An Online Toolbox Starts With a Polished Résumé

Some tips on resume formatting and storing from our friends at the New York Times.

"Altitudinal" PowerPoint Tips From IBM-- a humorous guide for tech sales folks

Thought you might enjoy some IBM humor on how to adjust your powerpoint for your audience. They LOVE to talk about things from "10.000 feet" or "30,000" feet. Evidently, they are confusing customers, so here are there new guidelines. ;-) Do note the date of the directive.

SWG Directive
April 1, 2009		http://stats.surfaid.ihost.com/crd/uc.GIF?1.50&saemail&saemail&http://stats.surfaid.ihost.com/crd/uc.GIF?1.50%26saemail%26saemail%26mailto:sdarling%2540us.ibm.com%26sa_campaign=swgfc/Elena_Tezzi/SWG_This_Week:_01_13_2009/Feedback/2009-01-13/dl=SWG%2520Comms.%2520Group/sz=104&sa_campaign=swgfc/Elena_Tezzi/SWG_This_Week:_03_31_2009/Feedback/2009-03-31/dl=AP%20SWG%20Non-Mgrs%20-%20004/sz=200

To: All SWG professionals who deliver customer-facing presentations

Date: 04/01/2009

In response to widespread confusion on the part of customers and IBMers, the following presentation standards are today being announced by IBM SWG.

Issue

Inconsistent and arbitrary use of altitudes when delivering product presentations.

Details

The use of notional altitudes (e.g., "30,000-foot view") is a potentially effective device for describing the level of content of a presentation. Such imagery can lend color to one's presentation and set the customer at ease in regard to the level of technical content that he may expect. However, unconstrained use of this metaphor can lead to inconsistent interpretations of the various altitudes and confused messages from IBM. For example, one customer complained that in a 5,000-foot view of Lotus Notes he was unable to see a Connection document, whereas in a 50,000-foot view of Tivoli Access Manager he could read the details of a failover cookie on an inbound browser request. Another customer complained of dizziness and blurred vision during a presentation that alternated randomly between 60,000 feet and 90,000 feet. Such inconsistency is injurious to our professional reputation and may adversely affect the health of our customers.

Resolution

Effective immediately, the following guidelines are to be followed when delivering altitude-based presentations.

Admissible altitudes

Only the following altitudes are to be used:

1,000 feet

5,000 feet

10,000 feet

50,000 feet

100,000 feet

Please note that the use of any other altitude will be considered a violation of these guidelines unless prior authority is obtained.

Altitude assignments

Audience	Content (example)	Suggested altitude
Programmer	Product API	1,000 feet
CTO	Product technology	5,000 feet
Analyst	Product architecture	10,000 feet
CIO	IT value	50,000 feet
CEO	Business value	100,000 feet

Note: The above are for guidance only. Presenters are expected to use their discretion when pitching their presentations, taking into account conditions such as audience acrophobia, supported climb rates, etc.

Altitude transitions

In order to minimize customer confusion, at most three altitude transitions are permitted within a single presentation. Further, such transitions must be monotonic, i.e., all must be decreasing or all must be increasing. Please bear this in mind when setting your initial and final altitudes, taking into account the set of admissible altitudes as above. Please also consider the resilience of your audience to sudden and unexpected changes of altitude.

Presentation formats

A new set of mandatory presentation templates customized for your business unit are being prepared. These templates contain a configurable altimeter icon on each slide. Presenters must ensure that this altimeter is set to the correct value for each slide and clearly visible to the audience.

FAQs

In order to expand on a certain point in my presentation, I need to change altitudes and temporarily move to the whiteboard. Do I get an extra transition in addition to what is allowed in the base presentation?

No, any temporary use of other media is considered to be a continuation of the same presentation. However, if multiple presentations are being given consecutively, then the altitude is reset at the start of each presentation, provided that the audience is given sufficient time to adjust to any applicable change from the previous presentation. Alternatively, a mid-presentation break can be scheduled according to the following table:

Break length	Equivalent altitude change
5 minutes	1-5,000 feet
10 minutes	10,000 feet
15 minutes	50,000 feet
20 minutes	100,000 feet

My customer has set 40,000 feet as the standard altitude for all vendor presentations. Do I need IBM approval to present at that altitude?

IBM approval will be provided on presentation of an appropriate letter from the customer.

I need to present to the CEO of a large corporation. May I present at 150,000 feet?

No. Our products have not been tested beyond 100,000 feet. You may wish to consider asking the CIO to attend your session.

Are there any plans to approve additional altitudes?

IBM will monitor and assess the effectiveness of the supported altitudes. Consideration may be given to expanding this set over time according to business and technical requirements.

Questions?

Please contact IBM Altitude Enforcement/Somers/IBM if you have any questions regarding this directive.

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Way New Collaboration! Howard Rheingold

This is a great 20 minute think piece by Howard Rheingold off of TED on the direction of society towards collaboration. It's both a new way of thinking and an old way. (The hunter couldn't kill the mastodon all by himself.) It seems that this is really relevant to the future of work and points out the need for our students to include collaboration in their skills portfolio.

Using LinkedIn to get a job

more than ever, experts say, a profile on an online networking site could actually turn into a job.

Charlotte Observer story

Lining Up Interviews Is Just the Beginning

Q. You have had several job interviews at different companies, but still no job offers. Are you doing something wrong?

Full New York Times article here

Careers in renewable energy

If you are advising students who are interested in careers in renewable energy, the emerging jobs in the near-term will be in the private sector with government contractors, as well as directly with the Energy Department. The paragraph below is from an article in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, about the Energy Dept struggling to fulfill President Obama's mandate.

"Most of Energy's stimulus spending will be in the form of grants and contracts--the administration of which will be a major challenge for an understaffed and neglected federal workforce. Years of outsourcing and staff cuts have left Energy ill-prepared to handle the onslaught of work and responsibility these programs will require. Recognizing this, Congress has urged the department to hire more federal workers."

For the full article: http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/the-energy-department-ready-to-reboot-the-country

KAS a Star!

Our own fearless leader, Katherine Stahl, appeared on a number of Hearst TV stations last week to talk about - what else - job prospects! Here's one of her appearances.

5 tips for better networking at events

This advice goes against the grain...

from Jun Loayza in Personal Branding Blog

How great is our advising? It's AMAZING . . . and other words!

Here's a Wordle create from our advising comments at our AU Career Center exit kiosk this academic year. Out came our names and titles, and in came the compliments!

And you can create your own by visiting http://www.wordle.net/.

Employers turning to Co-ops/Internships?

Chris Pratt kindly sent this out on our CEIA listserve, referencing a NY Times piece, Recession Could Boost Co-Op Education which says

The recession could give new life to co-operative education," as
"cautious employers 'increasingly see that hiring a co-op graduate is a good strategy, since they know they are getting someone with experience,'" according to Paul Stonely, president of the National Commission for Cooperative Education (NCCE). . . According to NCCE data, "Nationally, 95 percent of co-op students that participate in co-operative education have a job when they graduate," and "more than 60 percent accept permanent jobs from the employers for whom they worked while in school." Companies, meanwhile, also benefit monetarily "because co-op employees do not receive health insurance or other benefits.

Structured internship programs may be similar. Stay tuned.

Photo by madebytess

Young and Old Are Facing Off for Jobs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — This city has become a front line in a generational battle for jobs, as older workers increasingly compete against applicants in their 20s for positions at supermarkets, McDonald’s and dozens of other places. And older workers seem to be winning.

Full New York Times article here

Demystifying the Federal Job Search

BRAVO to our very own Travis Sheffler and THANK YOU for your fabulous overview of the federal government search and application process! If you missed it, here's his presentation that he tailored for us, with a link here to his presentation for students.

Electronic Portfolios: a Path to the Future of Learning

If we truly want to advance from a focus on teaching to a focus on student learning, then a strategy involving something like electronic student portfolios, or ePortfolios, is essential.

From the Chronicle of Higher Education

Faculty Speed Dating

For all of their big ideas, sometimes faculty are a bit like wallflowers at a high school dance; they need a little push to make the first move. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the University of Southern California is using “speed dating” techniques to encourage professors to work together across disciplines.

From insidehighered.com

Stimulus bars hiring of some foreign workers

From the Philadelphia Inquirer

An extraordinarily difficult job market has darkened further for foreign business students looking to get into the American banking industry...

...Patricia Rose, director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania, said the school knew of two students who saw job offers rescinded as a result of the provision.

Full Story Here

Non-profit retail sales plummet

Non-Profit Times, March 16, 2009

Nonprofit-Related Sales Plummet

By Michele Donohue

Consumers might have just had enough of buying coffee, wristbands and anything else from
nonprofit organizations - in stores, on the Web or anywhere else.

In a national survey by The NonProfit Times conducted during January, only 23 percent of
survey respondents made a purchase from a charitable organization, a 43 percent nosedive
from when the same question was asked during the same time period three years ago.

The surveying was conducted for The NonProfit Times both times by Opinion Research Corporation. The question was identical and polling was performed during the same time frame.

And for those who blame the economy for the decline in nonprofit sales -- retail sales
overall decreased only 6.4 percent from January 2006 to December 2008.

All retail sales for January 2006 were nearly $326.2 billion, compared to December 2008 at
nearly $305.4 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Retail sales for January 2009 were not available before publication. When they are buying it tends to be at a consumer
location, rather than directly from the charity. In the survey completed this past January, 13
percent said they bought something at a consumer retail location compared to 8 percent at the
charity's retail location.

Women were slightly more inclined in 2009 to make the purchases, at 26 percent, compared to men, at 20 percent, across all buying locations. Women also made double the purchases men did online at the consumer retail Web site (6 percent to 3 percent) and the charity's Web site (2 percent to 1 percent) in 2009.

Those in the middle of the age categories seemed more likely to make a charitable purchase in the new study. Ages 35 to 44 had the highest response (29 percent), followed by ages 55 to 64 (22 percent) and ages 45 to 55 (25 percent). The 18 to 34-year-old demographic reached 21 percent, beating out the 65 and older demographic at 17 percent.

The conventional wisdom that those with greater household incomes would be more prone to make charitable purchases did not hold up in the 2009 survey. Household income from $75,000 to $100,000 had the best number at 33 percent, followed closely by those with household incomes of $35,000 to $50,000 at 29 percent, which beat the $50,000 to $75,000 (21 percent) and $100,000 or more (24 percent). Household incomes from $35,000
and less came in at 18 percent.

Between 2006 and 2009, the largest decrease for charity purchases in age demographic came from the 65 plus group with 46 percent, followed by ages 18 to 34 at nearly 45 percent and ages 45 to 54 by nearly 44 percent.

The West saw the largest decrease from 2006 to 2009 in purchases, nearly 50 percent, followed by North Central area with 44 percent and the Metro area with nearly 44 percent.

Purchases at special events decreased more than 63 percent from 2006, followed by consumer retail, down nearly 57 percent. Retail overall decreased 44 percent.

Online faired better than in-person purchases, with only a 21 percent overall decrease, but only 6 percent of the respondents bought something online.

Regarding household income, those with less than $35,000 showed a 55 percent decrease in
charitable purchases, followed by those making $50,000 to $75,000 with a 50 percent drop. Those making more than $75,000 decreased only 18 percent.

While the sluggish economy in 2008 and the start of 2009 certainly plays a role in all purchasing, not just cause marketing, another reason for some of the cause marketing slowdown could be part of the "ribbon-ization of America," according to Carol Cone, chairman and founder of Boston-based Cone.

Awareness pieces, like magnetic car ribbons, are not effective enough to stand on their own
according to Cone, who described the trend as"passé. It's over. It's DOA."

She said, "Anybody can add a ribbon onto anything. The question is whether it will be
effective. And why are you doing it? If you are doing it just to join the bandwagon, that wagon
is long gone."

Several charitable trends have also peaked and now fallen since the 2006 survey, which could contribute to the declines, according to Paul Schervish, director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College. The Lance Armstrong Foundation launched the LIVESTRONG bracelets in 2004 and by 2005 sold more than 55 million, and on the wrists of everyone from Oprah to the neighborhood deli owner.

Other charities tried to capitalize on the LIVESTRONG success without producing the same
results -- people only have so much room on their wrists. "So, some of us don't wear them and one thing is just the phenomenon of saturating, or satisfying, the market," said Schervish.
"Some retailers are moving away from selling custom items that benefit charities and are doing more in terms of soliciting contributions at checkout," said David Hessekiel, founder and
president of Cause Marketing Forum. He explained that programs where donations come directly from the consumer cuts down on specialty goods that might not sell.

Hessekiel said the economy might also affect what nonprofits potential partner companies will most likely seek out. "Because of the economic crisis, I believe many companies will shift their cause focus toward groups helping people with basic needs such as hunger, clothing, housing and medical care," he said. "I think you'll see more nonprofits positioning their work to emphasize how they are helping people get through these difficult times."

According to Karen White, director of corporate relations for Susan G. Komen For The Cure, "As the economy goes, so does our business in cause marketing in terms of the industries that are really experiencing declines right now. That translates directly in the cause marketing realm."

Instead of cutting cause marketing, nonprofits want to amp up the cause marketing game by
strengthening the quality and quantity of company partnerships. Cause marketing programs are mirroring the economy. Fashion, auto and luxury cause marketing programs seem to be down, according to White, while other programs are thriving.

Susan G. Komen hit the 10-year mark with partner Yoplait - and hit it hard. For the Save Lids to
Save Lives program, Yoplait promised to give 10 cents to the Dallas-headquartered nonprofit for every specially-branded yogurt lid sent in, up to $1.5 million. The 2008 campaign received more than 16.3 million lids, more than the anticipated goal.

"I think the key to fundraising is multiplying yourself through others. Our partnerships give us
multiple points of contact with consumers, from checking out at registers to reading banner ads donated by our online partners. This enables us to get in front of a large audience with our
message," said David McKee, interim CEO and acting COO of St. Jude's Children's Hospital
fundraising arm American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, Inc. (ALSAC).

St. Jude's held its fifth Thanks and Giving campaign from Thanksgiving to New Years through
corporate partners such as Target and CVS/pharmacy. The campaign included cashiers
asking customers to donate $1 when they checked out. The campaign saw roughly double-digit growth from some partners, according to McKee. St. Jude's partnership with restaurant chain Chili's had a similar formula for the Create-A-Pepper campaign, which asked customers to purchase a chili picture to color for $1.

"Because retail was facing such a bad year, I think St. Jude became a positive part of the
holiday for the more than 50 partners that participate in our annual Thanks and Giving
campaign," said McKee. "I think they worked very, very hard for us to raise money that helps St.
Jude continue to find cures and save children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases."

The Thanks and Giving campaign raised more than $120 million during the past five years for St. Jude's. Chili's has a $50 million commitment to St. Jude's across 10 years and had raised $18.7 million for the organization by 2008, including the pepper coloring and designating a day to donate 100 percent of participating restaurant sales.

Corporate partner Hickory Farms asked consumers to add $1 to purchases for Share Our Strength during the holidays and received more than $100,000 for the hunger organization. The campaign was integrated through Hickory Farms' Web site, mall kiosks and catalogues, which made the branding "seamless," according to Chuck Scofield, chief development
officer at Washington, D.C.-based Share Our Strength.

"I think asking the consumer to donate is a great way to get people involved in a difficult
economy. You give a dollar and those dollars add up pretty quickly," said Scofield.

He explained that the organization was posed to increase some cause marketing campaigns and launch several more throughout the year. Scofield said that the organization has historically worked with the culinary industry but wanted to grow "at every different angle," especially since childhood hunger is a growing issue with the economy.

***

This article is from NPT Weekly, a publication of The NonProfit Times

Despite poor economy, employers willing to pay more for media-savvy hires

From Employee Benefit News

By Kathleen Koster

March 9, 2009

The vast majority of employers are willing to pay higher salaries to new hires skilled in new media, according to a Ball State University study.

The Indiana university found that of the 229 firms interviewed, 67% were inclined to add 1% to 4% to these new hires' pay, and an additional 23% were willing to ante up 5% to 8% more

The Gen Y Guide to Effective Job Search Networking

Listen to this free web interview on Wednesday, March 11:

During this lively and fun teleseminar, participants will discover how to:

• Get on a recruiter's radar screen
• Build relationships after the first contact
• Follow up without being a pest
• Avoid some of the pet peeves that recruiters and employers have about Gen Y networking technique

If you miss it live, you can access the mp3 recording up to 30 days afterward.