Welcome to the May 25, 2005 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

Best Practice Tips and Resources for Interviewing and Hiring High Motivation Employees

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What's Inside:

1. Stepping Onto The Correct Career Path

Ira Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions and editor of The Total View, recently talked with BusinessWeek Online reporter Francesca Di Meglio about how MBAs can better shape their future career. The column was posted on the Business Week Online website this past Monday (May 23, 2005). Below is an excerpt of the interview with a link to the full column.

Prospective MBAs need to ask themselves what they expect from their degrees and future careers, says author Ira Wolfe

Ira Wolfe is founder of Success Performance Solutions, a 10-year-old consulting firm in Lancaster, Pa., that offers career and preemployment testing. At 44, after realizing that dentistry was not for him, he dabbled in consulting and discovered self-assessment tests. He soon decided that his life's work would be to help others discover their passion.

The author of two books -- Understanding Business Values and Motivators and The Perfect Labor Storm: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away -- Wolfe says that today's MBAs are lucky to be living in the trial-and-error era. "You can be a job hopper and employers will value the different experiences you have had, as opposed to the past, when going from place to place was looked down upon," he says.

Wolfe himself is pursuing a master's degree in leadership and ethics at Duquesne University.

Q: What advice do you have for those who are undecided about getting an MBA?
A: The first question I would ask is, "What do you hope the MBA will do for you?" It's certainly a requirement just to get your foot in the door for some jobs, but many people go after degrees without really knowing why they decided to pursue education in the first place.

Q: What should MBA students do to prepare for the job search?
A: You should think through your career path. Getting an MBA doesn't necessarily guarantee success in a knowledge-based economy. [Students] need to look at the MBA as a way for improving their knowledge base and translating that into tangible skills.

Walk through some questions: What do you want to achieve? What are your expectations? What is it about that MBA that will allow you to be unique? How will this job make you a better employee and person?

Q: Are self-assessment tests a necessity?
A: Absolutely, they are. Intellectually, many people understand what they want but aren't sure about the emotional factors -- is this going to be a satisfying career? We help people realize whether they want to work in a large or small company, the industries that interest them, how well they will fit into different organizations.

These self-assessments look at their skills but also their communication style, ability to be a team player, preferences on company size, and the kinds of organization they would like to manage. You can be an MBA working at a small family-owned business and feel exhilarated or you can be CEO of a major corporation and be very unhappy. It depends on the person.

Read the full interview on BusinessWeek Online.

Searching for the Right Career? Visit the SPS Career Test Center.

2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #406 to #407

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm. Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

Fact #406: One in 3 employees say they are chronically overworked.
(Source: Families and Work Institute, 2005)

Fact #407: We are in a race for IQ points. The countries (and companies) that accumulate the most IQ points wins. In a race for IQ points, the kinds of jobs we produce will be different:

Jobs are declining in the following industries:

Timber: - 32%
Farm workers: - 20%
Sewing: - 50%
Typesetters: - 62%

Jobs will be created in the following positions:

Electrical Engineers: +28%
Medical Sciences: +33%
Architects: + 44%
Legal Assistants: + 66%
Financial Services: + 78%

Source: Todd Buchholz, Bringing the Jobs Home

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - Only $7.95.

3.  On The Tube and In Person

Ira S. Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions, joined Business2Business managing editor Ted Byrne and contributing columnist Stan Telson on the May 12 broadcast of Journalists Roundtable, broadcast on PA Cable Network. To receive a copy of the broadcast, contact Success Performance Solutions. Please provide your mailing address.

Marilyn Walker will be the keynote speaker at the 37th Annual PA Therapeutic Recreation Institute. Her topic is "Defining Your Dream". Marilyn is the Director of the SPS Employee Assessment Center and Right-Turn-on-Red Career Test Center.

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