Thumbs Up!American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) WIN Without Competing! Career Success the Right Fit Way Arlene R. Barro, PhD Herndon, VA: Capital Books, 2007, 286 pp. Arlene Barro begins WIN Without Competing! with a quote from Confucius, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This quote capture the spirit of her book on how to find the job that is the right fit just for you. To win without competing, Barro begins by advising people to stop competing with others but to set a standard against which no one can compete. Making assumptions are like making one’s own prison; they create negative consequences and stop action. Using specific work plans, the individual discovers his or her Core Identity, the professional competencies, personality, and goals by which one defines and creates a career path. Finding one’s identity becomes the right fit for the individual. Then the individual now can proceed to defining one’s personal brand or “package to pitch,” and managing a calculated close. Barro, an educational psychologist, is a recognized search consultant and career coach. WIN Without Competing! is an excellent book for medical writers, who may be searching for their own core identity and the right fit in the profession. What books are inspiring our local leaders and business professionals? According to Go Jobing Magazine, Winter 2008:48, WIN Without Competing! is inspiring them. Author Arlene R. Barro, PhD offers a zen-like approach to the hiring process -- almost astonishingly walking readers through the process with a perspective from both sides of the hiring table. An interesting approach for both job seekers and employers to discover the right fit. Society for Human Resource Management Arlene Barro, Ph.D., a search consultant and career coach, has created the Right Fit Method, which matches employers and employees based on what they both need and how they both work, instead of focusing on recruiting employees with qualities that look good on paper, but might not be the best fit for the company. jobquest.com WIN Without Competing! is a lifetime companion that will guide you to your first big position and coach you through all the changes in your career and it can help your family and friends shape better lives for themselves as well. Stop competing and start expressing the totality of who you are and what you have to offer. jobfindersonline.com Whether you are still shaping the foundation of your career, a seasoned professional, or an entrepreneur, learn how to cut through the clutter of competitors by shaping, selling, and sharing your personal brand with the employer you know is right for you. Interactive activities in each chapter help readers gain insight into employers minds and hiring strategies. |
Media Room Article from ScrippsNews 6/ When job-hunting, don't apply everywhere Submitted by SHNS on Thu, 06/ By MARVIN WALBERG, Scripps Howard News Service UCLA PhD Dr. Arlene Barro, author of "Win Without Competing: Career Success the Right Fit Way," urges job seekers not to be discouraged in the current tough economy. "Instead of frantically emailing your resume into cyberspace, hoping that someone will find you, start by defining for yourself exactly what your "right fit job" would be -- the one that matches your skills and talents and aspirations, the one for which you are uniquely suited right now -- and then search for that particular job only. "Forget the competition and focus on yourself," she advises, "setting high standards of performance against which no one else can compete. When we exercise, we continue to raise the bar. In our careers, we need to use the same approach. Compete with yourself, never against others. Frequently, candidates accept wrong fit positions because their focus is on winning, not on selecting the right job." Barro's top three steps for starting a successful job search include: Don't flood the Internet with your resume. If you broadcast your availability from Burbank to Bombay, you'll appear desperately mediocre. Who will want to hire you in that case? If you are still employed, using company email to broadcast, your resume could cause immediate firing. Manage the job interview process. As a candidate, it is your responsibility to present a personal brand to "match" the employer's job description. Listen carefully to what the employer wants, then "match" your appropriate skills. Don't assume a potential employer knows what they want. If the employer's specs are vague, then you should probe the employer to define the position and match yourself to those specs. "Win Without Competing" walks readers through the "right fit" process with a perspective from both sides of the hiring desk. Barro is also president and CEO of LA-based Barro Global Search, Inc. Thank you, Dr. Barro. It's comforting to know that our views on job searching in today's workplace are the same. No one said that looking for a job is easy. It should be the toughest job you ever have, but if you do it thoroughly you'll be demonstrating to prospective employers what kind of job you're capable of when hired. staffing.org Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Feature Article Is "Overchoice" Obscuring Your Best Candidates? Suppose we suggested that 75% of your recruiting activity was flat-out wasted and could be eliminated? Would you buck the status quo recruiting system in your organization or would you keep plugging along doing things the traditional way? Here's the equation you've been using until now. Fill in your own numbers. X resumes = Y potential candidates = Z interviewed candidates = 1 hire For almost everyone, it's an equation fraught with waste. If you average four interviewed candidates per hire, it produces a maximum of 25% productive effort, and a minimum of 75% "insurance" effort. It doesn't matter whether you're an inside recruiter or an outside recruiter, the ratio is the same. And four interviewed candidates are not a lot for an important position. What's your average? Six candidates? Eight? Ten? How did the system get this way? Mostly because people like choice. It's fun and interesting. And if they aren't quite sure what they want, it also makes them feel safe. The desire for choice, therefore, begets a system that must provide choice. Supermarkets don't stock 10 kinds of pickles because they like to. They do so because they feel they must. If they don't, a few particular pickle people might shop elsewhere. Is choice a bad thing? Not necessarily for pickles but it really creates problems for recruiting. Because choice is baked into so many systems, it becomes a surrogate for careful thinking and efficient action. When choice is assumed, hiring managers don't have to be too specific about what they want. Their job descriptions can be fuzzy; their credential demands immoderate (Ivy League degree, 10 years relevant industry experience). They know the system will bail them out, or at least give them "good enough" results. Cursory effort and sloppy thinking on their part will not be penalized. But the system hammers recruiting. Shelf space for a jar of pickles doesn't cost a lot. But screening and interviewing unnecessary candidates costs a bundle. And it doesn't have to be so. Successful recruiters and inside staffers will confirm this, and so will Arlene Barro, PhD, who has written a book on the subject (see below). Dr. Barro, an educator and educational psychologist, decided some years ago not to play the numbers game. Instead she decided to focus on clients who would commit in advance to detailed job specs and careful thinking about candidate "fit." Her end of the bargain was a commitment to provide a limited number of candidates (frequently only one) who very closely or exactly matched those detailed criteria. That means a tad more work up front to save a lot of work later. Can it work? Does it work? Yes, the logic (and the math) is compelling. If a couple hours of thoughtful preparation can save dozens of hours of work on the back end by the same people, then everyone benefits because the system becomes more efficient. In other fields it's called planning and there are long-run benefits that outweigh even the considerable immediate cost benefits. A more selective recruiting system increases the chances of good candidate "fit," which results in better on-the-job performance, increased candidate satisfaction and lower turnover. All of that, of course, increases hiring manager satisfaction. Dr. Barro's Win Without Competing: Career Success the Right Fit Way (Capital Books) is primarily targeted at candidates, who she also coaches, but the planning principles she discusses are of equal benefit to employers. Her website is http:/ Best Practices in HR March 1 2008 www.blr.com Issue 856 Blueprint for Success: How to Select the Right Candidate Instead of comparing candidates and selecting the “best” among them, employers should create a “blueprint” for each position and select a candidate that matches the blueprint. So says Arlene R. Barro, Ph.D., president and CEO of barro global search, inc., and author of WIN Without Competing! Career Success the Right Fit Way (www.WinWithoutCompeting.com). “The standard but so-often unsuccessful system of comparing candidates leads to hiring—and then firing—the wrong person because the employers pay too little attention in the first place to how well the candidate matches the position and the institutional culture of the organization,” she says. ‘Right Fit’ Means Greater Efficiency Barro created a system that she tested and proved that she calls the “Right Fit Method” to select candidates. “In the Right Fit Method, we forget about the ‘best’ and focus instead on finding the perfect match,” she says. This enables employers to “hire candidates faster, significantly reducing hiring mistakes, and eliminating the need to fire or repeat searches because the wrong-fit person was hired.” Create Weighted Standards To Determine Fit Before HR professionals can determine whether a candidate is the right fit, they need to know specifically what they are looking for, according to Barro. After meeting with managers to determine the “specs” of the candidate, she recommends creating The Blended Blueprint for the Right Fit Candidate™*, a set of weighted standards—typically five to seven—that an employer uses to evaluate candidates. Each standard contains one category and descriptive criteria. Standards vary by employer, but experience is one category. Barro cautions against focusing on the years of experience a candidate has. Instead, look at the candidate’s achievements, which are the criteria. “Experience in and of itself means nothing. It doesn’t tell you what the person has achieved,” says Dr. Barro. Education is another category that can be turned into a standard. Incorporate education if absolutely needed (e.g., M.D. or Ph.D.), but keep in mind that there are times when a candidate’s achievements are more important than level of education, she says. Once the standards for a particular position have been identified, they need to be weighted. “Weight each standard to indicate its importance. Be sure not to weight all of them the same,” Dr. Barro says. “All the standards weighted together should total 100 percent.” “With The Blended Blueprint™, the goal is not to describe the position but to create the standards of the right fit candidate,” Barro explains. She recommends sharing the blueprint with candidates, inviting them to explain in writing how they match it, and selecting a candidate for an extensive telephone interview. At the end of that interview, those involved can decide whether to invite the candidate in for an in-person interview— on the basis of how well the candidate matches the blueprint. Tips to Consider She offers the following advice for hiring the right-fit candidate: • Think long term. “It will take time to create The Blended Blueprint™ because HR professionals must probe managers to figure out what the manager is looking for,” Barro says. However, “it pays to spend time upfront to figure out the right fit rather than to hire, fire, and rehire.” • Get management buy-in. Explain that finding the right fit will help reduce turnover and ensure that the company is hiring the right person for the job—rather than the most qualified among a pool of applicants. WIN Without Competing! Career Success the Right Fit Way by Arlene R. Barro, PhD Book Review from NurseWeek/ WIN Without Competing! is more than a self-help book; it’s a clear path to personal and professional success. Barro, an educational psychologist, consultant, and career coach, believes in the Right Fit Method, a strategic, creative, one-ofa- kind system that works. The author’s method of success eliminates competition by allowing candidates to develop and focus on their own personal goals, which in turn leads them to finding the perfect match. “Never discuss why you’re the best person for the job,” Barro says. “Instead concentrate on matching your skills and training with the company’s needs.” This unique, innovative book, full of practical advice and recruiting tips, is written in easy-to-follow text with bulleted sidebars. The pages are filled with personal stories of people who have succeeded using Barro’s Right Fit Method, including Patti Rager, RN, MSN, MBA, whose career journey from hospital nurse to chair of Nursing Spectrum can’t help but inspire and empower nurses everywhere. WIN Without Competing, which was nominated for an 800-CEO-READ Business Book Award in 2007, is a “must read” for employers, employees, entrepreneurs, and anyone in the market for a new job or career. Win Without Competing! Career Success the Right Fit Way By Arlene R. Barro, PhD Sterling, VA: Capital Book, Inc. [ISBN: 978-1-933102-38-2]. Book Review from The Business Journal of Hispanic Research, December 2007: 122-123 Reviewed by George F. Marron, PhD School of Management, Marist College The importance of knowing yourself well in order to develop a "balanced core identity" is a crucial step in learning how to present that identity as your "personal brand." A continuing theme that Arlene R. Barro, PhD discusses throughout Win Without Competing!: Career Success the Right Fit Way is that the concept of a single and identifiable “best” of anything is the wrong mindset to have. She discusses that “best is utterly dependent on related criteria”. As a result, she talks about not concerning herself about which position is “best” for a candidate, or which candidate is “best” for an employer. She focuses on standards or criteria in finding The Right Fit, and finding an “exquisite fit between employer and candidate-like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle”. Dr. Barro follows these opening comments with an easy to read, well organized “Drama in Four Acts” that provides a wonderful way to look at your professional (and personal) life. The Four Acts are: 1. Setting the Stage 2. How The Right Fit Method Works 3. Apply The Right Fit Method 4. The Right Fit Method and You. The first three chapters fall within “Setting the Stage”. In these chapters she discusses completing a “blueprint” of the open position when looking for the perfect match. The idea of eliminating comparison to others, hence eliminating competition with others is introduced. This will lead to a mindset of finding “the perfect match”. The need to be reflective (and honest) about yourself is emphasized, which leads to the need to identify your “core identity” and “personal brand”. These lead to developing the “package to pitch”, while managing the process and understanding the “calculated close”. Reading the proceeding paragraph may give the reader the impression that this book is just a lot of “catch phrases”. It is much more than that. There are many catchy phrases that help to drive the main points, but there also is much substance explaining the details behind the phrases, and how many of them were developed. A very strong aspect of the book is the many storytellers who relate their backgrounds and experiences with the Right Fit Method. As I read over my notes I see the phrases “constantly closing”, “make no assumptions”, “small changes come first” and “rigidity is the enemy of creativity”. These phrases now have very different meanings in my mind than prior to reading this book. I now find myself reviewing some of my daily habits and how I interact with many of the people around me. As the book moves into Act Two we learn “How The Right Fit Method Works”. The importance of knowing yourself well in order to develop a “balanced core identity” is a crucial step in learning how to present that identity as your “personal brand”. The emphasis is on focusing on outcomes and developing a right fit resume as you shape, sell and share your brand. Another phrase that has new meaning to me is “constantly closing consistently” as part of the idea of finishing the deal before it’s done as part of “the calculated close”. The next act is “Apply The Right Fit Method” and takes us through many potential scenarios that may occur in your career. One important skill that is discussed in numerous parts of the book is the idea of “probing” and the importance of it in learning more information about any situation. Again, the emphasis is on competing with yourself and not against others, as well as the importance to “anticipate, articulate and act”. Reminders such as to “focus on the end result and not your ego” also drive the key points in this section. The final act is “The Right Fit Method and You” and shows how this method is truly an approach to life and a tool to “find the road to happiness”. In this last chapter Dr. Barro discusses how The Right Fit Method can be used to insure personal happiness as well as being happy and satisfied in your career. Of course, being happy and satisfied in your personal life also strongly impacts the ability of someone to properly utilize this entire process. As anyone who has gone through the process of either voluntarily or, especially, involuntarily changing employers or changing careers knows it is not an easy or painless process. There is much time spent questioning past decisions, having self doubts and focusing on flaws instead of strengths. After reading this book, I can imagine that having Arlene Barro available to aid and assist in this process would not only be extremely comforting, but very fruitful in the final outcome. I believe that Dr. Barro has crafted a book that clearly explains her process, provides inspirational examples and many excellent tools. Self analysis checklists, journals and worksheets can help a reader instantly start the Right Fit Method. There is also a website that supports the book (www.winwithoutcompeting.com). Of course, what is missing from the process is the objective consultant who can help us through the tough choices and negotiate that final employment package for us. Win Without Competing!: Career Success the Right Fit Way is a book that possibly could aid some people in life changing revelations about themselves. For others, I believe that it can be a very useful blueprint to make significant, positive improvements in their careers. Finally, I have a feeling that it might also increase the number of people seeking out Arlene Barro for personal consulting/ |
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