Polly Pearson's Blog

Brand Job Opening: The Coolest Job at the Company (after mine)

There are actually a couple of openings here in EMC's Employment Brand Office, one for a savvy assistant and another for an Employment Brand Leader. 

Who do you know? 

Following is the job description -- or at least an attempt at one. I'm sure I forgot major elements of the job -- but this will give you a feel for it ...

Title: Employment Brand Leader

Job Description: The Coolest Job at the Company.

Help build and brand careers, culture and cool at EMC.  This role is a combination of brand marketing; web 2.0 engagement; multi-media; relationship building; and elements of HR, including career management and 21st century leadership.  

Responsibilities: As part of the Employment Brand Office, you will build global connections, relationships, community, and brand identity for EMC as a place to work. At the same time, you will help at a "soul-level," guide EMC to being a better place to work.  As part of this process, you will listen and work with leaders at every level of the company, interface with external thought leaders, and be a change agent.  You will also community manage internal and external social networks, produce eBooks, videos, blogs, presentations, events, ads, and more.  You will encourage and assist others at EMC to build an environment that celebrates our brand values and furthers EMC as the ultimate place to work.

The Employment Brand Office is like a mini, nimble, full-service marketing operation inclusive of PR, web, advertising, research, messaging, events, social media, and overall branding. Organizationally, it sits in Marketing and works consistently with Human Resources, the executive office, and people of every organizational affiliation throughout this global company. Its “target audience” is both the internal talent market (employees) and the external talent market (potential future employees.) In all that we do, we work to build relationships which humanize EMC,in a genuine and positive way.

QUALIFICATIONS

•    Education and background

• You likely have a marketing or communications degree – and you may also have had a minor in international relations, sales, or human studies.
• You're a seasoned brand pro, and know how to do all of the elements in a modern marketing toolkit.
• You’ve led teams, and enjoy diving fully into the work yourself.
• You have held a fiercely demanding job in the past -- one which required you to use your strategic skills and amazing customer service abilities.

•    Excellent communication skills

• You love to write & enjoy sharing your ideas with others. Your writing skills are strong, and producing content on subjects you’re comfortable with comes easily.
• Speaking to a room of people is no big deal, and you have your fair share of PowerPoint tricks.
• You’re a connector who loves to share. You’re able to put people and information together in a way that builds relationships and benefits all.
• You have enthusiasm, passion, and curiosity … everyday there’s a story going on and an opportunity to share it.

•    Driver and Manager of projects and programs

• You are a driver and a solid project leader.
• You don’t have to be told what to do, in fact you rather like it when someone gives you an objective and lets you consider how to get it done.
• You can be counted on.

•    Business-Minded

• You get why we're in business, what we do for the world, and what is important to the customers, and the C-suite.

 •    Current:  2.0 savvy, Innovative, Modern-Minded

• You have a continual willingness to experiment and innovate. No fear.
• You’re comfortable engaging in-person, and with on-line audiences, both reactively and proactively --  ultimately empowering others to talk about the brand.
• You get "Workforce 2.0" and the 21st Century model for management.

---------------------- Talk Back ------------------

Feel free to send a link to your resume -- or attempt to connect with me in other creative ways  -- to pearson_polly@emc.com; @pollypearson; or Linkedin (PollyPearson).

Polly Pearson
EMC Corp
176 South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Career Advice and the Job Interview: The Blue, Yellow and Red of Job Search Today.

 

[Words from Polly Pearson; Color block image from About.com]

Could these potentially be the new basics -- the Blue, Yellow, and Red -- of job search today?

Dice.com today ran an interview with me covering just three questions.  As I considered them in their most boiled down fashion, the image of three primary essentials -- Be Found; Be Relevant; Be Heard -- came to mind.

Here are the questions asked:

1. How can IT people build their brand?  ( 0:51)  BE FOUND.
2. What can set you apart during a job interview? (1:16)  BE RELEVANT.
3. How important are soft skills? (1:21) BE HEARD.

Thank you Sonia Lelii

for coming out to EMC to do the interview.

The tips  I mention in this interview, and more, can be found in the free eBook we published recently, containing real-time views from tech recruiters themselves. 

---------------- Talk Back ----------------

What are other key tips from your vantage point for the 21st Century seeker of productive connections (sales, marketing, job search, etc)?

-- Polly Pearson

http://www.pollypearson.com

@PollyPearson

Top Job Trends of 2009 -- and your relevance

Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com started a discussion string some time ago on LinkedIn on the subject of "job security." Everyone knows there is no such thing any longer -- so, he asked, what would be the appropriate way to refer to the concept in "today's terms?"  I remember what I thought the answer could be. In one word, "Relevance."  Are you relevant? In addition to being able to execute and deliver results, are your skills up-to-date and in-line with where things are headed? That might be the best thing you can do for yourself in the realm of job security.

With that as a backdrop, I found this just published data from Indeed.com quite interesting. It lists the

 Top Job Trends of 2009.   

Where does the data come from?  According to the graphs, "Indeed.com searches millions of jobs from thousands of job sites. This job trends graph shows the percentage of jobs we find that contain your search terms."

Here's the graph for the #2 most popular job trend (aka fastest growing job term), "Cloud Computing."  (Your knowledge is up to date and relevant on this subject, right?)

cloud computing Job Trends

cloud computing jobs

What is  #1, most popular Job Trend?  "Twitter."

Twitter Job Trends

Twitter jobs

Indeed's full list of the 10 fastest growing opportunities of 2009:

1. Twitter
2. Cloud Computing
3. iPhone
4. Facebook
5. Corporate Social Responsibility
6. Blogger
7. Pediatrician
8. Hospitalist
9. Social Media
10. Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

------------- Talk Back ------------

Cool graphs, eh?

Do the trends -- or their order -- surprise you? I found them noteworthy. 

If you're looking for a job, be sure to check out -- and subscribe to alerts by area of interest and/or geography, to EMC's oodles of global job openings:  www.emc-careers.com.  This is a link to our relatively new and cutting edge SEO-optimized job opening site.

My thanks to the blog "Gautam on Organizations 2.0" for the heads up on this data.

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson
pearson_polly@emc.com

"How To Get A Better Job?" A post for employees and job seekers alike.

Most of the planet, it seems, would like to get a job, get promoted, or a get a better job. 

 

How does one go about making this happen (in this century)?

I'm reminded of a great post I saw a couple of years ago. An employee made a comment along the lines of, "HR stinks. No one from HR has come to me to discuss my career in over two years."

In moments, someone replied,

"You do realize that you are in charge
of your own career, right?"

So if your manager isn't promoting you like mad, and HR isn't beating down your door to discuss your personal aspirations, what do you do?

Some thoughts:

1.  Ask yourself how you are staying up to date on your profession.   (question stolen from Kris Dunn)
If it involves learning from people in your department or company, going to an annual conference, or being a member of a professional organization, that is not enough.  Get Better At What You Do.

Action:  Connect with thought leaders in the space you want to know more about or master.  Don't leave anything "hot" for the "young kids," or the people with seniority.  Learn about it. Thanks to Google, Bing, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Amazon, and good old fashioned volunteering via personal outreach, anything you want to know about is just a click, or request, away. 99% of information and connection with the thought leaders in the space you wish to master is free. 

There are LinkedIn professional groups on just about every topic.  In these groups, people are having real-time discussions and solving real-time problems. By listening to, and eventually joining, the conversation you'll pick something up.  This will make you more valuable at your current job -- and people you work with will start to notice.

If that is too aggressive for you, do a Twitter Search on the professional topic you're interested in.  Look at the people who pop up under that category. Follow the people with lots of followers -- they likely are saying something of value.  Read what they're saying, and what they are linking to.  Eventually, consider engaging with them by commenting on something they said, or simply "ReTweeting" something they said that you found of value.  In the process, you get two benefits.  You are seeing new insights that will add value to your professional knowledge, and you are starting to build your network of people you know outside of your current life circle.

2. Ask yourself (and reply honestly!) if you are leveraging the resources at your disposal today. Get Better At Using What Is Available to You. 

ACTION For those with jobs:

Look with fresh eyes at your Relationship with your Manager. Work to connect better with him/her.  Know his/her goals. Look for opportunities to take things off his/her plate. Give more than you get. Exceed expectations. Support others on the team. Mentor others. Be positive. Be passionate. Care more about the success of the company and the mission than you care about your status. Always have a proposed solution at hand when you discuss what could be better. Evaluate your proposed solution like the CEO would -- does the benefit exceed the cost? Will the solution work to expedite the strategy, revenue and profit?

Are you getting to know others at your place of work? Join affinity groups, sit down with people you may or may not know at lunch, ask for 15 minutes of someone you admire's time, buy someone a cup of coffee. Read/listen to the articles and discussions taking place on Intranets and Social Networks.  Reply to the people who wrote them with thoughts that further the concepts discussed. Work to expand your circle of people you know, and thus your circle of influence.  Plan to give to them (in time, insight, volunteer effort) more than you get in return.

Do you have an agent set up on the company's job posting web site? Many/most of these allow you to key in search words and get alerted via email the next time a job opens up with that word(s).

Do you have an up-to-date profile on your internal network?  (These are becoming internal resumes for talent seeking managers -- many of whom are searching with word searches. Do the words you used on your profile reflect your skills and aspirations?)

Are you leveraging your company's training and education offerings?  These are a great way to meet others -- expanding your network and your company insights -- as well as to expand your skills.

ACTION For those looking for job:

Have you mastered your elevator pitch?  This is the pitch that states what you're looking for and why you are well suited to do it. Have you shared this pitch, and mastered it further, with everyone you know?  Have you changed the hat you wear on your head to that of chief salesperson and chief marketing officer for YOU?

As chief salesperson and chief marketing officer, how are you making sales calls, building relationships, and looking for potential space to advertise?  Now is not the time to be meek or shy. You need to be proud of the product you are selling.

Has everyone on your FaceBook,  LinkedIn, Alumni, Neighborhood, and prior workplace networks heard/seen your elevator pitch? Have you turned the table on LinkedIn and FaceBook started to USE them -- seek out people who know people at the companies where you would like to work? Read blogs and books on how to best use these networks for job search.  Believe me, there are TONS of new ways.

Are you recruiting recruiters?  This was called to my attention just this week by JP McDermott over on Examiner.com.  Don't forget to market yourself (and this means many contact attempts) to the people with the jobs! Understand they are busy, but also make sure they know your elevator pitch and how you can help them.

For more tips, be sure to read our new eBook on 100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

NET:  Remember the old line that has never been more true, or easier to accomplish in this social network-rich-on-line-world:  Who You Know Is More Important (in job search) Than What You Know!

Action:  Work to know more people with knowledge important to you.  Give them more than you hope to get.

Good Luck!  For me, the networking-oriented things are new tools in my career tool kit. Since I started using them, I've built more relationships, made more connections, learned more, and added more value to my company. Oh, and I've had more fun in the process as well.

-------------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What are your tips to help get a better job?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

Reception for the Free eBook: "100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters."

New eBook Named A "Top Ten Job Search Book" and a "Terrific Example of Brand Journalism"

 

The book, just days old, has now been downloaded thousands of times. (big smile)

It has also had a few nice write ups so far --this one by career management author and JibberJobber.com CEO, Jason Alba. 

Marketing and Leadership Strategies Author and Speaker, David Meerman Scott, today called it out on his blog, highlighting it as "valuable stuff" and noting that it is the first book of its kind from FORTUNE 500 recruiters. David said that he loves that the people of EMC took the time to write it, and recommends sharing the book with your friends. To warm my branding heart, he called it "a terrific example of brand journalism."

Author and columnist Alison Doyle of About.com careers kindly named the book on her list of the Top 10 Job Search Books.  (Wow!) 

And lots of folks are forwarding the link around on Twitter. (Thanks for helping get the word out on this resource.)

You can download it for free here. 

... Wishing you all a terrific new year! I'll be heading to Boston shortly for a little get away. If I don't have a chance to post again in the next few days, talk with you again in 2010.

------------ Talk Back ---------------

Job seekers, or friends and family of job seekers -- what content did you find highlighter worthy? 

What would you like to see in future eBooks from EMC on the job search/career management process?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

Free eBook: 100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters

Here's a free gift for you, or someone you care about.  Download it here.   

It is an eBook containing 100 (real-time, right-now, in-this-market) Job Search Tips from tenured FORTUNE 500 recruiters, globally. It offers their top strategies, as well as what they see as some of the biggest mistakes made by job seekers today.  You can view the tips by the area of focus they represent (executive search, college placement, sales, service, engineering, general, etc), or the area of the world in which they search for talent (such as North America, Europe, China). It also offers links to top resources and sites.

 

This book is not about EMC, or for EMC in any direct way.  There is no need to register or provide any information at all from your end.  

Why did we put this together?  Here are a few of the reasons:

• To Open the Black Box.  How many people know how recruiters work, or how to find a job? Until I started working on my company's employment brand, and getting to know the recruiters and how they operated, I surely didn't have a clue. As a "Loyal Employee," who wasn't on the job market, I had no need to know.  Or did I? Things change fast. There are a lot of "loyal employees" on the market today, at no fault of their own. Job search, and how recruiters worked was a black box (a mystery) to me. I figured it must be to a lot of you as well.

• To Brand, in a subtle web 2.0 manner.   As a largely business-to-business brand, most consumers -- and most of the world for that matter -- are not familiar with EMC Corporation.  If we can give something of value, freely, to people ... something they benefit from, and may choose to share with others ... it could introduce the EMC brand to more people, in a kind way.  If it entices people to look at job openings at EMC, that's gravy on top -- could be good for them, could be good for EMC.

• To Help.  It actually makes me physically ill when seeing the disconnect between how search works today, and how many people are going about it. Too many people fear putting themselves on-line. Too many people think writing a resume and sending it to a company is the way search still works.  And while they operate in the "old mold of search," stress is building on them and on their families.  The cycle worsens.  As the intro of this eBook points out: putting people to work is good. It is good for business, it is good for families, it is good for the world. 

 

We started this project in the Fall -- it was brainstormed by Dan Schawbel and I and supported by everyone we mentioned it to in a Jerry McGuire-esque "You had me at 'Hello'."   It was also supported by career pundits in general -- a big THANK YOU to columnist Eve Tahmincioglu of MSNBC.com; columnist Alison Doyle of About.com; CEO/author Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com; and author/coach Lindsey Pollak of LindseyPollak.com and LinkedIn for reading and reviewing the book prior to release.

Check out the book. Download it (you never know). If there is no news in there for you -- give yourself a pat on the back.  You'll be fine.  If you learned something new, share the news.  There are too many people out there who really need these insights.  If you'd like more tips, consider subscribing to this blog (http://www.pollypearson.com)  and, most definitely, check out the series of 6 or 7 posts I did over the summer titled the "Get a Job and Career Tips Series." 

**********  A Story ************

The faces and stories of job search in this climate became vivid for me a couple weeks ago. I was a "speed mentor" on Careers at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, where, for three hours, people formed several lines, each 15 -- 25 people deep, waiting to get some advice.

The disconnect between how successful job search takes place in this market, and how these professional, accomplished people were approaching their search was painful to see.  

One woman explained how she had sent out over 100 resumes over the past several months and how she was frustrated that she didn't get one reply.  Then, she said, she went into one of the sky-rises in Boston hoping to talk with someone about a job.  What did they do? They gave her a company-branded water bottle and sent her on her way.  

That method -- sending resumes and walking into office buildings may have worked the last time these people were on the market for a job ... but not today!

Many candidates pride themselves on NOT being on-line. Conservative people, of course, could find that action unwise. News Flash: not being found via a simple Google search is what is unwise today.    You are at competitive disadvantage by not being easily found in the on-line world.  

------------------ Talk Back -----------------

What do you think of the eBook? Of the way search happens today?

For the branders and company marketing/or human resources folk who read this blog:   this effort, of course, cost us nothing but our time.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series, #6: Facebook can be an ASSET in job search!

I can hear the advice coming from everyone. It sounds like a nagging mother telling her kids to look both ways before crossing the street.  Yeah, mom, I know. I know.

The nag I hear most about social networks, especially to the college set, is: "Beware. Don't. Watch out."

Google the subject and you'll get links like this one at the top of the list leading with the risks and warnings about participating on social networks and blogging, as they relate to your career prospects. It is a good post, everyone should be aware of the risks. It is a super post in that it also sheds light on opportunities blogging provides ... yet, the take away impression is still "WATCH OUT!"

Trend spotting: Facebook is the friend of Job Search!

Two days ago, I clicked on something of interest in my Tweetstream which brought me to a wonderfully insightful blog post which suggested looking at Facebook profiles and updates as a tool that can attract, not detract. Brilliant! It had me at hello. 

Today, I saw this theme again in a piece that Jessica Shambora (@jessshambora) of FORTUNE wrote. Title? "Watch Out LinkedIn, Facebook is gaining on you."  Jessica was kind enough to include me in her article so I can vouch for the fact that she was onto this theme at least dating back to last Tuesday, September 1st, when she interviewed me.

Let the sunshine in!  Yes!, everyone's doom and gloom can also mean a big opportunity!  Blue Ocean, Red Ocean, and all that.

This, I think, is a job tip and a trend spot of the moment.  I did a Twitter Search to find that blog post I read with the breakthrough thought.  Should have known. It was from Guy Kawaski.  Way to go, Guy.

To be fair, the first opportunistic write up I saw on Facebook for job search came from this great experiment and resulting post on job seekers placing ads in Facebook by Willy Franzen on his blog, One Day One Job. Oddly, Willy wrote that one year ago to the week.  

It is early days with this, though an indication of things to come. Good stuff.  Take that naggers. 

-- My kudos to anyone else who may have had this breakthrough thought. Feel free to share a link to your opportunistic take in a comment on this post. --

-------------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

Okay, let me have it. Tell me all the terrible things that happen on Facebook.

Then for those who wish to swim in blue oceans, can you see the opportunity? Can you see the world seeing the genuine you?  That the genuine you will likely be attractive to a company and a culture where there is a genuine fit? What do you see?

And what could be the next opportunity, for people or business, with tools that we dismiss or diminish for certain applications today?

If you want to continue the conversation on what's now and what's next in the realm of careers, culture, cool, and the world of employment branding, feel free to follow me on Twitter and/or subscribe to this blog.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Question #1: Isn't Personal Branding Vain?

"The thought of Googling myself makes my skin crawl."

My prior post covered what I see as the top questions/reservations coming from business people on the subject of social media. The number one concern I hear has to do with taking the big jump into a pool that strikes many as overly self promotional, vain, unprofessional, or simply too revealing for comfort.

All understandable points.

Consider the flip side.

Would you go to an important meeting or an interview without first looking in the mirror?  You would want to know you look okay, and fix anything that might be out of place, right?

Today, "Google is the New Mirror."

What do you look like?  Not knowing could be like walking into an Interview with your fly down and spinach in your teeth.

When someone Googles your name (it could be a customer who wants to know what your track record is before they meet you; it could be an entity that wants to partner with you; it could be a company who is considering hiring or featuring you), what do they see? 

• Do you even show up on the first page of Google search? 

• How hard do they have to work to find you? 

• The longer it takes them to find you, the more of a non-entity you might seem to be. 

• What if the first listing under YOUR name is a photo of a Tequila swilling 40-something? A convict? A person who is the antithesis of you ... or of someone whose resume is close enough to yours to be confusing?

Is it professionally courteous, expedient, or responsible not to know what you look like to others?

 

Last year I had as radio guests on EMC's Visual Talk Radio Show Barbara Massa, EMC's head of North America Recruiting operation and Dan Schawbel, both author of the new Personal Branding book, Me 2.0and EMC's resident social media specialist.

A take away from this program is that matching talent to opportunity today is a branding two-way street. 

Opportunity needs to be able to know about You and what You stand for. 

You need to know about Opportunity and what it could mean to You/Your business. 

Today, you expect every entity to have a presence on the web.  You want to research every hotel room, baseball bat, pair of jeans, house and technology gadget before you decide. If something is not on the web, it must not be significant enough to be worthy of your consideration, right? 

Guess what? That's what the world expects when it comes to talent/people/partners.  They want to research you on-line before making the next step.  If you're not on-line, you likely are not significant enough to be considered.  Ouch.

Barbara noted the funny twist that exists today.  No one expects a young person to have a presence on the web. They're just starting out and their careers are likely far from remarkable.  Everyone expects senior people to have a presence on the web.  They have, their resume says, launched products, turned around companies, and done other amazing things.

Only the reality is exactly the opposite. 

The young people are easily found and their credentials and claims are validated on line. The senior people are not easily found or validated.

There is no such thing as "Job Security" any longer.  What got you to where you are won't keep you where you are. 

What can you do about it?

Be relevant. Be found. Be vain if that what it takes. 

The pay off?

The larger "your brand," the larger your company's brand and the larger the opportunities that can find their way to you and to your company.

If you want to know more on this subject, Dan's book is available as of March 30, 2009. It is a super read for anyone getting started with the concept of personal branding, or anyone in the job search game.  If you can't wait for the book in the mail, check out his blog. He lives this space.

 

-------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?"

Do you exist if the Internet doesn't know you?

Do you have spinach in your teeth if you don't own your personal brand, a.k.a. your digital identity?

What do people want in a place to work?

Does "Fun" Belong?

As my team and I started thinking seriously about EMC's employment brand about a year ago I first put on my old marketing hat.

"Let's start with what the target audience wants ... and then look at what we have in the most genuine manner. Where they match up -- heck, that's a good place to start."

With no budget assigned to this endeavor and a strong desire from our recruiters to have a clear message, we opted to listen to our gut and take the 80/20 route. … Get the messaging 80% right, get it to market and refine as we go."

We started by asking the senior-most folks in HR at EMC, "What do people want in a job?"

This is what came back, in no particular order:

• They want career growth.
• They want to enjoy the people they work with.
• They want to have pride for where they work and feel respected.
• They want to make a difference – the type of work matters.
• They want to generate wealth.

Then our head of executive recruiting saw it and said it was missing one thing, "Fun." We added:

• They want Fun.

Some (well, one) scoffed at this last entry ... "FUN!?” He said, “I don't come to work to have fun. I come to work to work. I have fun at home. I go home to have my fun."

We put fun on the list anyway.

When we matched what EMC genuinely has to offer against that list and started exploring with our global base of employees what they thought was cool and truly compelling about EMC, we frankly look pretty darned good. I’ll share some examples and profile EMC people on this blog to back up what I say.

I’ll also share some of the more scientific findings we discovered in studying this space further.

TALK BACK:

Do you agree with this "gut list" of drivers? What's important to you? Should "fun" be on the list?  What do you think the order should be? (Please include what you do for a living or desire to do for a living.)

One of my developer (a.k.a. Engineer) friends, for example, took issue with seeing Career Growth at the top of the list. That is not a driver for him. A better phrase for him would be "rewarding career" or "exciting career."

(Looking at the photo for "work fun" I selected I'm not sure if it looks more "scary" than "fun" ... pretend it looks "fun.")

Job Hunting is Dumb

I find it interesting that we discuss the “Job Market” and set out to “look for a job.” Isn’t that a short-sighted thing to do? It is like buying a product based on price rather than total return on investment. It might feel like the thing to do at that point in time but in the mid- to long-run, you’re losing out.

I believe people would be a lot better off if they “company hunt” rather than “job hunt.” Think about it, who likes looking for a job? It must be stressful and terribly time consuming.

By a stroke of luck I landed at a great company seventeen years ago. I’ve been able to change jobs here about every 1-3 years and continue to enjoy things like a predictably short commute, un-disrupted stock option vesting, a dynamic environment always filled with growth and challenge and decade-long relationships with co-workers that stretch across the company and across the globe.

I was reminded of the wisdom of this “company hunt” type approach when reading a recent Fortune article by David Kirkpatrick titled “Why tech stocks have a glorious future.”

  The article quotes recent research, “2008 Global Internet Snapshot compiled by Imran Khan, senior analyst for Internet, media and entertainment at JP Morgan ” which paints quite an attractive future for stocks (and companies) that could benefit from the “unremitting hunger for technology, communication, Internet access, and information.”

Kirkpatrick goes on to say, “That means that while we may seem to be living in grim economic times, tech companies are facing a future that is anything but grim - something that is salutary to recall when we read the daily headlines about financial turmoil and economic uncertainty. If you take the global view - and what technology company doesn't? - there really isn't much uncertainty. While things could slow down for a year or two, there is nowhere to go but up - way up.”

I’ve been living this “way up” trend for on-line information and connectivity to information since day one at EMC and there is no end in sight. The amount of digital information grows on average about 60% per year. IDC just did a study on the digital universe and says that number is only getting higher.  As the place “Where Information Lives” – that’s pretty cool for EMC.

Now think if you happen to be a badge carrying EMCer when seeing these headlines. It means there’ll be plenty of opportunity for professional and wealth growth right from where they’re sitting. Yum.