Getting Laid Off, It's Not Personal, It's Strictly Business

In the movie "The Godfather" (Part I), there is a line where Michael Corleone says to his younger brother "It's not personal Sonny, it's strictly business".

In 2002, I was told by my employer that they had some bad news for me.  Due to the State of Maryland's economic situation, the university had to make budget cuts.  Unfortunately for me, my job was one of them.  I was shocked!  I said to myself "this happens in private business, not in the slow moving world of higher education".  I thought "how could they lay me off?"  I had good evaluations, was a dedicated employee, did all they asked and more.  Boy, was I wrong.   In other words, it's not personal, it's just business.

After the feeling of shock subsided, I had an uneasy feeling of panic.  What was going going to do? How long would I be unemployed?  Had I saved enough money? Who would hire me?  I felt very unprepared.  My resume and references were outdated.  Worse yet, I really had no professional portfolio to speak of.  Oh, I had accomplishments.  But many were undocumented and certainly in no shape to show a prospective employer.

To make a long story short, I survived.  I had a solid work history and an extensive network of professional contacts that proved to be my lifeline.  So what lessons did a I learn? Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned (or re-learned) was that life isn't fair.  If an organization can benefit by cutting their costs (e.g. laying you off), they will.  Accept that as fact and more on.  It's not personal...just business. You should never feel completely secure in your job.  Fear can be a good motivator.  As a former boy scout I should have known to be better prepared.

So what can you do to prevent this, or at least cope with it?  Here's what you can do:

1.  Accept the fact that anyone can get laid off at any time.

2.  Always be open to career opportunities.

3.  Stay on top of what the job market looks like for our field.  Know the changes and trends.

4.  Have your resume up to date.  There is nothing sadder than seeing a great job advertised only to find out you cannot meet the application deadline.

5.  Have your portfolio up to date and ready to share with people.

6.  Get feedback from professional colleagues on your portfolio.

7.  Have a LinkedIn account.  It's the number one digital professional network.  Recruiters rely on it.

8.  Don't forget in-person networking strategies.  In-person networking is not dead!

9.  Stay in touch with your professional references. 

10. Stay positive.  Good thing will happen, but sometimes things take time

Don't make the same mistakes as me.  It was painful learning experience, but it doesn't have to be. Remember, it's not personal, it's strictly business.

If I Show You My Portfolio, I Have to Kill You

It may be similar to a popular line in many movies, but "if I show you my portfolio, I'll have to kill you" is no joke for many people.

In the field of instructional design, eLearning and training, professionals often get jobs or new contracts based on their documented performance.  This means that potential bosses and clients can look at work that you have done for previous clients. This gives prospective employers a very good idea about what you can do for them. 

It is very common now that prospective employers/clients ask to see samples of work.  As professionals in instructional design, eLearning, and training, it is safe to say that we are at a great disadvantage if we cannot share our work samples with others.  

So what do you do if you work for the National Security Agency, or Apple?  They won't let you talk about what you do, much less share your work samples with other companies. This presents quite a dilemma for people who work at places that have policies that forbid employees and contractors to share work samples.  In the government security arena (NSA, CIA, DOD, etc.), it is common that employees can't even talk about work with people outside their work environment.  The main reasons an organization may do this can include confidentiality, proprietary information, trade secrets, or security issues.

The first thing you need to do is check your employer's or client's policy about showing your work. The purpose of this is to find out exactly what you can do and what you cannot do.  If you are unclear you should ask questions. It may be helpful to pose real questions about some work you have already done.  With some smaller employers, be prepared that they may not have a policy on this.  

After finding out what your organizations' policy is here are some possible options:

1. "White out" or redact references to your company name in your work samples.

2. Use approved excerpts as a smaller sample of your work.  For example, you may be able to use 18 pages form a design document that totals 50 pages.

3.  Use work sample that are not confidential or proprietary such a "new employee orientation training" or a compliance training course that you created.

4.  Use approved screenshots from eLearning courses if you cannot provide access to a live course.

5. Revisit older work samples.  We sometimes forget what we've accomplished.  Look at old resumes or employee performance appraisal to find ideas or leads on older work samples that you can use. 

6. Revisit academic work samples.  You may have work samples from classes that you can use. Our Instructional Design program at UMBC requires students to create projects that many use as portfolio samples.

7. Volunteer for an organization to create a new work sample that you will be free for you to share.  It is rare for an organization to turn down a volunteer in our field.  This option will take time, but it may be the only option for some people who work in restrictive environments.

8.  At times, some people may be able to get hired or win contracts based on referrals from former employers or former clients.  While it is not the same thing as using work samples, this can work for some people.

Work samples are very important to our career advancement.  Make sure you are clear about who owns the content and how the work can be shared.  

How To Choose An Online College Program - Insider Tips

It's Hard to Choose!

A Poor Choice Can Be Costly
The growth of eLearning has exploded.  More students than ever before earn entire degrees online.  But have they made the right choice?   Most people really don't know how to assess eLearning programs.  It is easy to choose the wrong program.

As someone who manages and teaches in an online graduate program I probably have some insight that most people don't. Before you spend a lot of time and money at the wrong school, you should consider these issues.

Your Career Goals

What are your career goals?  Does the program help you to meet them?  Will it help you get a job or a promotion? Identify the type of job you want to have five years from now.  Through your network (or through LinkedIn) find people that are doing this job.  How did they get there? Does anybody have a degree from the school you are investigating?  Ask employers if they hire candidates from that school.

Accreditation 

Is the college or university accredited?  Hopefully, it is accreditation by one the major six regional accreditation associations.  Sorry, but these are the only ones that really count in my opinion.  I had to deny admission to a young lady who graduated from a school that was accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education.  She tearfully told me "they said they were accredited". Unfortunately for her they were accredited, but it wasn't the type of accreditation that really counts. Additionally, accreditation is awarded to the university overall and not to an individual program in most cases.   

Reputation

The reputation of the institution and the program is very important and can cut across many areas.  For example, what do alumni say about the program? Do employers hire their graduates?  What do people say about the faculty? Today with LinkedIn it is fairly easy to find people who maybe graduates of a particular college.  Additionally, if an organization is hiring you can ask them if they have a history of hiring graduates from particular schools. 

Program Design and Format
The format and design of the program can differ greatly in online programs.  As a learner you will be spending a lot of time and money, so you want to make sure the program is a "fit" for you. Does it have synchronous, asynchronous or blended course delivery?  What are the course deliverables for students?  Do yjur ise pares and academic case studies, or more applied projects.  I think project work has many advantages over tests and papers. Do they require a comprehensive exam or portfolio of work samples?  In my opinion professional portfolios are the way to go. They can demonstrate your skills and competencies to potential employers.

Student and Career Services

If you are an adult student you probably are very interested in getting a job.  Does the college have career services oriented toward working adult students?  Do they have connections with employers and professional associations? Who hires their graduates? Can you actually talk to student service reps on the phone, or do they push you to search online for everything?  Do they have so many students that they cannot prove adequate service?

Academic Policies

Can you start the program and/or graduate in any semester? Or do they only accept new students in the Fall semester?  Do they allow you to take any electives, or is it a lock-step program with little choice?  What is their policy concerning transfer of credits?

I've posed a lot of questions. You can find answers to most of them by talking to current students, alumni and employers. Additionally, you can find a number of answers on the college website and using LinkedIn. Of course don't forget the obvious.  You can simply call and ask them. In the end, it is worth the time and effort to research potential schools and programs. Make the right choice. Your career may depend on it.

Without a Career Portfolio, You'll Never Work in This Town Again