Tag Archives: career

XYBOOM Conference Discusses Workplace Community

Posted on by
Reply

[Editor's note: whether you're an un-or-under-employed Millennial, Gen Xer, or Baby Boomer, you should be paying attention to an upcoming awesometastic collaboration between Service Canada, My Loudspeaker, the post-secondary community, and many change-making businesses from Metro Vancouver and beyond. It's called the XYBOOM Conference and it will be community-building at its finest!]

Vancouver, BC – January 10, 2012 – When a business loses an employee, it loses more than a staff member: employee turnover is estimated to cost more than double the cost of retainment. Loss of productivity, resources and time spent re-hiring and training are some of the burdens of employee replacement. The BC Business Council urges businesses to be more competitive in their retention strategies, suggesting investing in succession planning and staff development as solutions. The XYBOOM Conference seeks to address these issues with a dynamic, intergenerational approach.

Sustainable hiring systems and employee development and retention are key topics to be addressed at the conference on January 20th. This unique initiative, funded primarily by Service Canada brings togther business professionals and youth with experts from three generations – X,Y and Baby Boomer – to collaborate on finding strategies and solutions on mitigating the growing labour shortage.

The conference offers more than ten industry panelists who have diverse career backgrounds – including expertise in human resources, intercultural understanding, workplace organization and strategic marketing – as well as engaging, participatory workshops sessions, guaranteeing attendees will leave with strategies and insights on the issues at hand.

“The conference plays an important role in mitigating the pending labour shortage as baby boomers exit the workforce” says Alden Habacon, UBC Director of Intercultural Understanding Strategy Development and XYBOOM panelist. With baby boomers beginning to retire and a looming labour shortage, employee replacement is becoming a growing financial burden for unprepared businesses. Higher retention rates give businesses a competitive edge during labour shortages.

Business applications for XYBOOM will be accepted at www.xyboom.ca.

Hosted by My Loud Speaker, the XYBOOM Conference will be held on January 20th from 9-5pm at the Yaletown Roundhouse. This not-for-profit event will also include a live streaming feature for off-site youth participants across the Lower Mainland, XYBOOM awards for businesses, case study reports and an interactive art installation created by Gen Why Media Project at the W2 atrium from Jan 19-21st.

Please visit www.xyboom.ca for more information on the conference, issues at hand, and a complete guest panelist list.

Devon Wong – Media Relations
604 250 4662 | www.xyboom.ca
XYBOOM: January 20, 2012

–

Masthead photo (The Train at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown) courtesy of goldberg

Stories from the Writers’ Room: Kids, Creativity and Careers

Posted on by
2

A burgeoning superstar being tutored by a gentleman in a plaid shirt who needs to do a better job of knowing when the camera's on him...

Last week I was lucky enough to work with Sarah Maitland and the Kidsafe Writers’ Room team to create and deliver some superawesome – and super educational – literacy programming for kids from East Vancouver during their Winter Holiday Break. The program content was career-related – Wait, where are you going? No, trust me, it was fun and not serious at all and you will enjoy reading this!- and it was absolutely inspiring to work with over 160 kids as they invented their jobs of the future.

Fun fact: a student who enrolled in college or university in September 2011 will probably work in a job that does not exist today. For this reason, I often encourage post-secondary students who I meet to imagine and/or create future work that will address future challenges/opportunities and to consider the skills that will be needed to tackle this kind of work. It’s not my idea, but one that stems from guru/personal-hero, Jim Bright, who teaches the aptly-named Chaos Theory of Careers to students, practitioners and job seekers the world-over.

Needless to say, I was extremely curious and very excited to see how the kids, who ranged in age from five to fifteen, treated this exercise. For starters, here is a selection of some of the job titles that were created:

  • Teacher
  • Space Cooker
  • Cleaner
  • Driver
  • The World Helpers (there was a “Kids with Problems” helper, an Animal Helper, and a Health Helper)
  • Sky Welder
  • Inventor
  • Physicist
  • Super Spy
  • Star Gatherer
  • Owner of a Petting Zoo for Endangered Species
  • Poop Collector
  • TV Watcher
  • Video Game Tester
  • Fart Soldier
  • Princess
  • Social Worker
  • Toy Maker
  • Solar Plane Engineer
  • Veterinarian
  • Inventor of the Massaging Toilet

Interesting. And awesome.

So, how did the kids get here? Well, before working with some exceptional volunteer tutors to complete an activity sheet (pictured), I engaged the kids in a discussion about jobs – and work – that has come and gone over the last 150 years; the idea was that the kids needed to know what work started and stopped, and when it did, in order to get a sense of what might come in the future. The discussion was actually more of a yell-fest (there should be more yelling in school, in my opinion), as I brought up volunteers who held up a picture of a job (e.g. Lamplighter or Pony Express Rider), which I explained to the group, and then moved it along a giant time line (crafted on a huge piece of white paper), which spanned from 1875 to 2025. When they got to a point on the time line that the audience didn’t agree with, we all booed. And when the kid got to the right spot (this differed from group to group, as some of the kids felt that vinyl record production stopped in 2010) everybody cheered.

And that’s how we got to the activity sheets. Here are some examples of the great work these kids did:

I’ll go so far as to say that pretty much everybody enjoyed the group-activity (even Lucy, the intractable volunteer who experienced/put-up-with all 10 of my workshops); however, watching the kids – especially the boys – tackle the worksheets was a bit different. About half of the kids immediately took to the activity. The others, well, I can safely say – and I say it with much fairness – that not everyone became immediately super-enthusiastic about their career during the holidays…when they’re eight years old. And here’s the magical thing: as soon as the activity was framed with the questions ‘what do you like to do?’ and ‘how can you turn that into something that you could do for work?’ nearly everyone got into it. Oh, and the fact that the kids got to draw pictures as themselves doing the work was pretty darn fantastic. Especially the Fart Soldier!

Describing the very good feelings that bubbled within when the kids proudly shared their pictures and stories with me and especially when they excitedly (and some, I’ll admit, begrudgingly) commented on the value of the exercise and that thinking about a future career – or simply what careers might look like in the future – was “really helpful” or “important” or “pretty cool” is difficult to say the least. So I’ll just say that working with kids in a way that helps them to think about blending interests, talent, passion, and future possibilities in the world of work was as enjoyable as it was meaningful.

So, what’s the work that you want to tackle in the future?

–

All photos courtesy of Sarah Maitland

King Henry VIII – Best Job Ever

Posted on by
1

Who are you?

Well, I was King Henry VII of England. I’ve been dead for, like, five centuries, but, through the magic of technology, time-travel, ghost-whispering, and make-believe, I’m here to talk about the award-worthy The History of Work Series. You see, my job was featured as the Second Best Job Ever, which is ridiculous. Can explorers divorce/murder their wives, establish their own religion and tax the crap out of the landed gentry? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

What do you do for fun?

Fox hunting. I also like to eat and drink. In your time, there’s this 120lb Japanese kid who wins all these hot dog eating contests, right? Well, I would eat four times as many wieners as he does in half the time and then wrap up the day by eating him, too. Look, I wouldn’t call eating people “fun,” I’m just saying that I did it before, okay? A lot of other kings liked horseback riding, but, truth be told, when you weigh 340lbs crushing the back of an animal is a bit mean-spirited and also made me feel like a bit of a fatty. In addition to eating in one afternoon what Northern England ate in a month, I also liked colourful robes, fancy hats and concubines.

What is your favourite community? Why?

I like the community of people that I locked in the Tower of London for treason because they remind me how great I am. There’s nothing like a huddled, scared group of Catholics, Spanish spies and non-Tudor-Kingmakers to make a guy feel pretty awesome about all the power at his disposal. Sometimes, I like to stand in front of their cells and eat big, huge legs of turkey while discussing the tenets of Anglicanism.

What is your superpower?

Largest human being on Earth in the first half of the sixteenth-century. How’s that for a synecdoche?

How do you use it to build community?

Perhaps the extended metaphor of my size allowed me to further establish the community of England by creating the nation state’s own church. Also, if I wasn’t so large there’s no way that people would’ve stood for me executing so many innocent people…like my wives.

My Three Favourite Things About Henry VII are…

[Editor's note: we'd just like to make it clear that we have many, many, many least favourite things about Henry VII; for example, Godfrey and I are fundamentally against murdering our wives regardless of how much closer they bring us to an alliance with Spain. We also don't care for overtaxing a taxed population - for Godfrey, especially the landed gentry - for militaristic purposes. Finally, gluttony isn't a great thing at all and this man is a bit of a poster-child for eating more than we need to. Oh, one more thing, don't let this get back to Hank, but we asked about 145 other people to be in "Get to Know Your Community" for the History of Work series and, well, they all declined to comment. This guy, though, well he isn't shy about speaking his mind. To say the least...].

1. He let us interview him!!! While Kurt’s interview with Santa Claus certainly expanded our readership amongst disgruntled elves and children of wealthy countries that are influenced by American popular culture, the fact that we locked down Henry VII (who has in fact been dead for over five centuries) will play huge with the History, Reformation, divorcee, and giant-robe crowds. I mean, if this were to happen in his day, well, Godfrey and I would probably have been thrown in the Tower of London on the charges of slander and, certainly, treason.

2. Giant pants. I remember, a few years ago when I was living in England, standing in awe as I gazed upon Henry’s giant armour. Honestly, a man from the sixteenth-century being so big was pretty darn amazing. Such sheer greed and gluttony contained in one pair of pants was certainly an historical warning of what big fat white guys could – and would – do to the world. Henry was a messenger. We just missed the message.

3. Entrepreneurial Boat-Rocking. The guy had a vision and he stuck to it, which is pretty admirable. Sure, it was based out of selfishness and an ego the size of his pants, but he took on powerful enemies and didn’t flinch once.

- As told by Godfrey von Bismarck and John Horn

The History of Work Series Concludes

Posted on by
Reply

So there it is. This concludes The History of Work Series on the Daily Gumboot. Godfrey and I have researched, analyzed, evaluated, and delivered results on, first, the nature of work as it relates to community and, second, the best and worst jobs of all time. Here is a re-cap:

The Five Best and Worst Jobs Ever!

And you undoubtedly had a great time reading the series – or selections from it – and learning all about the different careers and job opportunities that have impacted humanity over the past, well, forever. If you didn’t have a great time reading it, please contact Godfrey and ask for a refund.

Moving on…

One – or two – cannot engage in a project like this without asking some key questions about what it all means. Without further ado, here are three of those questions:

What was your creative process like?

JOHN: Well, it involved a lot of yelling. Swearing in German (mostly Godfrey). Swearing at Germans (mostly me). And also lots of love. We also surveyed over 15,000 people to find out what you - the readers – thought were the best and worst jobs of all time. As Historians – engagers of the most noble academic discipline – Godfrey and I were well positioned to use Google to find the top seven websites dedicated to “the history of work”. I believe that we even used some stuff from the Discovery Channel’s “History of Work” series, which was cool, but, as with so much media, only focused on the negative parts of work. Here at the G’boot, we like to keep things positive. Collaborating with Godfrey is a pleasure, mostly because his brain works in a completely different way than mine does. For example, Godfrey thinks about things before he says them, whereas I just write stuff down, man.

GODFREY: It’s true, while the inter-web was a great resource, a  lot of pensive thinking and dreaming and informal focus grouping when into our selection process. It’s amazing how readily people come up with an answer to, “What’s your favourite job?” whether in a coffee shop or while riding the bus. If people’s eyes lit up when they responded with “Explorer” or laughed uneasily when I pitched “plague collector” to them in a coffee shop line up, then these jobs made my final cut.

How does work inform community?

JOHN: In my humble opinion, work – paid, unpaid, volunteer, involuntary – is central to every community. To paraphrase Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest, I think a global emphasis on meaningful work that focuses on human beings, rather than technology or the goods it creates, will “return [sic] people to the heart of the world and of life.” Because sometime we lose site of the people that are wrapped up in our global economy. Hey, we’re the only species on the planet that suffers from unemployment! When it comes to work informing community, I think it’s telling that the typically first question someone asks a new acquaintance is “what to you do for a living?” Perhaps a better question would be “why do you do what you do for a living?” and, follow-up question, “how does this work feed your soul?” In fact, perhaps reflect on those questions yourself and think about what your work means to your community.

GODFREY: Engaging in fulfilling work is what lends so much meaning to our lives. So much of that fulfillment depends on touching the lives of others, working in a team, learning from your co-workers. In short, work means engaging with our world its people and building our connection to it. Even though it’s one of the worst jobs you can imagine, did  the plague collector touch her communities and make them better? Arguably, yes. The same goes for the community transforming power of a King (see tomorrow’s Get to Know Your Community for details) or the enlightenment provided to the world community by the academic. In short a job doesn’t have to be “good” or “enjoyable” to positively affect community change.

How do your respective jobs measure up?

JOHN: Well, I have at least two jobs. Both feed my soul in different ways. As Herder of Cats Editor-in-Chief for this online magazine, I get to write, read and work with brilliant people and Kurt to create an interesting, entertaining and collaborative narrative about community. Writing, more than anything else except for cheese and, I guess, my lovely wife Michelle, feeds my soul. Perhaps my favourite part of the Daily Gumboot is the instructive/prescriptive part of it, where Correspondents like Katie Burns teach people how to grow, harvest and can tomatoes. One of my favourite things in life is what the kids call “clashing of worlds” and I love how lucky I am to bring strangers together as they interpret the idea of “community” from myriad perspectives. As a Career Manager at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, I love the professional diversity of my work. The students are awesome. The work is as diverse as it is interesting as it is challenging and, to quote S||A (aka Stewart Burgess) I love the audiences for which I am lucky enough to teach as well as present edutaining material. Hardship only comes up when co-workers make fun of my clothing and don’t invite me to meetings. So, it’s pretty tough sometimes…

GODFREY: Having recently moved into a communications job which puts me into constant contact with the world around me  means I am growing to steadily enjoy my work after several years of boredom where I worked mostly in isolation . A great team of co-workers helps. In the end, people make my days great. Writing for the web and developing communication strategies is a bonus. I have a new job on the horizon as a father – an opportunity I am excited to get started on as well.

Final Words

And that, as they say, is that. Everyone, on behalf of Godfrey and myself I’d just like to say you’re welcome! As you find something to feed your soul in 2011 be sure to think about the positive way in which it will build community, too. And have fun with it!

- Godfrey and John

The Second Best and Worst Jobs Ever

Posted on by
1

Holy crap we’re almost done the series! Through Pirates and Message Runners, University Professors and Fox News Fact-Checkers, and Singers and Searchers of the Dead we have explored myriad kinds of work and how these historical jobs impact communities. Sort of. Other times we rambled about tenure and the coming Plague. Sorry about that. On to the next two jobs!

Best. Job. Ever. Number 2!

A Person Who is Born into Wealth & Title could be a King, Queen, Sultan, Baron, Emperor, Chief, Landed Aristocracy, or a trust fund baby from Connecticut. For over a thousand years you’ve just flat-out been better than everybody else and, depending on the century, you have represented one – or  several – deities here on planet Earth (thanks for that, by the way). Be it nation or fiefdom or Galactic Empire you are the final word on the economy, religion, the environment, human rights, and how many servants you can ethically sleep in one bunkbed. And all you had to do to get here is be yourself!

Summary of Academically Sound Findings and Analysis:

PERSON BORN INTO WEALTH & TITLE

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

TOTAL:
Level of Hardship If hardship is deciding which food to throw away  or weave even more gold into your clothing then your life is hard!

In the past, you have also used people as footstools, sacrificed virgins, and started your own church.

 From time to time there are peasant uprisings, pesky Bolsheviks, Maoists, or Cromwellians who try to spoil your pageant. Just all in a day’s work. 5/5
Opportunity for Advancement You can’t really get much higher than King, right? Advancement can mean taking over another Kingdom, which means raising taxes, putting pikes into your serfs’ hands and sending ‘em into battle with hopes of achieving more land and title. 4/5
Meaningful Nature of Work Sooner or later, ribbon-cutting and holding hands with American Presidents who want your oil must get a little boring. Back in the day (or in Saudi Arabia right now) you derive meaning by weilding exceptional power. 4/5

Worst. Job. Ever. Number 2!

As a Politician, you have chosen to pursue a career in an ongoing righteous popularity contest that brings out the worst in people. From towns to nation-states, from the French Revolution until the 2012 Palin-Trump ticket, politicians have dug up dirt, slung muck, filibustered decent bills, perpetuated planet pillaging, and been Rob Ford. Recent findings show that most of them have nightmares about their work and that they aren’t always sincere in their promises. To quote Sir Winston Churchill: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” And the politicians make this worst form of government work…for…us…

Summary of Academically Sound Findings and Analysis:

POLITICIAN

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

TOTAL:
Level of Hardship Your entire working existence is one big peasant uprising!

People are skeptical of you and your values  when you start your career and downright hate your guts when you finish it. In between, you are raked through muck by your colleagues, misinterpreted in soundbites and probably get caught breaking the law.

This being said, the kickbacks are pretty sweet.

 1/5
Opportunity for Advancement Your belief in democracy advancing merit, not legacy or title, is contradicted by your knowledge that money talks and Canada only has, like, eleven female MPs.

It’s still about who you know and playing the game.

 2/5
Meaningful Nature of Work Self-interest (of yourself and your political party) defines your work. Being re-elected is, therefore, more important than passing career-crippling, yet world-saving, climate change legislation. From time to time you fight tyranny, deliver social justice, innovate, and/or appear on The Daily Show. These  meaningful achievements are few and far between, though. 2/5

Reflections on these Jobs

GODFREY: We will see in the next installment how slavery and the freedom to explore bring out the stark differences in two dramatically “professions”. When it comes to politicians, they don’t break with their historical antecedents. Being a politician can often seem like the historical evolution of absolute power, just by a different name. While the Obamas, Sarkozy’s and Suharto’s don’t rule by divine right, but rather the ballot box, let’s face – it their power is still largely absolute. They also still l live in palaces….I’m just saying….

JOHN: These jobs deserve each other. And, somehow, even though they’re different they really seem really similar. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – mostly because it really annoys Kurt – but Johnism is the only answer to the problems presented by these two examples of the bankrupt and broken way our world is governed. Or isn’t.

Introducing the History of Work Series

Posted on by
2

While so many people – especially the staff of the Daily Gumboot – are on vacation, Godfrey von Bismarck and I thought we’d talk about work. Specifically, the History of it.

Work is perhaps the most central thing to the concept of community – in fact, the measurement of our lives as “successful” or not typically have work in the equation somewhere. According to Philosopher and Friend-of-the-’Boot, Alain de Botton, “Pick up any newspaper or magazine, open the TV, and you’ll be bombarded with suggestions of how to have a successful life. Some of these suggestions are deeply unhelpful to our own projects and priorities – and we should take care.” This series is not one of those unhelpful things. It’s amazing. Just ask Alain de Botton!

Further, the Fraser Institute’s Patrick Basham and Jason Clemens point out that “Labour is a dynamic process through which individuals add value to raw materials, generate wealth for society, and give form to previously only imagined ideas. At the heart of the labour process is the opportunity for individuals to provide for themselves (and their families) a standard of living based on their own hard work, ingenuity, creativity, and skills.”  The Fraser Institute’s mortal enemy, The New Economic Foundation, argues that work represents a necessary component of a flourishing society: “High-quality work can profoundly affect our well-being by providing us with purpose, challenge, and opportunities for social relationships. It can constitute a meaningful part of our identity.” No matter what conceptual spectrum you approach it from, work is quite clearly the fabric of communities from Vancouver to Nairobi to Melbourne to Downtown Germania.

For the record, health is important, too. And the environment. Education has value as well, unless, of course, you are a Feudal Lord who needs to ensure that your Serfs do not gain access to movable type and, consequently, overthrow you.

Moving on…

Since human beings killed dinosaurs around 5,000 BC, work has been a central part of every human community. From the Discover Channel to the Harvard Business Review to the recently celebrated One Week Job Program to Philosophers, Teachers, Consultants, Coaches, Writers, Academics, and countless other professionals, holistic examinations of work – and what it means to humans – have threaded their way through textbooks, conferences, professional development seminars, and pop-culture. Some people say this series will add to the narrative of humans and work. Others say that this series will replace the entire thing because it’s so amazing.

Godfrey and I leave the final decision to you.

Below, as identified by the American Management Association, are five skills that have always made great workers masters of their craft. In order to put them in context, we will use the job of Circus Clown (pictured) to show their timeless application. Here they are:

  1. Effective Communication - delivers comprehensive water-spraying instructions to five-person team with no verbal cues, just first-class miming techniques.
  2. Critical Thinking and Analysis – based on research and analysis of previous five (unsuccessful) attempts by colleagues, removed head from lion’s mouth in timely fashion.
  3. Teamwork and Collaboration – collaborated with 89-person team to seamlessly enter and exit a three-cubic-meter car in under seven minutes.
  4. Innovation and Creativity – continually include fire and roller skates into components of show, such as engaging with young audience members during the “trampolines and shark tank” performance.
  5. John’s bonus skills: Adaptability (new). Leadership (experienced) - demonstrated flexibility by securing myself in a cannon, resulting in a post-explosion-travel of approximately 96 meters (new) or demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of safety procedures – such as location of 13 different fire extinguishers, medical personal and digital camera – during the rookie-clown-cannon-experience component of Circus’s closing ceremonies.

The relationship of these skills to certain jobs guided our selection process (for example, how frequently – or infrequently – does a churl demonstrate effective critical thinking and analysis when compared to a Product Manager at Google?), but there are other elements that informed our decision-making, too. During our evaluations, we really liked it when jobs spanned time and place. Here are some other factors that helped us nominate and rank  the five best and worst jobs in history:

  • Level of Hardship – “how much does this job make my life suck?“
  • Opportunity for Advancement – “how many paths are there from this job to cooler ones?“
  • Meaningful Nature of Work – “how much do I absolutely love doing this job?”

Each category has a five-point scale. In the case of a tie, “Grossness” and “Satisfaction“  will be used as the deciding factors.

Here are the shortlists for the best and worst jobs in the history of the world:

Candidates for the Best Job Ever.

  • Creative Leader at Google
  • Doctor
  • Carrier Fleet Admiral
  • King, Queen, Emperor, or Sultan
  • Landed 19th C Aristocrat
  • Explorer
  • Pirate (all the different kinds, ie. sea pirate, hacker, corporate raider)
  • Sponsored Surfer
  • Professional Athlete
  • Cult Leader
  • Food Critic
  • Superhero
  • Singer
  • Firefighters
  • University Professor
  • Educational and Vocational Counsellor
  • Hand model
  • Philosopher
  • Editor-in-Chief of a Major Newspaper
  • Johnny Depp

Candidates for the Worst Job Ever.

  • Slave
  • Serf
  • First World War Message Runner
  • Stand up Comedian
  • Entrepreneur
  • Pardoner
  • Politician
  • French Revolution Guillotine Operator
  • Collector of Plague Dead
  • Anarchist
  • Gladiator
  • The Coin Stamper
  • Leech Collector
  • Castrato
  • Adviser to Kim Jong Il
  • Telemarketer
  • Mine sweeper
  • Fact-checker at Fox News
  • Worker on Oil Rig
  • Ship Breaker

Over the next five days, Godfrey and I will count down the five best and five worst jobs in human history.

We hope that you enjoy the experience as much as we do and that it makes you really excited about returning to work or, alternatively, deciding that you never want to go back to work again!

Have fun with it!

- Godfrey and John

The Office Holiday Party

Posted on by
1

Over the next two weeks, communities of working people (and many of their cajoled spouses and partners) will be participating in (hopefully) festive holiday parties. Egg nog will flow, budgets will shrink and awkward dancing will ensue.

I love parties. Approximately 92.7% of the time I strive to be the life of them. Sometimes I succeed. Other times my wife asks me powerfully reflective questions about the value of impromptu karaoke at her friend of a friend’s Grandma’s 85th birthday party.

Look, here’s my point: over the past decade I have organized no fewer than 854 parties as well as attended over 16,741 party-like events – about 533 of these were holiday-related celebrations. Further, as a Career Manager, my job puts me at the intersection of ideas, people and resources that all discuss what it takes to be awesome in the world of work. Finally, my LinkedIn profile describes me as a “community-builder” and a “workplace humourist” – which basically means that you will be entertained and educated by the next 20 things that appear in this story.

Readers, with my credibility firmly established, I will now list the Top 10 Dos and Top 10 Don’ts for the Holiday Party at your Office:

Do these 10 Things:

1. Show up Early. Do this to help out, sure. But also do this to get some intimate face-time with decision-makers (ie. your boss or your boss’s boss) before things get too crunk.

2. Be a Host. Many partners hate being dragged to these things, so be sure to include them in conversations and make introductions, give directions and seek out people standing alone.

3. Cleverly Discuss your “Big Ideas”. Without sleezeballing-up the party by discussing the two things nobody wants to hear about (work and you), subtly drop the idea in twenty-seconds-or-less and offer to follow-up about it in the New Year.

4. Showcase your Conversational Currency. From how bad the Maple Leafs are playing to the launch of Civilizations V to BC’s Political Mess to the hottest travel destinations you should be able to weigh in on all of it. And, hey, if you want to mention the Daily Gumboot, well, we wouldn’t hold it against you.

5. Talk to everyone. Be a social butterfly and explore connections beyond your immediate co-workers.

6. Dance! Some etiquette blogs will tell you to a) stay away from the dance floor or b) avoid an early entrance to the dance floor. To them I say – “it’s a party, people!” Keep it classy and simple. And build a little community by bringing some folks up with you. Dancing is contagious and you’ll be a hero for doing what everyone is thinking.

7. Be more Interested than Interesting. Ask a cool, meaningful question. Nod. Smile. Listen. Repeat.

8. Give toasts. Many people hate doing this; so, if you find yourself at your table and no one is stepping up to the plate, come prepared with a short, sweet and festive and friendly holiday toast.

9. Find Common Ground. After two or three glasses of egg nog it might seem like a good idea to get into a raging debate with your colleague’s husband and his “Rob Ford + Don Cherry + FoxNews = AWESOME!” t-shirt. Don’t. ‘Tis not the time or the place. Instead, find the things you have in common and talk about those. If all you can really talk about is eating and breathing, well, do it for five minutes and then refresh your drink.

10. Leave on a High Note. Be like the A-Team and have a fantastic exit strategy. If you can time it after a few hilarious stories, some edutaining fun facts then you will elevate your status to Holiday Party Legend!

Do NOT do these 10 Things:

1. Get Wasted. The idea might seem like a compelling one after your fifth scotch, but it’s not – trust me. Behaviour arising from this seldom a good reputation makes.

2. Talk about Work. Sure, it might come up – after all, it’s a work party. But people are there to celebrate and get to know each other differently, so leave the spreadsheets and strategery at home.

3. Gossip. There are better things to talk about – if you bring up other people in the office make sure the comments are positive ones. Spread love, not rumours.

4. Hit on Peoples’ Spouses/Partners. Hilarious from everyone else’s perspective, but not at all classy.

5. Talk about Yourself. There will be new people – non-everyday-at-the-office-people – so make the conversation about them. Transform every situation from me to we.

6. Eat all the Food. Fun Fact about Socializing: cheese gives you horrible, horrible breath. Also, food is for sharing!

7. Declare War on the War on Christmas. Your beliefs – whatever they may be – are great. It’s just that some people have different ones. Instead of challenging what could very well be a thousand years of culture and ritual, perhaps smile and offer a festive “happy holidays” or “season’s greeting” and celebrate the inclusion of our fantastic communities in Vancouver and beyond.

8. Be a Downer. Sadness and depression and bad vibes, like positive energy, are contagious. If an experiment with positive energy fails to be inspiring and you really feel like being toxic, perhaps say your thanks, pocket a bottle of your favourite something, head home and pop in Love, Actually for some festive, happy-making viewing.

9. Smack-talk [INSERT RIVAL UNIT/DEPARTMENT HERE]. Look, it’s easy to make fun of the Accounting Department. I mean, it’s where all the Accountants work!!! But such behaviour creates silos as well as real and metaphorical barriers within organizations. Be cross-departmental and interdisciplinary in your holiday socializing.

10. Get asked to Leave. Well, if you failed to follow the above 19 things to do/avoid-doing then you have probably arrived at this little gem. And, if it comes to this, the only thing left to do is apologize and not throw up on anything. Hopefully your job is still there on Monday!

So there it is. Good luck navigating your office holiday party. And, most importantly, Happy Holidays!

Finding a Job is Just Like Dating – Part 2

Posted on by
3

The cover photo of the September 2010 issue of Job Postings Magazine

Summary of Where We Are

Recently, friend and colleague Kimberley Rawes and I delivered the first chapter of a two-part series on Your Career as Dating. It was an amazing experience and positive reviews, speaking offers and various other accolades continue to roll in. So, after reading the first part of this two-part series, you have used a fantastic pickup line to get a date (or maybe more) and have been offered an exclusive relationship. So what should you do next?

Exactly.

The First 90 Days

This is the make-or-break period for romantic and professional relationships alike. It’s a lot easier to fake it on a date than it is to fake it in a committed, monogamous relationship. Bad habits are revealed. Personality defects rear their ugly head(s). Idiot friends come out of the woodwork. And your Facebook status updates get you in trouble. Here are some helpful hints that will make the first 90 days at work – or at work in a relationship – go smoothly:

  • Secure early wins. While you shouldn’t be making your boss gourmet dinners or planning romantic picnics in romantically secluded romantic places, the non-romantic above-and-beyond mentality of “capturing positive attention” is a must-have for the first 90 Days on the job or in a relationship.
  • Don’t assume anything. You’ll make an ass out of yourself. You need to navigate the department or the office and ask a thousand questions.
  • Keep your head down. Make it about work. If your buddies are buddies they’ll still be around in 91 days. Come in early. Stay late. Don’t go near the Interweb unless it’s part of your job or evening together. Clean gutters or do the dishes. Basically, go above and beyond and showcase the best version of you (thus implying that it’ll be the you that’s around forever).
  • Cross-departmental collaboration. Let’s face it, you are only one part of your partner’s, um, work.  S/he most likely has other “units” of friends and family out there. So, get interdisciplinary and cross-pollinate (not literally, guys) with his/her other stakeholders – discover your team’s pleasure zones. Forming solid relationships with them means creating powerful and influential alliances that will help you in everything from Sunday Night Settlers of Catan games to planning your three year anniversary holiday.
  • Never say no. That’s right, you heard us. For 90 days take this word out of your vocabulary (within reason, folks) and take on as many projects, romantic comedies, monster truck pulls, and family dinners as you can. It will set a precedent, sure, but it will also establish credibility that can be used later for, um, negotiations.

But, even if you do all these things spectacularly, the relationship might not be a good fit, and you break up.

Worst of all are the break ups just after the first commitment. There is all of that “relationship” potential. I mean – you thought that person was “the-one” (maybe at least for now). When you accept an offer and then abruptly leave a company before your start date or a few months in, you don’t leave with the most positive impression. While there may be valid reasons for your early departure, do your best to minimize the damage and avoid these situations in the future.

Getting Promoted…for Life

No other single relationship is more important, you need to figure out how to build a productive romantic relationship with your new special someone as well as manage his or her expectations. This means carefully planning for a series of critical conversations about the situation, expectations, style, resources, and your personal – and mutual – development as a couple. Crucially, it means developing and gaining consensus on where your relationship is going.

But luck and opportunity has a lot to do with your promotion, too. According to Fast Company magazine’s Bill Breen, “A promotion’s context, it turns out, is just as important as the job’s content. Some people are promoted because they’re available — an operation is phased out, a job ends prematurely and the company creates another position. Others (perhaps with more talent) also have the skills but can’t make an immediate move.” Breen’s lesson: opportunity plays a critical role in promotions. Just like with dating. I mean, meeting the right person at the wrong time (like when s/he’s married) is just wrong for everyone!

So, execute spectacularly in the first 90 days of your semi-serious, semi-committed relationship, but also keep in mind that, for everything to happen according to plan, you need to realize that no plan will ever work. Most of the time, relationships of every kind are built by chance. Do you feel lucky?

“But Humans Aren’t Monogamous”

This might very well be true – according to the Recent Findings Institute (and Softpedia), just 3 to 5% of the about 5,000 species of mammals form lifelong, monogamous bonds. As hard as many of us try, we are not penguins or swans or other animals that mate for life. In fact, recent findings from Brainstorm Consulting’s From Learning to Work report show that college and university graduates in Canada expect to have between 7-10 different jobs in their lifetime. Other sources show that the majority of post-secondary graduates will have at least 10 jobs by the time they’re 40! But here’s the funny thing: according to Brainstorm, 53% of post-secondary students want to work at one company for their entire life. Even funnier is this line from Brainstorm’s executive summary of the report: “loyalty is not [the students'] problem, but it might be their employers.” Like pirates, new employees today will leave their ship for a better one without hesitation. In fact, the From Learning to Work report found that 40% of students expect to leave their first job in five years or less. And 70% of ‘em – while hungry for lifelong professional monogamy – have no idea where to look for that relationship. Just like with dating…

So, even if we’re not hardwired to commit for life, we still do our best to force professionally monogamous relationships upon ourselves. According to Devra G. Kleiman, author of “Monogamy in Mammals“, “an emotional bond is a requirement for monogamy.” Whether it’s a relationship with work or pleasure, it seems that people need to care about it/him/her if they’re to stay forever.

In Conclusion

So there it is. From pick-up lines to lifelong commitment, we’ve explored how finding a job is just like dating your way to finding a husband/wife/life-partner. Or Kimberley and I just screwed up your moral compass and you keep making dinner for your boss and spreadsheets for your wife. If that’s the case, we apologize and hope that this powerful metaphor is eventually gotten by you and job seekers everywhere.

Stay classy job seekers.

- Kimberley Rawes and John Horn

Finding a Job is Just Like Dating – Part 1

Posted on by
1

Cover Image of the September 2010 issue of Job Postings Magazine

The Concept

Around the world, career practitioners continually search for meaningful, engaging and inspiring metaphors that will, among other things, drive clients their way. Powerful metaphors also help people better understand their work search, too. (Friend and colleague) Kimberley Rawes and I have discovered the perfect career development metaphor that will have the kids talking and tweeting and maybe even sexting en route to their dream jobs.

“Career as Dating” is whispered about in secluded corners, laughed about at Career Centre holiday parties or excitedly presented as novelty by the ingenious class clown (every teacher has one – the one who cracked this gem in my class is named Alexi and he is delightful). While not delivered as formal best practice or celebrated in the academic discourse, career-as-dating is sometimes cited by pop-culture-ish blogs with very engaging results – particularly within the hormone laden environment of post-secondary institutions. And, from time to time, publications like Job Postings magazine playfully explore the topic – check out the fun article by Allison Mitchell called “How to Pick up…at Career Fairs“.

So, here’s the deal, from pick-up-line to marriage, Kimberley and I will outline a foolproof start-to-finish strategy that will help you see your work search in a whole new light…softly lit romantic light, baby!

Establish Purpose

Before you delve into your social or professional toolkit(s) you must define the purpose of your quest. Are you looking for a post-break-up-one-night-adventure or a soul-connecting-life-partner? Are you in search of an internship abroad or a permanent full-time position in the city that you call home? Think about what you want to get out of this experience. Because even if Kimberley and I chart the course, you’re the one who needs to steer your ship. Here we go.

Pick-up Lines

Picking up guys and gals in a bar can be tough – it’s noisy and you only have a matter of moments to catch their attention. Career Fairs – or networking events – are no different. Well, they are very different, but suspend disbelief for just a moment. According to Mitchell, “an overall professional appearance is required. Showing up in jeans and a hoodie and saying that you just found out about the career fair that day is not an excuse. You need to dress to impress.”

Whether dating or job hunting, be sure to make eye contact. It’s common sense, but not common practice. Eye contact and proper body language imply active listening and interest in the discussion, which any audience will love. For more information, just follow this link and this one, too.

Recent findings show that you have less than 20 seconds to make an impression on your audience – that’s how quickly prospective employers and life-partners take to size you up. The point is that you need a spectacular elevator pitch, which is basically a 20-second summary of the value that you can add to any situation, which may or may not be supplemented by amazing graphs, videos and photos contained in your smartphone. You also need to ask interesting questions that show that you are simultaneously interested and interesting.

Which ones are for dating and which ones are for networking? Well, we’ll just leave that to you.

  • “Do you know how much a male polar bear weighs? Me neither, but I figured it would be enough to break the ice.”
  • “I graduated in record time from Coho University with an undergraduate degree in microbiology. I just started researching the influence of algae on prolonging the life span and increasing the population of bottlenose dolphins.”
  • Your CEO must be Jamaican, because JAMAICAN me crazy for this company!
  • There’s something wrong with your recruiter, because s/he doesn’t have my number yet.
  • “What are your three favourite things about where you work?”
  • “I’m sorry, were you talking to me? No? Well then, please start.”

Some super cheesy lines wont work and can often come off as inauthentic. Remember – be yourself, especially if you’re searching for that soulful job. You wouldn’t want less from a life partner – would you?

First and Second Dates

Congratulations. Your pick-up line(s) worked and you got a date! Or an interview!!!

Okay, the first rule of interviewing is this: know the most about your audience…without coming off as a stalker. The second rule is this: be totally prepared for what is supposed to be a 15-minute coffee/screening-chat to turn into a full-blown interview that results in a job offer. In dating-parlance, once you’ve used your great line and secured a date, well, it’s time to explore your connection and see how long it takes to evolve into something amazing…or fizzle into an afterthought. If you want to make a good impression – romantically or professionally – just remember the CAR Formula, which stands for Context, Action, Result. We’ll use the most common dating/social-networking question as an example for both dating and working use of the CAR Formula.

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: For the past three years I’ve been working as a Staff Accountant for Turner, Briggs & Melvin, where I specialize in forestry-sector audits. I’ve worked hard to develop the expertise and connections that have allowed me to become one of the most sought-after nerds specialists in Western North America. In my spare time, I’ve collaborated with a team of volunteers to establish and grow a soccer league for homeless people and I also love to cook French and Japanese food for big groups of people who don’t know each other but who will by the end of the evening.

Remember, don’t just focus on what your audience wants to hear. Be yourself. Because, well, if you fake it then you’ll wake up three months later in a hollow, uninspiring, foundationless, lie-ridden, dark pit of a job/relationship that you never really wanted in the first place.

Here are some other career/romance-related questions and scenarios that you can prepare for using the CAR Formula:

  • What do you value in life? / What are your top 3 work values?
  • What was the best part of growing up? Where did you go to school? / Tell me about a time when….
  • What makes you different from the rest? / Why should I hire you?
  • Mini scenarios – test out different date venues. Can you have constant debate and intellectual discussion? Can you laugh until you cry? Can you sit quietly and enjoy each others company without that awkward pressure?

Whatever date (first, second, third) you’re on, here are some deal-breakers that will torpedo your love-life just as quickly as they will end your career, or at least burn a bridge:

  • Answering your cellphone during a meeting, movie, dinner, or conversation.
  • Talking badly about exes (bosses, partners or a formerly special someone).
  • Not having clear expectations of each other.
  • Neglecting to follow-up or doing so with a text message.

The Offer

[Editor's note: Initial focus-group testing found that calling this category "The Job Offer" resulted in too much giggling and not enough attention to the job at han- dammit! Anyway, after a few rounds of positively received dates or interviews, a candidate will receive an offer that requires commitment. We'll go from here].

If this is your first time committing to a serious job, you may feel uncertain about your future and want to keep your options open with other companies. This move neglects the needs of your would-be employer who is under the impression that you’re gearing up for monogamy. If you were about to commit to a partner, would you still be okay if they were meeting new people and picking up phone numbers? Probably not. In the work world, you can always send out multiple resumes and have multiple interviews, but when you’re getting close to a final interview, or an offer, its time to settle down and get committed.

When discussing an offer, it’s important to ask yourself “what is negotiated at this stage?” Are we going to be exclusive? Will I get use of the car? Do I have to relocate? What are the living arrangements? Will I be in an open office concept or will I have my own private workspace? What is the bonus structure of this arrangement? Will travel be a requirement? What is the time commitment?

Just as you would ask – or at least think about – these questions before jumping headfirst into a relationship, you should do the same when it comes to work. Or vice versa.

Wrap It Up!

So endeth part one. In Part 2, where we will discuss your First 90 Days on the Job, Getting Promoted, and Exceptions to the Rules.

- Kimberley Rawes and John Horn

The Daily Gumboot is Hiring!

Posted on by
4

The Job | Interns Editorial Associates

POSITION OVERVIEW | OUR NEEDS, YOUR GETS

Do you like photocopying? Does getting coffee for people make you excited? Can you answer the phone and type up meeting minutes at the same time? Are menial tasks the “be all and end all” in your day-to-day existence? No? Good. You will fit in well at the Daily Gumboot.

We need Interns Editorial Associates to expand our online presence. The DG team is looking for people who have a passion for community-building, a flare for social networking, and who are comfortable navigating the Twitterverse using many different social media tools.

You will receive real, live, cutting-edge experiential learning. Our Editorial staff is made up of powerful connectors who write exceptional reference letters. Most importantly, joining our team means being a part of an innovative social enterprise with nearly unlimited potential. You will play an active leadership role in building a truly global community. Sounds pretty cool, right?

BACKGROUNDER | A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DAILY GUMBOOT

The Daily Gumboot is a collaborative online experience designed for people who want to learn more about building community. Or who really, really like pirates. This online magazine is about fresh perspectives on people, community, nature, pirates, gumboots, and gumboot-clad pirate communities in nature. We collect, analyze and deliver cool ideas from everywhere. And we use them to build community. For such noble community service, the Gumboot has been endorsed by the likes of Confucius, Barack Obama, the President of Kenya, Gregor Robertson, Steve Nash, and John’s parents. We chose the resilient, practical and stylish symbol of the gumboot in homage to John’s first community, Merville, British Columbia, which is renowned for being “the gumboot capital of Canada.”

This publication began as all great things begin, out of a casual conversation between friends. The first article was published in December 2008 and, since then, the creativity, collaborators and influence of the Daily Gumboot has only grown. The DG’s content is managed by editors Kurt and John, and the online magazine’s sexy, sexy back end is coordinated by our even sexier back-end-guy, Mike Boronowski. Since August 1, 2009, Kurt and John have posted – or overseen the posting – of something fairly totally awesome every single day. We call this “the streak” and the editors look forward to emphasizing the importance of the “daily” part of the Daily Gumboot over the next few pages.

The Daily Gumboot strives to be topical, interesting, snappy, grammatically-correct, edutaining, and, most importantly, positive. The team isn’t shy of controversy or run-on sentences; we have embraced the semi-colon and use its power for good. If you are interested in officially joining the Daily Gumboot, please be sure to answer our Get to Know Your Community questions so we can profile you!

Welcome to the Daily Gumboot. Thanks for considering our community. We hope you have fun with it.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS | THINGS YOU WILL NEED

  • Well-honed social media toolkit with proficiency and/or strong interest in learning more about  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Delicious, Tumblr, Flickr, and cool stuff we don’t even know about yet.
  • Excellent written communication skills (bonus points for communicating information in 140 characters or less).
  • Trendspotting – from technology to web-couture you ‘get it’ when it comes to what’s hot.
  • A talent for researching Gumboot-relevant websites, blogs, people, and online communities.
  • Ability to start and sustain conversations throughout the Twitterverse.
  • Interest, appreciation or passion for pirates – if you are a real pirate, the position is yours!

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES  | THINGS YOU WILL DO

  • We are in search of someone who can spend three-to-five hours per week microblogging, marketing and promoting the Daily Gumboot - if you want to spend more time, well, that would be amazing.
  • Identify and investigate online communities and spaces through which to promote the Daily Gumboot.
  • Manage the DG‘s Facebook group, Twitter account and other social media platforms attached to the blog.
  • Create new platforms, like a superawesome Flickr account!
  • “Spread the word” about our online magazine through several different online mediums.
  • Make sweet, sweet “link love” with other community-minded blogs, magazines, newspapers, and online communities.
  • Write the occasional article about the Daily Gumboot Intern Associate Editor experience.
  • Collaborate with Editors and Correspondents to properly tag and promote specific articles to specific audiences.

THE CLOSER | CONTACT US TODAY!

As the Daily Gumboot is a non-profit enterprise, these are volunteer positions. With your hard work and dedication to our community-building goals, well, you might just land yourself a paid position. Of course, we’ll need to reach Huffington Post-like notoriety for this to happen. While there are no guarantees, you will be joining a team with an ambitious vision for the future.

Interested? Email your cover letter, resume and, if you like, a supercool YouTube video to Kurt Heinrich and John Horn. Or just send us an email expressing your interest. That works too.

Email: john(at)dailygumboot(dot)ca