Education

I’m going to limit this month’s Frequently Asked Questions article to address a one really big issue Information Governance Professionals come up against everywhere - organizations are installing software faster and, many times, unbeknownst to anyone in the Information Governance group. This is not a criticism of the Information Technology department. They have a job to do solving critical business issues for the organization and keeping up with the maintenance of everything they already have in place.

Every business needs a captain, a person that sets the stage for all actions and all relationships that take place within the work environment. If you, as a leader, do not set the stage by defining and aligning practices to clear performance standards and values expectations, people will be left to “figure it out on their own.” This leads to widely varying practices – not aligned, proven practices. That lack of clarity and alignment erodes consistent performance, service, and results.

I smiled as I watched the dad with his two-your old son scurry to the hotel escalator. The dad held his son’s hand firmly and flew him a few inches off the ground to land squarely on the moving step. The boy giggled and wiggled as if he was on an amusement park ride. On the ride down, the little boy leaned forward in anticipation as if ready for take-off. I cringed with worry envisioning sharp escalator teeth against soft, baby skin. But his dad calmly said—“No, not yet. Wait for it.”

No one looks at more resumes than human resources specialists, so crafting or revamping their own resumes must be a breeze for these savvy professionals. Then again, it’s easy to feel pressured when instead of evaluating someone else’s background and potential you are trying to showcase your own.

Part of the problem with not being able to listen between the lines arises from our perception of what the person is saying or what they want. People tend to make assumptions based on their own experiences, current emotions, and state of mind. Unfortunately, these assumptions often tend to be incorrect. Recognizing the inaccuracy of our assumptions and challenging them by asking questions will greatly clarify what we are hearing and help to avoid misunderstandings.

Since joining a dog-fostering organization about a year ago, we’ve fostered and helped bring many dogs to a successful new start with a loving family. The dogs have all moved on to a wide variety of new settings, too. Some immediately become the presence in the home that adds a wonderful new companionship and sense of security.

Why do we still remember the fallen and all who served, 100 years after the guns fell silent? Indeed, why celebrate Independence Day on 4 July or even Martin Luther King Day? The answer is simple. All of these events are comprised of people who have left a legacy for us to honor and remember. We value those who fought to defend our freedom and indeed fought for our independence. We value the people who have contributed so much to our world, that we are still the beneficiary today. Simply put, they left a legacy!

Mid-level career professionals oftentimes get comfortable in their positions, however, when it comes to job searching, it can be even more of a challenge. I usually hear from my clients that there are things that they may not be good at, so they just stop doing them, or they became comfortable in their role, or a combination of those to continue challenging themselves as they did early on in their career. So, what are the things that mid-level career professionals should be spending time on in a job search and why? Let’s look at the strategies they oftentimes skip, miss, and even resist.

What truly makes a candidate or employee stand out from the crowd? Believe it or not, nowadays, people place more importance and values on the soft over the hard skills. Getting a job might require a set of hard, technical skills. But to keep it, you need the soft ones.

Although there are plenty of resources for learning about the federal hiring process and how to format a federal resume, not much is said about what to write on a federal resume. How do you know that you are presenting the best information that each employer is looking for? There are three places on a federal job opportunity announcement (JOA) that you must look in order to find the necessary information that must be demonstrated in your resume. They are presented here in order of value.