Today’s guest blogger is Allan McKisson, Vice President of Human Resources for Manpower U.S.  To learn more about Allan, see his biography.  Here’s what he has to say…

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About a month ago, my daughter Maggie was a guest blogger on Contemporary Working.  Check out what she wrote in Find a Job.  It was about her year long job search.

I was supposed to follow up the next week with parenting words of wisdom… about patience, support and encouragement.  I waited for a few weeks and then things began to heat up.  Maggie had a few interviews and was invited back for second looks.  The stars were aligning  — I felt something good was about to happen so I waited a bit longer. 

Well, it happened.  Last Friday she received the call and was offered the “perfect job.”  (I thought I had that!)  She’s working for a recognized organization in downtown Chicago.  Besides exposure to some really nice, smart people who work hard (my model for top talent), she’ll be part of delivering a customer experience that reinforces the organization’s brand.  She’s with a group that thrives on learning and innovation.  What could be better for a recent college grad?  I’m elated and proud of Maggie. 

She’s learned a lot this last year and it’s all applicable to her new career. 

• Persistence — she kept on looking, knowing that opening one door would lead to other doors.
• Never give up — ever.
• Patience — sometimes you can’t force things or make things happen on your timetable.
• Learning as a way of life — she volunteered, researched, interviewed and wrote about her areas of interest… progressive not-for-profits and social entrepreneurship.
• Networking — meeting new people, asking questions and following up.

Interestingly, these behaviors and characteristics will serve anyone well and probably will separate the successful candidate from the rest of the pack.  They seem similar to my parents’ advice.  I must’ve listened and passed on these behaviors to Maggie.

Good advice is timeless!

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