Here’s a recent 48 Days On-Demand Radio question:
Dan, I am 32 years old and I have just started an MBA program at Auburn University because I have spent the past 5 years in a very technical/engineering position at the bottom of the corporate ladder. I picked the MBA route because with each company I have evaluated a lot of the upper management had their MBAs. Since my desire has always been to be a market leader, I just assumed that an MBA would be a requirement.
What really separates a resume/person from a CEO position in a fortune 500 company? Hopeful Trish
***************************************
Trish, I commend you on moving forward and not being content with the status quo. You are right to question what is it that separates a “resume person” from a CEO. And it’s never just a matter of having the right degrees. Actually, it’s less that now than ever before. In the last year at 48 Days LLC we have engaged a social media director, product fulfillment manager, webmaster, graphic designers, blog coach, podcast consultant, speaking coach, marketing director and several other positions. In not one case did I ask for a resume or even inquire about degrees or certifications.
More likely I am going to look for:
1. Notes of recommendation from 3 people I know and respect.
2. A past project I can review.
3. Media buzz about what that person has already done. (What will I see if I Google you?)
4. Leadership of a group on a social networking site.
5. A regular blog that is compelling and engaging.
6. A high EQ (Emotional Quotient) vs a high IQ
You may say, Well, I don’t have any of those things. Then that begs the question. Why would someone see you as an outstanding candidate?
Unfortunately, the MBA has become a very common and generic degree. No one knows what it really means other than you have shown the discipline to stick with a program for a couple of years. It is also the degree most often added to a resume dishonestly. Seldom are degrees checked and there are thousands of people who have added MBA to their resume, hoping for a little extra edge.
I would encourage you to be building your reputation in ways like those noted above that will get attention and open doors all around you. The days of a great resume being enough are over. You have to be remarkable in some tangible way. In today’s workplace there are plenty of “market leaders” who don’t have an MBA – they just got in the game and did something significant.
I have to agree with Dan 100% in this. I spent nearly 10 years in IT before deciding to get an MBA. While I learned many valuable skills and was happy I made the investment in myself…it really hasn’t done much for my career. In fact, it seems to have hurt me at times. I got more interviews after I took it off my resume than I got when it was on there.
Ouch – more interviews with the MBA off. We always assume advanced degrees expand our options but in reality they often narrow our possibilities.
I started an MBA, a benefit of my workplace, and truly learned a lot in my classes. Life circumstances (several family crises at once) made it not possible for me to continue. I don’t think the MBA is the problem as much as today’s workplace where employers are seeking to maximize the bang for their buck, focusing more on skills than experience, considering how much an employee is going to cost them if the person does not come across as vibrant and healthy. If your skills match and you’re going to cost the company less money, then you’re in. Sometimes an MBA is viewed as an expectation of higher income or recruiting costs wasted on someone too ambitious to stay. So yes, tailor the resume to the job, to each job you apply for. And don’t be afraid of mixing up the information so certain qualifications stand out and others fade to the background. I had one woman who had a specific place she wanted to be employed move the information on her resume around three times. She got three interviews with the third arrangement of the same information, and she had her choice of jobs!
Thanks for posting this, I have been engaged in this conversation for the last three years, what you can do is far more important than what you have learned! Before I started my own business, the last three positions I held went by the format Dan outlined, none requested a resume and after a brief chat I went to work within a few days or the next week. The day of the MBA being an automatic stamp of approval has been over for about 10 years.
Glendon – thanks for your comments. In an interview, the interviewer is usually thinking – Do I like this person? Is this person fun to be around? Will this guy fit in as part of our team here? The examination of the degrees is often a ruse to camouflage the real focus.
Dan, I totally agree with your criteria. My biggest problem is I’m more of an introvert and mostly analytical but can get passionate about politics and faith. I long to be a people-person. I long to learn how to love people and get out of my shell. I want to be a great coach-manager. It is said that extroverts get energized when they’re around people while extroverts get drained (probably because they are trying so hard when around others?). Is there a secret to or guidelines to love BEING WITH people?
I agree as well. Go to school, seminar, training course, etc. for what you will learn not solely for a piece of paper. It is not a “magic” piece of paper. I a few cases it may open a few doors for you but it is you knowledge and experience and how you can communicate that knowledge and experience is what will get you that job or land that client.
Roger – good advice. Go to school for the personal growth that takes place – not just so you get a piece of paper to hang on your wall.
Very well said Dan and interesting about people lying, wouldn’t have even thought about that. I agree that the world is changing, correction, has changed and we have to adapt.
I’ll just chime in and say I also agree with you Dan. And as a guy who once upon a time hired a lot of people, I always checked the applicant’s references and their education claims… and two facts surprised me. 1: people sometimes just lied about their experience, education, or past jobs, and 2: they did it because very few employers actually make the effort to check. A word to the wise…
Dear Dan,
I just had lunch with a friend. Her mother is an RN. She has been teaching nurse education for over 15 years, after having been a floor nurse for about the same length of time. The hospital where she works has now told her that in order to keep her job she must obtain a Master’s in Nursing, at her own expense. She is close to retirement and has neither the time nor money. She’s probably going to lose her job. I have friends who, when their employment will pay for it, get a higher degree just to have it just in case. Corporate America expects management to have MBA’s.
I love your column. It was just interesting to read this column after lunch with my friend today.
Sincerely,
Cynthia
Cynthia – oh how sad. It’s very unlikely that sitting in a classroom will add anything more valuable than having been in the game for 15 years. Fortunately there are lots of very inexpensive online programs for the MSN at this point. She can check out Walden or some of the other possibilities. https://www.google.com/#q=masters+in+nursing+online
Thanks for the tip, Dan. I’ll pass the information on.
Great article Dan! Real character and the highest integrity take us further than a piece of paper ever will.
Jevonnah – oh so true. If only people would value those as much.