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Managing Your Career as a Business

A Framework for Job Satisfaction

August 3, 2013

Ed Kirchner

Chair, IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services Committee

What You Can Expect

This session will address:

–Achieving career satisfaction

– Improving the ability to take responsibility for personal career and professional development

–Emphasizing that career and professional development involves both technical and non-technical areas

Why Is Career Management Uncommon?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

No sense of urgency

Leads to difficult life questions

Sets goals and increases stress

Why Manage Your Career?

Maximize career satisfaction

– You have a career, not a job!

Positions are not permanent

“Most people spend more time planning

vacation than they spend planning a

career. A vacation is over in a week, a

career lasts a lifetime” IEEE-USA

The Bottom Line

You are responsible for your own career

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Other_Metaphors_and__g307-Yesterday_Now_Tomorrow_Signpost_p88342.html

YOUR CAREER IS A BUSINESS

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Charts_and_Graphs_g197-Business_Graph_p127516.html

How Career Parallels Business

Elements of Business Elements of Career

• Purposeful activity

• Role, function

• Immediate task or objective

• Activity engaged in as a means of livelihood

• Personal concern

• Serious activity requiring time and effort

• Purposeful activity

• Series of roles or functions

• Short and long-range tasks and objectives

• Means of livelihood and continuous development

• Important to sense of success and fulfillment

• Serious activity

What is the Goal of a Business?

Assets

Operations

Marketing

8

Career Assets

Education

Certifications

Licenses

Experience

Skills

Work Values

Career Motivations

“Soft” skills

9

Career Operations

Generate recurring income

– Get the most out of your current position

Increase the value of the business assets

– Continuous development of critical skills

Technical and soft skills

Secure the income and value of the business

– Look for advancement and new opportunities

Internally or externally

10

Career Marketing

Gaining Intelligence

Developing a good reputation

– Internally and externally

Networking

– Internally and externally

11

The Business Plan

The guiding document needed to achieve success

Typically covers:

– Background information

– Operational plan

– Marketing plan

– Financial plan

Source: Wikipedia

12

The Business Plan as the Career Plan

Background information

– Resume

Operational plan

– Performance management

Marketing plan

– Networking

Financial plan

– Your retirement goals

13

HOW CAN IEEE HELP?

IEEE-USA Helps Careers

Participating in IEEE activities provides a number of opportunities

– Builds your reputation and resume

Great way to publish presentations and papers

Great opportunity to try leadership roles

– Introduces you to Mentors

– Builds friendships for your network

– Can provide an outlet for career interests outside your immediate work scope

IEEE-USA Helps Careers

IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services Committee

– Each Region has a representative

– ed.kirchner@ieee.org

IEEE-USA Career Manager

– http://www.ieeeusa.org/careers/

FURTHER DETAIL

Background Info - the Resume

It’s not just needed to get a job

It provides an ongoing history of your VALUE!

– Career Assets

Education

Certifications

Licenses

Experience

“Soft” skills

– Career Operations

Accomplishments

Progression

In other words, it

shows how you add to

the bottom line!

Resume Considerations Content – most important!

– Setting the proper tone

– Establishing a “value added” perspective

– Framing and careful word selection are the keys

Structure – supports the content

– Format

– Appearance

– Accuracy

– Attention to detail is the focus

Content – Work Experience

Choose EVERY VERB very wisely

– What did you really do?

Yes: “Led”

No: “Supported”

Yes: “Completed”

No: “Participated”

Yes: “Created”

Tip: Go through your finished resume with a highlighter and note every verb. Then go back and ask yourself, “can I choose a stronger verb that better conveys my contribution to the effort I am discussing”

Other Resume Considerations

Keep your information consistent

– Resume

– On-line profiles (LinkedIn, etc)

– Security clearance documents

– Company specific tools and documents

Resume - It’s an Ongoing Process

Keep a “master” resume up to date

–Have it ready when you need it

–Use it to create tailored resumes

–You may need it for your current job

Integral part of promotion packages

Operational Plan – your Performance

Understand your organization and your role it

– Corporate objectives

– Organizational chart

– Position descriptions

– Promotion paths

Operational Plan – your Performance

Do what you can to make sure you are being evaluated and compensated in a fair manner

– Maximize probability of promotions and good raises

– Build a history of achievement

The Performance Management Process

Become an expert in your company’s Performance Management Process

Become knowledgeable in their raise and promotion processes

Be aware of concepts like “salary band penetration” and “Compa Ratio”

Tip: Become a first line supervisor, e.g. Group Leader, to learn all about these things

You Must Be Your Own Publicist

Keep a record of your specific accomplishments

– Weekly status notes

– Engineering notebooks

Keep a file of “kudos” and notes of thanks

– Sometimes, it’s appropriate to ask for a note

Use this info

– Resume

– Performance Management Process

Marketing Plan - Networking

The primary purpose of networking is to create a structure that will support superior individual performance and better business results

Source: Nigel Bristow, “The Beyond Job Satisfaction Fieldbook”

Marketing Plan - Networking

The key to successful networking is deciding to put in the effort needed to make it work

“(Networking) is about relationships, and it's about organically engendering trust," Keith Ferrazzi, author of "Never Eat Alone“

– Make friends, not contacts

– It’s better to give than receive

Look for ways to help people

Who makes up your existing network? References

Present/former managers and colleagues

Fellow IEEE members

Old school friends and alumni association members

Friends, family, neighbors, etc

Some Thoughts on Networking

Networking at work

– Participate in after-hours, recreational activities helps

Meet people in other departments or programs

Meet people higher “up the ladder”

Network with your peers and colleagues

– Participate in IEEE activities!

Locally

Regionally

Nationally

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

Continuous Learning

Never stop learning!

– Formal education

– Company provided training

– “On the Job” training

– IEEE resources

Continuous learning will help

– Define your career path

– Facilitate advancement

– Grow your network

Know the Business Side

Embrace Project Engineering concepts

– Requirements

– Budgets

– Statement of Work

– Scheduling

– Earned Value Management

– Different contract types

Learn the Company bidding and estimating process

Communication Skills are Vital

Your ability to communicate well will have as much a role in your success as your technical skill

Actively look for opportunities to practice your presentation and writing skills

– Internally: peer reviews, dry runs

– Externally: professional societies, your mirror

Mentors

Look for good mentors – Company appointed – Informal, including “observational” – Look for people who are in the career

path you seek Most successful people are more

than happy to talk about themselves

Be a mentor – Help others, help yourself