by Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

There are two types of ‘fit’.

1.       Person-Job [P-J] Fit is the match of an applicant’s knowledge, skills & abilities [KSA] with the demands of a particular job.

2.       Person-Organisation [P-O] Fit is the match of the applicant’s values with those of the organisation.

But when someone talks loosely about your ‘fit’ with an organisation, they are usually referring to the second type, otherwise referred to as ‘organisational fit’ or ‘corporate fit’. So how can you demonstrate this?

Demonstrating Your ‘Fit’

·         Know your personal values

For more information on how to find out what your values are, visit my blog posting ‘How to Find Out My Personal Values’. Once you have a list of 5 or so personal values, you should be able to tell stories about how you have used them in the past. These may be anecdotes from your workplace but they may also be appropriate stories from your personal life outside of work.

·         Do your research on the organisation your interviewing for

Next you need to find out what the organisation’s values are. The straight-forward way to do this is to do some research on-line. Go to their website and look for sections such as: -

ü  Our Values

ü  Mission

ü  Culture

ü  Business Ethos

ü  Business Principles

ü  Our People

ü  Corporate Brand

Within these sections, you will be able to pick out key words that describe the companies moral code of conduct. Corporate values are the parameters within which the organisation operates. So you may find the word ‘trust’ or you may find reference to ‘professionalism’ or you may see the words ‘eco-friendly’.

·         Find your ‘fit’

The next stage is to be able to talk about the match between the organisation’s values and your own. This is how you will be able to demonstrate that – should the organisation decide to hire you – you will easily be able to settle in to the organisation and be part of their culture.

Why is organisational ‘fit’ so important?

Seeing as values are an indication of someone’s decision-making process and of their behaviour, then the employer would look favourably upon someone who will apply a set of values that is in line with the organisation’s cultural values.

So, finding a candidate who has a good match of values is good news as it means that they will most likely enjoy and reinforce the organisation’s culture. What’s more, people that have a similar values set are inevitably more likely to work well together.

Checking for organisational fit at the selection stage is one important way to ensure that the candidate has long term potential within the organisation. If candidates are picked due to their P-O fit rather than for their P-J fit, they may have a flexible approach to the role attributed to them and enjoy being moved around different roles within the organisation. Such cross-functional candidates are important ‘culture-carriers’ within the organisation.

People often instinctively ‘feel’ this organisational fit or misfit, without consciously understanding the underlying issue of values match or mismatch. It is an important factor in someone being happy at work.

N.B. If even just one of your personal values isn’t met, you will not be entirely happy in your role

If you’re unhappy at work, you may want to examine the root cause. Invariably, you will find it in one of your personal values not being met.

A clash of values between you and the organisation or you and a colleague can be very distressing. By pinpointing which value it is that is not being met, you will be better equipped to communicate the reason for your distress. If this clash is a permanent one between you and your organisation, you’d be well advised to start looking to move jobs to another (better-suited) organisation.

If you’d like to work with one of Persona Ltd.’s career coaches or consultants, please: -

call 0800 9774033

or email findoutmore@persona-ltd.co.uk

Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Blog 170409

Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.

by Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

What are values?

You enforce them. You put energy into upholding them. They are the guidelines between which you operate. They are moral or professional standards of behaviour. Your principles.

Your personal values are held deep within your subconscious. Rarely do you focus on them, so you may be surprised to find out that they help you form every decision you ever make. They also guide your behaviours and they inform you of what ‘feels right’ and what doesn’t.

Values: –

• Reveal what is important to you
• Reflect conscious choices
• Help you make decisions

Do my values ever change?

You’ve heard the quote “Give me a boy til the age of 7 and I’ll show you the man”. What that means is that our core values are set in stone by the age of 7 or earlier and do not change for the rest of our lives. They are deeply embedded into the core of our being.

We then add adaptive values as we progress through the years that are developed from experiences throughout life. These are values that we adopt because we recognise how they can benefit us as we tackle different challenges and projects. Adaptive values change. Core values do not.

About integrity

People often cite integrity as one of their core values. I absolutely agree. Yet, if we are to start from the assumption that all people are whole (integral) and act in accordance with their set of values at all times, then we could say that integrity is everybody’s ‘umbrella value’; the glue that bonds the other values together into our subconscious instruction manual.

How do I find out what my values are?

This requires some quiet time on your own (or with your coach) to do some focussed thinking. If you don’t know what your values are, then be assured that making time for this exercise will be very rewarding. The introspective knowledge you are about to acquire will help you make sense of all sorts of things for the rest of your life!

It’s a process of elimination

If you’re doing this on your own rather than with your coach, here’s what to do: -

I would like you to be able to articulate what your five core professional values are. These may be different to your personal values by which you are guided in your life in general. By process of elimination, choose your top values from the list below. Don’t feel constrained by this list. If you’d like to add some other values, then please do!

Remember that a value is a moral code of conduct / a way of being that you abide by and that you strive to uphold in everything you do. Don’t confuse your values with your motives i.e. what drives you.

µ  reliability

µ  thoroughness

µ  creativity

µ  status

µ  independence

µ  honesty

µ  transparency

µ  positivity

µ  knowledge

µ  professionalism

µ  trust

µ  diversity

µ  equality

µ  community

µ  life balance

µ  accountability

µ  fairness

µ  charity

Which others would you add? (Remember we all have integrity).

How have you demonstrated these values in the past?

Very importantly, when you’re looking for a job, you need to know how you’ve demonstrated your values in professional settings or in appropriate personal situations. Against each of the five values you’ve listed, start stacking up your evidence of how they have guided your behaviour in the past. The best anecdotes to tell are those that indicate your ability to add value to any organisation you work or have worked for.

Organisational ‘fit’

Your ‘fit’ with your current employer or with a prospective employer is really important to your happiness at work. If any one of your personal values is not being met at work, you will not be happy there. But, if you’re aware of your personal values, you’ll find it easier to pinpoint why you are feeling unhappy (with a work relationship, with your boss, etc.) and be able to communicate what’s wrong or do something to remedy the situation.

If the clash of values is beween your personal values and the organisational values, then you’d be well advised to start looking for a role in another organisation that better matches your personal values.

If you’d like to work with one of Persona Ltd.’s career coaches or consultants, please: -

call 0800 9774033

or email findoutmore@persona-ltd.co.uk

Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Blog 150409

Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.

Professionals who fail to build their networks will not do as well at their careers as those that do.

‘Managing’ your career in the 21^st century is about being professionally mobile. Career mobilisation has been mastered by people who have ‘people skills’ and who use these skills to build their network.

The ‘Who’? Questions

Networking is all about three ‘who?’ questions that you can ask others and that they will inevitably want to ask you: –

1. Who are you?
2. Who do you know (who …)?
3. Who don’t you know (who …)?

Understanding On-Line Networking

Especially if you’re looking for a job, now is the time to get to grips with the recent on-line professional and social networking craze. Prospective employers may even expect to be able to check out your references on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn. And the venturesome are reporting success in finding jobs through Twitter too.

A note of caution to those who use social networking sites. Recruiters often ‘google’ names to find out more about candidates. Your FaceBook account (and the likes) may be painting you in a bad light by way of association due to your friends with their coarse language and rude photos! Just be aware that you need to carefully monitor your social networking sites.

Your Nearest & Dearest …

The most basic level of your network and the most effective is that of your close family and friends. They will usually be your most faithful allies who will be willing to introduce you to their networks because it’s easy for them to do so; they know you well and have done so for a long time.

How to effectively tap into this network:

Write a long list of all the people you know. You should easily be able to write a list of 100 / 200 / 300 + names.

Ask yourself ‘Who do they know?’, ‘What industry are they in?’, ‘What knowledge / expertise do they have?’

What would you like to ask them? How could they help you to advance your career?

Your Professional Network

Your professional network comprises: -

Formal networking groups, people you studied with, professional development providers & people you have met through Continuing Professional Development, former & current colleagues, mentors, employers, etc.

Ask also ‘Who do I not know in my profession but I’d like to meet?’ What would you gain by meeting that person? How could he / she help you further your career?

Your Social Network

Here are some key questions to help you identify your social network: -

Who do you know in your home community? (Think village, think town, think area, etc.)

Which social clubs and organisations are you a member of?

Who is in your extended family or which friends are you less regularly in touch with than those listed under ‘Nearest & Dearest’?

Who have you met outside of your home community? E.g. friends of friends or when on holiday etc.

Who do you not know in your social community but you’d like to meet? E.g. perhaps someone you’ve met & admire but don’t really know well yet.

Networking Top Tips

There’s no point networking if you’re rubbish at it. But with a few simple rules to follow you can get more confident at networking. Here are some top tips: -

a) Have a plan!

Know what you’re intending to achieve from making connections within your network. Have a goal and make sure that people understand your goal. (What may be plainly clear to you may not be to them). Spell it out. Know the words you’ll use to describe yourself. Know the words that you’ll use to state what you’re working on / looking for. Ask the right questions.

e.g. ‘What I’m looking for are introductions to …’ (Remember the Six Degrees of Separation?) which is another form of asking ‘Who do you know who …?’

b) Listen and be interested

Listening skills are such a basic form of building rapport with another person but often the most over-looked. It may not be immediately obvious what that person you’re chatting to has to offer the world but that means you have to ask the right questions to find out what makes them tick! On the other hand, if you like someone the best way to get them to like you back is to listen to them and to make them feel listened to! Build on the synergies you identify with that person and explore any complementary areas of interest.

c) Be grateful and remember your networking etiquette!

Follow up on positive connections you’ve made and always voice your gratitude directly to them or by email. If someone has gone out of their way to help you, a written ‘thank you’ note may be more appropriate.

d) Reciprocate

Someone has helped you. How can you help them? You may not be able to immediately but an opportunity to help them out may become apparent some time in the future.

e) Have a positive attitude. No explanation needed I’m sure. Attitude is everything!

f) Be consistent and be long term!

Your message and your ‘call to action’ will be far more powerful if it is consistent. If your career path has shifted then help people understand the common thread that your current profession / line of business has with the one they knew you for in the past. The longer you maintain your network, the more stable and trustworthy people will you perceive you to be and the better results you’ll get from networking.

g) Understand personal branding!

Make sure people can identify who you are and what you stand for. In order to achieve this your personal values, your motives, your professionalism, your strengths must shine through at all times. And make sure that your personal brand is the real you! If you run a business, be aware that your business is the mirror image of your personality.

If you’d like some Career Coaching or an Outplacement Programme, please: –

call 0800 9774033
or email findoutmore@persona-ltd.co.uk

 Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Blog 150409

Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.

by Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Do you know what colour you get if you were to  mix all colours together on a palette? Beige.

Words are like this. If you mush all your words together without giving much thought to how you say them or to how you convey them, then the effect for the listener will be beige. Uninteresting. Instead of beige, what you should be aiming for is a vibrant mix of words that will boost your profile to convey you as a dynamic, professional personality.

You & Your Impact Words

Your ability to ‘sell’ yourself into a new role hinges on your ability to use words well. Think about it. A prospective employer firstly sees your Covering Letter and your C.V., then decides to invite you in for an interview or not. The covering letter and the C.V. are the written words you choose to tell about yourself. The interview is your ability to voice those words convincingly and to bring them to life in a way that convinces the employer that you are the best candidate for the job.

Let’s have a look at how C.V.s are read and which components of your sentences are the most powerful.

Nouns are your key words

These days recruiters are able to scan C.V.s for key words and they will pick up on your nouns because these immediately categorise you. Let me explain: -

Nouns can be the positions you have held such as Partner, Director, Account Manager, VP, FD etc. or they can be professions such as Accountant, Lawyer, Consultant. They are place names such as New York, Paris & London. They are organisations such as Goldman Sachs, the NHS and Tesco. They are places of study such as London Business School, Imperial College and Cambridge University. Your mix of nouns throughout the C.V. quickly conveys the calibre of client that you are.

Verbs are your dynamic element

It’s in your choice of verbs that you convey who you are. Verbs are action words that tell us a lot about how your mind works. But they also tell us how determined, confident and able you are at your job. Did you ‘implement’ a project or did you ‘drive it through’? Did you ‘bid’ for the work or did you ‘win’ the work? The difference between the two verbs in each case is vast. In each example ask, “Which is the verb that shows how I was able to add value for my employer?”

Did you ‘manage’ a sales department or did you ‘grow’ a customer base? Did you ‘collaborate’ or did you ‘initiate’? Did you ‘oversee’ or did you ‘mentor’? Your choice of verb is the difference between being perceived as passive or dynamic.

Did you ‘focus on’ or did you ‘generate’?

Did you ‘work on’ or did you ‘redesign’?

Did you ‘target’ or did you ‘convert’?

Did you ‘visualise’ or did you ‘create’?

What about adverbs & adjectives?

C.V.s must be concise and reader-friendly. Adverbs and adjectives must, therefore, be used sparingly. They are better suited to an interview situation in which you can be more descriptive and colourful. People who tend to come across as ‘beige’ will do well to add more adverbs and adjectives to their sentences in an interview situation.

C.V. Top Tips: -

• Stick to the active voice (e.g. ‘Increased sales revenue by 200%’ rather than ‘sales revenue rose 200% whilst I was Head of Sales’)
• Start your bullet points with a verb
• Cut out pronouns (I, we, etc.)
• Limit adjectives and adverbs
• Quantify your statements each time (How much? How far? How successful? How much saving? How impacting?)
• Be sincere and check the appropriateness of the verbs you’ve written in particular
• Choose a maximum of two font types and two font sizes for the entire C.V. and be consistent in your use of them e.g. all titles should be the same
• Fit your C.V. onto 2 pages max.

How to stand out from the crowd

As you’ll have noticed, you’ll have to get away from your British modesty and learn to blow your own trumpet.

In an interview situation, the way you say what you’re saying is as important as the words you’ve chosen to use and the examples you’ve chosen to tell.

Remember our reference to beigeness? Well, by voicing your experience you have the opportunity to demonstrate additional factors that will be important in making you stand out from the crowd. Passion, dedication, positive attitude, confidence, professionalism; to name just a few.

There are two ways to add to the words you choose to say. The first way to ‘add value’ is through your voice. Your tone, pitch, pace, etc. The second way is by the image you are conveying. We call this ‘silent communication’ and it often speaks louder than words. If the way you are dressed and groomed is not consistent with the role and the culture of the organisation you’re applying to, then you will be judged before you have even uttered a single word.

If you’d like an expert to look through your Covering Letter & your C.V. and to fast-track you to the next stage of your career, please: –

call 0800 9774033
email cv@persona-ltd.co.uk
email coveringletter@persona-ltd.co.uk

or if you’d like some interview coaching, please

call 0800 9774033
email interview@persona-ltd.co.uk

 Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Blog 140409

Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.

How many people actually feel relieved when they’re told they’re getting made redundant?

The people we’re talking about here are those that know they were in the wrong job. Those that felt stressed every day as soon as the alarm went off. Those that used to dread Monday mornings.

The opportunity that comes with having been made redundant is that of time. Time to think. Time to get it right next time.

Working with your natural strengths and virtues

Positive Psychology is a new-ish branch of psychology dedicateed to studying the strengths and virtues that enable people to thrive. The view of positive psychologists applying their theory to career management is that people should work in fields in which their natural strengths and virtues are applied most of the time. And that’s where the gift of time during redundancy can be put to good use: Figuring out what our natural strengths and virtues are.

Using time proactively

Positive redundancy means using time proactively. So how do you do that? Reading, thinking, working through workbooks, having sessions with a career coach, attending workshops, attending courses, following an outplacement programme, doing research, networking.

Thinking

Let me say a bit about the thinking factor. Deep, focused thinking is a fundamental part of redundancy. Thinking, I believe, is often under-rated. Learning how to gain an introspective view into what’s important to you, what drives you and what is going to determine your success more than anything else may be the most rewarding hours you spend in redundancy.

Managing Yourself

Positive redundancy is also about self management. There are two aspects to this. One is managing your time effectively. Setting objectives and being disciplined about achieving them against self-imposed deadlines. The second is managing your state. Your ability to manage your internal state of body and mind is one of the most important skills you can acquire. Getting through your redundancy is bound to take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Being aware of the different psychological stages of redundancy can be helpful if only to know that your feelings are very normal.

Finding Out What has to Change

Some of people’s most insightful moments come when their morale is at its lowest. It can be a place of immense change. Viktor Frankl wrote ‘When we are no longer able to change a situation we are challenged to change ourselves’. The challenge is to find out whether you are ready to use the opportunity that redundancy has handed you.

Being Around People

But positive redundancy isn’t just about spending time alone, mind-storming. It’s also about being around people. Using your existing network and expanding your network in order to find your next job is well documented as a wise option. But – more than that – being around people and learning from them as well as listening to their advice as well as of course socialising with them is good for your morale. (Taken for granted that you’ll choose to spend time with positive people)! Create a club of people in your network who are going through redundancy too. According to Dick Bolles, author of ‘What Colour Is Your Parachute?’ this club idea can be one of the best ways of landing your next job.

Playing!

But there’s more to a positive redundancy than carrying out a job search. There’s also the opportunity to use the time away from a stringent work timetable to do those things that you’ve always wanted to do. To take the holiday you’ve always wanted to take. To do the home improvement project you’ve always dreamt about doing. To learn to paint.

How are you going to make sure your redundancy experience is a positive one? Be amongst the people who look back on their redundancy period and are thankful for the time that it allowed them to make important changes in their life and career.

If you’d like some career coaching to help you work through redundancy and to fast-track you to the next stage of your career, please call 0800 9774033 or email me – Katie – on katie@persona-ltd.co.uk

Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.

Blog 130409

Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.