Gran CV, pero la foto no te ayuda.

Hace un año cuando me mude a Venezuela y comencé en la consultoría de búsqueda de talento ejecutivo me sorprendió que en los CV o Resumes, los candidatos siempre incluían una foto. La verdad es que aunque ya sabía que esa era una práctica que aquí en Venezuela (y en muchos otros países) era muy normal, he seguido manteniendo mi posición sobre lo discriminatorio que esto puede ser. El problema que se presentaba, más con candidatos que tienen experiencias y competencias extraordinarias pero que te envían su CV con fotos que muestran algo contrario a lo que sus credenciales quieren resaltar. Recordando un poco algunas de las sesiones que tuve con mí amigo y miembro de NSHMBA Frank Kelly, retome un poco de sus propuestas relacionadas a “The Lasting Impression”, dicho de otra manera impresiones que se mantienen en el tiempo.

Veámoslo de la siguiente manera, si un candidato posee excelentes competencias y experiencias, pero su CV o Resume incluye una foto poco profesional, es muy probable que sea considerado en una búsqueda ejecutiva donde interviene un consultor o tercero. Los headhunters o reclutadores posiblemente se tomen el tiempo para pedirle al candidato una foto que demuestre lo que el CV trata de transmitir. El problema grande  lo tienen aquellos candidatos que pueden tener potencial pero que su fotografía de CV no les ayuda en nada, y es un proceso de búsqueda ejecutiva “In House” o manejado por la empresa contratante. Usualmente en estos procesos llevados por unidades internas de RRHH reciben grandes cantidades de candidatos, por lo que en muchos casos estos son descartados por cosas como una simple fotografía.

Mi recomendación es sencilla, antes de gastarse recursos en papelería de alta calidad es preferible que los candidatos se tomen su tiempo y dinero en hacerse un pequeño estudio fotográfico, esto es más fácil de lo que uno piensa, mucho más ahora que las imágenes son digitales. Los candidatos deben tomarse varias fotos (múltiples posiciones) en traje profesional o ejecutivo, compartir estas con un mini focus group (no incluir en el a familiares, a veces estos no suelen ser los más objetivos) y dejar que estos decidan cuales son las mejores.

Cosas que no se deben hacer son: Usar fotos de Fiestas, trajes de luces, vestimenta muy llamativa, sonrisas extremas o muy falsas, fotos escaneadas, fotos muy viejas que no representen el estado actual de la persona.

Creo que ahora más que nunca, cuando los potenciales candidatos a posiciones ejecutivas invierten grandes cantidades de dinero en buenos trajes, smartphones, computadores portátiles, entre otros. También deberían considerar hacerse un buen estudio de fotografías profesionales.

En fin, no olvidemos que en nuestra cultura latina esta imagen llega a convertirse en un valor que suma o resta cuando ofrecemos nuestros servicios profesionales.

Thanks but no thanks, I don’t need another partner, I just need an investor!!!

Yes we all know that partnerships are like marriages, but are business owners really clear about this matter. In the last few years I have done consulting for many small and medium size business, and have often heard from such business owners is “I don’t want partners” to those that offer % of the company to anyone that is willing to chip in. This is something similar to that old movie Mister Ten Per Cent (Peter Graham Scott).

 

Entrepreneurs should really consider the long term concept of “Partner”, they could be a great asset in a new venture, but they may also be the biggest headache in the business or the greatest barrier to jump when business need to growth!

The questions that any entrepreneur should make before chosen a partner or investor may be:

• Thus, what can entrepreneurs consider?
• What added value does the new partner bring?
• Does the business owner want ideas, or solely funding?
• Would that new person be part of the management team?

 

Don’t get me wrong there may be a million things to consider, but these are only the first. Whatever is the case, lets be clear that every single detail has to be documented. This ranges from responsibilities, authority, financial accountability, to schedules and so on. In fact the small details that partners forget to explain are usually the trigger for the first wave of differences.

 

Now, lets talk about investors, should they have any kind of management function? Or should they just behave like any investment bank, solely defining guidelines that guarantee the ROI and the sustainability of the business. The investors need to understand their role in the business plan, and just act as a people that believe in a venture and expect a return for the capital in risk.

So one of the biggest challenges is to be clear when you looking for a partners or an investor?

 

Below is a formula or method that I believed can work:

If your investors are not completely satisfy with your business plan but still are interested, you may offer them to back up (as a collateral) their funding with shares, but unless they will interact in the day to day management of the venture don’t jeopardize the control of the organizations.

 

Another issue that usually rises in companies with many acting partners is micro management and excess beaurocratic control from multiple partners. “Muchos Caciques y pocos Indios” or “Too many Chiefs and not that many Indians in the tribe” (my humble translation).

At the end; each new enterprise is different from the other, but there is some general characteristic that allows businesses consultants and advisors recreated possible solutions. The best advice will be, before beginning to offer 10% of your shares ask for help or advice, don’t become a slave of lack of funding and make wrong decisions regarding potential partners. Don’t be the typical guy that gets married in Vegas after a one date.

Carlos M. Baldo

Is Dr. Frankenstein scared about his monsters creations???

It appears that when US economists begin talking about Globalization; they seldom take externalities or boomerangs into consideration. I am not an Economist, but I believe in my humble professional opinion that US companies never measured the impact of the boomerang concept within our current situation. Yes a boomerang, that curve piece of wood that when is thrown usually come back to the initial position, so can be either a weapon, but can also hit you on the way back.

 

I remember years ago in my Catholic High School when the Christian Brothers (or Hermanos, how we use to call them) used to say, “you need to see how the teenage kids in US and Japan handle computers, so you better engage on the computing era”.

Many years have passed by and I have seen many countries and their reaction to this idea, either in the culture and educational systems, which are not totally true, many friends and colleagues of mine are not the most PC literate professionals in the world.

This example just tries to show how 1^st world countries try to push the Global concept with-out preparing their own work force. It was defiantly easier open manufacture plants with cheap labor force than redesign their own to be more productive, or create national campaigns to understand how to repeal the backfire of Global Markets.

 

 Now while living in the US and seen how many white and blue collars jobs are disappearing, the way to follow is kind of simple we have to reengineer the concept of global companies. So all the US companies that are based domestically which produce overseas, and want to sale their products in a STRONG MARKET (Term that I may don’t like to use considering the actual economy) may still survive and created jobs here. Many will think that this is simple barking by someone that may be displacing by the economic turndown, but I know that many people think the same.

So what should we do???

Along the lines of Dr. Frankenstein; should we destroy the monsters? or can we make this monster still be a beautiful creation??. In one simple dish Globalization is a beautiful monster created by developed economies, something like Rosie the Robot maid in the Jetsons, possible way to make our lives a little bit more comfortable.

I’m totally in favor of Global markets, Cross Cultural relations, to the point that I support the idea that Ambassadors are not the ones that run a Foreign mission overseas, the real boss is the Deputy Chief of Mission (Chargé d’Affaires, o Encargado de Negocios). Sorry ambassadors but one of my professors in Spain would often state “Ambassadors just serve the table to do business”.

So while avant-garde countries try to clean the house with tax relief programs, with high increase in government expenditures, with more regulations in the financial markets and housing, they also have to keep pushing their citizens to acquire skills that allow them to stay competitive in this Global Market.

On the other hand those developing countries that have exhausted their resources and use their cheap labor better stay ahead may think that solutions are already in place, and the responsible for all this nightmare is the neighbor with a better and bigger house, be careful while the Monster created by Dr. Frankenstein dies in the North Pole, there are still other monsters that haven’t shown their teethes.

These others monsters could be in the figure of lack of adaptation to the new dynamic, false political leadership and simply the myth of “Don’t worry we have always been a poor country so bad economy doesn’t hurt us”.

Cuidado por alli puede venir el lobo!!!.

 

 

Carlos M. Baldo.

The real satisfaction of mentoring.

Years ago a good colleague of mine took the approach of helping me with recommendations and advice in regards to my professional future. I was passing through a real career transition (not that term that everybody is using to say “unemployed”). I was in a position in my career where I was not seeing growth (Professional, Intellectual or monetary), I was considering going back to school and acquiring an MBA, for some reason I was thinking of studying in Spain. However, this idea could have jeopardized my family and professional stability in the job market. After a few long conversations I started to see things differently and I realized that it would be best to find a program close to home that would allow me work and maintain my family.
Time ultimately passed by and I realized that this colleague was my mentor. He really helped me empower myself to find the balance between my career and personal live.
More recently, I started to help a good friend of my in something similar. This friend has always been interested in topics related to Internet Marketing and recently finishes his Bachelor in Business, but unfortunately lacked education/experience in this field. . Well, after our conversations and guidance provided he decided to apply at the Instituto de Empresas en Madrid, for the Master in Digital Marketing. He just started the program and I am sure he made the best decision, but I personally feel much rewarded. I think I’m getting the same feeling that Gerardo Hernandez (my mentor in 2005) felt when my professional path started to become clear.
I’m sure that there is more satisfaction for mentors than mentees. Natural mentoring comes in a better package than those rigid programs that push Mentors-Mentees to engage in organized structures of coaching.
So be sure that many times out there you can find out someone that may be waiting for help and you can change lives.

 

Carlos Baldo

There is always a first time!!!

Just the first entry in my blog, hope is easier than what it look like.