Online Resume

The employers are still requesting the black and white CVs and standard cover letters, however the social media gives us new opportunities and possibilities to "sell" our skills. We can make video presentations or just a simple power point presentation, which will tell your story in a different way. If you want to stand out, you have to use your imagination and...time. 

Time is crucial in this process. You need carefully to think, how do you want to target your audience. Personally I have realized that Google+ does not give me all necessary tools to edit the information I would like to share the way I want. In my case, it would be optimal to have my own webpage that would allow me to choose my own layouts, graphics, pictures, videos as well as place my blog and unite all other information available on me online (Linkedin, Facebook and etc.). It will take lots of hours of long editing and reflection. The information that I would like start using openly should be professional and it might be a start for my own business, when I am done with the big corporate world. My own webpage can be also a good platform for mentoring activities I do currently. The last three months was a good journey and it is time for me to start using this knowledge. 

My first trial in creating a personal webpage is dedicated to the end of the Networking and Employability Award and the beginning of exploring new ways of promoting myself:

My webpage

Thank you for sharing your experience and inspiring for new approaches and ideas!

The finish is just the beginning

Evaluation is closely related to judgment. And the first part of the Award proved that I am judgmental. The task on evaluating your peer’s blog is tough. It tests the limits of your honesty. But having a peek into a world of a HR person made me realize, how important it is for a manager to know his/hers HR manager. Usually it is not considered a key position and if an HR manager becomes a part of an Executive Committee.  In fact he/she would be the least influential person. In my case, I set an utmost importance that the right people are hired with passion and attitude enabling to move the company further. The experience and views of HR manager are important, as he or she would become an obstacle in hiring the right resources. The blog I had to evaluate would have failed, if I had to hire this person as my HR manager. I lacked passion and dedication. I missed responsibility and experience. It just proves that the image we create is crucial, although the image might be not reflecting the true “I”. We should learn to select the right disguise or be genuine in our strengths. The speech of Pamela Mayer is one of good examples, what to avoid in creating your image:

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The image or power of deception, which I have mentioned in my video presentation is powerful. The task on a video presentation was challenging and gave me my faith back in the Award. Finally I found good advices and practical challenge. I have done many presentations in front of the audience. I love speaking to people and watching their reaction. Sometimes I will put my readymade presentation aside and use a board and a chalk. However speaking into a camera is a different experience. Every split second matters and rehearsals become crucial. My friends on Facebook told me that they loved it, but they had no idea how many hours you need to make a 5 minutes presentation looking more or less effortless. However I would find still something to be improved after every recorded presentation I did. I loved to be pushed out of my comfort zone and trying new media tools. I will definitely work it to perfection and train these skills as well as trying new options of presentations that I had no time to apply in practice.

My first attempt of online CV was a presentation of my “story”. It was a colorful version of myself, but still in a conservative blue and reserved style, as I am working in a very conservative sector, who lately is blamed for creating the financial crisis. As bankers deal with numbers, the target is to stay moderate in artistic expressions, especially in higher ranks. You are supposed to be reliable and trustworthy, as we want to get the customers back and make them believe in our competences. However it does not apply to my mentees. They can take advantage in being creative and test the boundaries. They have to conquer the world, while I have to continue my path. 

Impartiality

"More good would follow from teaching one’s beliefs than from hiding where one stand in the name of impartiality”  R. Druska

Lately my friends most probably noticed a post on my Facebook page that I am buried under Business Ethics studies. I should admit I was very skeptical about this subject. I thought that ethics is not really a subject for studies, as everyone can make a difference what is good and what is wrong. And when I saw the immense list of required reading I was not happier, but one article made me change my mind. I finally found an answer to one of the questions bothering me lately.

Don’t judge. Isn't something we say to the others and ourselves? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Isn't something we believe in? Indeed, we believe truly and deeply. Ronald Druska attributes these expressions to the relativism, which holds that every group has its own set of moral beliefs that are true for this group. We know it. But would you agree with this?

“Relativism became a prevailing attitude, a skeptical attitude in a pluralistic, tolerant society, where there are two or more sides to every story, requires that every side be presented because every side has its own truth. In presence of such an attitude, the only acceptable approach is the detached, non-committal approach. The relativism involves moral isolationism”. R. Druska

Tough words, aren't they? But when I read it, I got the same elevating feeling like Archimedes, when he stepped into his bath and proclaimed “Eureka”. Lately I have noticed that people, whom I know or meet, are very cautious in their thoughts, choices and attitudes. When they express their thoughts, they are deprived of personal statement and served in neutral colors  The prevailing logic rules: “Not taking “sides” results in absence of side effects”. When one needs to take a decision, he/she prefers to stay aside. When one has to stand up, he/she rather disappears elegantly in a corner. And here is the paradox. More you try to please everyone, more isolated you get, as you are surrounded by the same type of non committal individuals. But is this group reliable? Loyalty is another tough word and the corner stone of reliable relations. Loyalty is about commitment, but not unconditional one. There is a difference between the “right decision” and the decision made in the right way. The latter one is made with good judgement and sensitivity.

Why I needed to share it? Sometimes when you are in a room with another 200 people, you have the same feeling like in a tagline of the famous movie “Face/Off” (1997): “It’s like looking in the mirror – only not”. You might recognize the same impartial behavior among people you call your friends. The same skeptical attitude prevails in hundreds of faces and a rare glimpse of self-consciousness sparks among these clouds. And I want to catch that glimpse, because I believe that these people have more potential and chances of doing things in the right way and I know that they will take responsibility for the consequences that their actions would cause.

Creativity wanted!

The second part of the Online Networking Award finished with the task on reflective writing. I am lucky one, as I believe I have always to say something and I do not experience difficulty in finding the words to describe my opinion or position. I have started my own blog and there I had a dilemma. I have got caught into restrictions, how and what I have to write about. After more than 10 years of my career in different countries I have noticed that universities and other educational institutions tend to make the same mistake and the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge is not getting better. I would like to challenge the University of Leicester in getting closer to the corporate world and finding out their needs. The university will not help students in finding jobs, if you force them to act according to certain rules. The corporate world needs creativity and solutions out of the box. And “reflective writing” should not be defined step by step. Let them be brutally honest and challenge you as well. Let them make their ideas into reality.

The second part of Online Networking Award has presented the social media tools, which I was using a few years ago and it added to my disappointment with the content of the award. The exercises who should be getting an employment based on their profile in social media were very simplistic. Personally I use only LinkedIn and Facebook as my social platform. However in practice I have learned to select very carefully which part of my personal information should be public and which should remain secret long time ago. Facebook is strictly dedicated to my personal life and friends with meticulous access restrictions, while Linkedin is my professional “I”. Twitter is one of the social media tools that are not so much relevant and I find it time consuming. Try to imagine being an executive and using your time on tweeting. I do not believe that my shareholders or the board would be happy about that. I would hire in this case a PR professional to do it for me.

In my opinion the second part of the Online Networking Award could have named the different social media tools, introduce to the basics of creating a good social media profile, but I lacked again good and solid examples. I lacked a provocative material that would boost discussions. However, there was an element that I borrowed in the course material. It was the 7C’s of Digital Literacy. I wish the whole second part of the Award would be going into details of 7C’s. As the participants of the Award happened to be so different in their experience and age, it was a perfect opportunity in finding the differences of views and approaches and share intercultural issues.

Creating and curating will be my 2 main C’s in the future to make my professional profile more visible and making the basis for my self-employed future, when I feel that I gathered enough experience in the corporate world and feel competent to teach others or help on their way up on a corporate ladder. My own webpage is my next project and milestone in structuring and building my digital profile. The Award made me acknowledge that it is never too early to stand out.

Mind that moves...

Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said: “The flag is moving”. The other said, “The wind is moving”. The sixth patriarch, Zeno, happened passing by. He told them, “Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving”. Douglas R. Hofstadter                                      

When I started my career, I had a clear vision, how things should be done. And if one day I should become a boss, I believed I knew how to deal with it. Years went by and something was missing. Like in a quotation above I had different assumptions, but they did not feel right. To make people listen to you and to keep them inspired is a tough task. All numerous articles on leadership as well as MBA /EMBA studies make a clear cut between a manager and a leader. And everyone finds now attractive to be a LEADER. Let us be honest. We quote Steve Jobs and we love Richard Branson. The recipes for leadership are multiple. Richard Branson made quite a bold statement during one of his speeches. No business school will teach you to make business. Get an education, if you are going to work for somebody else. In your own business you learn from your own mistakes. Luckily not all see it that way. I don't. But I respect his perseverance. We are blinded so much by the impressive revenue numbers and newest design products that we forget and forgive these many imperfections that our "leaders" have. They are genious in doing business, but how many personal qualities not related to business they have to be admired for?

On a webinar with a well know personal branding coach Malcolm Levene I have noticed one student’s comment to our discussion on tough decisions such as firing people and etc. It stated that leaders should not preoccupy with daily routine like that, they have MANAGERS to do these tasks. Is it so? Do you believe that you can become a perfect visionary/guru and take your company to a different level without having dealt with practical decisions of life? I think that is naive. I am sure, if you fire a person with the same ease, as you throw a piece of paper to the garbage can, you are a bad leader and not even a good manager, as you failed to manage your resources. I believe that personal branding coaches should pay more attention to genuine personal values and ongoing thirst for self education instead of teaching us how to CREATE our image using well know tricks. The image has to have some essence behind. You may oppose saying that they are not professors of ethics. Would they rather prefer to be called the masters of perfectly crafted masks fitting for every business occasion?

I loved the difference of becoming a leader that Jack Welsh mentioned on Linkedin. Before you become a leader, everything is about you. You want to be the best. But when you achieve your goal, everything is about the others; to keep people inspired, motivated and to grow them. I have learnt with years going by that being in charge is a huge responsibility. When you fire somebody for a reason or because of redundancies, it is an equally tough decision. In the first case you did not manage to inspire your employee for changes, in the second case you have to correct previous mistakes, although you might be not the one who did the mistake.  But you are dealing with people’s life daily, not only the product, customers and suppliers.  You have to have the mind that moves you and other people forward.

Corporate and Social… or just RESPONSIBILITY

One's philosophy is not the best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt

Today is my turn to be judgmental.  Since May I am entertaining myself with Business Ethics module as a part of MBA studies drill and, please do not misunderstand me, I find it exciting. But every time I get to the subject of Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) I get this tickling feeling of irritation. Not many dare to be critical and say loudly that CSR became a cliché and in some cases CSR is just the easiest pay-off method to promote a good image.  Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of the Economist, described CSR as “doing well by doing good” that has become a fashionable mantra among chief executives without really thinking about the content and purpose, and CSR is broadly used as an additional tool to increase the profit of the company or to attract talented employees that share the same values and the ethos. And if we started to talk about talented employees, I have a story to share…

When I began to work in the tobacco industry, I was not really considering, if my job was ethical or not. I was excited about the opportunities. However later I was often asked the same question, how I can work for a company which kills people. My answer was simple: “Nobody makes you do anything. You have free will to choose. I do not smoke myself. But my company always provides the best quality product. So if you made the choice, the responsibility is yours”. I believe it is in human nature to shift the responsibility to somebody else, as for young maximalists to be over judgmental. For example: James Adonis, one of Australia’s best-known people-management thinkers, posted a clearly negative verdict about tobacco companies and their employees (link to the article). For a moment I got an image of a tough preacher at the church. Ironic, but now I am working in the banking sector and I face the same dilemma: “YOU are responsible for the financial crisis”. Am I? So all the companies that have a perfect CRS campaign are excused?  They are all good? Why you do not blame airlines for pollution and do not go back to a wooden carriage pulled by horses, if you need to get to Paris? The statistics say that about 60% of aviation emissions arise from international flights, and these flights are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol and its emissions reduction targets. No, we would not definitely sacrifice our holiday fun and excitement of travelling. The poison can be sweet after all.  I am sorry, but it reminds me the situation in the Animal Farm described by George Orwell: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. So maybe we should start by a very basic step of taking responsibility for our actions and for every business executive to get acquainted with virtue ethics. Why virtue ethics?

Criticizing is easy, but being brutally honest is not. Virtue ethics is about brutal honesty. Every truly good and noble behavior requires looking at one’s motives. Calculative reasoning is not CSR. We have to be honest that CSR has limitations, as accountability is a missing link to evaluate CSR performance and expand business activities responsibly worldwide. Therefore from my judgmental mood I switch to a moderate realistic attitude that I share with Peter Newell’s research that CSR can work, for some people, in some places, on some issues, some of time. ''

Elevate me…

Whenever we start a new project, we feel excited and willing to learn and contribute as much as we can. I was not an exception, when I have got selected for the Online Networking Award, as despite my busy everyday routine at work and MBA studies I have noticed that social media is getting more importance and I wanted to find new tricks, how to use them to my advantage.

The first part of Online Networking Award mainly focused on learning about personal strength and weaknesses.  Carl Jung’s test on my personality type has just confirmed my suspicion that I hate inefficiency and therefore every team work for me is a school of patience. I have my own pace and it is fast as well as my goals are ambitious. When somebody says, that something is impossible, my answer would be, whether they are 100% positive. I believe that everything depends on our will and how bad we want to achieve our goal. This attitude is reflected in my blog title: “Will is everything. Will to act”.

The seminar on personal branding in June has brought a little note of disappointment  to my exciting journey. The guest lecturer seemed to use the standard presentation which was an average summary of well know rules circulating in the corporate world. I missed the challenge and depth. But I found it myself. TED is giving plenty of material to think and sometimes it is controversial. Yes, we agree that social media is important, but we have to be aware, how technological devices change our life and Sherry Turkle’s presentation could be a perfect example for  brainstorming:

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The task on an elevator pitch is a good wake up call, if you had go out and sell yourself. It is not easy to define all your competence and knowledge in one or two sentences, which would be good enough to make the other person curious to find out more about your personality and skills. However at this stage I almost appreciate my age and experience and I am quite happy about the fact that I do need to find my first job or start my career. But it might happen that leaving Scandinavia for bigger challenges in other countries, I might have to use my “sale” skills again.

How I can use to my advantage the knowledge acquired in June on Online Networking Award? I can more distinctively see which personality type are my colleagues and try to make teams that would be more efficient to work together along with the other principles of teamworking that I have learned during my MBA studies. And next time when I meet my mentees (future graduates from universities in Scandinavia), I will encourage them to be more active and do not rely only on black and white printed CV. The competition is tough and they have to be ready to fight for their spot.