Job Hunt- Mission Accomplished!

Sorry for the gap between posts- I've been focused on working through a job offer that will get me back to work (and probably blogging less).

Here are the numbers:
* 4 months "in transition"
* 11 resumes sent
* 6 initial interviews
* 5 follow up interviews
* 1 job offer (accepted!)

During my job search, I spoke to people in the career counseling business, people who have been out of work recently, people who know people who are out of work, people who have ever known people out of work, and I kept hearing the same reaction- Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!

I'm no job search expert, but that won't stop me from blogging about it. I think my successful job search came down to three guiding principles:

1. Figure out what you want, and focus your efforts on that: I make it easy for others to find and use information. I looked at a number of jobs where that was either the theme of the role or where I felt I could apply that theme. 
2. Network, network, network: This one is obvious. Your network can't help you if they don't know you're looking. Let them know and people will volunteer to give a hand. You never know where you're going to run into the right job- it could be through LinkedIn, it could be from a former colleague, it could be in the stands at a Little League game. Keep talking and keep listening.
3. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed: I preach Less is More. If you've cultivated a network (even a small one) and you let people know, you're going to hear a lot of advice. Most of it is probably not for you, so listen carefully, thank everyone for their help, and figure out what you think works best for you. I decided to keep a list of all the possibilities and options I heard, while spending my time working on a few opportunities at a time. I didn't apply for jobs where I didn't meet the key requirements and/or didn't have a network connection; these aren't worth the time it takes to apply and manage them. Eleven resumes in four months may sound lazy to some, but I call it ruthlessly efficient.

I secured a leadership role where I'm in charge of managing authoritative clinical content so clients can find and use information to make the best decisions about cancer treatment options. This role fits my criteria for "the right opportunity"-  I get to use my strengths and skills, follow my passion, have a leadership role and a positive impact on patient health while reducing healthcare costs, and work at a small, innovative company surrounded by very smart people.

Mission Impossible? Mission Accomplished!

Seth's Blog: All the news that fits

In his blog today, Seth Godin talks about money/business model driving length of message. This can differ among newspapers, web sites, blogs, and marketing brochures. Seth's point- sometimes the format and business model don't matter- give people the information they need and let them be done. Less is, once again, more.

Seth's Blog: All the news that fits

What's Cooking?

How about Pan-roasted Halibut from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook?

Let's see halibut, salt, oil, more oil, more salt. Simple, elegant, delicious...if the halibut is great. (and mine will be- here's a shoutout to my friends at Floyd Alderfer's at our local Farmer's Market)

The halibut is your message, your content, your information. If it's great and you don't overpower it in sauce, then people will want to eat at your home every night. If it's not, don't serve it!

Great Minds...Post Alike!

I was going to talk about writing effective emails today, but since Oliver Fontana just did, I'll point to his Less is More Email post at Power Presentations.

Purpose, Actions, Supporting Info: Sounds right to me and, since Less is More, I'll leave it at that.

Tools of the Trade: Project Charter

When I manage projects, I like to keep my team focused on project business goals and timeframes, while minimizing the amount of information they need to deal with to deliver. In a project, you have a Business Problem and Solution and I keep them front and center in every meeting and discussion. Most importantly I create a simple Project Charter and get agreement from the team and project sponsors to use it as the guide for what we do and how we do it.

The Project Charter consists of :

• a simply stated Project Background and Business Problem (3-4 sentences)
• the proposed Solution (2-3 sentences)
• major milestones, with timelines
• key expected Issues and Risks (5 bulletpoints or less)
• Project team members, roles, and contact information
• Project oversight committee members, roles and contact information
• Communication Plan (communication types, methods, roles in a simple table)

One page is the ideal, but the Charter usually rolls into a second page.

I use the Charter to initiate the project and I point to it when we need to figure out how to handle problems, whether to change the Project Plan or Design, and how to know if we're on track to provide a real Business Solution.

To me, projects are about solving real business problems, rather than simply implementing technology or process because it's on our annual objectives. The Project Charter helps the team and the oversight group make sure we deliver something valuable.

The Less that is More

I had a job interview this morning for a project manager position at a local IT consulting firm. During our conversation I heard myself become overly animated when talking about my Less is More philosophy and how I apply it to managing projects- meetings, presentations, project documents. I babbled so much that the interviewer probably thought I was the poster child for More is Less! 

I think the interviewer got it, and maybe even appreciated my enthusiasm, but he also asked how my approach to creating project plans fits with my "KISS" philosophy (his term, not mine). My project plans start at the highest level of project components and work their way down to the gory details, as much as is needed to capture a clear task, even one that has multiple simple parts.

The goal of Less is More is to provide the minimal amount of information to help people understand the message and act on it appropriately. In other words, Less can still be A Lot in some cases.

The Less that is More is relative to the typical quantity of information that people provide, which obfuscates more than it clarifies. 

Less is More- Extreme Edition

The folks at Stepcase Lifehack are challenging us to go on a digital fast, and I'm going to take them up on their offer.

If Less is More, is Nothing the Most?

I don't know but I'm sure my family has an opinion when it comes to digital matters. And the truth might set me free!


Your message is not only competing with everything else you're presenting, but also against everything else out there in the virtual swamp. Maybe taking a day off will clarify just how much of your attention is spent down in the bayou.

YouTube Redesign

Another vote for Less is More from the folks at Tendo, this one on the recent YouTube redesign. Siobhan Nash points out that the clean new look with less unnecessary information is more engaging and easier to understand and navigate. It will be interesting to see if the redesign really pulls more people into the site (because YouTube doesn't have enough users!), engages them, and helps them find the things they're looking for.

"The less-is-more world is here. Get used to it."

Mike Elgan writes about the iPad paradox and argues that customers want great features, not just more features

Whether we're talking about the content or the technology that delivers it, making a simple, great product will solve your customers' problems rather than giving them new headaches.

Simplifying the Complex: the Health Care Bill

The recently approved Health Care bill is lengthy and complex. I've read many news stories to figure out what's in it, but haven't found any that made it easy to understand for those who haven't followed the bill for the past year.

Yesterday the Huffington Post did a nice job of letting me know what's in it for me. They had an 18 point slide show that outlined the major changes we can expect. While it was skewed towards the benefits of the plan, it helped me make sense of the bill and how it affects my family. I would love to see the alternate perspective to understand the objections to the bill, but I'm happy someone put out a simple summary to make this information easy.

Less is More- an Introduction

We live in an age of abundance where information seems as plentiful as water. While information in the right quantities is critical to learning, planning, making decisions, and getting things done, many of us feel like we’re drowning in it. My goal, my passion, and perhaps my purpose in life, is to help you swim no matter how deep the water.

The guiding principle of this blog is Less is More. I learned this principle when I started working for a Fortune 500 company, providing scientific and business information to R&D staff. I was fortunate to work with colleagues who understood how little time people had to review dozens of pages of content when they just needed to understand a few key concepts and facts to move forward with their work. Less is More became my catchphrase and while some resisted, most recognized that I was helping them by filtering information so they could use it effectively.

Who am I? I’ll tell you in my next post…