Keys to finding a job in '09

Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA career center at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration, shares her thoughts on finding a job in the coming year (you can find her bio here: http://cba.neu.edu/cba/directory_detail.cfm?e=218)

Finding a Job in 2009:

Be as flexible as possible - consider different industries, geographies or different ways to use your skill set

Industries or companies doing major layoffs are not going to be doing significant hiring. Only pursue opportunities in these industries or companies if you have a unique, marketable skill set that can add value in turbulent times.

Other industries are actively seeking experienced talent. Many face the challenge of significant retirements and they are focused on building the management team of the future. Finding the right people is imperative for them.

Especially in this economy, not all positions are posted. Use your search time more strategically by networking as much as possible instead of sitting behind the computer searching job boards.

You need a plan - if you don't know where you are going any road will do -- identify the type of position you are seeking and your target companies, research those companies, identify where you can add value, identify networking contacts and begin networking

Networking is the most successful job search strategy and often the most under-utilized. Start with the people you know and ask each contact to identify other contacts. Leverage former colleagues. Leverage your alumni database and career center. Utilize LinkedIn and join relevant Linked In groups.

Focus more on what you can do for the company than on your past accomplishments. Your accomplishments are not your selling points but are your proof statements. Have you managed an acquisition or merger? Served on the due diligence team? Managed a downsizing effort? If so leverage that experience. Have you managed a significant change initiative? Did you lead a major cost reduction or process improvement initiative? Focus on the most critical needs of the company at this time and emphasize how you can add value.

Flawless execution - in a tight economy there is no room for error. Competition is fierce. Your resume and cover letter must be flawless - no typos, no form letter, etc. You must be well prepared for all interviews and networking meetings - know the company, their business and current events and have specific questions prepared. Never overlook the value of timely, personalized follow-up.

How to Stand Out from the Crowd

Instead of applying at the online job board, network within the company and have a contact deliver your resume to the hiring manager. This puts you in the pile of a handful of resumes instead of in the pile of hundreds. It significantly increases the odds of someone actually looking at your resume.

A handwritten thank you after the interview makes a significant impression and is an additional opportunity to demonstrate your strong interest

Have your references ready and well-briefed

Have specific, thoughtful questions prepared for your interviewers. Do your research and be well-prepared to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and industry, it also demonstrates your interest and your approach to preparation

Length of Search

Length of the job search can vary significantly depending on type of position you are seeking and the industry you are targeting. There will be increased competition as more laid-off workers join the search. General rule of thumb - it will always take longer than you expect it will. Plan on 6 - 9 months in general and longer if you have a highly specialized need.

Where to Target
In challenging times it is tough to identify a industry where all players are doing well, look for the successful and growing players in your target industry or those who have a specific need for your skill set

Also, companies are hiring but often for specific skill sets rather than across the board, use your network to learn who is hiring for the types of positions you are seeking

This is definitely a time when it is to you advantage to be flexible and to think outside the box

Nintendo Wii hot for third Xmas in a row

Early indications are that Nintendo’s Wii is one of the hot Christmas gift this year, for the third year in a row.

In April 2006, Ted Pollak, Video Game Industry Portfolio Manager and Analyst, wrote to his company’s board with a statement that raised a lot of eyebrows; “Nintendo will win console war”. Mr. Pollak is the Founder and President of EE Fund Management LLC, Portfolio Manager of Electronic Entertainment Fund LP (the world’s first fund focused on the video game industry), and manager of EEIndex (the world’s only game industry equity index). Additionally, Pollak is a senior gaming industry analyst for Jon Peddie Research.

At the time very few people thought this to be the case and Nintendo was largely being counted out of the game altogether. Many industry pundits were calling the console industry a two-horse race between Microsoft and Sony. Pollak saw what others did not, a fusion of different market forces that would create the “perfect storm” for the Wii and make it one of the most successful entertainment products in the history of the world. For three Christmases straight the Wii is in the ranks of the hottest gifts, an amazing feat that could even extend to next Christmas.

Pollak qualifies his prediction with the admission that “win” is a relative term based on many factors. He believes that all three console manufacturers will “win” in different ways and at different times but that Nintendo would definitely be the first. Some of the key elements to Ted Pollak’s forecast for Wii’s success were:

1. World not ready for HDTV transition en masse.
2. Revolutionary Wii user interface
3. Wii appeal to both core gamers and untapped demographics
4. Price point lower than other consoles.

Whitewashed: ‘Whiteness' in American History, with a Special Focus on Middle-Easterners

Last December, John Tehranian, a law professor and author on racial issues at Chapman University’s School of Law, gave a lecture at the Arpa Institute entitled Whitewashed: ‘Whiteness' in American History, with a Special Focus on Middle-Easterners (the title of his latest book is also called Whitewashed: America’s Invisible Middle Eastern Identity). Below is a description of some of the issues Prof. Tehranian covered in his lecture:

Throughout American history, racial classifications have wielded exceptional influence. For example, until 1952, federal law provided naturalization rights only to individuals who were white or black, but nothing "in between."

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a wave of new immigrants from non-Anglo-Saxon countries arrived on American shores. As a result, the American legal system confronted the task of defining what or who constituted the white race for the purposes of naturalization.
"Litigation over the concept of whiteness resulted, yielding life-altering consequences," the lecture's abstract states. "While the trials often grew senseless, with judges delving into the depths of antiquity, reconstructing history, and spouting rigid ideologies in order to justify their rulings, the reification of whiteness had a profound impact on shaping the immigrant experience in the United States."

Prof. Tehranian writes that Armenians played a central role in these cases, and that the Armenian struggle for naturalization rights and "white" recognition is critical to understanding the processes at play in the social construction of race.

By drawing on these cases, Prof. Tehranian's talk will assess the historical and contemporary relevance of whiteness in American society, with a particular eye toward the war on terrorism and the debate over immigration, assimilation, and national identity, especially after September 11, 2001. Specifically, Prof. Tehranian will discuss ongoing and peculiar problems of race and how they affect Armenian and Middle-Eastern Americans. He will also address "the unusual catch-22 facing Middle-Eastern Americans: although considered white by law, and therefore ineligible for any policies benefiting minorities, they have faced rising degrees of discrimination over time - a fact highlighted by recent targeted immigration policies, racial profiling, a war on terrorism with a decided racialist bent, and growing rates of job discrimination and hate crime."

Characteristics of stores doing well in current economy

Amid the current economic crisis, with retailers such as Circuit City and Mervyn’s filing for bankruptcy, I thought you might be interested in the thoughts of Tony Gao, Ph.D., a marketing professor at Northeastern University’s business school, on the characteristics of the stores that are doing well in the current economy (you can find Prof. Gao’s bio here: http://cba.neu.edu/faculty/directory_detail.cfm?e=240):

“Stores with the following characteristics are still doing well in the current economic turmoil:

1. Store selling essential merchandise such as drugs, groceries, and gas. Example stores are CVS, Walgreen, Stop and Shop, and gas stations.

2. Stores that have a general reputation for offering good value such as Wal-Mart, Costco, and deep discounters such as Dollar Tree.

3. Stores that have a broader merchandise assortment (thus in a better diversified situation) such as the supercenters of Wal-Mart and again, Costco.

4. Stores that have a broader geographic presence across the country and the world, in some cases.

5. Stores that have over the years built a loyal base of customers who will be inclined to support the retailer in hard times.

6. Stores that have over the years built strong relationships with key suppliers.

7. Stores that are led by a top executive that have the full and undoubted support from the board of directors.

“If a retailers happens to have all or most of these attributes, it might find itself in a relatively stronger position in this market downturn than most,” Dr. Gao concludes.

New Scientific Study Identifies the Best Self Help-Books for Anxiety, Depression and PTSD

Self-help books have emerged as a multimillion-dollar-per-year industry, and 85% of American psychologists report recommending self-help books to their patients. Even more people turn to self-help books on their own, as a cost-effective, convenient, and less stigmatizing alternative to professional therapy, most commonly for problems relating to depression, anxiety, or psychological trauma.

In a groundbreaking study published this month in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, a leading scientific and professional journal of the American Psychological Association, a team of American researchers (from Chapman University, Drexel University, and Brown University Medical School) report the results of a comprehensive study of the scientific validity and usefulness of the 50 top-selling self-help books for anxiety (including phobias, compulsions, panic attacks), depressive (including depression and bipolar disorder), and trauma-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress). The researchers developed a scientific scale for assessing self-help books based on the degree to which they are grounded in modern medical and psychological science, whether they offer potentially harmful advice, and whether the advice provided was in a form that consumers could actually use.

The article lists the 50 top-selling self-help books for anxiety, depression, or psychological trauma, listed in order of overall quality, as assessed by the study.

1. The OCD Workbook, written by Hyman, B.M.
2. Dying of Embarrassment, by Markway, B.
3. The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook, by Antony, M.M.
4. Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding, by Neziroglu, F.
5. Stop Obsessing, by Foa, E.B.
6. The Cyclothymia Workbook, by Prentiss, P.
7. Bipolar Disorder Demystified, by Castle, L.R.
8. Feeling Good, by Burns, D.D.
9. Overcoming Compulsive Checking, by Hyman, B.M.
10. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, by Penzel, F.

The study’s results suggest guidelines for consumers and mental health professionals to follow when selecting self-help books. The best books were those offering a “cognitive-behavioral” approach to treatment (emphasizing concrete ways to change thoughts and behaviors as a way of changing mood and improving psychological functioning), those written by mental health professionals holding a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D.), and those focusing on specific problems (rather than offering a single treatment for many problems). The best books also provide specific guidance not only for implementing the self-help techniques but also for monitoring progress and dealing with treatment setbacks.

The researchers identified a number of books that, despite being immensely popular and selling millions of copies, are not grounded in modern scientific and medical knowledge (40% of books), contain greatly exaggerated claims of effectiveness (32% of books), fail to provide readers with reasonable expectations about the benefits that could be expected (58% of books), or fail to provide readers with guidance about seeking professional help when needed (56% of books). Only 36% of books provided proper guidance for the reader to self-diagnose, to even know whether the self-help book was appropriate for their symptoms or problems.

Particularly troubling, eighteen percent of books provided advice that may be harmful, according to the latest medical evidence, while other books offer treatments that have been found to be ineffective. Some popular books claim that problems are caused by blockages in the body’s invisible energy system and offer a complete cure through “thought-field therapy,” which involves tapping on specific parts of the body in a particular sequence, even though research shows this to be ineffective. Other books offer thought stopping and other distraction techniques, which research shows may only exacerbate symptoms. Other books promote the erroneous idea that traumatic memories are often unconsciously repressed and that certain symptoms are an indication of abuse even when the person has no memory of a traumatic event. Still others promote unproven and sometimes dangerous herbal remedies.

The study is reported in: Richard E. Redding, James D. Herbert, Evan M. Forman, & Brandon A. Gaudiano. (2008). Popular Self-Help Books for Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma: How Scientifically Grounded and Useful Are They? Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 39(5), 537-545.

Dr. Bird Appointed Prof of Global Business at Northeastern

Dr. Allan Bird appointed Darla and Frederick Brodsky Trustee
Professor of Global Business
at Northeastern University College of Business

Boston, MA—June 9, 2009—Northeastern University College of Business Administration today announced that Dr. Allan Bird has been appointed the Frederick and Darla Brodsky Trustee Professor of Global Business. As the Brodsky Chair, Dr. Bird will provide continuing leadership to the International Business and Strategy Group, the College’s strategic center of excellence in international business.

Professor Bird (Ph.D., University of Oregon) was most recently the Eiichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Professor of Japanese Studies and Director of the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Business Administration’s International Business Institute and the Director of its International MBA program.

“Dr. Bird brings strong scholarly achievements of international distinction in international business to the College,” remarked Thomas E. Moore, dean of Northeastern’s College of Business Administration.

Professor Bird is the author/editor of eight books and his more than 90 articles and chapters have appeared in scholarly publications such as the Academy of Management Journal, the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the Journal of International Business Studies. He He served as chair of the Academy of Management’s Careers Division and has served on the Executive Committee of the International Management Division.

Dr. Bird serves on the boards of several organizations in Europe, North America and Japan. Some of the companies he has worked with include AT&T, Coca Cola, Ernst & Young, Fujitsu, GE, Molex, Monsanto, Nippon Express, Sharp and Watchmark. Since 2001, Dr. Bird has served as president of The Kozai Group, Inc., an international consulting firm focused on assessing and developing global leadership potential.

Previously Professor Bird was at California Polytechnic State University where he headed the Global Strategy and Law Area, and at New York University. He has been a visiting professor/researcher at Columbia University, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Rikkyo University, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Osaka International University and Japan’s National Self Defense Academy.

Dr. Bird was the President of the Association of Japanese Business Studies and served on its Executive Committee. He was a key architect and founding member of the International Organization Network (ION), a network of academics and managers from around the world committed to increasing the quality and impact of research on people and their effectiveness in international organizations. He was also a key architect, founding member and head of the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education, a collaborative effort by more than 25 universities.

About Northeastern University College of Business Administration

Northeastern University College of Business Administration, established in 1922, provides its students—undergraduate, graduate and executive—with the education, tools and experience necessary to launch and accelerate successful business careers. The College credits its success to expert faculty, close partnerships with industry and its emphasis on rigorous academics combined with experiential learning.

The College is highly ranked by several prestigious publications. BusinessWeek ranks the undergraduate program 27th in the U.S., #1 in internships and #16 in academic quality in its “Best Undergraduate B-schools”. The College’s BS in International Business program is ranked #13 by U.S. News & World Report. The undergraduate program is also distinguished by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine as #14 in the top 25 entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. For more information about Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration, visit www.cba.neu.edu.

A distinguishing feature of Northeastern’s academic mission is its emphasis on practice in both education and research. The University has long been recognized as a world leader in the integration of work and learning through its cooperative educational program and other practical learning opportunities for its students.

Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers: Are They out of Luck?

Research shows that employees are more apt to report fraud or other wrongdoing in the workplace when they know that whistleblower protection exists, says Northeastern University accounting professor Charles Bame-Aldred. An abstract of the study he helped conduct indicates, in part:

In the presence of protection, the influence of retaliation disappeared, as whistleblowing was perceived equally likely whether retaliation was threatened or not.

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