June 2006

Question

I have a Master's Degree in organizational change and leadership. The problem I am running into is finding a job. I have the degree but not the experience in the corporate world. How do you gain the experience needed?

Answer

Yes, it does seem a bit unfair, doesn't it? You need experience to get a job, and yet you need a job to get experience. I am not a job counselor, but it seems to me that you can use the same technique to get a job that I describe in Marketing Your Consulting Services to obtain a client. If you have one or two organizations that you would really like to work for, spend sometime researching them. Identify what they do, what their values include, who their customers are, their competitors, what's special about them, why they think they are unique, and whatever else you can learn about them. Write a personal letter to the person who you anticipate would hire you (not the personnel department, but who you believe your new boss will be once you are hired.) Write a paragraph about what you know about the company, a second paragraph about you, and a third paragraph about how you could help the organization reach its goals. Send the letter, follow up with a phone call, and get an interview. On the other hand, if you are looking for a job to use your new OD masters degree, I suggest you apply to one of the large consulting firms. They are always looking for sharp new talent. You will experience a broad spectrum of projects which is great experience for either a consultant or for applying for a job to another company

Question

I am creating a business plan and need to gather marketing data on my competitors. Where do I go to get this information (e.g. who are my competitors, location, services offered, prices charged?) Is there a report already created by ASTD or ISPI?

Answer

Sorry, no report has already been compiled about your competitors. Wish it was that easy. It sounds as if you do not know the names of your competitors. So lets start there. Your competitors are the people who are likely to offer the same services that you offer or who might bid on contracts against you. First look in your community. Try the yellow pages, but there probably are few listed. Join your local ASTD Chapter and obtain their directory of members. (Notice I said "join" first, then obtain the directory.) You need to be a member of your local chapter. Check with your local colleges. Which professors are offering services that you offer? Often, universities expect their instructors to obtain practical experience by consulting in the community. As I say in Marketing Your Consulting Services, "Check out the junk mail that appears in your mailbox. It is valuable. It's a marketing gift. Also check out the journals from industries your competitors (and you) serve. You may find ads or articles written by your competitors. Check the Internet, of course, and also make friends of your local librarians. They can direct you to resources you may not have known existed. When you attend conferences, listen to your competitors' speeches. If they participate in a tradeshow, visit their booth and talk to their sales reps. Check the newspapers for press releases and news stories." If you provide government work, you can check for the list of approved vendors for your state and you can locate the approved federal government vendor list on the GSA schedule. You can obtain additional information from former employees, customers, suppliers, other competitors, or your employees. Each of these sources may have a different level of reliability. Well that's quite a list. You will most likely find information about their locations and the services they provided. As for the prices they charge--well, that's another story. It is doubtful that you will find much information about this except on the government-published schedules.