An Old-Fashioned Interview

I never thought I would get such a cool opportunity, but here it is!


I was interviewed by a great site called Youtern. a few days ago. It was via e-mail, where they asked questions about Millennials, GenY's and internships.


I am so glad it wasn't in person, because I pace when I think. I recorded all my answers on a digital recorder, uploaded them to Word and tried to be concise.


If you'd like to read it, I've copied it below. 


I also suggest that if you're looking for a high-quality internship in the US, check these guys out. Follow them on Twitter, participate in their well thought out Twitter Chats #Internprochat - Mondays @9pm ET, and check out their group Internpro on Linkedin. 


Despite me being Canadian, the team there has offered helpful advice and encouragement.

YouTern Interviews Interns: “Life and Careers Are Not a Straight Line”

Posted on May 6, 2012 by YouTern

It’s graduation time once again – and thousands of Millennials are beginning new lives as young professionals. For some, the transition will be seamless as they have a career direction in mind. For many others however, this period of life can be stressful… and downright scary.
For those in the latter group, it doesn’t have to be that way. Just ask Emily Guthro…
Emily sat down with YouTern and told us how her internships and early career have taught her that “life and careers are not stagnant, nor a straight line; they evolve and change – that’s where the excitement lies.” Emily is living proof that if you look at your early career as an adventure, full of learning opportunities – you’ll take advantage of the opportunities available to you!

1. Tell us a little about you… What are you doing now, and what are your long-term career goals?

EG: I graduated from University and College, earning a B.A. in Geography and a Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management. Post grads are big here in Canada and allow for more hands-on, specialized learning. I am currently part of the Management team for a Godiva Chocolatier Boutique, where I get to hire and train new staff, manage a team and delight customers. I’m also running for a position on the Board of our local HR Association. Elections are next week!
It took me a while to get some clear long term goals, but a year working abroad helped me clarify. I love to know “a little about lots”; I am creative and strategic. I see myself as an HR Generalist, and from there, the sky’s the limit!

2. How many internships have you completed to date and – not to put you on the spot – what was your favorite?

EG: So far, I’ve completed two, which were during University. I worked in the Environmental Planning department of a Municipality. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but the “real life” experience was worth it! I was so unhappy – and worried about my career choices – I sought out a career coach, who encouraged me to return to school and pursue HR. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.

3. Other than internships, how have you gained experience that makes you more employable?

EG: In high school, I was really active with Equestrian Sports. I volunteered a lot and obtained coaching certificates. I tried to be as active as I could with the Provincial Governing body, and gained a lot of experience with leadership, planning and team management. Even now, these activities are the first thing interviewers ask me about.
In University and beyond, I sought out a variety of positions that interested me. During summer break, I remained flexible and worked all over the country – art galleries, national parks, and nurseries. After completing my degree, I wanted to try teaching, so I took a contract in Korea. By remaining open-minded and adventurous, I sought and obtained transferable skills and unique experiences, which I am finding apply to my day job.

4. (One of our favorite questions…) What are the Top 3 lessons you’ve learned from your internships and experience that you didn’t learn in school?

EG: 1)  If you are an extrovert, find yourself a wise, patient person to act as your sounding board, and thank them often. We need to talk out our ideas to arrive at sensible conclusions; it’s something to be conscious of during meetings or group situations.
2)  I’ve learned the way other cultures conduct business. I studied the etiquette of my fellow teachers in Korea, and spoke with other foreigners about formalities in their countries. It’s helped when dealing with customers and clients here at home in Ontario.
3)  Bravery trumps all. If you are brave enough to share an idea, eventually someone will be brave enough to believe in you. You just have to believe in yourself first.

5. We first met you through Twitter – how has your online activity helped your career development this far?

EG: Twitter specifically has been incredible! Professionals who use it are cutting edge, connected, and willing to assist students or entry-level pros. So far, social media has connected me with people who’ve edited my resume, combed my LinkedIn profile and invited me to conferences. It also really got me involved with my local HR association (The HRPAH).
I think Twitter’s full potential lies in the real-time chats. They’re open, anyone can join, and you can connect with professionals in your area. Its informal platform lets you Tweet to anyone, and offers an opportunity to introduce yourself and develop real life, offline connections.

6. As a budding HR professional, what do you see are the biggest problems facing Millennials entering the workforce today?

EG: I think one of the largest issues is the need for so much experience at such a young age. It’s almost as if they must decide their entire working lives by the time they’re 17. Life and careers are not stagnant, nor a straight line; they evolve and change – that’s where the excitement lies. I think Millennials would benefit from trying out as many different jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities as they can, discover what they like and use transferable skills to carve their own paths.

7. What do employers need to do most to better attract and retain Gen Y talent?

EG: I was at a conference with Sidneyeve Matrix a while ago, and she mentioned that Gen Y’s want to be taught. The oldest of us didn’t necessarily grow up with smart phones and iPads. Her comment made so much sense to me. Companies can attract and keep Gen Y’s by offering courses in computer applications and social media. Training instantly sends a message of caring and investment from the company.

8. From the Gen Y perspective, what can be done to dramatically improve the candidate experience?

EG: Be rid of the generic “we will only contact you if you have been selected for an interview” line in e-mails. Not only is it rude, a company is missing a huge opportunity to develop customers. With automated e mail systems, it would be so easy for a company to simply say “Emily, thank you for your interest, here’s a coupon for a free dessert next time you visit us, we’ll be in touch soon”. If you treat a candidate well, they will speak highly of you – whether they are hired or not.

9. For your peers and colleagues, please tell us your “never-fail” piece of career advice?

EG: Actively listen, and learn every chance you get.

Homesick for an Airplane

I loathe flying. (and really, who enjoys it anyway?) Whether you turn left or right in that plane makes no difference. You are still stuffed into a metal can with a ton of other humans for 1-18 hours.


 Daniel Pink offers his best travel tips which you can read here, and are really helpful. Reading through his list makes me homesick for travel. The airplane food and screaming babies don't seem so horrendous as I sit at my desk and file through job ads.


Travel teaches.
Korea taught me that if I'm ever going to be a teacher, it won't be in a high school.
China taught me to appreciate personal space.
Americans are actually really, really, really nice.
British food isn't bad at all - just well developed for cold rainy days.
Toulouse, France is the coolest town on Earth, and I want to learn more French.




Travel taught me that I can learn anything, anywhere. As I sit here at my too white desk on a rainy Monday Morning, longing for low drum of Seoul traffic, I am reminded to be creative and stick to my goals. What keeps you motivated?

A Word on Nothing

Have you ever had writer's block? It's an odd feeling. You know your brain is working, it's trying to pump something out, and yet you've spent the last 45 minutes staring at your coworker and they're looking a little worried.


I am an Extrovert - strong emphasis on the "Extro". My brain often has trouble catching up to my mouth. Being unable to push ideas outward is a strange and scary occurrence for extroverts. Luckily, it doesn't come often. 


When I was in Grade 6, we had to write a 5 sentence story about a dinosaur. The exercise was to teach kids to be concise. I drew a blank. My very creative art teacher noticed, and gave me a photo to stare at. It was a tulip. I remember nothing except thinking "tulips smell weird". According to Ms. Twiss, the point was to "make your brain have a picnic." - I will say now that this seemed totally reasonable to my 10 year old self.


Tulips = brain picnic. Got it. .... 17 years later, it means this:


We all need a break - a moment of still to let our own ideas and creativity break through. A moment to just brainstorm the impossible. Therefore, my offering:

Enjoy your brain picnic.

Sending My Ego to the Wolves

There's been much talk recently about infographic resumes. Mashable created an interesting article about sites that let you do this, and you can read that here. 


Deciding to throw my Ego to the wolves and try it out for myself, I went to re.vu and made a page. If you like, you can check me out re.vu/HRAdventurer


I'd actually love to know what you think. I've got a couple issues. 


1) You can share on every single site known to humankind except one: Pinterest. (If you don't know what that is, Google it now. I'll see you again in 4 days)


2) Why can't I save my profile in a PDF format to put on Pinterest?


3) As a person who's breaking out into the field, and doesn't have years and years of experience, it looks a little sparse. 


The one reason I love this site - for any job hunter:


It asks the user to quantify their experiences. Numbers. Hard Facts. Moolah. 


When I was first in HR School, my professor looked at our class and said:


 "If you think HR is the fluffy, ladada, let's organize the company picnic, you're wrong. It's about finding hard facts to back up the sparkles"


I loved her immediately because she used the word "sparkles" in a sentence. She then proceeded to jump into weighted hiring blanks and standardized testing - but months later I would listen to a speaker talk about quantifying a resume. 


There have been so many articles on quantifying the soft skills, and I think infographics do this fabulously. It makes a user stop and think about how they affected the bottom line, team and departmental performance and a million other metrics in a real, hard, trackable way. 


Whether this is the future of resumes or not is beyond my guess, but it's a valuable tool for getting someone to think about how to sell themselves to recruiters, hiring managers, or even team coaches. Whether you share this online or keep it private, this could be a great way to teach younger generations about metrics, and how to leverage them. 




An edit to this post: I had uploaded my resume for downloading on Re.Vu as an experiment. Despite uploading as a locked document, it did not lock, and could be tampered with. Now that it has been deleted, it still shows up in Google searches but when clicked on leads to nothing. .... Not sure how I feel about that. 

Must Share.... umm... Tuesday?

Alright! 


Things I've learned this week:


1) You can schedule blog posts to upload when you are not around.
2) I must do this.
3) People do not expect GenYers to be web-pros.
4) I should at least learn to use my phone. (the whole thing, not just the apps I like!) 


I was going to be extra lazy and double post tomorrow, but amazing things happened today. So therefore I want to write about positivity. I'll share other people's awesome ideas tomorrow. I recently read that being happy, less stressed and more creative is all in your head, literally. What media you feed yourself and what you tell yourself internally make more than just a psychological difference, it can lengthen your life. 


I had to work two jobs; I grabbed my Dad's cell phone by accident and had to rush back home, switch them, and head out again, making me late for Job 1. My car's 'check engine' light came on this morning, and my foot started bleeding. It was cold, I had a headache, and I for some reason could not seem to remove that last cat hair from my black pants.


BUT


1) I got to see Sidneyeve Matrix (real name, no joke) Speak about my generation - and listen to Boomers and X'ers talk about Y's and Millenials... and it was encouraging! They might not completely get us, but they're willing to learn (and so are we) and that makes a massive difference. More on her later, she is fantastic!


2) Hillary Rodham Clinton made this


3) Ashley Judd defended women everywhere in a phenomenal article here


4) I wrote a blog post today. Maybe not my best, but personally refreshing and exciting all the same


5) I connected with many people in my field at a great event, and even a phone chat today. They're willing to help me find a job I love. 


 What did you do today that was great?


Do you remember the first time you tied your shoes? or rode a bike? or swam? or did anything for the first time? I bet you felt like the most amazingly talented person ever. You might have sucked. It might have been the worst shoelace knot known to humankind, but you had people there encouraging you, and you encouraging yourself. You tried something, and were happy enough with that first try to keep doing it.




Positivity is like that. 


The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the better you are. 


Better news? It's contagious. 




Try it yourself. Every day this week, write down three great things, or three things you did well. 


(Better yet, write them down in the comments below!)


Cheers

Why Can't I?

YOU CAN’T. These two words have been the basis of therapy and fear for centuries, I’m convinced.  Whether you’re Gen X, Y, Millennial, Boomer or from Mars, you probably hate these words too.

It leaves me asking the question; “Well why not?”

Let me tell you about my GenY best friend. She is exactly what I am not. Quiet, reserved, fabulous at reading people, a keen eye for design… and completely lacking any semblance of self confidence. 5 Minutes with her mother, and you’ll know why.

My BFF: “I’d love to go to Europe”

BFF’s Mom “Oh no Jay, you can’t. It’s dangerous and you have a bad sense of direction. You’ll get lost.’

Recently, her mother told her she can only go to Europe if it’s with me, since I know what I’m doing. I will never openly admit to the woman that I spend about 75% of my time lost, asking for directions, or running like hell for transportation.

It’s hectic times where adventure happens. This isn't a bad thing. 

While her mother is trying to protect her, she's doing the opposite. We all know people learn through experience and failure. "You Can't" shuts a person off. Instantly.

Let’s put this in a work situation. 

I currently work for an American Retailer, who has made no plans other then a generic e-mail to comply with AODA. I decided to speak with my boss about responding. I want to be in HR, and actually know companies who could help us do the training. I could set it up, help it run, and  boost my experience as well. 

Her Response: "Sure you can, but be prepared for them not to respond".

I sent the e-mail.

5 weeks later, there is no response.

But I tried, and she supported me.

That, in my sort-of humble, 20something GenY opinion, is the key to great leadership.

She dared to say “why not”, which is a question we should be asking ourselves and everyone else every day, and allowing people to decide if the consequences are worth the potential outcome. Of course, not every idea will run. But, it instantly makes a person consider the larger picture, and then says "go for it. I'll support you." That can't be a bad thing.

The power is in the employees hands, guided by an leader. This is how great companies run. Try new things, be entrepreneurial, be brave. There will be no more need for meetings and webinars on “how to connect with the younger generations”.... or anyone, really. Just letting someone try something is enough.

The First Installment of Must Share Monday!

Good Morning!


As promised, this is the first installment of the Must Share Monday segments. This is where I get to share cool things I've found on the internet, and encourage you to do the same. These aren't necessarily HR or business related, but since all things do connect, I'm sure they're relevant somewhere.


Today is Mr. Daniel Pink. If you haven't heard of him, be prepared for greatness. He's talking about all the best stuff: emotional intelligence in the workplace, intrinsic motivation, money, life, and  happiness.


Perhaps you've heard of his books? Drive is the most famous, although Johnny Bunko and A Whole New Mind are fabulous.


This man restores my faith in management.


While I was going to link an older post of his from my archives, he wrote this today -
50 Centuries of Work = 5 Important Lessons.


It made me, as a younger person, stop and think about what I really want from my career, vs. what I wanted 10 years ago.


( I thought I'd be a CEO who speaks 7 languages by the time I was 30. I admit it, I was delusional.... but there's still a few years yet!)


Take a moment to read the comments below his blog as well. People are talking about great things there, and good discussions happen (so rare in the Blogosphere!) No blasting, just honest thought.


If I had to choose between meeting The Queen and Daniel Pink, I think you know who'd win.

In Defense of the Retail Job

 I'll take a $4 latte, and a job on the side, please.

 In this 'modern' economy, which could be staying for some time, having a retail job after graduation from university or college is normal. It's even more normal to do this full time while setting up your own business , or working an unpaid internship. 

      

 Not only is it normal, it's practically a badge of honor- a Club of 20-somethings who are striving to carve their own path and pay the bills. As you may have guessed, I am a member of the "20 somethings working retail trying to figure it out" Club. A proud member, mind.

   

 Please do not think your 20 something is learning nothing, or not using their skills. retail is fast paced, sales oriented, and reactive. It's emotionally exhausting.  Basically - hell.

As much as Starbucks touts itself as taking great care of its employees, in reality the poor person is still standing there at 6 am, taking hurried orders from distracted business people and picky teenagers. 

 Hell can teach a person a lot, though. What works in a company and what doesn't, the ins and outs of marketing and merchandising, problem solving, juggling priorities, team directives - I could go on forever. The smartest of us will apply this later to our own jobs, companies, and creative ventures.

Retail jobs might not be 'real life' jobs. They may not be the final career destination, but they are a great starting point. Just make sure to drink lots of coffee. 

Hello, Great Wild World

Hello everyone, or no one - since this is the first post. 


Many professionals have suggested that a young person, just starting out in the world of HR should begin a blog. "Great Idea! But not for me." - this is what I've thought, up until now. 


I am an expert at nothing, a learner of everything and an extrovert to the core. Which means I find writing exceedingly difficult and tedious. 


It's time to change. 


I will practice my skills here, and hopefully can share some good ideas and spark interesting discussions. At least I'm sure I can make someone have a good laugh at how terrible the writing is. Bear with me folks. 


I've also decided to begin a segment called "Must Share Mondays" - where I'll post things I find that I like. It could be anything from work clothing to articles on travel. I encourage you to do the same on here. 


Despite my rather specific title, and due to being a newbie, I will write about business and customers, HR and finance, creativity and logistics or whatever else sparks my imagination. 


Hopefully, it sparks yours too. 


They say to do something that scares you every day....


Here I go