are able to work independently as well as collaborate with a fantastic team and has excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).   If you are interested in finding out more, or if you would like to apply, please send your cover letter and resume to info@bluewaveprofessionals.com

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Type: Permanent – Full Time

Know Someone You Would Like To Refer?

 Opportunities  No Responses »
Sep 262012
 

Do you know someone who would be fantastic for one of our opportunities?  We offer a generous referral bonus between $250 – $500, depending on the position, for anyone who you directly refer to us and we place in one of our positions.  If there is someone you know and would like to refer, contact Nicole Hitch at nhitch@bluewaveprofessionals.com right away to make your referral.

How to Continue to Shine Once the Interview Has Been Completed

 Blue Wave Way, Career  No Responses »
Jun 222011
 

By: Nicole Hitch

To some this article may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised how often much of the following gets overlooked and how many job seekers seemingly can’t be bothered to put forth the effort to follow up once they have been interviewed.  I stress over and over to the candidates I work with, the importance of following up after an interview; phone interview or in person interview, it does not matter, the follow up is the piece that keeps the flow of building the relationship with the hiring manager/company going.

You know how they say that sales is all about building relationships and knowing the product right?  Well interviewing is no different, except that the product is you and it is your job to do the best job you can to build as meaningful of a relationship with the interviewers (who are the buyers) as you can…  Now we are not talking BFF type or lovey-dovey type relationships, but a get to know you, respect you, and show interest in the company/position and that you can make a positive difference in both, type relationship.

Following up (if done correctly) helps to continue to create rapport with the person who interviewed you;  it shows that you are interested in and serious about the position/company,  you pay attention to details, you have good manners and can write articulately, it gives you another opportunity to reiterate how you will be able to help the company by using your fantastic skills and it also sets you apart from many of the other people who are also interviewing for the same position because many of them will skip this step.

I have outlined below the basics of the follow up and what you need to do during and after the interview to be prepared to follow up.

During the Interview

  • If it is a phone interview be sure to get the correct spelling of the interviewer’s first and last name prior to the interview either from the recruiter/HR person who set up the interview, or if you know the name, but are unsure of the spelling, you can always check LinkedIn or Spoke, and if either of those steps don’t work, don’t hesitate at the end of the interview to ask for the correct spelling.
  • If it is a face to face interview, be sure to ask each person interviewing you for a business card at the end of your time with them (if they don’t offer one at the start), if they don’t have one, be sure to write down their name so you can follow up with the HR/Recruiting contact to get the correct spelling.
  • Regardless of if it is a face to face or phone interview, be sure to ask the interviewer when you should expect to hear of their decision.  This will help give you a time frame on when to follow up again once you have sent your thank you note.

Immediately following the Interview

  • Take the time as soon as you get back to your car/bike/bus or whatever to write down everything you can about what you talked about and with whom during the interview.  This will help you personalize your thank you notes when you sit down to write them.

Within 24-48 Hours of the Interview

  • Write a rough draft of the thank you note and then have another person you trust to look over it to make sure you didn’t miss any grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors and also to make sure it sounds good, then write your final draft.   This is one area where mistakes can be extremely hazardous, so be sure there are NO spelling, punctuation or grammatical mistakes!  If you are sending the thank you via e-mail, it should be sent within 24-48 hours of the interview, if you are mailing the thank you (either hand written or typed and printed), you should have it in the mail within 24 hours of the interview.
  • If you are mailing the thank you note, address the envelope as follows:

Company Name

Attn: Interviewer’s First and Last Name

Address

City, State   Zip

  • If you are unsure of what to say in your thank you note, Google “interview thank you letters” and you will find tons of sites with suggestions.  DON’T cut and paste any of the templates and only choose to change a few words!  Use them as a guideline and put your own words in.  Try to tailor each thank you to the individual you met with and connect it to things you spoke with them about during your interview.  Make them professional with a personal touch.

Now if you want to truly get that job and set yourself apart from the crowd follow these steps.

  • Get a hand written thank you card in the mail within 24 hours of your interview.  If your hand writing is so bad even you can’t read it, then maybe type one, but I always prefer to get a hand written thank you in the mail because it shows the person made a little extra effort. Besides, who doesn’t like getting nice mail???
  • Personalize every thank you!  Even if you met with ten people during your interview for one position, each person should get their own thank you note and it should be different than the ones you sent to everyone else… tie in things you spoke about with that person.  Make a connection with them so they remember you.
  • Make sure in your thank you letter that you show your appreciation for the interviewer’s time!!!
  • Once you have sent your thank you letter, mark your calendar on when you will follow up again.  This will depend on when the interviewer said they plan to have a decision.  If they say they plan to have a decision by the end of the week and you haven’t heard anything by the end of the week, mark your calendar to make a telephone call on Monday to follow up.  Don’t call before, because you will come across as desperate and as having poor listening skills.  If you don’t have a time frame for when the decision will be made, mark your calendar for 1 week from your interview date to make the follow up phone call.  If your interview was scheduled by a staffing firm, the thank you note is all you will have to do, because they will do the rest of the follow up for you.
  • Look at every interviewing opportunity as a networking opportunity, you never know where or when you may be looking for another job and who will be hiring, so make sure that in all of your interviewing and follow up you are always polite, positive and professional (no matter what!!!!)!
  • If you have sent your thank you notes, done your follow up call and haven’t heard back for several weeks, assume you did not get the position and move on.  Give yourself closure so you can move forward with all other opportunities with a positive mind set and knowing you put your best foot forward.

Best of luck to you in your job search and as always if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a reply below or e-mail me at nhitch@bluewaveprofessionals.com.

Secrets about Job Interviews HR People Won’t Tell You

 Career  1 Response »
Mar 222011
 

I found this interesting article in the Reader’s Digest about things candidates should be aware of (both good and bad) when heading into an interview and decided to re-post.  Some of the points I definitely disagree with and are unethical and in fact are things that job seekers cannot control but should definitely be aware of.  However, many of them are also good reminders and come back to doing your homework prior to the interview.   I have highlighted in red some of my favorites that I think are great points.

Condensed from Reader’s Digest Magazine, April 2011

These are all tips from HR individuals from across the US on what to do and what not to do in an interview.  Food for thought.

1. “It’s amazing when people come in for an interview and say, ‘Can you tell me about your business?’ Seriously, people. There’s an Internet. Look it up.” –HR professional in New York City

2. “A lot of managers don’t want to hire people with young kids, and they use all sorts of tricks to find that out, illegally. One woman kept a picture of two really cute children on her desk even though she didn’t have children [hoping job candidates would ask about them]. Another guy used to walk people out to their car to see whether they had car seats.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know

3. “Is it harder to get the job if you’re fat? Absolutely. Like George Clooney’s character said in Up in the Air, ‘I stereotype. It’s faster.’” –Suzanne Lucas, a former HR executive and the Evil HR Lady on bnet.com

4. “I once had a hiring manager who refused to hire someone because the job required her to be on call one weekend a month and she had talked in the interview about how much she goes to church. Another candidate didn’t get hired because the manager was worried that the car he drove wasn’t nice enough.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina

5. “Don’t just silence your phone for the interview. Turn it all the way off.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

6. “If you’ve got a weak handshake, I make a note of it.” –HR manager at a medical-equipment sales firm

7. “If you’re a candidate and the hiring manager spends 45 minutes talking about himself, the company or his Harley, let him. He’s going to come out of the interview saying you’re a great candidate.”  –Kris Dunn, chief human resources officer at Atlanta-based Kinetix, who blogs at hrcapitalist.com

8. “Make sure you’re nice to everyone, especially the admin person at the front desk. If you’re not, we’ll hear about it.” –Michael Slade, HR director at Eric Mower and Associates, a marketing communications agency

9. “We do understand that sometimes your cat really is sick, or maybe you really did have stomach problems the morning of the interview. But we probably aren’t going to believe you.”  –Rich DeMatteo, a recruiting consultant in Philadelphia

10. “Never tell us you were fired from a job. Your résumé will automatically go into the trash. In 90 percent of the cases, depending on the reference immunity laws in your state and your former company’s policy, we have no way of finding out.” –Cynthia Shapiro

11. “Know how to pronounce my name, even if you have to call and ask the receptionist before you come in.” –Senior HR executive in New York City

12. “One time I said to a candidate, ‘Tell me a little bit about yourself.’ An hour and a half later, I was afraid to ask question No. 2.” –Sharlyn Lauby

13. “How soon should you send a thank-you note? The next day seems a little desperate. Wait a week, and I’ve probably interviewed a bunch of other people and you can remind me again how great you are.” –Cynthia Shapiro

14. “When it comes to getting a job, persistence does not pay off. Checking in once or twice is fine. But if you call and call and call, you’re not going to get the job, because you’re annoying.” –HR manager at a medical-equipment sales firm

15. “Sometimes we’ll tell you we ended up hiring someone internally—even if we didn’t—just to get you off our back.” HR representative at a Fortune 500 financial-services firm

16. “If your former supervisor hated you, don’t give me his direct line for a reference. Instead, give me the number to HR. Most of us will give out only the dates of your employment and what your title was.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina

17. “Yes, we do look at your credit as part of our background check. And if you’ve got a bankruptcy or if your credit score is below 650, you’ll have a hard time getting a job. [But] background checks are expensive. Sometimes we bluff, get you to fill out the form, and don’t even run it.” –Cynthia Shapiro

Windows Azure Boot Camp

 Blue Wave Way, Just for Fun, Networking Events  No Responses »
Jan 112011
 

Hello and happy new year!!!  How better to start off the first blog of the new year then with information on free learning opportunities! These are specific to Windows Azure, so, for those of you who are interested. . . here are a couple of great opportunities to stay up to speed on development for Windows Azure.  The opportunities listed below are specific to the Minnesota readers, but if you are not in MN, you can also click on the link below to find out if and when these boot camps are coming to your area.  The Windows Azure Boot Camp is coming to Minnesota this spring.   These two day events are free!  Snacks and beverages will be provided, but you will be on your own for lunch.  Below are the dates, locations for the Minnesota Windows Azure Boot Camps and the website to register.  Happy New Year everyone!!!

Locations and Dates:

Mankato, MN Boot Camp:

March 9-10, 2011 from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Minnesota State University
Centennial Student Union Building
Room 284 A and B
220 Centennial Student Union
Mankato, MN 56001

Bloomington, MN Boot Camp

May 9-10, 2011 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Microsoft Bloomington Office
Lake of the Woods 1
8300 Norman Center Dr – Suite 950
Bloomington, MN 55437

For more information and to register for either of these boot camps, visit: www.windowsazurebootcamp.com

Twin Cities Code Camp 9

 Career, Networking Events  No Responses »
Sep 032010
 

Another awesome event for developers to share and learn. This one is a 2 day event Saturday and Sunday October 9th and 10th, 2010. Twin Cities Code Camp 9 will be held at the University of Minnesota;
4-192 EE/CS Building
200 Union Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

There is a huge variety of topics that have been proposed to be covered such as Introductions to Open Source, Introduction to Programming on Google Andriod Platform, CSS for ASP.Net Developers, Evolving .Net, Creating Unlimited User Experiences with Silverlight 4.0, Ruby for the Web and jQuery Plugin Development just to name a few. The list is very long so if you want to read more, please check out http://www.twincitiescodecamp.com and if you want to register for the event please go to http://tccc9.eventbrite.com/
This is a free event for attendees!

2010 Minnesota Developer’s Conference

 Career, Networking Events  No Responses »
Sep 032010
 

To all of the local developers out there, here is a great opportunity to network with some fantastic individuals and learn as well. The 2010 Minnesota Developer’s Conference will be on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel; 7800 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, MN 55439. Registration begins at 7:30am and the event goes until 4:30 pm. Cost is $150 per attendee which includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. This event sells out every year so if you are interested be sure to get your ticket right away.
There will be 5 different tracks at the conference all with fantastic speakers.  The 5 tracks are:

  1. .Net 4.0
  2. Silverlight
  3. Patterns & Practices
  4. Smart Phone
  5. Interactive

Please visit http://mdc.ilmservice.com for details and registration.

Job Winning References: What to Do and What Not to Do

 Career  1 Response »
Jul 282010
 

Author: Peggy McKee
Author Website: http://www.career-confidential.com

References are so often an afterthought, but they shouldn’t be. The people you will rely on for a great job reference should be on your mind at least once a month, even if you are not currently looking for a job. A great reference can make a huge difference in the success of your job search. For instance, I once had a great candidate that my client company was not excited about. The candidate perceived that there was a roadblock and had one of his references call me to proactively tell me about this candidate. That is impressive. And that is what gets you the job.

What not to do:

1. Don’t give me (the recruiter) or your potential employer a reference who can hardly remember you, or who can’t be relied on to call back.

2. Don’t give me your college roommate. I want a work reference…a relevant reference…a GREAT reference.

What to do for a great reference:

1. Make certain that your reference can see you in the job that you are looking to get….(I had one lady tell me that all she could say about my sales candidate was that she was very good in her laboratory – very meticulous). Great. That same lady could have said that the candidate showed a lot of leadership, was very persuasive and thrived in interactive meetings. What a difference that would have made.

2. Prepare your references: “Hey, Joe, So-and-so may call. This is the type of job that I am pursuing, so this is what they’re looking for. This is very important to me. Please call me once you have talked with the reference checker, and thanks for all your help.” Asking them to call you will make the reference more responsive to the “reference call” and then he will give you a heads up about how the process is moving. Remind your reference of what amazing things (specifically) you did for the reference when you worked there. Help their memory along….

3. Collect references throughout your career.
* Stay in touch. You can’t expect to get the incredible reference that you are looking for if the reference has not heard from you in 5 years. This is all part of the networking process. Every 4-5 months, drop them an email or call. Ask them if there is anything that you can do for them…..Help others, they will definitely help you!
* Before you exit a company, ask your current boss for her personal email and phone number. Stress that you want to stay in touch and could you use her for a reference in the future. Then stay in touch.
* When someone who can speak to your skill sets announces that they are leaving for greener pastures…ask them if you can have their personal email and phone number. Explain that you really enjoyed working with them and you want to keep in touch.
* Link up with old contacts and get new contacts on LinkedIn. Create a great LinkedIn profile and join sales groups. Participate in discussions. Collect these references.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Technology Survey – Part 2

 Blue Wave Way  3 Responses »
Jun 212010
 

By: Nicole Hitch

As I explained in part 1, I will be sharing more of the survey I sent out about what new technologies the people who responded are seeing being implemented within the next year and next 5 years within the companies they work at. As always, I hope you find this information useful and if you still want to add your input, please feel free to click and complete the survey. As long as I get new information, I will update these two blog posts. Click here to take the survey

Below you will find a graph depicting the answers to the question: Do you see the types of technology you are using currently, changing within the next year?  Yes, No or Unsure.

Of those who answered yes to the previous question, what technologies do you see coming down the pipe in the next year that your company will be implementing?

Again, sorted by industry, here are the responses.

Business services, software, predictive analytics – Just typical upgrades to newer versions.

Engineering – virtualized encrypted persistent storage devices, specifically networks storage devices, multi-level security software separation.

Financial Services, Banking, Insurance, Investments & Mortgages – Customized technology and newer versions of current software.

Health Care – In this area we will always be changing as new technologies come to life.

Information Technology – Oracle appliances, mobile device integration with cloud and standard services, eLearning technologies, HTML5, 10/40/100 GbE Networks, 8GB Fibre Channel Networks, FCoE Storage Networks, and Converged Networks

One trend I noticed in many of the answers to this question within the Information Technology industry was the addition of technologies that had to do with mobile devices.

“In the next 5 years, what new technologies do you see being implemented within your company?”

Aerospace and Defense – Arcsight is a security monitoring application that we need onsite skills to script the IT “connectors” into the IT systems to collect the logs and feed this tool. We will be on-boarding it beginning in the next 3 months over the next two years.

Business services, software, predictive analytics – Our company has fairly well defined Microsoft and Java camps. Anything latest and greatest geared towards either camp will likely be adopted. Additionally, virtual machines have been adopted in a big way. Persons with heavy VMWare experience might find themselves in high demand

Education – Probably ERP

Engineering – Sound engineering practices, agile development

Health Care – IBM

Information Technology – Moblie development;  5 years in the IT industry is a lifetime. In the next couple years we will have delivered a cloud solution and be looking to the generation. ; Converged Networking, FCoE Storage Networks, 10/40/100 GbE Networking, Virtualization (Server & Desktop)

Medical Device – We foresee moving entirely to VoiP audio and video internally throughout our entire network.

I hope you have found the results of this survey informational and useful.  As always I would love to hear from you about your thoughts, any topics you would like to read about and feedback on anything I have posted.

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