Sal Shaikh

Introduction

In today’s highly competitive professional landscape, individuals are constantly seeking effective strategies to excel in their careers. While there is no secret formula for success, adopting the P.I.E. method can significantly enhance your chances of climbing the ladder of success. The P.I.E. method encompasses three essential elements: Performance, Image, and Exposure. By understanding and leveraging these components, individuals can position themselves for long-term career growth and advancement.

Performance: The Foundation of Success

Performance forms the bedrock of any successful career. It refers to how well you execute your tasks, fulfill responsibilities, and consistently deliver high-quality results. Excelling in your job not only establishes credibility but also lays the groundwork for future opportunities. Here are a few key aspects to consider when focusing on performance:

• Master Your Craft: Continuously seek to improve your knowledge and skills in your chosen field. Stay updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. This will not only enhance your expertise but also demonstrate your commitment to professional growth.
• Set Clear Goals: Establishing specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals is crucial. Clearly define what you want to achieve and break it down into manageable milestones. Regularly assess your progress and make adjustments as necessary.
• Embrace Continuous Learning: Actively seek out opportunities for personal and professional development. Attend workshops, seminars, and conferences related to your industry. Additionally, consider pursuing relevant certifications or degrees to enhance your qualifications and broaden your skill set.

Image: Shaping Perception and Building Relationships

Building a positive image among your peers and superiors is essential for career progression. Perception plays a vital role in how others perceive your capabilities and potential. Here’s how you can work on your image:

• Develop Strong Interpersonal Skills: Cultivate effective communication, active listening, and conflict resolution skills. Building positive relationships with colleagues and superiors fosters a supportive work environment and opens doors to collaboration and mentorship.
• Demonstrate Professionalism: Uphold high ethical standards, integrity, and reliability. Be punctual, meet deadlines, and take ownership of your work. These qualities contribute to a positive professional image and garner respect from others.
• Seek Feedback and Act on It: Regularly solicit constructive feedback from supervisors and colleagues to identify areas for improvement. Actively address their suggestions and adapt accordingly. This demonstrates your willingness to learn and grow, while also showcasing your commitment to self-improvement.

Exposure: Maximizing Opportunities for Growth

Exposure refers to your ability to capitalize on opportunities to showcase your skills and potential in front of senior leadership. It involves strategically positioning yourself to gain visibility and create lasting impressions. Consider the following strategies to maximize exposure:

• Take Initiative: Seize opportunities to contribute beyond your immediate role. Volunteer for challenging assignments, lead projects, and take ownership of initiatives. Demonstrating initiative shows that you are proactive, ambitious, and capable of handling greater responsibilities.
• Network Effectively: Actively build a strong professional network within and outside your organization. Attend industry events, join relevant associations, and engage with influential professionals. Networking can lead to valuable connections, mentorship opportunities, and exposure to new perspectives.
• Seek Mentors and Sponsors: Cultivate relationships with experienced professionals who can guide and advocate for you. Mentors provide valuable advice, while sponsors can actively promote your career advancement within the organization. Their support and endorsement can significantly boost your exposure and opportunities.

Conclusion

The P.I.E. method offers a comprehensive framework for career success. By focusing on Performance, Image, and Exposure, individuals can proactively shape their professional trajectory. Remember, exceptional performance serves as the foundation while cultivating a positive image and strategically maximizing exposure to further solidify your position. Embrace the P.I.E. method, and embark on a journey towards realizing your full potential and achieving long-term career success.

The post Unlocking Career Success: The P.I.E. Method appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

Does your dream job seem out of reach? Well, fear not, as career coach Jim O’Hagan is here to help you stand out from the crowd, make lasting first impressions and ultimately, land the career of your dreams.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in… 

• Who is Jim O’Hagan [00:45]
• Changes in business: Are we losing mentorship opportunities? [03.22]
• Management styles and career transitions: Jim’s natural wiring of coaching [05.26]
• The importance of giving back to the community [07.40]
• The challenges and rewards of career coaching [09.52]
• Tips for entering today’s competitive job market [11.06]
• How to find your natural voice and tell your story [14.07]
• Common interview mistakes to avoid and how preparation is key [18.13]
• Inclusive recruitment: hiring neuro-diverse candidates [25.36]
• An insight into O’Hagan Career Coaching services [27.27]
• The impact of treating every interaction like an interview [37.22]

“This next layer of people who are doing hiring, they’re going to be a little more rigid around answers. When we were hiring people in the past, it was more a lot of gut feel”
– Jim O’Hagan

Stand Out, Get Hired: Conquer the Job Interview Battle

In today’s competitive job market, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd, particularly for young adults who may lack experience or confidence in their abilities. But with the help of career coaches like Jim O’Hagan, job seekers can learn how to present their best selves to potential employers and land the jobs they want.

Jim shares insights on how to stand out in today’s competitive job market. With over 30 years of coaching experience, Jim offers practical tips on preparing for job interviews, developing your natural voice and story, and approaching interviews confidently.

Essential Job Interview Prep

Jim emphasizes the importance of being prepared for interviews, recommending that job seekers research the company and manager, prepare their resume, and be honest about their skill set. He also stresses the importance of mindset when approaching a job interview, encouraging individuals to think of it as an opportunity to prove themselves and to approach it with confidence.

For neurodiverse individuals, such as those with ADHD or autism, Jim offers coaching to help them develop the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in the job market. Jim’s coaching has helped many individuals land jobs and boost their confidence, including a 19-year-old lacrosse player who wanted to pursue a career in construction. He helped him prepare for interviews, and he ultimately landed a job.

According to Jim, parents should invest in workforce coaching for their children just as they would invest in other activities like sports or dance lessons. He believes that coaching can help young adults succeed in their careers and start paying off their debts.

“Would you ever go into a test and not study? Would you ever go into a sports season and not train? This is the same thing, but even more important. Your parents have paid for college, or you’ve paid for college. There’s nowhere more important you need to be than today, here in this interview.”
– Jim O’Hagan.

Resources:

Clearmont Technologies YouTube channel: Listen to Jodi’s interview quick tip

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cxqASrsnhxA

Connect with Jim O’Hagan: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-o-hagan-6558083/

https://www.ohagancareercoaching.com/

Connect with Tech Talent Today host Jodi Kulek Mayer: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikulekmayer/

https://clearmonttech.com/

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Did you enjoy this episode? If so, don’t forget to subscribe and share it with a friend. See you next time on Tech Talent Today!

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The post Ignite Your Confidence and Land Your Dream Job with Jim O’Hagan, Ep #25 appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

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In this episode of Tech Talent Today, I’m delighted to be joined by David Zweier, Vice President of the Enterprise Program Management Office at Selective Insurance. David has over 20 years of experience in engineering and management, delivering business value across several industries such as defense, financial services, consulting, publishing, and insurance. I invited David to the podcast because of an intriguing post he made about the common misperception that project management will become obsolete. Listen to learn more!

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Changes in business frameworks [03:39]
• Effective risk management governance [07:24]
• Interviewing for soft skills [09:30]
• Rebecca’s Homestead [11:34]
• Employee retention through relationships [14:42]
• David’s career journey [21:03]
• Diversity and inclusion at Selective [24:19]

What is Selective Insurance?

Selective Insurance is a 96-year-old property and casualty insurance company based in northwest New Jersey. Selective’s distribution is exclusively through an elite group of independent agents who provide tailored coverage. The supportive culture at Selective has kept David with the company for many years. Employees are encouraged to be authentic and true to themselves, so they feel valued and develop meaningful relationships.

One great benefit Selective Insurance provides for its employees is that each year, every employee has one volunteer day they can use that doesn’t count towards their paid time off. The PMO team coordinates and spends a whole day working with the local non-profit organization Rebecca’s Homestead, which provides resources for differently abled adults. Supporting volunteer work is just one way Selective is generous to non-profit donations and contributions to local communities.

Interviewing effectively

When searching for a project manager, a candidate’s soft skills are just as important as understanding the science, processes, and procedures of project management. Selective Insurance looks for people who are more entrepreneurial in spirit and bring different types of competencies forward to succeed. Strong business acumen and a focus on the customer are as important as deep technical project management knowledge.

Interviewing for soft skills isn’t easy. In interviews, David asks about previous work or volunteer experience unrelated to project management to encourage candidates to open up. This process provides insight into what they are passionate about and how they think and communicate. Early in his career, David asked this question of a candidate. This candidate shared his experience as a young employee in a video game store, where he became the top salesperson, despite being so young. He shared his tactics and how he established relationships with the customers as they came in. That sort of storytelling and approach to people is an indication of how the candidate is going to work long-term.

Project management of the future

Organizations are moving from projects to products, changing their methodologies from waterfall to agile. There’s no specific role for the Project Manager in these new frameworks. Some assume that project management is no longer required for success or to achieve that business agility everyone is looking for in the business age. However, the opposite is true. The PMO value proposition is changing with the move to digital, and project managers can play an even more strategic role than they do today.

Traditionally, project management’s role was managing and developing detailed project plans and understanding cost, schedule, and quality. While these are still significant aspects, project managers can now help drive efforts such as effective governance, benefits realization management, risk management, developing capability-driven roadmaps, and being an investment store for the organization. These capabilities with the evolving value proposition are ways the PM can play a much more strategic role in the organization than traditional project management.

Having PMs understand the business well is the most important part of being successful in terms of managing benefit realization. #Business #Success
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Resources & People Mentioned

• Rebecca’s Homestead
• Selective Insurance
• The strategic future role of PMO
• PMI

Connect with David Zweier

• On Linkedin

Connect With Jodi Kulek Mayer

• https://clearmonttech.com/about/meet-the-team/
• Follow Jodi on LinkedIn

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Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts

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The post Is the PMO Becoming Obsolete? with David Zweier, Ep #14 appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

The post Interviewing on Zoom appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Changing jobs late in a career [02:04]
• Choosing the right company [04:12]
• Hiring during COVID [07:10]
• Go back to the office? [15:45]
• Management philosophies [18:43]
• Mentors in Gary’s life [20:18]
• Gary’s journey to IT [24:19]

Hiring during COVID

Growing a team during COVID has proved to be a challenge for many. After hiring, the new team member doesn’t have access to the type of team-building activities that used to be available. Gary used ax throwing as a way for his team to have fun and do something a little crazy. Unfortunately, anyone who’s joined his team since COVID hasn’t had that opportunity. Gary’s company has responded to this need by having online happy hours where they talk about movies, kids, and each other’s lives in an attempt to connect people. They also organized wine. Workers could sign up to have samples sent to their houses, and then everyone would go online and taste the wines together. These activities are essential for connecting new team members with existing ones.

To help his new hires be confident and feel supported when joining a team, Gary trusts them from the beginning. Many managers do the opposite, making new hires feel they already have two strikes against them. That causes people to walk on a thin wire which is counterintuitive to building teamwork and inclusion. If someone is worried about office politics or saying the wrong thing, they won’t do their best work.

Re-evaluating values

COVID was a trying time, forcing people to do different and creative things. People took stock in their lives, made adjustments that they were forced to make, and learned to appreciate what they had. That’s also lending itself to the Great Resignation and the difficulties many companies across every sector are having in finding people. People who spent a year and a half with their families have decided that they don’t want to work nights and weekends. They want work to allow them to spend more time with their families.

Some people are desperate to return to the office full-time, and others want to stay home. Both employees and employers need to be flexible. COVID changed the rules. A company might want to say that everyone has to be back in the office, but they’re going to have a tough time. Everyone has had a taste of what working from home is like, and many are trying hybrid as well. Working from home is now the new norm and expectation.

Changing jobs late in a career

Gary was never one to change jobs often. He worked for his previous two employers for over 10 years. Most people would have stayed on until they could retire rather than making a change. While Gary had no indication of a negative change, he had reached the point in his position where he thought he had accomplished everything he was qualified to do. So he decided it was time for a new challenge, despite being later in his career. He knew that waiting would make moving more difficult, so had to move now.

Gary has put a lot of thought into which companies he wants to invest time. He values relationships, so the way the conversations and interviews go is critical. He has to feel a connection with honest people, and the company culture has to jive with his values. He found that while looking for a new company, he made the job change and started establishing relationships as soon as possible.

The last 10 years in technology have been a constant mandate that people must change #Technology #Change
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Resources & People Mentioned

• Maersk

Connect with Gary Beumee

• On Linkedin

Connect With Jodi Kulek Mayer

• https://clearmonttech.com/about/meet-the-team/
• Follow Jodi on LinkedIn

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The post Staying Flexible in your Career, with Gary Beumee, Ep #8 appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

In this episode of Tech Talent Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Juliette W. Samson, CIO and VP of Supply Chain at CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) – Food and Beverage. She’s responsible for implementing new technologies and optimizing the supply chain process to increase speed, service, and profitability. Juliette is a graduate of Cornell and Columbia Universities and speaks four languages. She is a determined mom who left no stone unturned when she had to find her daughter a kidney. You won’t want to miss Juliette’s amazing story of her journey of balancing her role as a mother with her journey into leadership in the technical world.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• • • Juliette W. Samson’s journey to CIO [01:45]
    • Life as a female engineer in the 80s [07:07]
    • The importance of mentors [10:32]
    • Juliette’s move into the financial world [14:56]
    • Raising a family as a businesswoman [19:48]
    • Managing difficult times and a career [22:55]
    • Career advice for those in IT [30:33]

Women in science

Juliette W. Samson was born in Eastern Europe, where having women in science was normal. Both her parents were physicists. When they moved to America, her mother had difficulty finding a job because she was overqualified for almost anything available. For Juliette, it was natural to become an engineer. When she started her career at Western Electric in manufacturing, her male supervisor questioned her about why she became an engineer. Her response was to ask why he became an engineer. When he responded that it was because he liked it, she caught him off guard by saying she did as well!

Choosing the right place for your career

When Juliette started her career, she chose to join AT&T because it was large enough for her to move around and learn everything. The benefit of a large company is that it provides many opportunities to learn different things which will help you with future positions. Juliette emphasizes the advantage of understanding your goals early in your career. That’s a hard thing to do, but it’s worth taking the time to dwell on the future. This sort of planning allows you to map out how to get where you want to go.

While at AT&T, Juliette was thrown a curveball; the telecom industry had started to shrink. With two young children, her income needed to be dependable, so she needed to choose between staying in the same field or trying something different. She decided to go into IT because she felt it was a close match to the telecom industry. Also, no matter the company, IT will be necessary. While searching for IT positions, Juliette was interviewed by Merrill Lynch for a financial role. The interviewer was very interested in how she was going to manage the transition of industries. She said she’s managed quite a lot of issues in her life, both personal and professional, and there’s nothing she can’t do; she just needs a chance. She got the job and really enjoyed her position there. She continued in the role for a year when Pfizer asked her to join the company. Because of Pfizer’s impact in the community and the world, she accepted the offer.

Using your career to impact the world

Juliette has been a CIO for seven years, however, she didn’t set out in her career to acquire a title. Her goal was to utilize technology and enable processes that affect people’s jobs and lives positively. That’s why she became an engineer. She was particular in the roles that she accepted by choosing companies that positively impacted the world. She advises everyone to take the assignments no one wants. If you take something difficult, you’ll build your career while accomplishing things no one else could.

Juliette W. Samson emphasizes the advantage of understanding your goals early in your career #goals #career
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Resources & People Mentioned

• • • The gap at the top – Korn Ferry
    • Lafayette student receives a kidney from a stranger
    • Renewal.org

Connect with Juliette W. Samson

• • • On LinkedIn

Connect With Jodi Kulek Mayer

• • • https://clearmonttech.com/about/meet-the-team/
    • Follow Jodi on LinkedIn

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Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts

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PODCAST FAST TRACK
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The post How One Woman Overcame Extreme Obstacles on the Path to CIO, with Juliette W. Samson, Ep #1 appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.

There are some simple and effective strategies to help you get through this challenging time and come out feeling more confident.

First Things First

Don’t panic. Take a deep breath and be gentle with yourself. Even people that know their job is in jeopardy can feel a sense of disbelief when it happens. This is completely normal.

Take a Break

After you’ve found out that your position has been eliminated, the very best thing to do is pause and take a few days, even a couple of weeks if you are in a financial position to do so. This is not a luxury everyone has when they lose their job, but if the option is available to you, it’s a good idea to take it. You’ve left one enormous part of your life behind and you will need to figure out what you want to do next. Giving yourself some space can help you clear your mind and really identify what you want to do.

Your natural impulse when you first lose your job might be to jump in and start looking for another one. However, it’s best to let things settle and develop a clear vision of what you want to do next. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to rush out and tell everyone you know that you need a job. Letting your contacts know that you’re looking is something that is best done once you are crystal clear about your goals and how others can help.

Some things to consider: have you been thinking about a career change recently? What do you need to do to position yourself for that? What did you love about your job? What did you dislike? Take some time to write these things down and narrow in on what you truly love to do and what you do well. Getting clear on this will allow you to reposition yourself as you present yourself to potential new employers. In many instances the job you will go to next will be even better than the last job, provided you are clear on what you do and don’t want to do and what you need in terms of a compensation package.

Connect with Your Support System

It’s important to have a robust support system in your corner. That may be your spouse, other family members, sympathetic friends, or any other community organization that you may be a part of. Find someone you can share your concerns with and that can help keep your spirits lifted.
If you don’t feel that you have a good support system around you, this could be a great time to enlist the help of a therapist.

Shift Your Focus

Losing your job provides a perfect opportunity to tackle all of those projects you’ve been putting off. Have a home DIY project? Now’s the time. It’s also a great opportunity to read those books you’ve been wanting to read, spend time with your family, get more exercise and maybe even learn a new skill you’ve been wanting to learn.

If you’ve got insurance coverage paid for by your employer and you still have preventative visits to schedule, this is also an opportune time to check those off of your to-do list.

Balance Your Time

Once you embark on the new job search, it’s important to make sure you’re balancing job search time with other activities in your life. Searching for a new job can be a full-time job. Set up a daily routine and incorporate activities that you enjoy into your day. Perhaps you can dedicate your mornings to job searches and writing cover letters, then spend your afternoon working on home projects. Once you’re clear on what you want to do, incorporate some networking time into your week so you can continue to meet more people and make new connections that could lead to your next job.

In the meantime, focus on the positive wherever you can. Grab a journal and make a gratitude list on the days you’re struggling. Some professionals that are in between jobs find doing a daily gratitude list is a helpful practice to keep them in a positive mindset. Do the things you enjoy and cherish this time. Before you know it, you’ll be back to working again.

If you need extra help narrowing down the next steps to take in your job search, contact our Job Coach, Bonnie Brill and find out about our Job Search Consulting services.

The post Managing the Stress of a Job Loss appeared first on Clearmont Technologies.