======================================================================== THE ADVICE LINE: BOB LEWIS http://www.infoworld.com ======================================================================== Wednesday, September 15, 2004
LATEST WEBLOG ENTRIES ======================================================================== * Job Boards * The subject that wouldn't die! ADVERTISEMENT -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- INFOWORLD EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST SERIES InfoWorld's Chad Dickerson is on the road discussing practical strategies for aligning IT with business, as well as providing InfoWorld readers with an opportunity to ask questions, raise issues and exchange ideas that can help improve IT and business strategies. These events are tailored to executives working in large companies and faced with issues including WAN management. Because space is limited, attendance is only open to IT professionals that qualify. Cities include Seattle (9/28), Santa Monica (9/29) and Dallas (9/30). Sponsored by Packeteer. Register and qualify now at: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=8B7597:2B910B2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- JOB BOARDS ======================================================================== Posted September 14, 3:15 PM Pacific Time Dear Bob ... I have been in IT for 15 years and during that time I have performed a variety of functions - 2nd level support, internal consulting for an IS organization, operations and architecture management, and commercial service delivery (including as a consultant, a manager and a solution/business development person). I have been looking for new pastures (for reasons that aren't important here) and have come across some interesting problems on job boards. I figure my experiences and "generalist background" probably lend themselves better to a smaller organization, so that's where I have focused my search. I have been networking with friends and previous co-workers, have given my resume to a few recruiters in the geographic area I am interested in, and have submitted my resume to a number of company web sites. All of this is generating activity and may well lead to an offer. The difficulty I'm having is that with a background as diverse as mine, there are a number of positions I would consider and it's difficult to classify my experience within a category on a job board. Any advice on how a generalist can participate in a job board without pigeonholing himself? While I generally would prefer to stay in the service provider market, I would consider management positions in an internal IT shop, if it was the right kind of shop (aligned with the business, open to change, etc.) or even as a company's interface to an outsourcer, since I have been in outsourcing for the last 4 years. I hope that doesn't sound wishy-washy. The fact of the matter is that my concerns with a new company are primarily that they are growing, open to change, and looking for dynamic leadership. Any company that fits that bill and could use my experience is a potential employer. - A Generalist in a Specialist's World Dear General ... My best advice is to avoid investing much time or energy at all on job boards. Some jobs are filled through them, but not many, and the ones that are almost entirely consist of the kind of commodity job you're least interested in pursuing. The pursuit of a new position is a craft, not a process. Much as most of us might prefer otherwise, filling in the blanks and waiting for the telephone to ring is a low-likelihood alternative to what does work. Looking for employment has just about everything in common with selling consulting services. I've learned from painful experience that there's just one sure way to get clients when you're a consultant, and that's old-fashioned selling: Making use of the people you know to get introductions to the people you need to know, cold-call lead-generation, and packaging what you do into one or more kinds of service. For each lead, you have to decide which of the services you have to offer is ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=8B758C:2B910B2 THE SUBJECT THAT WOULDN'T DIE! ======================================================================== Posted September 10, 10:22 AM Pacific Time Dear Bob ... Some thoughts about the dress code letter from Separate But Unequal ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=8B7590:2B910B2 ). He is 10000% right. In past jobs, women get away with so much more dress variations. For example, if a man even takes his shoes off in an office, he id derided. A woman can wear all sorts of footwear and walk around barefoot in many offices. Let alone the variety, color and style to reflect weather conditions. As far as modesty is concerned, forget it. Now I am sensitive to footwear, having incredibly flat feet and bad ankles to boot. Leather shoes, now matter how comfortable, hurt me. No I get away with black sneaker-shoes, but in a job where I climb on desks and go under cabinets, leather shoes are not a necessity. - Footsore Dear Footsore ... There's a different between his being right and the issue being important. Unless we as a society want to eradicate all indications that men and women are different, we're going to have to accept that when it comes to physical appearance there are limits to the extent we can define rules that apply identically to Homo sapiens' two major genders. For example: In most workplaces, for most women, a bra is required. The bra itself isn't visible, but the effects of its absence are generally pretty obvious, and inappropriate in a professional situation. Women could, but generally don't, complain that they must wear bras while men don't. For many years (and I imagine there are still some companies where it remains true today), business formal for women meant a dress and jacket or a skirt, blouse and jacket. A dress or skirt means exposed legs, which means the women must wear nylons - something I'm told is quite uncomfortable, although I lack experience with them myself. Men have never been required to wear a dress or skirt, or told pants are inappropriate. Then there's the issue of makeup. Men and women are different. It's a fact. We don't live in a unisex society, nor do most of us want to. We need to create an environment where professional status and opportunity are gender neutral, not where gender is invisible. Should you, with your flat feet and bad ankles, be allowed to wear sneakers or something else that's more podiatrically sound? I'd hazard a guess that the Americans with Disabilities Act would make that mandatory for your employer as a form of reasonable accommodation, even if your employer enforced the strictest of dress code policies. But should you expend much of your emotional energy worrying about who has the better deal? I'd say no. Every bit of research I've seen says that when you add it all up, women still experience more disadvantages than men in the workplace. If they have a few more privileges when ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=8B758E:2B910B2 Bob Lewis is president of IT Catalysts, Inc., http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=8B7599:2B910B2 , an independent consultancy specializing in IT effectiveness and strategic alignment. Contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advertisement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Need more help than you can get from Advice Line? 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