Sunday, June 2 2013

Dear Colleague,

You have taken the first step pushing toward to what GE’s Jack Welch calls “Lifetime Employability” using SMARTvt.org’s Methodologies. Welcome aboard!

When Jack was hiring during the tremendous growth and success of the GE Days he’d tell Executives – “I can’t promise you that you that you will work for GE for the remainder of your career --- but I can promise you Lifetime Employability.”

To be sure Jack Welch protégé’s continue to lead powerfully successful organizations all over the globe.

Toward That End:

Herein is your New Member Welcome Kit with information about our group, how we work, and our expectations. You should work through the outlined tasks as soon as possible so you will receive the most value for your time and money.

SMARTvt operates under several basic and key assumptions:

Members accept the premise that The New World Order in Employment requires that we, the Knowledge Worker, are individually and solely responsible For OUR Education, Training, Skill Development, Rapid Adoption, Assimilation, Deployment of New Technologies and Processes, and possess levels of accounting, technology, legal, sales, budgeting, and branding acuity.

Members will observe rules of confidentiality with regard to private and personal information exchanged between and among group members and understand that confidential trade secrets and other legal matters are not to be shared outside SMARTvt.;

Members will learn one another’s strengths / weaknesses and become advocates; Expanding your contact channel is key to success and members will work diligently on

expanding their business networks using recommended online tools; Members will display volition and initiate tasks for the group to explore, for the benefit of

all; Members understand that their participation, attendance, and forward thinking are key to the success of the group.

We look forward to your active membership and contributions to the group.

Sincerely, on behalf of the CEO and President, Michael J. Kipp, CPA,

Mark Renkert, Mcsl, Chairman of the Board

© SMARTvt – 104 Country Club Drive East, S. Burlington VT 05403 – Tel 802-318-4136 www.smartvt.org / www.smartvt.com

A new way to drive job and wealth creation

New Member Immediate Tasks and Assignments

I. You are invited to interview with SMARTvt.org Team Members before joining. No direct services will be provided prior to payment of fees, but you’ll get an opportunity to meet members, take part in group discussions, and decide if the fit is appropriate for your needs. You can join SMARTvt Group on Linked In Groups.

When you decide to join SMARTvt we suggest you go to SMARTvt Linked In Groups / . Once you decide to enroll you’ll be expected to pay the enrollment fee of $845. Make checks

payable to SMARTvt.org, 104 Country Club Drive East, South Burlington, Vermont 05403 You may submit your resume to Mark Renkert (Mark@smartvt.org) during this time but it

must be on file. Please make sure your cell phone is included. Electronic copies are preferred. A resume will be prepared for you if you do not have one. Expect to receive an intense written

question-set that will be part of a complete bio-psycho-social evaluation. In some cases there can be up to 250 questions. You will be required to complete these questions within a set time-frame.

II. Upon payment of fees, you will be scheduled to meet with one or more of the Senior Executives to review your profile and determine your strengths, weaknesses, and goal viability.

Upon payment of fees, you have several tasks to complete essentially at the same time. These tasks are to add you to the groups, social network sites, and other tools we use to facilitate communication, meeting planning, and networking opportunities. All of the online tools we use are free.

III. Linked In profile

Please create a Linked In profile. Visit www.linkedin.com

You may include SMARTvt as an affiliation within your Linked In profile; your Function is “Member.” You will be assigned a Function upon determination of your Subject Matter Expertise and review of your Work Product.

Join the LinkedIN group SMARTvt.org and issue invitations to current members to build your network.

Work on building your profile: your background work, your volunteer work, connecting with people from your past and current employment, people you meet at conferences and meetings. Please aim for 10 new connections per week. Everyone you meet and

know is a potential Linked In Resource, Recommendation or Referral.

A new way to drive job and wealth creation

You should join other LI groups related to your Subject Matter Expertise. See other member profiles for examples. You are expected to join a minimum of two groups in addition to SMARTvt.

You should create a Twitter Account and tie it to your Linked In profile. You should create a Slideshare.net account to present examples of your Work Product that

will be attached as either Projects or Publications on you LI profile. Post an update to your status bar on Linked In, something like "Special Report –

Economic Indicators Call For Growth…www.growth.com." Linked In is a professional tool: no one cares if you had a bagel for breakfast. They do care if you are working on interesting projects or attending meetings and such.

You should join other LI groups related to your Subject Matter Expertise. See other member profiles for examples. You are expected to join a minimum of two groups in addition to SMARTvt. You are expected to participate intellectually within these groups.

You should write at least 10 Recommendations for other professionals you know on Linked In using the “Recommend This Person” drop down menu. Your recommendations will give a good indication of how you think – do this well.

You should then get at least 10 recommendations that support your Subject Matter Expertise and your Work Product Example.

You must also open a free Skype Account and learn how to use skype. And your skype name must be accessible to SMARTvt members (tutorial: http://bit.ly/15srvUj )

Another Powerful Work Product Example Display Tool is Wordpress.com – you can create a free blog and publish your work for all to read and post this as a publication to you LI Profile under Publications. (tutorial: http://bit.ly/15rC3no )

III. Please be sure to add a digital photograph to all of your online profiles and send a copy of it to Mark Renkert. IV. Create a SMARTsheet account at www.smartsheet.com is an online collaboration tool where we can have whiteboard discussions, post documents for editing and retrieval, calendar tasks, etc. Members’ resumes are posted in their “workspaces” for all to review. Also we use SMARTSHEET to collaborate on White Papers and other documents. (Tutorial: http://bit.ly/11Mxy7T)

Post your resume to your SMARTSHEET workspace Invite other members of the group to your new workspace. If we are not invited to the

space we can’t leave comments on your documents. Enroll for the free SMARTSHEET.com. product. SMARTvt uses this application to

collaborate and coordinate work related consulting assignments and important SMARTvt Projects.

V. Please join the SMARTvt group on Linked IN

VI. Join Twitter, www.twitter.com and Link it with your Linked In profile. You may not want to post but you should FOLLOW some groups and businesses in your area of interest or your community. Suggestions: SMARTvt, SMARTvtMark, sullivaninfo, Pouteaux, JBRiendeau, Burton Snowboards, restaurants, etc. VII. Please complete the Myers Briggs assessment at the link ‐ http://sminds.com/cgi bin/mbti.pl ‐ and send results to Mark Renkert. A new way to drive job and wealth creation

VIII. When you have completed these tasks, you may request the electronic logo file for SMARTvt.org or SMARTvt.com so you can order business cards. Your business affiliation is SMARTvt.org, your role or position is “Member.” Sample cards from Vistaprint will be provided as examples. Vistaprint is one company offering FREE or very inexpensive business cards. See www.vistaprint.com

Please be sure to review the www.smartvt.org site and become familiar with the branding statements.

Please monitor your positions of interest and companies posting to www.indeed.com and Seven Days http://www.7dvt.com/ While you are networking and building your brand you should be monitoring the "regular” media to target companies in your areas of interest. Remember these postings are also Consulting Opportunities. All interesting positions that you find on-line should be forwarded to the Career Advisor managing your case.

XI. You will be added to SMARTvt’s email distribution list and you'll see all the other member emails. Once you are in my SMARTvtSheet group (Tutorial: http://bit.ly/11Mxy7T) you'll find a copy of members' names and phones posted there and updated on a regular basis. Largely most Group Communication is via either SMARTSHEET or Linked In Groups SMARTvt (Tutorial http://bit.ly/ZCWtdP )

XII. We work with many of the Pierson principles (see Reading List) and I'll be asking you to sign the Membership Agreement that comes from Pierson. Please send a signed copy to Kathie Sullivan; if you can send electronically, it’s preferable.

A new way to drive job and wealth creation

Reading List

We have found many of these materials to be helpful in our group activities.

Pierson, Orville. The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the World's Leading Career Services Company

_________. Highly Effective Networking: Meet the Right People and Get a Great Job

Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future ‐

_________. Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself

Robinson, Alan G. Ideas are Free: How the Idea Revolution is Liberating People and Transforming Organizations (speaker at recent Burlington Chamber of Commerce event)

Quinn, Robert E. Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within (Rebecca recommends from her course work)

Kotter, John P. The Heart of Change: Real Life Stories of How People Change ‐Their Organizations (Rebecca recommends)

A new way to drive job and wealth creation

Code of Conduct

SMARTvt and the Job Club are safe spaces for growing and learning. Because of this, some guidelines for conduct must be set in place and observed by all.

Respect for the Individual

We all deserve to be in an environment where we are treated with dignity and respect. SMARTvt is committed to creating such an environment because it brings out the full potential in each of us, which, in turn, contributes directly to our success. We cannot afford to let anyone’s talents go to waste.

Examples of unacceptable behavior include but are not limited to:

Physically harming others

Verbal Abuse or Bullying – In person or on-line

Using intimidation tactics and making threats

Sabotaging another's work or job candidacy

Stalking online or in-person.

Making malicious, false and harmful statements about others.

Publicly disclosing another's private information. Create a Culture of Open and Honest

Communication At SMARTvt everyone should feel comfortable to speak his or her mind, particularly with

respect to ethics concerns. We all have a responsibility to create an open and supportive environment

where everyone feels comfortable raising such questions. SMARTvt will investigate all reported instances

of questionable or unethical behavior. In every instance where improper behavior is found to have

occurred, The Bench will take appropriate action.

Dress Code

We never know who will show up to our meetings – often there are Senatorial, Congressional and Gubernatorial visits. For that reason, we must at minimum, be in business casual at every meeting.

A new way to drive job and wealth creation

Attendance

It is expected that members will attend each session in-person or on-line. It is a matter of respect to call or send an email to one of the Bench if you cannot attend. Missing meetings is grounds for termination. “The Bench” is the term for Senior Leadership at SMARTvt.

Accountability

Each of us is responsible for knowing and adhering to the values and standards set forth in this Code and for raising questions if we are uncertain about policy. If we are concerned whether the standards are being met or are aware of violations of the Code, we must contact the HR department.

SMARTvt takes seriously the standards set forth in the Code, and violations are cause for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

A new way to drive job

and wealth creation

Copyright 2005 2006 Orville Pierson. All rights reserved. ‐

The Job Search Work Team Contract

As a member of the (Name of team) __SMARTvt – SMART Holdings USA__ Job Search Work Team at

(Name of sponsoring organization) ____________JM Fitzgerald Foundation_______________

I agree to:

1 Engage others within SMART when possible via skype, email, groups or in-person. I understand that the team needs to have information on my search in order to help me, so I agree to submit a weekly progress report to the team each week for the duration of my search. I will give my weekly progress report (the first three items only) and see that my numbers are posted on the Job Search Productivity Wall Chart.

2 Treat Team Members with Respect

I understand that it is up to each and every member to make the team a pleasant and effective group, so I agree to honor commitments. I will arrive on time or early for meetings, fulfill my promises to others, follow all rules of the team and working to ensure each meeting is productive for all team members, including myself.

I agree to resign from the team in person if I decide to leave it before finding a new job. I understand that unexpected disappearances of team members are disturbing to the team and that integrity and good manners both require my departing in a way that brings closure for all team members. I agree to support fellow team members in whatever ways I can. This includes offering honest opinions and feedback to fellow team members about their plans and strategies in a positive and caring manner. I agree to generally treat others as I would like to be treated.

3. Make a Final Report to the Team when I find a new job – and provide refreshments (donuts or some other treat) for the team at the first meeting after I accept the job. I understand that celebrating success and understanding the pathways to getting there is important to the team, so I agree to use the standard Final Report form to provide the team with a debriefing of my search. I will summarize my progress statistics for my entire search, describe the major phases or chapters of my search, tell what I saw as most useful and productive in the course of the

A new way to drive job

and wealth creation

search and where the team was most helpful. If I am unable to attend the first team meeting after I find a new job, I agree to provide a written report to another member to read for me.

I agree to provide donuts or other appropriate treats for the entire team on the day the final report is scheduled, whether I am able to attend that meeting or not.

4. Donate Two to Four Hours to Other Team Members outside of the weekly meeting

I understand the team works because members help each other get the work done, so I agree to donate a minimum of two hours and a maximum of four hours each week to assisting other team members. I understand that observing the maximum is just as important as observing the minimum, since my primary duty is to find myself a new job. Specifically, I will look for opportunities to: participate in one of the team’s committees chair one of the team’s committees work with a new member to help them get started on the team work with other members one to one on some facet of their search that I am good ‐ ‐at – for example, resume writing, letter writing, interview practice, Internet research or any other search related work

I understand that this agreement does not require me to do anything that I am uncomfortable with or anything that causes me or my family undue hardship. I will also do whatever I reasonably can to be a resource to the team or individual team members for six months after I am re employed, making an ‐effort to donate a total of 10 hours during those six months. To the degree that it is practical and realistic, I will share my contact lists and target company information with one or more team members when I have a new job.

5. Abide by the rules

I agree to abide by all of the other rules of the team as outlined in The Pierson Method book, and I agree to abide by the rules of the organization sponsoring the JSWT program. I understand that my failure to live up to my agreements in this contract can result in the leader asking me to leave the team.

Signed (new team member) __________________________________ date: __________

Signed (experienced team member) ____________________________ date: __________

Signed (experienced team member) ____________________________ date: __________

Signed (experienced team member) ____________________________ date: __________

A new way to drive job

and wealth creation

(THIS LANGUAGE is from an earlier draft. I’ll review to make sure the ideas are reflected in either page 1 or the Code of Conduct. )

11. Finally, our expectations of each of you:

a. Respect for each member

b. Become familiar with the skill sets of fellow members so you can be an ambassador to others. You will receive the same in return, naturally.

c. Attendance at meetings (we understand absences for job interviews, appointments, current employment.) The bulk of our work comes from seeing each other and sharing. If you are currently employed we don't expect to see you weekly. We do expect you to participate in other ways.

d. Deposits to the "relationship bank": you get to make withdrawals if you have made deposits. If you have come to us expecting to be given solutions and do not expect to put effort back into the group, we may not be the right fit.

e. Respond to email and RSVP to events when posted

f. Spend time on your work objectives and SMARTvt from week to week.homework, if you will.

i. Give considerable thought to your expectations for future work. If you want to be a nurse and you don't have a nursing degree, we can only help you find education programs. We can't help you find job as a nurse otherwise! So have realistic expectations!

g. When we review business plans you are expected to treat all information as confidential. In fact, what we discuss in our meetings about companies, job searches, negotiations: all confidential.

Final Report to the Team Page 1

Name (print) __________________________________

Team name ___________________________________

Date _________________________________________

One of your commitments to your team is to debrief the team on your entire career advancement project when you finish it. This debriefing is of great importance to the team because it enables your teammates to better understand their own search projects.

Your thoughtful debriefing will help others succeed more quickly, as well as consolidating the learning of the project for your own future reference. In giving the report verbally, please use this outline as the basis for a 10 to 15-minute presentation to the team. If you need to start new employment immediately or are otherwise unable to give the report in person, please transmit it through a teammate or in writing in the same format. Please include:

1 Description. A brief description of your new position and organization or details of other career advancement. Please mention the two or three things about the job or the organization that were most important in your decision to take it – what you like best about them.

1. Overall Progress Summary. Please calculate the grand totals from your Pierson Progress Chart using the chart on the other side of this sheet. Post these on a separate wall chart, reserved for this purpose.

2. The Story of Your Search. Please briefly (in about five minutes) tell the story of your entire job search project. In doing so, divide it into phases or chapters, each with a descriptive title. In giving your report, name each of the chapters and give a very brief description of what happened in each. Again, this is an excellent learning experience for you teammates, since some who has successfully completed the project usually has a new perspective on it.

3. Strategy. As your project proceeded, did you modify your Project Plan (i.e. your Professional Objective, your Core Message or your Target Market criteria)? If so, when and why?

4. Success Factors. What were the most important factors in your success? How did the team (or individual teammates) help you succeed?

5. Advice. Now that you have successfully completed your job search, what advice would you give to your teammates who are still working on their projects? Please keep this to one sentence.

Copyright 2005-2006 Orville Pierson. All rights reserved.

Final Report to the Team Page 2

Averages and Totals for Your Entire Search

Total length of search: ________

weeks

Copyright 2005-2006 Orville

Pierson. All rights

Category Average per week Total for search TOTAL HOURS Direct mail Advertised positions Search Firms Other Letters TOTAL LETTERS General network (include search firms) Target company Misc. contact Target company Peer contact Target company Decision Maker/above Follow-ups with Decision Maker/above TOTAL CONTACTS