Career Management Newsletter created and edited by Roderick.

1. Page 1
Career Management Newsletter
Spring issue #6 Student Edition March 2010
“Your trusted source for the latest in career news and information”
Who is getting hired – and how?
Company Presentations on There is no shortage of job-seekers in today’s A Passion: Job seekers with a passion are
Campus market and I suspect this trend will become easy to recognize and are prized by every
the norm. Should you worry about this? Only employer. Being able to demonstrate a
In the USA we use the expression, if you don’t have a plan and you are content passion that communicates a deeper desire for
“leaving money on the table”, to with letting someone else decide your career a particular job will put you ahead of the
signify that someone did not fate. average job seeker. Passionate candidates are
maximize an opportunity. I notice
more committed and will have more of a
that a lot of students are doing just
that with the company presentations. Adopt a “no excuses” policy and put stake in a company’s success. Passionate
yourself on the path to success. The only companies produce higher quality
If you look at the Industry Weeks barriers you will face are the ones you products/services. And so do employees.
presentations as opportunities to impose upon yourself.
enhance your knowledge about an A Backup Plan: Very few companies would
industry as well as a networking What are the characteristics of the MBA venture into a new market without several
opportunity then you will be more students who are getting hired? They have: backup plans for success. So you too should
successful. If you simply view the have backup plans for every scenario that
company presentations in terms of
A Clear Focus: Before you can convince a could impede your career goals. This is where
who is offering jobs vs. who is not
then you are leaving money on the hiring manager to hire you, you need to be being flexible, adaptable, and sensible will
table. convinced of what you want to do. Imagine a determine your outcomes. There are always
company with no clear focus of its target unforeseen events that derail an original plan.
What should you do? consumers and trying to compete in a Thus, backup planning is essential to a sound
crowded market. Its message will never get career strategy.
• Take notes on key points and heard by potential customers and it will
determine the top issues. never maximize its resources to accomplish --- Roderick
• Get the contact of the speakers. its stated goals.
• Build a sincere relationship and get
connected to other contacts. A Roadmap: Doing a haphazard job search
• Have something interesting and is so 1980’s. Having a vision and a plan to
unique to put on your Cover Letter
versus someone who did not attend
get there is the best way to obtain results. A
the company presentation. plan allows you to identify obstacles before
they inhibit your progress. A plan allows you
--- Roderick to build strategy. A strategy allows you to
develop tactics. The job seeker who is
tactically superior will be the one who is the
most successful.
Career Tips from Paulo CMC Summary
What is the purpose of a CV? For years you have been told to rewrite and Job Postings from the Career Management Center
optimize your Curriculum Vitae. But did you ever think what the main • Have you created an automatic job alert agent in Symplicity? If not, then
purpose of that document is?
contact CMC to learn how to do it.
In case you use your CV for recruitment purposes, the reader and potential • Job postings that come directly through the Career Center will have
recruiter will probably review the CVs of several candidates and take less “LisbonMBA” in the job title field.
than one minute to decide one of three options: (A) not interesting, or (B) • Symplicity is a global platform and employers can post jobs to multiple
might be worth further analysis, or (C) interesting to proceed and meet partner schools such as ours.
face-to-face. This decision, solely based on paper, will result in three piles
of CVs – A, B and C. The main purpose of your CV now becomes clear: to
Leveraging Technology for Career Success
have it placed on the C pile and proceed to an interview phase. Thus, the
CV should be short (2 pages maximum), focused (on results) and appeal to • Are you using InterviewStream to improve your interview skills and get
the reader (why me?). feedback from a wider audience?
• Are you maximizing the tools on simplicity as well as the myriad online
Paulo Simões career management and niche job boards?
Partner, Egon Zehnder International • Are you using LinkedIn/Startracker as a strategic networking tool?

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Career Management Newsletter
Spring issue #6 Student Edition March 2010
Company Spotlight
A World of Opportunity
All around the world, PepsiCo is making a difference. And so can you. Our success depends on nurturing the diverse perspectives and skills
our people bring to our business. Find a place to grow your own unique talents by exploring a career at PepsiCo.
Performance with Purpose
Creating a Better Tomorrow for Future Generations
At PepsiCo, our people are the key to our success. Learn more about our approach to careers and how we're helping develop, nurture, and
retain world-class talent at www.pepsico.com/www.pepsico.pt.
Working for PepsiCo
At PepsiCo, our success takes the work of talented, dedicated people who are committed to making an impact every day. Our ability to
grow year after year is driven by our ability to attract, develop, and retain world-class people. Talent Sustainability is cherishing our
employees and it is an integral part of our 'Performance with Purpose' agenda, which also includes environmental sustainability - reducing
our impact on the environment and human sustainability - nourishing our consumers with a range of fun and healthy choices.
While we can't tell you exactly what is covered, we can provide some additional tips that help to ensure you're at your best during your
interview:
• Be Yourself!
• Know Our Business!
• Display a Passion!
• Interview Us!
• Establish a Long-Lasting Relationship!
Increase the Brand Equity of The Lisbon MBA
What do you expect from your future career after The Lisbon MBA? What top employer would you like to
work for? The Lisbon MBA Career Management Center and top international employers would like to know
what is important for YOU in your future working life.
Click on the following link to participate in My MBA Future Career 2010:
http://survey.confirmit.com/wix/p1048403845.aspx?reid=15 (survey for current students only)
Why participate? Take 12 minutes of your time and:
• Let your future employers understand your career expectations, goals and priorities
• Immediately get the WetFeet Insider Guide: Ace your case II: Mastering the Case (Value: Euro 15)
The Career Management Center • Immediately get exclusive membership to a personalized online Career Profile that compares you to your
is your Job Search Partner peers. It also puts you in touch with your ideal employers
• Donate to charity: UNICEF, The Red Cross or Breast Cancer Research.
• Attend the Career Workshops and
• Enter a sweepstake for a Universum Scholarship of Euro 1000 to support your studies and one of many
Networking Events.
cool GOLLA Laptop/ iPod bags
• Utilize the online resources and offline
resources to develop your career plans. This research is completely independent. Your response is anonymous and we are only interested in the
• Don’t delay your job search! Start early aggregated results. These results are used to leverage your recruitment brand with employers.
by researching your target employers.
• Engage your network to discuss Please make sure that your current classmates complete the survey by April 1st to be sure The Lisbon MBA
strategies for improving your job search is included in the global results. Thanks!
skills.
Roderick Lewis (Director CMC, The Lisbon MBA) and Michiel Pool (Global University
Let The CMC prepare you to conduct
an effective job search campaign.
Relations Manager Universum) Do you have any questions, something to share, or just difficulties with
the link? Please send an email to: Michiel.pool@universum.se

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Career Management Newsletter
Spring issue #6 Student Edition March 2010
Stop Boring the Hiring Manager with Your Résumé!
Your résumé should communicate your experience, expertise, value, personal brand, accomplishments, and contributions among other
things. What it should not be is a rundown of your last job description word for word.
If your résumé consists mostly of bullet points that only describe your responsibilities and duties, then you’re doing yourself a great
disservice in your job hunt and you’re boring the hiring manager or recruiter reviewing your résumé. Job duties are only the minimum
and convey only that you were able to meet the minimum requirements for the position. It doesn’t show the employer your ability to go
above and beyond, to produce results, or to contribute significantly to the team or company.
Providing accomplishment and contribution based statements will give the hiring manager a more in depth view of what you can bring to
the table, what value you offer as an employee and what you can mostly achieve for their organization. A critical element is choosing the
best and most applicable accomplishments and contributions.
For example, in human resources reducing turnover and fill time is a hot topic. Reducing turnover saves the company money and so does
reducing the fill time for open positions. These are two critical elements to being a successful hiring manager so elaborating on your
successes and accomplishments in this area would look very favorably for you. Each industry and position has different core criteria that
are extremely important to the success of that position and person. Take those duties that you’re still holding on to on your résumé and
turn them into accomplishment and contribution based statements. You’re still telling the employer that you met the requirements of the
position but you’re showing them how you exceeded them and the results they can expect from you as an employee.
After all, history repeats itself and if they see that you’ve accomplished it before they’re going to naturally assume you will again – show
them you’re not just a “squeaks by on the minimum requirements” type employee and that you go above and beyond the call of duty and
you’ll be surprised how quickly your phone will start ringing. --- Jessica Holbrook, President/CEO of Great Résumés Fast
For Want of a Nail...A Career Tragedy
For Want of a Nail So will you lose a 100K Euro job plus additional compensation and leadership plan –
For want of a nail the shoe was lost. all because you failed to answer a basic interview question?
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost. Will you fail to impress a potential networking contact because you were unable to
For want of a rider the battle was lost. clearly express who you are and why you want to connect with this person?
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. Will you fail to negotiate the benefits that matter to you most because you did not
take time to develop proposals and sound justifications to convince the company?
What is the nail in your job search plan?
What is the one thing that you are Will you miss a job application deadline because you failed to improve your time
overlooking and not putting any effort into management and organizational skills?
that could, in the end, derail your search?
Will you miss the opportunity to get a call for an interview because you failed to
I’ve seen top candidates miss out on great invest time in customizing a CV and Cover Letter that really differentiated you and
job opportunities because of the slightest positioned you as an Employer-focused candidate?
oversights. Companies don’t have much
tolerance for the job candidates who can’t do Avoid these and many more career tragedies by taking a serious and strategic approach to
the basic things right. your job search. --- Roderick
Email the Editor at careermanagement@thelisbonmba.com