Career change is much more than a new job

“Career change is much more than a new job and requires more significant advance planning and preparation,” says Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA career center at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration.

Here are some important steps she suggests:

1. Identify what it is you want to do, then research and network like crazy. What companies have these types of positions? What are the critical skill sets to succeed in these positions? Network extensively to learn about the companies and the positions of interest. Learn what it takes to be successful.

2. Realistically compare your current skill set to the desired skill set in the new career. Identify gaps and build a plan to address the gaps. Maybe it is a course or two you need to take somewhere to increase knowledge or skills. It may be a new software application you need to learn. Maybe it is some experience you could gain by volunteering for a non-profit or serving on a non-profit board. Don't expect the new employer to train you on required skills - build a plan to acquire the skills you need in order to succeed.

3. Identify the key publications and associations relevant to the new career. Attend meetings to hear about hot topics and to network. Read the trade publications to learn about timely issues and trends and to identify possible target organizations and individuals.

4. Carefully hone your pitch. Be able to make a compelling case of why you are making the change and the transferable skills you bring to the table. Show how things you have done in your career to date add value in the career of your choice.

5. Differentiate yourself at every opportunity - make sure your resume and cover letter stand out and position you as positively as possible, network so the key players know who you are, be professional in every interaction, be persistent and professional in all follow-up, this is a sales job - you have to sell yourself successfully to make the change. “Employers often value the fresh perspective when they can see transferable skills. With advance planning and preparation and a commitment to building the required skills, it is possible to be a very successful career changer,” Ms. Sarikas adds. “This isn't going to happen just searching online job boards and submitting resumes.”

Product Info Critical to Purchase Decision

FROM WEBSITE MAGAZINE

According to a WebCollage survey, shoppers are more likely to linger and make purchases at retail websites that offer complete and compelling product information. Survey respondents also noted that determining the compatibility of a product they are researching with devices they already own, and determining what accessories come with a product is useful.

"Customers want to know things like how a product works, its complete set of features and accessories and whether the product is compatible with products they already own," said Jed Alpert, Vice President of Marketing for WebCollage. "That's why manufacturers need to focus on providing their retail channel partners with complete product information, first and foremost."

If you would like to read the rest of this story, please visit: http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/productinfo1.htm

Opinion: Outsourcing: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

FROM COMPUTERWORLD

Michael H. Zack

November 28, 2007 (Computerworld)

Outsourcing — contracting with outside parties to supply and manage services that companies and organizations have typically provided for themselves — is becoming a universally accepted way of doing business. But in deciding to outsource, are companies asking themselves the most relevant questions?

In most cases, the key concerns driving the decision to outsource are cost and capacity. What's been neglected in weighing the benefits and risks of outsourcing are the issues of knowledge transfer and organizational learning. Companies can increase the advantage and reduce the downside of outsourcing when they evaluate it from a knowledge-based view.

Organizations learn mostly as a by-product of performing activities — so-called learning-by-doing. Outsource an activity and you outsource the learning that comes with it. Therefore, if you outsource activities that provide an opportunity for strategically important learning, you may be creating a significant competitive threat to the company.

When a company outsources, it essentially is transferring the opportunity to learn about an activity to an outside provider. The provider gains knowledge about the activity being farmed out, often making improvements or even radically restructuring the way the activity is done. The client company relies on the provider for the outcome of that activity, but there's a risk that through outsourcing a company's understanding of these key activities may erode. And transferring the knowledge and learning back to a client company that no longer understands the old activity let alone the new and improved version, can be difficult at best, and in many cases impossible.

To read the rest of this story, please visit: http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/opinionoutsourcing1.htm

Corporate Governance and Audit Process Post Sarbox

Arnie Wright, and accounting and international business professor at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University, recently co-authored a paper entitled Corporate Governance and the Audit Process in the Post Sarbanes-Oxley Era: Do Auditors Perceive Substantive Changes? Below is the abstract of this paper:

Abstract: This study extends an earlier interview study by Cohen, Krishnamoorthy, and Wright (2002) by examining auditors’ experiences in working with corporate governance actors (e.g., audit committee, board, management, other committees) in the post-Sarbanes Oxley era. Thirty audit managers and partners from three of the Big 4 firms participated in the study. In line with regulatory reforms, auditors indicate that the corporate governance environment has significantly improved in recent years with audit committees that are substantially more active and diligent and possessing greater expertise and power to fulfill its responsibilities. In turn, auditors report relying to a greater extent on corporate governance information in planning and performing the engagement. Management continues to be seen as a major actor in the corporate governance mosaic. Of some concern, auditors indicate that management is seen as a key driver in determining auditor appointments and terminations. Similar to Gendron and Bédard (2006), results indicate that audit committees generally play a passive role in helping to resolve disputes with management with respondents indicating that the auditor and management often try to resolve issues before it comes to the attention of the audit committee. Finally, the requirements for CEO and CFO certification are reported to have a positive affect on the integrity of financial reporting.

Below is Prof. Wright’s bio. If you would like to receive a copy of this paper, or interview him about this, or other Sarbanes-Oxley related issues, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Arnold Wright, Joseph M. Golemme Research Chair, Accounting Group and International Business and Strategy group. Professor Wright received his MBA and PhD degrees from the University of Southern California. He is a CPA who has worked in public accounting with Deloitte and in private industry as a chief accountant. Professor Wright’s research interests are in the judgment and decision-making area, primarily applied to the field of auditing. He has over 80 publications, which have appeared in a number of prestigious journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Organizations & Society, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. He has also served as a reviewer and on the editorial board of many journals. Most notably, he is the past editor for Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, the premier research journal worldwide in auditing. Professor Wright has served the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association in a number of capacities, including President and Historian. In 1998 he received the Joint AICPA/AAA Collaboration Award and in January 2003 the Auditing Section’s Notable Contribution to the Auditing Literature Award for his monograph (co-edited with Dr. Tim Bell) entitled “Auditing Practice, Research and Education: A Productive Collaboration”. He is currently the Vice President of Research for the American Accounting Association, the primary accounting academic organization in the U.S. with over 8,000 members. Prior to working at Northeastern, he held the Andersen Chair of Accounting at the Carroll School of Management, Boston College.

Online businesses need to provide even more information

FROM GRAHAM JONES BLOG

It seems it's not just me worrying about this. A study by WebCollage has found that lack of information online infuriates potential customers.

"Customers want to know things like how a product works, its complete set of features and accessories and whether the product is compatible with products they already own," said Jed Alpert, Vice President of Marketing for WebCollage. "That's why manufacturers need to focus on providing their retail channel partners with complete product information, first and foremost."

If you would like to read this entire story, please visit: http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/onlinebusiness.htm

What Customers Want: More Detailed Product Descriptions

FROM MARKETING PILGRIM

Want people to come to your site a little longer this holiday season? Then give customers adequate information about your products. This isn’t new but WebCollage’s 2007 Survey of Online Consumer Product Research Habits confirms how important product information is to shoppers.

79 percent of those surveyed “rarely or never” purchase a product without complete product information.

Shoppers want to know if a product is compatible with the products they already own and easily see what accessories come with a product. I was researching a CD/clock radio for my son’s room and couldn’t tell if the models worked with headphones (so if he wakes up early to listen to some music, I don’t have to). It was impossible to tell by the pictures and product descriptions, so I had to go to an actual store.

To read this entire story, please visit: http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/whatcustomers1.htm

Tips for successful transition into new job

I thought you might be interested in some thoughts on keys to successfully transitioning into a new job, put together by Lynne Sarikas, director of MBA career services at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University:

First 90 days is critical - whether or not there is a formal assessment of not, most employers are evaluating the fit in the first 90 days, you want to work to convince them that they made the right choice, best way to do that is to demonstrate your added value, do they job they hired you to do and do it well.

Especially in those first 90 days, listen much more than you talk. Don't try to impress them with what you know. Listen to as many people as you can to learn the organization, the culture and the work you need to perform. Ask questions but do your homework first so you are asking good questions and demonstrating your desire to learn. Don't immediately try to change things - take time to understand why it is the way it is before recommending improvements.

Accelerate your learning in the first 90 days by expanding your focus. Instead of just focusing on what you need to do, observe how to do it, who makes decisions, how are decisions made, what and who are they key resources to get the information you need, what does it take to be successful in this organization, etc.

Make a good first impression. Dress professionally and appropriately for the environment. Be punctual. Be courteous. Be eager to learn. Ask questions.

Build a collaborative network of people who can help you and do not make any enemies in the organization. Be a team player. Jump in to help others on the team - you will learn something, you will gain a reputation as a team player and you are building a network of people who could help you one day.

Don't stop networking. Just because you found this great job, don't stop your networking efforts. Networking is a life-long adventure that helps you keep growing. Your network can help you with visibility in the broader industry and the appropriate professional organizations. Also be sure to add your new job to your resume so it is up to date.

Study: Compelling Product Info Increases Consumers’ Online Purchases

FROM CE PRO

According to a new study by WebCollage, a provider of Web marketing syndication solutions for manufacturers and their channel partners, shoppers are more likely to linger and make purchases at retail Web sites that offer complete and compelling product information.
In the study, called “2007 Survey of Online Consumer Product Research Habits,” survey respondents noted that, along with detailed product information, determining the compatibility of a product they are researching with devices they already own and determining what accessories come with a product is the information that is most useful information to them when shopping or conducting product research online.

Presenting customers with the comprehensive product information they find useful during the purchase decision process also provides a more engaging online experience and increases the likelihood of customers remaining on the retailer’s site to purchase other products for the holiday season.

To read this entire story, please visit: http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/studycompellinh1.htm