"I Need a Superior Resume
and a Plan of Attack."
If you are about to make a career move, it will be helpful to keep in mind the following perspective. Each executive career is a journey. At each stop along the way, as you decide on a new job, you choose from a number of possible futures. Your selection immediately changes your life, but it also determines all the remaining career choices that will ever become available to you.
That's why finding the "right" new job is so critical. If you just settle for an "okay" job, chances are you will end up disappointed. "Okay" jobs are ositions that don't stretch you. They don't require the full use of your skills, traits and knowledge. They don't enable you to develop new skills, don't offer a major increase in income, and fail to make you more marketable. How often have you seen others take jobs without challenge or with average potential? They took jobs that were just "okay."
On the following pages, we will briefly review the eight dilemmas which most professionals face in a job search ... all of which we will be addressing.
"What Is the Career Field and
Industry Where I Belong?"
The first dilemma can be challenging. However, more high-level people than ever are making career changes. They move from education and government to business, from nonprofit to the private sector and vice-versa. Of course, many change careers within business.
But how do you know which new career options to explore? How do you qualify yourself for a new career? And, how do you know your true market worth? As part of our service for you, we will be addressing these issues.
When it comes to industry options, there is obviously a world of added opportunity when you are in a growth industry ... rather than one that is tired or declining. But how do you know which new options to pursue? And, how do you identify those unique elements of your experience that would get people in new industries excited about seeing you?
One of the great strengths of our service is helping clients clearly identify their industry options. We also identify the skills, assets, key words, and phrases that should be communicated in all resumes and letters.
"How Should I
Handle My Liabilities?"
This is the second dilemma. Make no mistake about it. Everyone who recruits is
looking for liabilities. This means you need to be sure to bring to our
attention anything that may be a concern. Many liabilities can restrict a job
search, but the most common ones include:
Career may have peaked/or have age concerns
Lacking blue chip or large firm experience
Being unemployed
Leaving a firm that performed poorly
Having changed jobs too often
Being seen as too narrow or too generalized
Closely associated with a firm or industry
Leaving a short-term position
Lacking the right education credentials
Lacking impressive titles/career progression
Having gaps in your work history
Lacking line or staff experience
Appropriate strategies for handling these concerns and others are critically
important. We provide communicative solutions for dealing with all of them. We
then integrate your solutions into all forms of communications throughout each
search.
"I Need a Superior Resume
and a Plan of Attack."
Does your resume go beyond a simple presentation of where you've been and some
achievements? Will employers easily see the full value of what you bring to the
table? At your level, employers have to see a lot of value to make a hiring
decision!
Our copywriters focus on creating highly persuasive and distinctive materials,
which capture the very best expression of you. Details on our resumes are
covered later in this book.
Once you have your materials, just like a sports contest, it's important to have
a game plan ... a step-by-step action plan that lays out what should be done, where, when and how. If you just jump into the job market, chances are you will fall victim to trial-and- error job hunting ... and that can go on for a long time.
To avoid that, our staff creates marketing plans aimed at developing several of the right interview opportunities in each of seven action channels. A good plan can cut your job hunting time in half; and when you generate a lot of activity, you will feel better and do better.
"How Do I Get Ready for Serious
Interviewing and Negotiating?"
Interviewing isn't what it used to be, not when there are as many as ten
finalists under consideration. We've worked with some of the most polished
executives in the world ... who previously disappointed themselves in interviews.
How do you take control of the direction and pace of these
critical sessions? How do you separate yourself from the others in the final
stages? Can you wrap things up without missing a step, comfortably and
predictably?
We help you with each of these issues. Our goal is to make sure you are fully
equipped and ready to compete during interviewing with a maximum advantage.
Negotiating, of course, is not just about money, stock options and perks, but
the nature of each position and everything that goes with it. Since most of us
seldom face this experience, few of us are real experts here.
This handbook will acquaint you with our negotiation philosophy. Then, as you go
through our service, we will be there to strategize each stage of the
discussions that will determine your final compensation package.
"How Do I Use the Internet to
Get the Right Interviews?"
Advertised openings on the Internet can represent opportunity. But how do you
find time to track down the best ones? And when you respond, how do you
differentiate yourself from hundreds of others?
The overwhelming size and scope of the Internet is intimidating. Navigating it is a hit-or-miss proposition. Its global reach vastly
increases competition. It's easy to be disappointed when you try to uncover the
best positions. But we've solved the Internet job hunting challenge.
To accomplish this, we've invested millions of dollars in a private website. We
put everything that's relevant in one easy-to-use place. Essentially, we make it
possible to avoid reams of irrelevant information and quickly track down many
more of the right opportunities ... and in significantly less time.
"Can I Use Recruiters to
Get Enough Attractive Interviews?"
Recruiters are an option. But, which ones should be approached? And how? Will
your resume command top consideration? And, how do you get a recruiter to
present you for a job offering real career advancement rather than just an
"okay" job?
As discussed later in this handbook, recruiters account for about nine percent of all executive opportunities. With this in mind, as part of
our service, clients can blanket this segment of the marketplace. Some of the
things we do include distributing your resume electronically to thousands of
recruiters who may have some interest.
We also supplement electronic distributions with first class mailings. Perhaps
most importantly, with our unique private website at your fingertips, you will
be able to review openings with recruiters throughout your search ... and submit
your credentials accordingly.
"How Do I Maximize Response From Networking?"
As you may have experienced, traditional networking can be time-consuming and,
in some respects, demeaning. The fact that there has been so much written about
the values of networking, and that it is such a widely used approach to job
hunting have led to a lot of misunderstandings.
We believe in the value of networking, but at the executive level, we have a
different approach. It is briefly outlined in this handbook in chapter 14.
Approximately 10 percent of our clients accept new positions which stem from the
networking philosophy that is described. Our consulting staff will expand upon
this in greater depth.
"How Do I Handle
Direct Mail?"
The key is to have the right targets, use superior materials, and take advantage
of finely tuned strategies. Done properly, direct mail can produce highly
qualified responses —in a far less competitive environment.
We believe in using direct mail to CEOs and officers as part of most senior job
campaigns. While some direct mail to employers is part of our base service, we
also make it possible for you to do your own direct mail as your marketing plan
dictates. Here you can order personalized mailing lists through the interactive
segment of our private website, and contact selected employers using the written
materials we have developed for you.
For the most senior executives, contacting board members is a viable option.
However, do you know what works and what doesn't? Are you aware of the kind of
materials required? A lot of finesse is involved.
To assist you here, we can give you the benefit of what we have learned ... and
have you handle a certain number of board member mailings. Or, as an optional
part of our service, we can handle this for you.
"Should I Resign
From a Bad Situation?"
Many successful executives have asked us this question. Unfortunately, there is
no simple answer. An executive based in Mexico wanted to return to a position in Florida. He had
served for 22 years with a blue chip firm, and his responsibilities had taken
him to several countries. His firm had been
acquired, and the relationship with new management was causing continuous
stress.
We developed a full marketing plan and all written materials. At that point, he
approached the employer to negotiate a reasonable exit package. This worked out
well for all parties and freed him to concentrate on his search, and to do so
with an optimistic frame of mind.
Another executive in New York felt that she was to be downsized as part of a
reorganization at Citibank. She was extremely passionate about her work, and
this caused significant stress and borderline depression. Her severance package
and all benefits when leaving the company were defined as part of corporate
policy.
In this situation, our client met with her employer and expressed that the
uncertainty was such that she thought it was in everyone's interest that she
resign.
With our guidance, she asked for more than the additional benefit package.
Surprisingly, she found both her direct boss and
CEO had strong feelings about wanting her to remain. We advised her throughout
the negotiation process, and she received a promotion, with a contract.
In another situation, a junior executive had a recent Harvard MBA, and had spent
several years consulting at McKinsey. The environment was not appropriate.
However, the individual had been financially rewarded above his peers. In this
situation, the client retained our firm and ran a successful search.
His resignation was submitted with adequate notice, and he left on good terms.
As mentioned earlier, there are no set rules of thumb when it comes to advising
people on this subject. Economic considerations are important. For many younger
executives, the need for continued income throughout their search is paramount.
At the higher levels, the situation is often different. Work is usually so
demanding that it is difficult to budget sufficient time to do a professional
job search.
When a person has invested many years with a company, working out an exit arrangement over time is often easier than anticipated. It allows people to part on good terms and gives the company time to recruit a replacement. Unfortunately, there are rare occasions where the mere discussion of leaving has caused an emotional situation that made things worse.
Recapping Your Situation
If you're highly marketable, you need to make the most of the fine record you've
built. And if you are average, or a little below average in marketability, you
need a competitive advantage to make up the difference.
On your own, it is difficult to deal with everything that should be addressed
before you search. However, with our service, we will take steps to address each
of them, and ensure that you are presented to the market in the best possible
light.
In addition, when it comes to executing your search, without enough market exposure, your chances of winning the "right" job, instead of an "okay" job, are not good. That is where our resources come in.
For most people, their job hunting challenge is "how to generate enough interest" ... so that they can be in control of their destiny, going on the right interviews, having choices and negotiating.
One of our primary goals in working together is to enable you to uncover far more suitable options than you could do on your own, in less time, and with less effort.
