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After July 31st, all players that teams attempt to trade must pass through waivers. If any of the other teams in baseball put a claim on the player, then the team must either remove the player from waivers (thus making him untradeable the remainder of the season), negotiate a trade with the team who claimed him, or let him go to another team with no compensation.
Manny Ramirez was claimed by the White Sox and the Dodgers gave him up in what could be called a "salary dump". Mike Napoli and Ted Lilly were claimed by the Red Sox and Yankees respectively, but their teams instantly removed them from waivers.
Sometimes the waiver wire is just used to gauge interest in another player by other teams. How can this be used in business? A good HR philosophy by a company would be to regularly have high level meetings between locations discussion potential talent, transfers of management, and potential for trading staff to fill gaps where needed. A company would be wise to hold these meetings on a regular basis (maybe twice or quarterly) to share what talent is available, offer talent who is interested in moving, and also share what talent may be available once the next meeting commences.
We attended a concert at SPAC this past week featuring Counting Crows, and were utterly amazed at the passion and performance of one of their opening acts, NOTAR. I had heard of him prior because he is the cousin of one of my former employees, but this was the first time seeing him live.
His songs were very powerful, but what made his performance stand out is how excited he was to be out there performing and how appreciative he was slapping the hands of fans.
Passion can be the difference between standing out and standing alone. When others are able to see how much you love what you do, you don't need to be the top person in your field. Being passionate about the work you love can help you stand out in a sea of applicants, or amongst a sea of employees vying for that promotion.
Today I present to you the first post in a series I call "Driving and HR". One can learn a lot by looking at situations on the road and how they can translate and correlate into dealing with situations in HR and your career.
Left turn lanes have always amazed me in terms of how people don't seem to understand how to use them properly. I notice how often people make left turns either pull over to the right to make a left turn, or wait until the car coming towards them in the other direction has completely passed.
Let's look at situation 1 - cars that pull over to the right to turn to the left to prevent others from passing them on the right. Left turns can be challenging, and so can crossing over to the other side of the table when in a discussion about something new. The worst thing one can do is to block others from intervening (or in the case of driving, blocking others from passing). In order to truly reach over to the other side in the debate at work, all parties need to be involved to make the discussion clear and make all issues come out on the table.
Situation 2 - when people wait until the other car has completely passed, they delay the cars behind them and create a wait for themselves when they could easily continue moving. Similarly, in the workplace, sometimes people wait until they have left a job before pursuing a new one, or wait until an adversary leaves before making changes that need to take place. Both situations in HR create difficulty; in the former, people don't discover new opportunities that may exist at their current work location, and in the latter, people miss out on opportunities to learn from those who are going to be leaving soon.
So next time you are out driving, think about these two situations, and how you can both drive better and learn from them to give your new perspective on HR and Careers.
An age-old question I get is about how to land a job without having the prerequisite experience. This often befalls those who have experience in a field but lack management experience in that same field.
For those in college, management internships are a huge opportunity. For those beyond college, that luxury may not be afforded, but that does not mean there aren't possibilities to receive a probationary type assignment as a manager.
Often, companies will hire seasoned managers to senior hourly roles, and then offer them temporary management assignments or projects to help them fill the gaps.
For those who are seasoned hourly employees, taking on more responsibility where you work or seeking an opportunity with a company that is non-management can be the foot in the door to the proving ground you need to demonstrate what you are made of.
Next time you think about whether or not you are qualified, look at other opportunities to join an organization that will help you prove that you are worthy of the risk and the opportunity.
One of my favorite books on management, time management, and careers is the Four Hour Workweek. Check out Tim Ferriss as he shares some information on his book and its premises.
With sites like LinkedIn and others catering towards more and more information about you being able to be shared online, there have come about other sites which also provide you with easy to access portfolio building tools to share pictures of some of your finest work. One site I have come across is Carbonmade , which houses for 200,000 portfolios for designers, culinary employees, and other creative types. What I really enjoy about this site is the ease of use and layout which helps even the most novice internet user to showcase their work. Check it out for yourself, and feel free to contact me with any further insights. robert@galaconcierge.com
One of the greatest tools for career success is proper networking. Networking isn't about just contacting people when you need something; it's about building relationships with others that are mutually beneficial.
One of my favorite colleagues often has said about me that he likes working with me because I don't just contact him when I need something; there is always a rapport between us outside of the sharing of resources and information about jobs.
Recently, I just picked up two projects from contacts I have nurtured over the years; one with a professor I met 15 years ago and another with a former boss who told me if I ever wanted to work for him again to just let him know. These kind of opportunities would not have resulted if I hadn't maintained contact and rapport
What do you do to networking and stay connected with others? Share your best practices for a future column at robert@galaconcierge.com
Q: I am senior in high school applying for new jobs, and I don't feel comfortable sharing what I have made at past jobs because the ones I am looking at pay less. What should I do? Anxious in Anchorage
A: Dear Anxious, A well crafted cover letter to go along with your application can help answer any questions your employer has about why you are looking at a lower paying job. Try something like this.
Dear _________
I've worked at ________ for the past ____ years making _______ an hour. I'm interested in joining your company because of its reputation, the opportunity to learn more about the industry, and the location of your business in proximity to where I live (Or insert any other reasons you see fit here).
I realize that your business may not be able to pay me what I have been making in the past, but I am not looking for a job that necessarily pays the best; I'm looking for a job where I can experience working for the best.
Sincerely.
XXXXXXXXX
By including a cover letter, you are doing something very few people do in an entry level job. You will stand out amongst a sea of applicants and perhaps get hired before anyone else. Let me know how it goes!
In the past, I have discussed the importance of hiring events and running them properly. It goes without saying that hiring events can be hit or miss for both employers and potential employees. Very often, companies look only at the results of the hour or of the day and don't look at the potential of the "be back" as it is called in sales.
The "be back" sometimes has the greatest potential for selling products; the "be back" is the customer who is unsure if they want to purchase today, but more often than not is just looking around to make an informed decision. Very often when I was doing sales, the biggest and most successful sales were those that took 2-3 or more visits to convince it was time to buy and that our solution was best.
To use the "be back" approach at a hiring event, you should use the hiring event as an employer to sell yourself and your company, and offer resources for more information. Too often I have seen companies try to sell too much information at the table rather than selling the heart and soul of the company.
As a potential employee, having a sharp 1 page resume with a link to a more detailed portfolio or resume can get you in with the company while leaving them wanting to find out more about you.
I previously posted about Internship Opportunities Out of State. Today, I'd like to share with you some strategies on how to find internships close to home.
Not all internships are posted; very often, if you are a college student, simply "casing" places and finding out what they need and sharing with them who you are is the first step to landing an internships. I encourage students always to seek out companies that they'd like to work for, and create an internship opportunity that they can then pitch to the company. I've seen this work too many times for it to be a fluke.
So if you are thinking of doing an internship, look at a company you'd like to do it for, and see what you can come up with for tasks, duties and responsibilities that match up with your talents and abilities and see if you can create a match!
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