Women spear-head the opt-out revolution

Published on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006

HAVE YOU heard the latest? A sea change is sweeping the face of the corporate world. Look around you; and you'll see a paradigm shift is slowly creeping in unannounced.
Ambitious and successful women who blazed trails in large and prestigious organisations, earning six-figure salaries are hanging up their prized job boots and abandoning the sanctity of the corporate nest. Contrary to popular (read, male) perception, it is not a case of mid-life crisis or delayed motherly blues. Neither is the relinquishment driven by unsuitable work schedules, the ubiquitous glass ceiling or non-family friendly work policies. They are not even going back to tend home or hearth.
What really matters
The `opt-out revolution' is not a retreat but a brave attempt to redefine her trajectory as a `been-there, done-that' disillusionment dogs her footsteps. As more and more women prove themselves successful in their jobs, the financial rewards are not enough anymore. The hothouse atmosphere defined by 9 to 5, memos, unending meetings and deadlines are now constraints. She is also fed up of shouldering a fancy title like the VP, CFO. Claustrophobia is seeping in and female corporate denizens wish for a breath of fresh air. As one woman succinctly puts it, `At 44, I had worked my way up to vice president. I climbed the corporate ladder only to find when I reached the top that it was as far as I was going. Also, the company set goals for me that were their needs, not mine. I wonder if I can get what I really want in other people's organisations.'
In addition, the urge to do something worthwhile, follow your heart's desire and control your destiny gains prominence. They want more out of life and are willing to give up hard-earned fame and success too. As former U.S. Labour Secretary Lynn Martin put it, "Women are more aware of what's on the gravestone, which is not I worked for IBM".
The path ahead
Fed up with life zooming out of control, women are defying the traditional employment norms and migrating to challenging fields that fulfill their desires. Not afraid to change or take risks to redefine ideas of success, she is prepared to go out on a wing and a prayer. Yes, she is willing to get her hands dirty too as she strikes out on her own.
Qualified, intelligent and energetic women want to chart their own course and run the show, so to speak. We can see that they are all set to leave the corporate world behind to don the mantle of entrepreneurs and leap into the self-employment turf. In effect, female entrepreneurship is on the rise like never before as women are not even afraid to row against the wind to build a new business from scratch, often in a totally unrelated field too.
Business, freelance work, counselling or consulting is the progressive battle cry. There is no dearth of variety as an array of creative choices beckons in the form of web designing, mail order, real estate, software training, public relations, advertising, retail stores and so on. Infact, according to a recent survey by the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, women start some 400 new businesses a day in the U.S. alone and one in every 11 U.S. women owns a business too. However, the transition is no cakewalk as most of these women are the breadwinners with a family to support and defying responsibilities and peer-pressure. It does take extreme courage to cop out, but for those who dare take the plunge, there is no looking back, as success resolves the lingering ambivalence and validates their choices. Yes, they can and do build their own empires, often starting on a shoestring too.
Ultimately, such empowerment helps them to reclaim their sense of value and self-worth. And, finding your dream come true makes life worth living too!
So, do not hastily dismiss this as a foolish move. As, career counsellor, Andrea Kay sums up, `If you are still thinking, they just could not cut it, that they lacked "the right stuff", think again. They have just what they need - the courage to redefine their ideas of success.' So, don't you think that men will follow suit too?

PAYAL CHANAINA

How long should an interview take?

Published on Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007

There are scores of questions a nervous interviewee faces right from what to wear to an interview, how to conduct oneself, what to talk about and how to answer tricky queries.
More astonishingly, there are some uncertainties on the other side of the interviewing table. Carrying out an interview is no mean task in itself, yet the biggest question confounding interviewers is the acceptable length of interviewing time.
Uptight candidates also wonder anxiously how long they will be on the grill!
So, ideally how long should an interview take?
Well, recruitment takes time and is never known for quick decisions. A thorough hiring process requires time to measure candidate quality and ponder on the assessment. It may entail taking the dialogue through multiple levels, broken into numerous interviews.
Generally speaking, there is no hard and fast rule for interviewing time and interviews stretch as long as necessary to determine candidate competence and motivation. Nevertheless, following are a few pointers for maintaining optimal interviewing length:
An eye on the clock – While the exact time taken may vary from organisation to organisation, typically, an interview should last for more than an hour. For entry or mid-level positions, it can be 30 – 50 minutes, whereas senior posts warrant at least 50 - 70 minutes.
It is important to remember that the duration will vary for face-to-face, telephonic and virtual interviews. Again, panel or board interviews take longer than those with individual interviewers. The industry, scope of job, role and complexity are major determinants.
Make the right moves – Preliminary interviews are basically conducted to determine whether the candidates are qualified for intense interviewing and are of a shorter duration. For instance, at job fairs initial screening lasts for just two to three minutes.
At times, even third and fourth interviews may seem necessary. As a recruiter rightly points out, “No matter how much time you spend, it’s impossible to get a complete and accurate assessment of a person in one interview”. The going gets tougher as these subsequent interviews may take an hour and a half to even two.
Stem the tide – It has been observed that some interviews run longer than even two or three hours due to difficulties in assessing candidate characteristics and complex work histories. A few even come with a two-day itinerary. In fact, a top IT company is known for its long-winded sessions in multiple interviews. Interviewers should bear in mind that long evaluation sessions are not only draining for them, but it annoys and exhausts the ones at the receiving end too.
Going back five to six times for ‘clarifying further aspects’ can break the best of the candidates. So, try to avoid extending the dialogue unnecessarily. Also, if an interview needs to take ‘all day’, allow the interviewee short breaks.
Put your cards on the table – It is prudent to set an agenda and establish some kind of a time limit for the interview. Outlining a timetable in advance will help hiring managers properly manage the time spent in the interview and cover all aspects even while wrapping up the session in time. Therefore, plan an appropriate and convenient setting to avoid needless interruptions eating into interviewing time.
Informing the applicants about the approximate duration and what it will cover further helps in sticking to the schedule. Please do not rush the candidates, take the time to make them feel comfortable and relaxed. Also, allow for overrunning as a conversation may elongate at times.
Take a bow – All said and done, while there is nothing like a perfect interviewing duration, recruiters should try to keep it short and sweet as far as possible. When encore evaluations are necessary, they can even launch innovative measures to keep candidates going from interview to interview without losing their enthusiasm.
Top management consultant and writer, Lou Adler sums it up best with, “I can’t see how anyone would want to hire for an important position without at least five to eight hours of total interviewing time”.

PAYAL CHANANIA

Good referrals earn you goodwill

Published on Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007

This philosophy is as old as time itself – you have to give something to get something.
With jobs becoming increasingly more about ‘who you know’ rather than ‘what you know’, the subject of getting referrals has become very important. But the fact that to get referrals you have to give sound referrals too, hardly ever gets a mention.
As top job search consultant, Peter Roosen elaborates, “A better approach is to become really good at giving great referrals. It is a bit like the ’giver’s gain’ concept in networking, which basically goes that those who give great service to others are rewarded for doing so”.
So, it is important to give good referrals. Becoming a lead source that swings open doors for others will garner excellent goodwill and stand you in good stead when you yourself need to gain a foot in the door for a lucrative job.
Here’s how to give high quality leads in your personal or professional capacity:

The to-dos
Referrals are all about putting in a subtle word in favour of the person being referred. Develop a sound process for the recommendation – be it by telephone, letter, email, and in-person, at a social gathering or even over a round of golf.
Talk to the person whom you are referring before proposing his name. Try to get an idea about the candidate’s qualifications, skills, work history, performance and attitude. Confirm whether he wants you to give a performance or character reference, or both. This will enable you to put in a good word without sounding vague or hesitant. The quality of your referral will reflect your judgement and a bad one can come back to haunt you forever.
Also pay heed to the popular adage, ‘If you cannot say anything good, don’t say anything’.
When it comes to actually making the introduction, it is essential to provide a professional and accurate description to make the referred person look good. Casually market the candidate’s characteristics, responsibilities, skills, strengths and goals.
It’s your discretion about how much praise and positive information you provide. But it’s more effective to eloquently highlight one or two exceptional qualities instead of going overboard with the minutiae. You can even offer to provide more information if required.
Do not leave it at that. Follow up with the recipient to confirm the fit and relevance of the person you referred.

The don’t-dos
Operation: Anytime, Anywhere? – Recommending someone for a job is not merely about name-dropping or email spamming. These obtrusive tactics are impersonal, awkward and low-impact. In fact, the unanticipated intrusions can have a diametrically opposite effect and turn potential employers antagonistic towards the person being referred.
Instead of doling out names arbitrarily, it is better to set up the receiver to expect the referral. Gaining permission before dropping a name enhances retention of the information provided.
Operation: Hit or miss? – Giving a referral is not about high volume or pestering someone all the time. So much so, referral seekers are mortally terrified that a referrer may hard sell them by calling a ‘contact’ night and day.
Never abuse your valuable network by harassing people in the early hours of the day or like clockwork every night. Remember that just one well-timed and appropriate remark can do the trick.
Operation: Anyone? - Can you really afford to refer just about everybody who asks you for one? Isn’t your very reputation and image on the line with the quality of your referrals? As the American Referral Institute puts it, “When you give a referral, you give a little of your reputation away. If you are sceptical about a person’s value or fittingness for the said job, it is better to turn down the referral request rather than rue your actions later”.
Operation: Truth or fallacy? – Do not resort to half-truths or fallacies just to push a person’s candidacy. Ensure that you stick to honest, consistent, factual information and wax eloquent only about those qualities of the person that you really know.
In essence, make an effective referral and both parties will thank you for the favour. If it’s done well, you will feel good about it too. But glitch up the job and everyone will suffer, you included.

PAYAL CHANANIA