Experience Talks
April, 2007

Koen is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal.com and a career columnist for Nature and Rochester’s Democrat and Chronicle. She co-authored the book, Career Choice, Change & Challenge (Jist, 2000). Koen, and the Career Development Services team of professionals, develop online career sites for corporations, provide career counseling, and conduct peak performance programs for individuals and organizations. Koen also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy.

Career Development Services has changed since its inception in 1975. Can you provide a short overview of the current services? What are the most popular services provided in the Rochester area?
Change, and helping people grow through change, is at the heart of our work. Along with our clients, Career Development Services has evolved over the years. Our success is in developing individual and organizational potential. That has remained the continuous thread throughout our history. 

At every step in our evolution, Career Development Services has taken the lead to create programs in sync with national trends in the work place. At our inception, we pioneered offerings for re-entry women, then dual career couples. We later responded to the strong demand for outplacement in Rochester with model programs for people in transition. In this new millennium, electronic career sites, a reinventing series, and leadership development programs are attracting our clients.

For organizations, our team provides consulting, training, coaching and electronic delivery. Our most popular programs today revolve around talent management and career development including: @tlas: Electronic Career Sites for a Dispersed Workforce, Managing for Peak Performance, Woman2Woman: Leadership in Action, Coaching for Career Development, and Focus on the Future: Transition Services.

We are walking on the same Rochester ground and breathing the same Rochester air as did Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. How can we not be inspired to succeed? Beyond fair pay and a competitive benefits package, creating space that allows people to thrive is the key to retention.

For individual clients, the hot programs are Reinventing Your Life, Job Search Strategies that Work, Career Management for Young Professionals and Career Remodelers. We provide face-to-face career counseling and coaching at our 150 State St. location to our clients in Rochester. For those out of the area, telecounseling is available through our partnership with The Wall Street Journal Executive Career Site, CareerJournal.com.

Right now we have on the drawing board programs that will help companies thrive and individuals develop professionally over the next three years. 

What are the top three strategies for retaining key talent within a company?Beyond fair pay and a competitive benefits package, creating space that allows people to thrive is the key to retention. For discerning employees, the work culture is as important as the job. In diverse work settings, respecting individual and team contributions and encouraging people to contribute their unique talents is critical.

While there's no "one size fits all" to superimpose on every company (organizations have to ask their employees directly what's most important), we have tracked retention themes. The top three themes that have emerged from our national presentations and focus groups are:

Progressive and responsive leadership. With studies pointing to the key role that a manager can play (people join companies but leave supervisors), we celebrate and promote the importance of leadership at all levels within an organization. Our Managing for Peak Performance model grew out of the realization that managers have a tremendous influence on whether or not people stay and remain committed. Leaders' ability to focus, motivate, and engage the unique talents and personalities within their workforce will directly contribute to retention.

Professional development. Career development consistently surfaces as a top priority reported by employees on satisfaction surveys. With constant change, workers know that they can't afford to let their skills become outdated. If employers are willing to invest in people, many of their talented employees, particularly newer entrants, will choose to stay rather than move on to an organization that would support professional development. Aligning personal career goals with the needs of the organization creates a win-win opportunity for organizations and their employees.

Work-life balance.  In one form or another, work-life balance is on just about everybody's mind-mature workers interested in phasing into retirement, baby-boomers looking for more meaning out of mid-life, and new entrants to the workforce expecting to mingle a career with a full life outside of work. With persistent pressure to do more with less, organizations that creatively and flexibly address work-life balance will attract and keep people. 

Soft skills are becoming even more important to all businesses. Can you share your thoughts on the advantages and benefits of soft skills development?

Peter Drucker summed it up in one statement, "When you hire an engineer, you don't get just the brain, you get the whole person."  It's as simple as that. You don't need a major analysis of the return on investment, just common sense, to recognize the value of soft skills if you are managing in a work environment of human beings.

Self-awareness and introspection, the ability to listen to what is and isn't said, and an appreciation for the wonder of human dynamics are all part of the inner core of leadership. Of course, subject matter expertise, technical savvy, and analytical abilities are essential. But, impressions are formed at the gut level; decisions are influenced by emotion; engagement is formed through connection and commitment is inspired by trust. These are the realities that link soft skills to performance and results. Talent and talent management-how well an organization recognizes and channels the passion, knowledge, and commitment of its people-is the ultimate differentiator.

Leadership development-great leaders build strong companies.  What defines a leader?
As a child in the 60's, I recall being swept up in the energy of idealism put into action when my father ran for New York State Assembly from a district in central New York, along with Bobby Kennedy who was running for U.S. Senate from New York state. My impressions of leadership formed early, and I'm still captivated by leadership that translates idealism and passion into practical action.  At the same time, I have broadened my definition of leaders beyond the larger-than-life models to include the quiet leaders and unsung heroes who, with integrity and an unassuming style, advance causes bigger than themselves.

This is especially evident when conducting programs for women's leadership groups visiting through the Rochester International Council from places as far away as United Arab Emirates, India, Nigeria, Estonia, Nepal, and Jordan. When they come to Career Development Services to learn about our Woman2Woman: Leadership in Action program, I always am humbled and inspired by the vision and voice, courage and commitment they demonstrate.

In an organizational context, these leadership qualities represent some of the core character traits that build trust and position leaders to focus, motivate, and develop their employees. Add to the mix change hardiness, humor, and optimism, as these qualities afford a leader the courage to keep leading.

What happens if Rochester's economic development vision is successful; where will we find the needed workers?
We are walking on the same Rochester ground and breathing the same Rochester air as did Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. How can we not be inspired to succeed? If they could spearhead emancipation and suffrage efforts from Rochester, then we, with the same level of perseverance and spirit of conviction, can realize an economic development vision and revitalize our workforce.

Four sources of talent come to mind:
Local talent graduating from area colleges and universities-With an improved economy and attractive employment opportunities, more young professionals will include Rochester on their "desirable options" short list.
Local talent downsized, outsourced, reorganized from their once secure positions-Collectively, these baby boomers and early retirees possess an incredible bank of knowledge, with an indefatigable work ethic and commitment to the community.

Local talent mired in the bleakest of circumstances-Given the opportunity, training, and mentorship, those left out of this economy will have a chance to be included and contribute to the revitalization of the area. 

Out-of-Rochester talent recruited to fill gaps and infuse new perspectives-Desirable jobs and enhanced promotion of the best-of-life qualities that Rochester has to offer will attract national and international talent.
When this starts to happen, confidence and vitality will reemerge.   That's when Rochester will get its groove back.

What are the "must haves" in creating or improving a resume?
For starters, make it concise. Showcasing selected highlights, rather than blanketing everything, makes for a more compelling read. Rather than spilling over onto three pages or cramming four pages of content into two pages, create two resumes, one as an all-encompassing record exclusively for you, and the other, a concise focused version as your promotional piece.

Second, align with your target audience. To select the most relevant skills, qualities, and accomplishments to focus on in your resume, first identify what's likely to be of most interest to the reader. Select your best, and review your resume through the lens of the reader. Are you making the impression you intended and connecting with the reader?

Third, demonstrate a current skills set. Make your professional development a priority. Your resume is you on paper, and it's only as strong as your qualifications. To keep up with the constant change referenced in the very first question, you must continue to learn and develop, whether you seek out an assignment that wrests you out of your comfort zone, or take a course, or join a professional association. Be sure your resume reflects your commitment to professional development and a current skills set.
BSM

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