by Denise Natishan

Gone are the days when a person works for the same company for 25 years. In fact, many people consider someone “stale” who stays longer than 15 years for not having outside experiences to bring to the company. New ways of thinking, new ideas and creative solutions are what drives hiring decisions. 

Many business experts such as Tom Peters are calling for a new way of looking at work. In fact, in his book Talent, Peters says the following: "A workplace revolution is under way. No sensible person expects to spend a lifetime in a single corporation anymore.  Some call this shift the ‘end of corporate responsibility’. I call it . . .the Beginning of Renewed Individual Responsibility. An extraordinary opportunity to take charge of our own lives. Put me in charge!  Make me Chairman and CEO and President and COO of Tom, Inc.”

What you doing to take charge of your career?

• Are you being proactive and planning how you can make the most of your current position? 
• Are you taking classes to further your ability to stay current whether it is specific to your industry or with computer classes? 
• How can you brand yourself to become someone that a company sees as a valuable asset?
• Are you visible both inside and outside of your organization? Networking remains a huge way to share resources and keep yourself in front of the right people.

Peters offers some suggestions for “branding yourself” which include:

• Think like an entrepreneur.
• Always be a closer.
• Embrace marketing.
• Pursue mastery.
• Thrive on ambiguity.
• Relish technology.
• Cultivate your passion for renewal.
• Nurture your network.

We are living in a new economy, a global economy. What does that mean for you?

Every day we talk with people who are looking for a way to segue into the Wal-Mart supplier job market. If you are considering a career change or working to move up in a consumer goods company in the Wal-Mart supplier community, you should know about 8th & Walton.

Last week I talked with a candidate relocating to Northwest Arkansas who had just completed 8th & Walton’s Introduction to Retail Link class the night before. She was excited to see the power and possibilities behind Retail Link. This one introductory class confirmed for her that she was on the right track in pursuing her goal to become a Retail Link analyst.

An independent supplier development company, 8th & Walton has tapped into the knowledge of industry experts to help suppliers build their business with the world’s largest retailer. The company (named for Wal-Mart's Bentonville corporate address) has been so well received, it very quickly expanded its course offerings and is hosting packed events in Dallas, Chicago, Boston, Cincinnati and Los Angeles. Courses include

• Retail Math & Business Analytics
• Introduction to Retail Link
• Introduction to Space Planning
• Strategic Category Planning
• Selling to Wal-Mart
• Sustainable Packaging Scorecard

For a complete list of courses, schedules and costs, visit http://www.8thandwalton.com/index.php.

When putting together a resume, your goal is to make a great first impression. But what if the resume you’ve been sending out is having the opposite effect?

What if your resume contains elements that hiring managers find downright annoying?

Katherine Hansen, Ph.D., author of several books on career search issues (find her online at Quintessential Careers), surveyed hiring managers to learn their resume pet peeves. Puffed-up language, overwrought design and writing in the third person are ways she found applicants can get on the bad side of HR.

But what is the single biggest way to get on the hiring manager’s nerves? Focusing on soft skills and neglecting hard facts.

Read a stack of resumes for yourself, and you will grasp the truth of it. Candidates applying for positions as Retail Link Analysts or Category Development Managers may declare that they are highly-motivated, creative and versatile. Some announce themselves to be enthusiastic, committed and positive, with the highest standards of integrity and excellent interpersonal skills. Readers are left to wonder: Do you have any technical skills? Any accomplishments? What can you do?

Soft skills are valuable, but they do not hold up well by themselves. Make it a point always to lead with facts:

• Managed company's key accounts for Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco and Target.
• MBA with emphasis in Global Marketplace Studies.
• Offering 5 years experience in Category Management.
• Expert user of Retail Link, ProSpace and syndicated data.

Once you’ve established credibility with facts, your statement about teamwork or organizational skills carries more weight. Even so, be prepared to provide specific examples demonstrating how and when those skills made a difference.

by Scott Crossett

Ned Networger is a man in his early 30s. He just graduated from an MBA program and is ready to re-enter the workforce in which he has five solid years of vendor experience. He feels that with his new MBA, he is now prepared to address his old employer in hopes of attaining the position he was passed over for before he decided to get his master’s degree.

Ned is ready for this interview. He has been reading GQ and now knows the proper length for his tie. His slacks are long enough to have a break, and he only uses one squirt of cologne vs. the four that he used to. He still has lessons to learn, but it will be quite a while before he trims the sideburns and shaves his mustache or discovers that his blue rubber Timex is only fashionable when applying for an information systems job (just kidding).

Nevertheless, Ned is ready. He goes into the interview with his old boss and leaves two hours later. He took copies of his updated resume and came prepared to ask as well as answer questions. He had a firm handshake, made good eye contact and closed the interview by telling the hiring manager that he is interested in the position and knows he could be a strong fit for the team. By his own account, Ned nailed the interview.

The next day, Ned gets a call from company HR. They are prepared to offer Ned the position, but they can only pay him his old salary. Ned knows that he is worth more now than he was three years ago, so he regretfully declines the offer. He is now left without a plan or a job. He has heard about networking and now he is going to have to figure out how to do it… It can’t be that hard…..

to be continued...

by John Miller

Best Buy, the electronics giant based in Minneapolis, will be expanding its operations into 11 new countries in the coming months. The electronics retailer has plans to push into new markets in Mexico, Europe and Turkey. Thus, it will be doing so before another Minneapolis-based retailer: Target. 
 
Best Buy currently has one-fifth of the U.S. electronics market and will have opportunity for more if Circuit City can't get its fortunes turned around. The global expansion will provide an opportunity for Best Buy to become a major player overseas as well.  As home to three major retailers (Target, Supervalu and Best Buy), Minneapolis's position as a major force in the consumer product industry will grow as Best Buy expands.

You can read about Best Buy's global appetite and the challenges ahead at Twincities.com.

With skilled talent already scarce, Best Buy's expansion, if successful, could prompt suppliers to bid up the talent in Minneapolis. Account and category management experience will be at a premium, as will the the need for analysts.