Working World

Just a brief note: I was made aware that USAID has posted their Summer 2015 Pathways Internship Announcement on USAJobs. There will evidently be multiple opportunities in various offices throughout the agency, so take a look if you’re interested and apply!

In many cases, corporate “global pro bono” programs are able to deliver real, tangible good in the communities in which they operate. How are they able to do this? By focusing not on “dropping in a solution,” but rather on “the transfer of skills,” according to Deirdre White, the CEO of PYXERA Global.

White focused on this topic of the global pro bono in her talk at American University’s School of International Service on October 14 (a talk organized by my co-author, Sherry). Deirdre (also a profilee in Working World) and PYXERA work with corporations around the world to develop and implement corporate, cross-border social programs that work to contribute the corporate employees’ skill sets to a local program or project. Since 2008, PYXERA has worked with 26 corporations, sending 8,000 employees (usually for a month) to 80 countries on five continents. This is impressive. (more…)

I recently spent the weekend with a close college friend, Brian. My university buddies are scattered around the country and world, so any chance to spend a few days with them (as individuals or a group) is rare and cherished. During our time talking and catching up, Brian and I realized that, as we both approach our mid-thirties, we’re each feeling a sense of stasis, a stagnancy that’s hard to pinpoint but is clearly present. It’s a professional stagnancy, it’s a personal stagnancy, it’s a combination of both.

Both of us have good jobs we enjoy. We are both married to awesome people. We have supportive families, good homes, plenty of books to read and music to listen to, a college football team that’s finally doing well again…so what’s with the complaining? Fair enough.

We realized this stagnancy comes from reaching the end of that first ladder, the “young professional” ladder, and not knowing where to climb next. As scary as being a young professional can be—with all of its requisite challenges and uncertainty—I’m realizing that entering mid-career territory comes with its own set of difficulties. I’m no longer worried about getting my first job, or paying my rent with a meager entry level salary, or learning how to move from operating in an academic environment to a professional one. (more…)

I’m very pleased to be hosting a conversation next Tuesday, October 14th with Deirdre White, President and CEO of PYXERA Global (and a profilee in the second edition of Working World). Deirdre is a renowned leader in the field of international economic development and will be speaking on the topic of “corporate volunteerism: the nexus between citizen diplomacy and development.”

In addition to its international development work, PYXERA is also the base for the Center for Citizen Diplomacy. I served as one of the founding board members of the Center and now am honored to continue as a board member of PYXERA Global.

On the heels of Sherry’s great post that included discussion of employer perception during interviews (i.e., how are tattoos and piercings perceived during an interview?), I was intrigued by this article over at QZ.com: awkward questions asked during Korean job interview, including:

• Are you dating anyone?
• How long does it take you to do your makeup?
• How much alcohol can you handle?
• What do you plan on spending your first paycheck on?

Although the article notes that such personal questions are no longer typically asked in interviews at Korean companies, the reason they were ever asked in the first place is illuminating: to get a sense of the job applicant as a person and determine whether he or she would fit into company culture.

Working in a small organization with a staff of only four, I’m keenly aware that personal fit matters. When we hire, we’re looking for someone who is not only smart and skilled and accomplished, someone who can get the job done, but also someone who will mesh well with the team. We don’t all have to be best friends, but it is important that we are cohesive both professionally and personally. Our performance as an organization depends on it.

And thus our interviews reflect this fact. We ask questions that are not awkwardly personal or borderline inappropriate, like those listed in the article, but ones that are meant to draw out personal interests and activities, especially those related to our industry. Talk about a particularly meaningful experience during your time studying abroad. Where did you go on your most recent international trip? If you could study one language you don’t currently speak, what would it be? What’s the last book you read and would you recommend it? (That last one’s not international, but I think it’s an interesting conversation starter anyway.)

The point is that anyone prepping for an interview would do well to prepare for some personal discussion. No need to disclose your dating history or your drinking prowess—but if you can talk compellingly about some of your personal interests, and paint a fuller picture of yourself as a person beyond the professional realm, you’re more likely to make an impression in an employer’s mind as someone they want to work with.