Gen Ys bring their parents to job interviews

Singapore – Gen Y employees are known to have their quirks, but their latest one has got to be the most interesting one by far.

Members of this generation are getting their parents more involved in their careers, even going as far as allowing - or wanting - them to sit in on interviews and job offer negotiations.

A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers found 13% of global college graduates wanted their parents to receive a copy of their cover letters, while 8% wanted their parents to receive a copy of their performance review.

A separate report by Adecco last year found a third of 500 American Gen Y job seekers involve their parents in their job hunt, 13% leveraged on their parents’ network to improve their job search, and 3% have had a parent sit in on a job interview.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian Employers Federation revealed nearly a third of 200 companies said candidates have turned up at job interviews with their parents, and expect the number to increase over time.

Last week, we ran a survey by LinkedIn which found a significant number of Singaporean parents were unclear on what exactly their children did as a living.

An article on the Wall Street Journal, which explores this new trend of parents’ heavy involvement in their children’s careers, suggested that it is a result of the close relationship between Gen Ys and their parents.

The figures are also no surprise, considering Asian values promote strong family ties.

However, as a Gen Y, although I understand the importance of involving parents in the very important process of deciding on a career, I have to draw the line at inviting my folks to job interviews or performance reviews.

I can't help but think about how it must look to a potential employer to have his or her mum sitting in on a salary negotiation. Does it not make that person appear incapable of handling their own meetings? And if he or she can't manage a meeting about his own salary, will he be able to hold his own in a boardroom meeting?

To Gen Ys reading this article, I only have one thing to say: If you are in the habit of bringing mum or dad to interviews, or are considering doing so, please stop.

There is nothing wrong with consulting parents on an offer, or getting their advice on a career switch, but at the end of the day, you need to prove your own worth.

For those early in their careers, taking the leap from the classroom to boardroom can be a scary one. It’s perfectly normal to turn to our parents to sooth those jitters, but where’s the fun in that?

Embrace the fact that you are young, inexperienced and eager to learn. Again, there is absolutely no harm in making mistakes, in raising your hand and asking for help, and in taking time to identify your own weakness and strengths.  

 By: Sabrina Zolkifi, Singapore

reproduced from: http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/news/42441

Program to teach Gen Y on acceptable work behaviour

UK - Publishing house Debrett's, which is best known for having taught social etiquette to the Royal family for more than 200 years, is extending their services to Gen Y workers who are struggling at work.

Its new programme on ‘social intelligence' for under-30s has been established after a number of business leaders raised serious issues around young employees entering the modern workplace.

The courses have also come amidst accusations that schools and universities are not adequately developing well-rounded individuals, and are instead more focused on academic results, The Daily Mail reported.

 

Debrett's own research highlights the concerns that many young employees struggle to make eye contact at work or interact with senior colleagues.

It states that "manners, social intelligence, personal presentation and impact can be as important as academic qualifications".

"With so much focus on exam results and the hectic informality of modern family life and technology, social graces can be a casualty."

According to their research, 63% of senior executives said office juniors lack social skills, and a quarter of them admitted they have been embarrassed by them in front of clients.

A quarter of executives also said prospective candidates had inflated expectations about salary and were "over-confident" in interviews, while 21% sais young employees dressed "inappropriately" for work or drink too much at social events.

Louise Ruell, Debrett's director of training, said: "Young employees need to differentiate themselves beyond their academic achievements.

"The research clearly shows that this is often lacking."

re-posted from http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/news/42414

I have been trying to catch up on some reading of academic journals.

Now, don't get me wrong - I do not naturally fall in love with reading reams upon reams of journal articles. Frankly, most people, mere mortals, will find it boring. Words upon words upon words. Of course, there are those (the brilliant ones) who are more predisposed to reading such literature as their bed time reading.

To each his own.

The Academy of Management (AOM) sends me hard copies, in the mail, of their various series of journals. The most prestigious is the AOM Journal, and there are other specialized journals like the AOM Learning & Education. By far, the AOM series of journals are seen as the gold standard in the areas of business and management.  

What interests me is the Learning & Education series. You can certainly find useful information that is cutting edge - very helpful for me as an educator.

The following is a summary of selected papers from their latest edition that I found useful. Summarizing them is more an exercise for me as a means of future reference. But I think the average reader would certainly find them rather useful.

doctorlaughter.com

Title: Collaborating to Cheat: A Game Theoretic Exploration of Academic Dishonesty in Teams
Authors: Briggs, Workman & York

People cheat. Period.

But in Business Schools (MBA students), students are deemed to be the biggest cheats when compared across other disciplines in University (80% of business school students have self admitted to cheating). Finance and Accounting majors seem to be the biggest cheats - a sign of the times?

 Some findings:
- There is a lower probability of a student cheating individually as compared to when placed in a group or team.

- Given the increasing emphasis on teamwork in a global work environment, cheating will be commonplace or expected (opinion is mine).

- To reduce cheating in schools, honor codes and academic integrity policies must be strictly enforced with school administration following through on punishment meted out.

- To lower a student's perceived optimal level of cheating, either increase the amount of policing or decrease the tolerance of cheating, of which the latter is shown to be more efficient.

- Random assignment of students to teams reduces the incidences of cheating

- Cheating statistics should be announced at the beginning of the course to reduce students' impression and perception that other students are contemplating to cheat also (false consensus).

- Students who cheated in school will carry the same behavior to the workplace. As these people are promoted, they will almost certainly increase the incidences of cheating.

u-coaching.de

Title: When do Global Leaders Learn Best to Develop Cultural Intelligence? An Investigation of the Moderating Role of Experiential Learning Style.
Authors: Li, Mobley & Kelly

As borders continue to have their walls broken down, developing Cultural Quotient (CQ) amongst business executives becomes strategically important in order to maintain the competitive edge over global competitors. The number of executives with exposure to foreign cultures is increasing. However, many fail to learn from their international experiences.

Some findings:
- The length of overseas work experience is positively related to the level of CQ. However, the presence of international experience does not automatically lead to heightened levels of CQ.

- CQ does not develop overnight

- It takes an average of 5 years before an expatriate feels integrated into the new society

-  Adjustment to a new society is sped up if the individual suspends judgement/perceptions; a willingness and interest to learn from different cultures; and careful observation, reflection and practicing of local behaviors

- To help the executive in an overseas posting, cross cultural coaching is important. The organization should also be supportive in helping such executives succeed in their transition.

Get good grades, but...

image from kateonesuch.com

This piece is a reproduction (with permission) from Pamela Lim's entry on her Facebook page on 30th April 2013. A colleague of mine at SMU who is with the Strategy Department, I am in full agreement with her. 

Of course, this also conveniently justifies my decision to give my students less than perfect grades. 

To my students past, present and future: The most noble way to learn is from the mistakes of others. 



"Tell a little story about this fresh graduate. His GPA is ridiculous, 4.0 or perfect. To top it, he had a perfect A+ for like 90% of his subjects. If there were a 4.3 GPA, he would have come close to that. Unfortunately, he did not get a job offer while his classmates of lower GPA all had offers of $4000+ (he was from the highest paid faculty). He couldn't understand why, went for numerous interviews and all rejected him. In the end, he accepted the only job offer of $1,900. 

Looking at his achievements on the resume, you can understand why. He is one-dimensional. Excellent student, straight As all the way from primary school onwards, good CCA, and scored whatever he needed to score, but he did not stand out other than his academic results. What he needed was to show that he had something to contribute to an organization other than just academic brains. It is about the ability to lead, to bring diversity to an organization (or a university) that people want. Not just his scholastic achievement. To be honest, a 3.8 GPA is no different from a 4.0 GPA. If a child spends so much time working on that perfect score, and misses out other aspects, then he is not a valuable person in the university, or in the society. 

There will be people with perfect scores, but who can show that they did not spend all their lives just working on that. Their involvement in the society, their backgrounds, their ability to work with people, their contributions and their leadership qualities are what we are looking for. And, you can plan and plan and still not get there. Why? Because it has to come from the heart. And people miss that out. Parents plans too much for their kids and children just execute, without thinking or doing from their hearts. Schools demand and spoon feed too much for kids to do things from the heart. 

Another story. 

This is like a really average student. His GPA is nothing more than 3.2 in Poly. But this boy is so unique. He started a company, but it failed. He took time off (with his parents' approval) from school and used his skills to help a social enterprise. He did things free for charity organizations because he saw a need. He also helped out in his father's hawker stall and developed new recipes. He knew how to present these all in his resume. He went to a top uni, and then started his own business with funding from the government. I don't mean our kids should not work hard, they should. If a kid can do a perfect score with ENOUGH effort, I'd say go for it! But squeezing every ounce from him to get there because it is what the system tells us to may not be helpful. 

Often, we are led to chase after unimportant things and forget to bring the best out of our kids. The paper chase has gone too far, and our kids are asked to do things like CIP hours with no meaning attached. They do them grudgingly and these do not add one bit to their well-being or credentials. It is expensive to bring up a gifted child, of course, but it is expensive to bring up any kind of child. Problem is, with so much resources poured into it, our gifted children are still not having any advantage in the world, or scored any stunning achievement as adults. We should really ask ourselves why. But it is a complex problem, and I don't pretend I have an answer. Also, a good education does not equate good A level score, PSLE score or success in the GEP selection. There are many factors to do well in such tests, we keep forgetting. Some people know not to chase after the distractions, and go for the 'real' things. Those who know what they want, go for the right things, the rest are led to go round and round. 

Are you building your child up for his future or just chasing after things people ask you to chase?"

Got Social Resume?

Courtesy of: Online Colleges   

A turn off...in too many ways

Picking up today's 90 cents newspaper on a Sunday, a half page ad on the Life page caught my attention...for the wrong reasons.

The ad was sponsored by the Social Development Network (SDN), the matchmaking agency of the state under the Ministry of Social and Family Development. 

Within 2 seconds of seeing the ad, I cringed.

I immediately noticed a few issues:


1) Poor communication
The headline was "You can be The Right One" with the content from an article reproduced from another piece of literature. While the content was adapted from a book, the context of the article needs to be seen in its entirety. To have the content plonked in to fit the headline (or vice-versa) is advertising suicide.

I hate to add salt to the wound, but there was also no 'call to action'. Ok, so I know I need to achieve these 8 characteristics. I am hopeless in the game of love and I need help...so whom do I contact? There were no contact details or references to a website for further resources that one could use.

Pity, pity.


2) 8 characteristics to be the right one
With such a headline, it literally demotivates someone who is seeking a life partner. Must I possess these 8 steps before I am the 'Right One'?

I think I will pass...


3) Thou hath fallen short
Such an article unfortunately gives people the impression that if the other party does not possess these 8 characteristics, he/she is NOT the right one. *Ouch*




I did a quick check on the SDN website and noticed a couple of things - SDN does not have a Facebook page (gasp! horrors!) and SDN's office is located at *Scape, next to Orchard Cineleisure. Let me explain why having the office at *Scape is not such a good idea.

Statistics in recent time have shown that a Singaporean's desire to be married is highest between the ages of 18 to 25, or in other words, during tertiary studies. For the lady, if she remains single after tertiary education, her desire to search for a mate tapers off and drastically drops once she hits 30. For the guys, a huge reason to delay (to after their 30s) finding a mate was for the purpose of furthering one's career. And so the age group of people who need the most help will be those between 25 to 35.

So why place your office at *Scape, where teenagers and young adults in their early 20s hang out? Cheap rental I presume.

Perhaps, a better place might be in the downtown financial district area, Jurong/Tuas or MacPherson (yes, technical and blue collared workers are looking for love too). I am sure it is not too difficult to obtain information on where 25 to 35 year olds work in Singapore. It is essential to be where the action (or lack of action) is.

Lest anyone call me a naysayer, I am actually a huge advocate of people finding their soul mates. I got married rather early after meeting my wife while studying overseas. It wasn't my plan to marry early, but since I found the right one, better sign, seal and deliver first. These days, 'Chope' also not enough yah?

Lest anyone say that I am an arm chair critic, I have been encouraging (and nudging) singles and dating couples for years. Ladies and Gentlemen --- it is not easy, really! (sorry, 8 characteristics are not enough either)

And lest anyone say that I have not been trying to do something about what has been called today by Minister Ng Eng Hen as one of the 3 vital issues Singapore is facing (getting Singaporeans to marry and have kids), I actually applied for a job with the then MCYS to encourage people to get into marriage and stay married. I was even shortlisted to be among the final 3 candidates.

I got rejected.

= (

SDN is trying, I am sure they are. They could certainly do with more resources. I do hope for the government to place the same amount of importance in this area as they do in national security.

So, what do I think?

I believe that for people to get together, only one thing is needful --- Love.

Duh! So the sum of my whole rant is about Love? A little lame, you might suggest?

Not so.

"Love (agape - the highest form of love, sacrificial love) is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (NAS Bible).

As I often say to others, it starts from your philosophy - what do you believe? If you believe that to be the right one is a hopeless cause for you, then your actions will never lead you to improvement. However, if you believe that Love is where you begin with, you will start to see things very differently and it will govern all that you do.

Learn to love, and I assure you that you will be loved.

Confessions...what is a leader to do?

Image from www.worshipmediahouse.com

What is a leader to do?

Product life cycles have shorten dramatically across a host of products. With globalization and technological advances, barriers-to-entry have also lowered and increased competition in the market. Customers have become more demanding and discerning for services that require near feats of superhuman effort at rock bottom prices. It certainly is not easy being a leader, especially if you are higher up in the hierarchy.

And now, with organizational leaders struggling to understand the basics of social media and its impact, we have now a potentially challenging issue to deal with - Facebook Confessions.

The idea of a Facebook Confessions page is a simple but powerful one - share your deepest darkest secrets from within your organization with almost complete anonymity, reaching potentially everyone with access to a Facebook account.

This is how it works - say you have something to get off your chest about your organization. It happens that someone or some people from within your organization have started a Confessions page. These people managing the page are called administrators. They maintain a consistent cloak of anonymity - good for them, good for you. You send them an anonymous message to an online form at a given website (which can be easily created by google docs or any free survey portal like survey monkey); or simply send a private Facebook message to the administrator (less privacy here since they can see your profile). The administrator then posts your comments on the Confessions page.   

Administrators will try and post as many comments online as possible. Most administrators might practice some self-censorship on certain inflammatory posts, but by and large, the majority of comments get through without the need for verification of authenticity.

Highly popular in the UK and the US among high school and university students, this is a new online phenomenon that is only a few of months old. However, it has also seen some pages being shut down in the US due to racial and sexually explicit content.

Confessions pages has now made its way to Singapore have not only sprouted up for schools, but also for the Singapore Armed Forces and the ruling political party. 

As a leader of any organization, such a page can be highly damaging for organization morale and its reputation in the eyes of the public. Even worse, such comments could potentially have been simply fabricated for the purpose of a personal vendetta against a person or the organization.

What should the organizational leadership approach be to the Confessions page phenomenon?  

Preventive
a) What is your organization's whistle blowing policy?
People write comments on Confessions pages generally to vent their frustrations (sense of helplessness or emotionally affected); see others' reactions to their comments (attention seeking); or to genuinely want change to take place (Voicing to see change - the 'V' of EVLN model).

If there is an avenue for members to speak out against any wrong doing in the organization with the guaranteed cloak of secrecy to prevent backlash, it will certainly dissuade many from commenting on a Confessions page. When people within the organization know that the whistle blowing mechanism is effective in addressing issues, trust will be in the system and not in the Confessions pages.

b) Managing change
Whenever change is introduced, people are likely to be unhappy, even though the change may be in all fairness, a change for the better. When change is managed badly or (worst still) not managed at all, members end up being disgruntled. As a former Brand Manager in the FMCG industry (fast moving consumer goods), I have always advocated getting Marketing folks to assist in crafting out a change strategy for HR. Since they are the folks who help influence customers to buy your organization's products or services, they can be very effective in helping influence and win minds in a major organizational change. 

c) Don't use the stick...yet
Despite your best efforts, some members will inadvertently comment on a Confessions page. It is not wise to internally post a memo to this effect,

"Please be reminded that all members are strictly forbidden from writing on XYZ Confessions page. Members caught will be severely dealt with".

Rather, see this as an opportunity to further refine your outreach efforts to those who have not bought-in to the organization's efforts to help solve their problems. A better message might sound like this,

"We sense your frustration as you have mentioned on the XYZ Confessions page and would like to reach out and assist you in this matter. We have helped many people solve their frustrations through the whistle blowing channel. Give us the opportunity to help you. Anyone who would like our assistance can contact us at Tel: 1234567....."


Defensive
a) When it hits the fan
According to social business intelligence provider CIC and Ogilvy PR China, a response within 8 hours of the situation is ideal. If not, the next best response time is within 24 hours. Crisis duration and negative influence will be greatly diminished according to their  report “2012 Crisis Management in the Microblog Era - 17 January 2013”.

Assuming a comment on a Confessions page that was created by people within your organization has gone viral and public. It is threatening your stock price and organization's reputation.

The first thing to do is to release a statement to inform the public and media that your organization is investigating the situation and then promise a follow up. Ideally, you should verify the online comments and release the facts within 24 hours. Organizations would do well not to forget about internal communications with your members and keep them up to speed on the situation. The best front an organization under fire can have is a united front where all members are of one mind, which makes it that much harder for the media to obtain a negative quote from an organizational member.     

b) Crisis management - people are emotional beings
While it is important for organizational leaders to verify the truth of the matter, it is more important that the public and organizational members be informed about the verification process and its results (via press releases or the official organization microblog).

Planning the execution of message delivery to the public and to organizational members is so vital, I cannot emphasize it enough. Even if the rumour was unsubstantiated, too harshly delivered and you are seen as heartless. Too soft and you could be seen as displaying poor leadership skills.

This principle has always helped me: 'Speak from your heart, to the heart'.

c) Penny wise pound foolish
If a situation potentially is spiralling fast and way out of control to be handled internally, the leadership needs to call in the experts. And while it may set the organization back by some thousands of dollars, this money is worth spending. Never underestimate the influencing power of social media.


After all said and done, the best plans and execution will come to nothing if the leader chooses to be less than transparent and show a lack of moral courage and determination to resolve the issue. Hiding the dirt under the rug is the attractive short term solution. But don't be surprised if one of your members starts confessing on a Confessions page - the dirty linen that could be airing may just be yours. 


Paul Lim is an adjunct faculty member with the Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources (OBHR) discipline at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. He teaches courses in Leadership, Organizational Behaviour and Cross Generational Management. A doctoral candidate with French business school - Grenoble Ecole de Management, he is currently into the final phase of writing his thesis on 'Mentoring for the millennial (Gen Y) generation'. Prior to his move into academia, Paul spent 9 years in Advertisting and Brand Management.This article is based on the writer's personal opinion and is not representative of any organisation or persons he may be associated with.