Archive for the ‘Career Advancement’ Category

Networking for Higher Education Professionals

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Image by Anthony Reeves

Most higher education professionals understand the benefits of networking, such as professional development, advancement opportunities, and career guidance. However, many are unsure of how to go about it, and may be intimidated by the process. Here we offer some simple strategies for developing your professional network.

Make Networking a Professional Goal
Approach networking the way you would approach any other professional goal – and in fact, it will often go hand in hand with your professional goals. That means making it a priority, carving out time for it, setting objectives (i.e. I will meet 2 people this month to add to my professional network – one whom I can help, and one who can help me), and envisioning a roadmap toward developing your network.

Don’t Be Intimidated
It’s helpful to remember that, as with most professional communities, many professionals in the higher education community have gotten to where they are due in part to the help of someone else, and are therefore open and happy to give back by helping others achieve their professional goals. If you are intimidated by the process, start out small with people in your immediate circle and whom you feel comfortable reaching out to. The fact of the matter is, networking will come easier to some more than others – and that’s okay. As with all things, the more you do it, the easier it will become and the better you will be at it.

Start Early and Be Persistent
One of the keys to networking is to start early, and be persistent. Relationships take time to build, and ideally, you will have a solid relationship footing in place, before asking for favors or job opportunities from a contact. Keep in mind that not all meetings or connections will lead to immediate results, but many will lead to other connections, giving you an opportunity to continually expand your network. Keep careful records of all your contacts, and whenever possible, as your connections to suggest other people you might speak to.

Seek Out Relevant Networking Opportunities
Seek out social and professional groups, and participate in events that are relevant to your field and interests. Look for opportunities to become more involved in your extracurricular professional activities, whether it’s helping to organize an event or offering to be a speaker. Academic and professional conferences make excellent places to connect with others in your field.

Use Technology to Your Advantage
Whether it’s a simple phone call or email, or connecting to people through social media – use technology to strengthen your ties to your network. Social media in particular gives you the opportunity to keep up easily with those in your network, and to connect with them on a regular basis. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are all great platforms to meet and talk to others in your field. Be proactive and ask your social media contacts to make introductions for you, whether to other individuals in their social media network or to one of the many higher education, professional communities that are active and available on those platforms.

When Meeting People, Be Polite and Prepared
It’s very helpful to have a statement or “elevator speech” prepared for meeting new people at networking events or in group situations. Your statement should cover your interests and professional goals. Treat networking the way you would treat any other type of first meeting – be polite, listen attentively to the other person, ask good questions, and show interest in them beyond what they have to offer you.

Invest Time in Building Real Relationships
In many ways, networking is a game of numbers – the more you reach out to, the more likely you are to make a great connection. At the same time, approaching networking this way can be a disadvantage, particularly if you are insincere or your sole motivation is to meet as many people as possible who can help you. Part of networking is learning who can help you and presenting what you have to offer – another part is getting to know other people in your field and building real relationships that deepen and last over time. You will find that the real relationships that you build are the ones that will end up yielding the most benefit to you.

Manners and Maintenance
Be vigilant about following up with and maintaining your network. Keep your network updated with the progress that you’ve made, while keeping up with their accomplishments as well. When you meet with a contact, be prepared and respectful of the time they have allotted to meet with you, and always send a thank you note immediately afterward. Finally, give back and reach out to your network when you have opportunities you can offer others.

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Posted in Career Advancement, Higher Education, Job Search | No Comments »

Managing an Effective Reference Process

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Seeking and acquiring professional references is an important and critical part of the job search. Candidates should take a deliberate, thoughtful and strategic approach when asking someone to serve as a reference for them during the job search process.

Here we offer some key strategies for effectively managing the reference process.

Cultivate a professional network
Before you begin to apply for a position or seek professional references, you should have already begun to cultivate a professional network, from which to draw those references. Forge relationships with those whom you respect, admire, or work well with, seek out a professional mentor, and keep in touch with former supervisors as well as professionals that you have supervised.

Choose your references wisely
Consider a wide spectrum of references that can speak to different aspects of your skill set – for example, a colleague that you have worked on a project with, a faculty member that you have worked with closely, or a person that has worked with you in an emergency situation. Think carefully about whether a particular reference will be able to speak articulately about your skills, experiences, and what makes you a strong candidate for the position. All too often, candidates simply submit a list of prefabricated references and consider that part of the process complete. It’s important that your references can speak to your professional qualities which are specific to the job position for which you are applying. Be sure to have a balance in terms of current and prior professionals that can cover a variety of your skills, experiences, and strengths. While they may not be able to cover all of your strengths, can all of your references speak to at least two or three key leadership areas for you? Finally, make sure that everyone who has agreed to serve as a reference has done so earnestly. Reluctant or unenthusiastic references – despite their willingness – may unintentionally hurt your candidacy.

Approaching and Informing references effectively
Approach selected references by explaining why you would like them to serve as your reference, along with the type of position you are seeking, the reasons you are interested in the position, and why you feel you are qualified. If you have already acquired your references beforehand, make sure to inform them of your current involvement in the search process and update them as needed on your current responsibilities and accomplishments, as well as your current career goals. Include materials where applicable, such as your updated resume, reports, or articles you’ve written. If you are asking in relation to a specific application, send your references some background information about the position and institution. It may also be helpful to provide your insight on what you believe the search committee is seeking in a successful candidate. Ideally, you should alert your references well ahead of the time they must speak to an institutional representative, so that they will have plenty of time to update themselves on your current career goals, as well as review any information or materials that will help them to speak well on your behalf.

Providing reference information to the institution
Be certain to verify each of your references’ contact information before providing it to the search committee, and include information about the best way to reach your references such as their preferred methods of contact or availability. If your reference provides the number of his/her administrative assistant make sure that your reference has indicated to that person that they have agreed to serve as a reference on your behalf.

Follow up
Follow up with your references to see how their referral conversation went. Your reference may have a good sense of what the institution is focusing on with regard to your candidacy, including where the institution might perceive weaknesses or areas for growth on your part. You might also seek feedback concerning their impressions regarding the culture of the institution. Make sure to keep your references up to date with your job search progress and status. And when you do land that terrific new position, don’t forget to send a thank you note to thank them for their help in the process!

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Succession Planning and Building Your Leadership Pipeline

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

One of the best ways to fill critical leadership roles in your department is to cultivate them from within, making the development of a strong succession plan and effective leadership pipeline one of the best tools for recruiting new leaders. Traditionally used in the realm of business, succession planning is now a common practice within institutions of higher education.

An effective succession plan helps identify and groom high potential managers for advancement into key, senior positions, while a leadership pipeline cultivates a pool of quality leaders with diverse management expertise, and provides them with opportunities for professional growth. This strengthens your institutional department from within through increased departmental performance, employee satisfaction and retention, as well as creating an infrastructure for leadership continuity through candidates who can readily fill critical positions. The shared benefits of an effective succession plan are based on a simple idea: by investing in the people that make up your organization, you are investing in the organization’s ongoing success.

The first step in developing a strong succession plan is by identifying key senior positions that are essential to your department’s long term success. Structure your succession planning around these positions, and keep their leadership pipelines strong by regularly identifying high potential candidates. There should be a comprehensive system in place to identify candidates – a system which defines the requisite leadership competencies and standards, and provides measureable performance indicators.

Cultivating the pipeline through leadership development is the most important component to a successful succession plan, and goes beyond leadership training to include mentoring, grooming through real world assignments and work experiences, as well as an evaluation system that measures progress and provides feedback. By giving promising leaders assignments which challenge them, you empower them to assume risks and develop new skills, while also providing an effective evaluation system that allows them to learn from mistakes and grow through their achievements.

In addition to measuring progress on an individual level, senior officials should regularly measure the progress of a department’s succession plan and pipeline. Harvard Business Review offers some useful metrics to consider when doing this, including:

• how many important positions have been filled with internal candidates
• how many succession plans have two or more “ready now” candidates, and
• how many of the same employees are “ready now” candidates on more than three different succession plans?

Succession management is an ongoing process that requires extra time and due diligence, but is an investment that yields high returns for both managers and employees. Do you have experience developing a leadership pipeline in your department? Please share your tips and insights in our comments section!

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