Graduates, are you the one?

At this time of year there are countless news articles relating to exam results, higher education and getting jobs which include interviews from experienced recruiters offering advice to graduates and job hunters on how to get themselves noticed.  Watching these I recall being in their shoes and sifting through dozens of applications trying to find “the one”.  I realise it is very difficult to put into words what will make the difference, but having experience from a very diverse and varied career what would I say to these young people?

A very long time ago, in my first management post, I was looking to add a person to my team in a warehouse environment and duly advertised the post on the local paper (no such thing as social media then!).  Lots of applications came in which I then sorted with a colleague.  We discarded one of the applications because it was written on a scrappy piece of paper and didn’t demonstrate very good writing skills (not that this was required to do the job, mind you!).  Luckily the applicant didn’t take being written off very lightly and appeared in reception strongly recommending himself for the job.  He showed determination and willingness so we interviewed him.  Sure enough he was offered the job and proved to be a great worker!  What did I learn from this?  I learned what “the one” could look like, and that it doesn’t always look good on paper.

Some years later I was looking for an assistant, a second in command of a busy maintenance team.  I needed someone who could deal with problems and sort them out.  I was told I could advertise internally.  To be honest, I didn’t expect any applicants from the highly skilled workforce but there were some.  One in particular came from someone doing a completely different job, but having learned before that what you see on paper doesn’t necessarily give you the full picture I interviewed him and yet again I was surprised.    I asked him why he felt he was a good candidate for the job and he opened a folder and showed me photographs and plans of a major building project he had been doing on his own house.  He explained what difficulties he had experienced and how he had overcome them, and I saw a person who was able to find solutions, even though he might not have had the skills himself. He was inquisitive, ready to learn and thorough.  I knew then he was “the one”.  He was successful in his application and a very good job if it he did too!

More recently I was looking for a student to work over the summer to help with some CAD (drawings software) work.  We had a selection of applicants, mostly from architecture or civil engineering students, and invited three for interview.  One didn’t turn up (no brainer, we didn’t want that one!), one was a third year student with loads of experience and the other was a first year student looking for a chance.  The experienced chap was perfect and would have been a very valuable asset to the team and after interviewing him first we all agreed he would be perfect.  Later we interviewed the first year student.  A quiet young lady sat before us and politely listened as we explained what the role involved.  She seemed timid and shy and at first and I am sure we were all thinking the other applicant was definitely “the one”.  Then something magical happened when we asked her to show us some work in her portfolio.  She blossomed into an exited, confident young architect, oozing with enthusiasm and willingness, proud of what she had to show us.  She completely changed our minds!  She was “the one”.  We wanted to help her grow, to be her mentor because we could see her potential.  It was very difficult explaining this to the third year candidate, because he did nothing wrong, but sometimes life is like that.  He had to move on and I'm sure he did.

So what would I say to young people today, looking for work in the toughest employment period I have ever experienced?  I think it’s simple.  Demonstrate why you want the job, show you are interested, be hungry and be enthusiastic.   If you do, you have a good chance of getting that job.  If you don’t have a burning desire for a job then it’s probably not the one for you.  I believe that hunger and enthusiasm is more important than the application form, what you look like, what you have done and where you have been.  If you turn up for an interview and act like you’d rather be tucked up in bed you will not get the job and if this is your approach, please don’t waste people’s time!  But if you are enthusiastic, you might not be successful every time (remember the third year student) but that doesn’t mean you are not good.  Keep trying.  In my experience, the people that do well are the ones that are keen.  Simple!

Have to go big?

One of the most difficult questions I was asked related to a planned roll-out of a new business computer system that had a planned/reactive maintenance module available.  The system was originally selected for purchasing, materials planning and financial controls.  Maintenance was something else that could be pulled into the system but was not included in the original tender specification. Senior management, almost as an afterthought, decided it would be better to integrate the control of maintenance, so I was asked "Tell me why you can’t use it?”.

At the time I was using a maintenance system that was networked, available for the maintenance team and included a requester which was available to all employees to report faults.  It had been used for more than five years, was easy to use and was a system I personally knew very well.  The prospect of changing to something new was not popular with any of us.

I was introduced to a Consultant, who was very pleasant and willing to help me.  I had prepared a specification from the functionality of the existing system and we worked through it together in great detail.  I was assured that the replacement system could do everything I needed.

So, going back to my boss, my answer to his question was “based on what the consultant has told me there is no reason why I can’t use it”.  The maintenance module was belatedly added to the scope of the project and we started to migrate data, change the fault reporting processes, train the users and slowly get our heads around it all.

The reality was, however, a struggle. It turned out that most of the functionality I needed required a range of bespoke tweaks that, although promised and paid for, took longer than the consultant expected to get working.  As a result the implementation of the core modules was finished before the maintenance module and the project team left site.  Although remote support was promised it was ineffective to say the least. As a consequence we ended up using a system that was not popular and devoid of most of the required functionality.  This was not a good place to be but it was what it was and we had to make the best of it.  This organisation is currently sourcing a new CAFM system (completely separate to the core business system) which confirms to me that it wasn't a good decision in the first place.

So what should you do if you find yourself in a similar situation?  My advice to you would be as follows:

·  Make sure you are invited to review potential systems at the tender stage so your requirements are included from the beginning.

·  Ask to see a working version of the system to demonstrate what is out of the box.

·  If you get promised extra functionality get commitment from the consultants or implementation team in writing, with a plan for execution.  Ask to see working examples of something similar if available.

·  Have regular reviews of progress to ensure your needs don’t get forgotten or put to one side.

·  Always remember your original system is still an option.

·  Don’t let the core parts of the new system take a higher priority over the maintenance module (not easy!).

·  and good luck!

What's in an asset number?

It is very tempting to get creative when deciding a system for numbering assets.  I have seen and even created some crackers in my time, “first two digits for location and second two for asset type” etc.  Here are a few things to consider when making up your mind:

• Who are the users of the system and will they need to know what the asset is from the code?  This largely depends on how your software works, so it’s worth checking what the users see when using the system.
• Are there established local names for the assets and equipment?  Can these be used?
• Does the software set alpha/numeric rules and field length?
• Does the software have reportable fields in the asset record for Location and Asset Type? You probably don’t need to include locations and asset types in the code if your system offers these fields in the asset details page AND you are able to draw on them in your reports.  It’s best to consider what information you need out of the system first.  Then, if there are existing reports in your system, make sure the fields are available for filtering data in the analysis. 
• If you are writing the reports yourself or getting someone to write them for you make sure you use the corresponding field identity as sometimes the field name in the data table and that shown on the user screens are different.
• If you are considering using actual names as the asset ID then think it through.  Boiler1, Boiler2, Boiler3, etc. works nicely, but HamworthyBoiler1 doesn’t because when searching for the asset you will need to type a lot of letters before you get to the unique bit.  Would your users necessarily know to type in “Hamworthy” to find a boiler?

The most important thing is to keep it simple.  I have been guilty of priding myself in creating a clever asset code and then wasting precious time trying to convince others of its virtue.  Some systems don’t let you change the asset number once it is saved so it is even more important to take the time to get it right the first time.

The same rules apply to other codes of course, for example for tasks, fault analysis, locations and so on.  However, the asset number is often very visible so needs to be appropriate.

Need more help?  Contact Debbie here: debbie@aporos.co.uk or go to www.aporos.co.uk

Where do you sow your seeds?

So, it’s now two weeks since I became self-employed and things are looking up.  Last week was all about sowing seeds and hopefully getting a few to germinate.  After a bank holiday weekend I woke on Tuesday feeling a little apprehensive.  I needed to check the seedlings but was almost too scared to look!  Then, taking a deep breath, I rolled up my sleeves and as the day rolled by I definitely had a few green shoots.  What was interesting though was where these came from.

These days social networking is applauded as the way to go to build a business and ignoring it would be at my peril.  So, with this in mind I made quite an effort, using the tools available to me, to get myself out there which worked quite well thanks to the support of my family and friends.  My blog from last week had 134 hits on my web site and another 35 hits on my Google page.   This was amazing, and completely surprised me.  In fact, I am pretty sure that in all the time I was in business from 2006 to 2009 my website didn’t get that many hits in total!  I was very excited by the end of last Friday that the social networking seemed to be working.

Well, in my opinion, that depends on how you measure “working”.  Sure, lots more people know about my business but how many people have contacted me as a result of this?  So far none!   What is working though is good old leg work.  I contacted many potential clients directly, making a huge effort to find out the right person to speak to.  This worked!  I have several leads in various stages of maturity at the moment, and the outlook is better than I could have hoped.  Now I am almost wary of contacting any more people for fear of being swamped.  Should I wait to see how things pan out over the next week or two or keep going?  Do I sow more seeds even though there is a risk I will run out of space to plant them if they grow?  I still don’t know the answer to that!

So back to social networking.  What next?  I will keep doing it, because it is in my plan.  I will, however, evaluate its effectiveness and see what it brings.  I had a conversation this week with someone who is very wary of social networks and he warned me about the possible negative impact it can have; the people who like to publicly moan (without letting you know first), the people who use it for bullying and the people who stalk!  There is a risk but I reckon that I can deal with it if it happens.  I am grateful for feedback, good or bad because it creates an opportunity for continual improvement and many of you reading this know this is my mantra.  In the meantime, I have yet to see any proof that social networking is more than an opportunity to show off.  Controversial, I know, but watch this space! 

So? What is new?

So, this is almost the end of my first week re-establishing my business. Aporos Maintenance Management has been reborn as Aporos Limited this week, just 5½ years since I ceased trading and went to join the Estates team at the University of Bath.  Back then, the recession was beginning to take hold so my decision to take a full time, fixed term contract at the University was one for survival.  I ended up staying there for well over four years, commuting the whole time from Southampton, which was only possible because of a chance meeting with Alice, a charming lady in her eighties who became my landlady in a nearby village of Winsley.

I left the University in April 2014 and joined CDI AndersElite whose head office is in Southampton (no more commuting!), where I set up and gained external certification for their quality management system and also implemented an onboarding system called RedCarpet. However, after attending the funeral of a friend who passed away very suddenly, my thoughts returned to working in the industry I know best - maintenance.  After a discussion with my husband we decided I should give consultancy another go.

One month later here I am!  So, returning to the title of this blog, what is new? Well, almost everything! This week I have found myself on a very steep learning curve.  Social media was not something I used last time I did this, it wasn't that big a deal then!  Of course, I used Facebook and LinkedIn, but never to promote myself.  Now I've set up a group and a company in each respectively and dug out some photos of stuff I've done and posted a few of them.  I've discovered too, following an email from Munir Caine (who designed my web site) that I have a google blogger account that I didn't know I had.  Did I have to pay for it?  How do I change the colour?  How do I change the layout?  I'm not one to let a simple bit of software get the better of me, so I fiddled with that for a few hours and eventually cracked it!

I'm also learning the difference between a "Sole Trader" and a "Limited Company".  Just what that means in terms of keeping accounts and paying tax I've yet to sort out, but a meeting with my accountant will take care of that. Then there is national insurance..... I haven't even started to look into that! Finally, I discovered that opening a business bank account is almost as intrusive and time consuming as applying for a mortgage, which surprised me because I didn't want to borrow a penny!  I'm sure I just popped into the bank back in 2006, but this time I had to have a meeting with my business manager.

Of course, I've also been contacting potential clients and have two appointments lined up for next week and hope to secure a few more before the end of the week.  Not bad eh?  Well, I'm happy with what I've achieved and when people ask me "How's it going?" I tell them "It's going really well".  That is true, but the reality is I haven't earned any money yet, so lets see what next week brings!

Coming soon!

Debbie Carless is relaunching Aporos Maintenance Management on 27th April.  Watch this space for regular blogs!