if it can be done better, good isn't good enough

If you're interested at all in the indie craft community, you're probably well aware of a recent documentary called Handmade Nation. It's not a great film (bad camerawork, among other issues), but it's worth seeing. It features interviews with all sorts of crafters, people who do things like sewing, bookbinding and needlework.

What struck me was that there didn't seem to be much talk about the actual craftsmanship of the crafts. Some of the handmade goods highlighted in the film were downright hideous. Personal tastes aside, if I'm going to spend money on something handmade, I want to know that it's not going to fall apart, that it's well made and that there was some effort put into it, that the maker has pride in his/her work.

Where am I going with this? Whether you're a crafter or an editor, you should pay attention to the craftsmanship of the work you produce. It's not just the ideas you come up with that matter; it's the execution of those ideas that's going to determine how much mileage they get – and ultimately what type of reputation you'll build for yourself. For a crafter, that means making sure your stitches are straight and there isn't glue seeping out everywhere. For editors, it means, among many other things, having the fact-checker make one more call, just to be sure, and not settling for a photo because you're tired of searching the stock files for something better.

And that's what it comes down to: Don't settle. Put conscientious thought into the work you do, be willing to toss something that's not up to par, and take the time to do the job over, if that's what needs to be done. Don't take the easy route just because it's less effort or there's no time.

Work hard, be proud.

time for recess

I had a really productive day yesterday. Well, at least up until about 3:00. That's when I crashed. Completely lost my concentration. It probably had a lot to do with my carb-heavy lunch, which I happened to eat at my desk, working.

Afternoons always go better for me if I take a break at lunch – get away from the office and go for a walk, or spend time perusing the nearby Chapters library. I'm looking forward to warmer weather when I can go sit in the park.

The benefits of taking a break is not new knowledge, but it's easily forgotten or ignored (we're all so busy making our deadlines). To renew your energy and improve your concentration and productivity, step away from the grind, even just for 20 minutes. A walk through the mall will get the blood flowing, but a hit of nature will do you one better.

The reason may be that the brain uses two forms of attention. “Directed” attention allows us to concentrate on work, reading and tests, while “involuntary” attention takes over when we’re distracted by things like running water, crying babies, a beautiful view or a pet that crawls onto our lap.

This comes from an article citing research that shows children who are exposed to nature during the school day are better behaved in the classroom and can concentrate more. Stands to reason the same would hold true for us adults. The article continues:

Directed attention is a limited resource. Long hours in front of a computer or studying for a test can leave us feeling fatigued. But spending time in natural settings appears to activate involuntary attention, giving the brain’s directed attention time to rest.

“It’s pretty clear that all human beings experience attentional fatigue,” Dr. Faber Taylor said. “Our attention has to be restored from that fatigue, and there is a growing body of research evidence that nature is one way that seems particularly effective at doing it.”

going the extra mile to get the job

Remember "the best job in the world" that I posted about – caretaker of Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef? Not only has the competition generated tons of interest and free press for Tourism Queensland, but it's also attracted some creative applications, like this video and blog entry from Vancouverite Marcella Moser.




It's not my taste, but it is completely appropriate for the job to which she's applying. The key is that it's all show, not tell. Marcella has demonstrated that she's capable of writing a blog, producing video and handling the back end by creating a well-designed custom site. The blog also gives a sense of her writing style, interests and personality, and proves that she can come up with a good idea and execute it well.

Now, by no means am I suggesting you all go out and make a video and start a blog for every job you apply to, but think about what would be appropriate. And even if you stick to a simple cover letter and resumé, keep these points in mind:

• Show more than tell. In your cover letter, include examples of past situations that demonstrate relevant talents. In your resumé, list accomplishments instead of just duties.

• Consider your audience. Include keywords from the job posting and highlight duties and accomplishments most relevant to the position.

• Tailor your application to the recipient. Do the above for each job you apply to. Every position is different, so every application should be.

Related posts:
• Creative resumés
• Putting together a good application package
• Writing a good cover letter

send in your resumé twice

I was starting to question my assertion that it's important to send in a hard copy of your resumé and cover letter – email and online applications have quickly become the norm – but this tip from resumé professionals, cited in the New York Times, supports my theory.

[I]f you really want to make an impression, make a hard copy of your cover letter and résumé and send it to the hiring manager by regular mail. Attach a handwritten note that says, “Second submission; I’m very interested,” [Katy] Piotrowski, [author of career books and a career counselor,] said. “I’ve had clients double their rate of interviews simply from doing that,” she said.

[Wendy S.] Enelow, [author of “Cover Letter Magic,”] calls this “double-hitting,” and says she has seen it work remarkably well. She said a senior-level client of hers got an interview and was hired because the hard copy of his cover letter and résumé reached the company president, whereas his electronic application was rejected by someone in human resources because it did not meet certain rigid criteria.

want an internship? that'll be $8,000 please

Apparently not only do some internships not pay, but they also cost money to get. A story in the Globe and Mail reports that one charity is auctioning off internship placements (some going for as much as $50,000), and another company guarantees a two-month internship for $8,000 (both US dollars, both offering spots in publishing).

While the author and most of the commentators are outraged – another way for the upper class to get the upper hand, they say – I simply think it's just a stupid idea, not an affront to meritocracy.

In the case of the auction, it's just the charity trying to find clever things to sell and companies donating the placements saying, "sure, we can have some idiot follow us around and ask questions (and do some grunt work!) for the good of some nonprofit." It looks like each internship is only a week or two – hardly an impressive stint to put on a resumé, regardless of what company the internship is with.

And the $8,000 guaranteed placement: Details are slim, but it looks like there is some sort of screening and interview process; it's not only money that will get you the job.

It's the people who pay that I think are stupid. With ingenuity, drive and perseverance, one should be able to arrange their own internship. Why not take the money you'd pay for the placement and live off it while doing the job, since you're not getting paid.

Thanks to Clare Douglas for pointing out the Globe article to me.

how to assign and edit a story

Folio offers up a succinct 14-step guide to assigning and editing a story. It's good reference for newbies, and a nice refresher for old hats. Something that didn't occur to me but seems so obvious: Don't give your writers Friday deadlines – these often become Mondays.

Hat tip to Penny Caldwell.

Ed2010: on RRJ.ca and details of the next Happy Hour event

Check out the profile of Ed2010 on the Ryerson Review of Journalism website. (In case you don't know, I'm the Canadian Director of the editorial networking group.) I just want to add a shout-out to assistant chapter host Briony Smith, who didn't happen to be mentioned in the article (though she was interviewed) – she coordinates all our Toronto Happy Hours, among other things.

Speaking of Happy Hours, Ed Toronto's next one is being held Wed., March 11, 6-9 pm at The Duke of York (39 Prince Arthur Ave., near the Bedford exit of St. George subway station), in the 2nd floor conservatory (go upstairs to the back).

Come out and mix and mingle with other magazine editors. We're having another Chat-with-an-Editor Raffle, with a chance to win dinner with Liza Cooperman, executive editor of Hello! Canada. Tickets are $6 in advance, $5 at the event. Plus, we've got door prizes: Everyone in attendance has a chance to win one of two free one-year subscriptions to Walrus Magazine.

So come on out and bring all your friends!!! For full details, check Ed Toronto's Facebook event page.

reader's question: can I accept a new job if I just started this one?

Q. I just started a job about a month ago. The people are nice and there is good job security, but I don't particularly enjoy the day-to-day work and I don't feel like I fit here that well.

I've been asked to interview for another job that's not quite up to par with my experience, and as thus, it pays a bit less, but it's back in publishing doing what I love, and the commute is better. There was also talk about another position that interests me opening in a few months, so there's a chance I might be able to talk them into hiring me now to fill both positions and paying me a bit more but saving on a salary in a couple of months.

Am I totally screwing up my reputation/career/resume by leaving a company so quickly after joining with them?

How do I explain why I would leave this job after a month without scaring the new employer off? Do I tell them that it's a temp position or something?

How do I deal with taxing my references again? They just received phone calls from my current company less than two months ago. I'd hate to wear them out!

A. Seems like you are in a bit of an awkward situation, but the thing to keep first and foremost in mind is to do what's right for you and your career, and to be honest.

A month may be too little time to truly determine whether your current job is a good fit, but there's no harm in talking to another company to figure out if it's where you'd rather be. If you feel you can negotiate and convince them to hire you to fill both positions, and if it is your dream job, then go for it.

Don't worry about screwing up your career: just be honest and sincere about why you're leaving, and be considerate. If you are offered and decide to take the new job, explain to your current employer that it's an opportunity you just cant give up. Acknowledge that you're putting them in a tough spot of having to look for someone again, and say that you'll try to make the transition as smooth as possible. Do not mention that you're not happy where you are. Every conversation – with your current employer and all future employers – needs to be about how good the new job is. In your interview, stick to the story that you're really excited about the opportunity – it will only flatter the hopefully new boss.

When it comes to references, same thing: be honest. Explain the situation, acknowledge that you're asking a lot of them, and say that you understand if they'd rather opt out of vouching for you this time around.

As for your resumé, there's no rule that you have to list every job you've ever had, so you can just leave off your current gig (a month of not working won't ring any bells for people looking at your resumé in the future).

*Question is edited for length and identifying details.

sacrifice the few for the good of many

It makes sense that anything a company can do to minimize layoffs is a good thing, but it seems this isn't necessarily true. An article in Maclean's says

[W]age rollbacks are actually worse for worker morale than layoffs. When workers are fired, it generally sends a wave of discontent through the ranks. But then the affected employees are gone, and after a few weeks, things return more-or-less to normal. In contrast, when wages are cut, bad feelings linger in the office for months as employees grumble and debate whether they’ve been mistreated by management, and when they’ll get their “real” full paycheque back. Strange as it may seem, employers believe it’s actually less disruptive to simply fire people.

matthew teitelbaum on leadership

CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Matthew Teitelbaum shares a few words in a video on the Globe and Mail website. Here's a bit of what he had to say about managing the Frank Gehry renovation...

On leadership:

"My job as a leader was, in a general sense, to give people the tools to do the best job they could."

On goal setting:

"Keep alive the short-, medium- and long-term goal."

On change:

"At the very root of this project is the notion of change. And in any change process, there is an extraordinary sense of loss. My experience is, if you don't anticipate the loss, if you don't somehow talk to what people have to give up, then you can't keep them with you. So you have to talk about what they're giving up in the language of what you're going to create for them. And when you do that, you can keep diverse interests together because everyone feels that they're part of the end goal."

On relaying a vision:

"Leadership is about clearly articulating, to the best of your ability, the path to the goal. Repeat the goal, repeat the goal. ... Keep your eye on the goal and find effective, powerful ways to communicate that in different ways."

On work relationships:

"To lead a process of change, you have to empathize both with what people are getting and what people are giving up. So stay close to the people who you need as your community and really listen. Stay close to them, create the relationship, listen so you can move forward because a change process is painful."

hand out your personal email address

I've spoken before about how important a well-managed address book is, and part of that is making sure you have personal email addresses of key contacts. As people move on, leaving one job for another, you may lose touch with them if you don't have a way to reach them besides a work email and phone number.

With this in mind, it's also a good idea to hand out your own personal email so you can be reached should you switch jobs. As Chris Brogan suggests

"Either get a gmail/yahoo/hotmail account, or buy a domain that can be yours forever. Use that email for secondary contact with any business contacts you might want to retain across many relationships. Do your work on your work email, but keep a “stay in touch” channel alive."

Hat tip to Sharon Donaldson.