And then, the final question is lobbed your way … “so tell me about your executive presence online.”

According to one member of the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG), that is exactly what happened during his most recent interview. Here are his words from that newsletter, quoted with permission …

<<The last question was the one I have not had presented to me before and it was

“Have you always had and do you now have an executive presence on social media?” 

I noted their stares as I responded; of course I have always maintained this.

So note this for your future interviews and discussions so that you are not only prepared to answer but also to ensure you are able to address any deficiencies in your past social media experience>>

Rest assured, the recruiter who asked the question already knew most of the answer because that candidate had already been Googled. The recruiter knew what Google said about him, whether the message was clear or whether it was a mixed message, and how consistent the candidate was about keeping his digital footprint current.

It is quite likely that a recruiter will know that information about you, too, as part of assessing whether or not you’re a viable candidate. So here’s my question … Is your phone ringing?

Choose Your Words Carefully

Last week a friend of mine mentioned that he attended several business conferences that week and in all but one of them, the speaker dropped the F-bomb.

Yes, you read that correctly. Business conferenceS. Subject matter expertS. F-bombS. I hope you are as disturbed by that as I am. Is this the new -low- standard in public speaking at business conferences? I hope not!

Some thoughts from a branding perspective …

Is your vocabulary really that limited?

The English language is rich and robust and there are endless words from which we can choose to paint pictures and convey passion. Even angry or zealous passion.

My response when I hear foul language, especially uttered publicly, is that person obviously has a very limited vocabulary. Perhaps he (or she) believes the use of such language makes him appear to be more vehement in his position, but it’s actually the opposite. It makes him appear crude.

Will the audience remember anything else?

Usually in the course of a presentation, it is the “story” that is remembered. The crafting of a well-delivered tale usually puts the audience on the edge of their seats.

However, my guess is the shock of hearing the F-bomb dropped would erase even the best spun story and become the one thing that stuck in the minds of the audience. Probably not what the speaker intended the audience to remember, but that is -in this case- exactly the subject being discussed by my friend and his colleagues.

Could “cuss-man” or “trash-mouth” follow him forever?

In a word, yes. The next time that person’s name is mentioned as a possible speaker, someone is sure to say … isn’t he the guy (or gal) who unleashed a stream of profanity (because you know how those stories grow) at the “such and such conference”?

Personally, this is extremely disappointing to me. If using cuss words to make points during a business / professional conference is the new -low- standard in public speaking, I guess I won’t be doing much of it in the future.

What are your thoughts? Is it ever acceptable to drop the F-bomb or otherwise use crude language while presenting? Feel free to leave your comments here or, if you are a CFO, join our CFO-exclusive community on Linkedin and post your comments there.

That’s what popped into my mind as I read an article on some job hunting truths. Those who are in job search mode want a good job fast and they want the smallest investment (of time and money) possible in securing that good job fast. As the cliché says, you can’t have all three.

You can read my thoughts on the topic in this month’s Futures in Finance newsletter.

It was an illuminating conversation. And what he said about Linkedin Recruiter lines right up with an article I saw today on Wired.com. Here’s an excerpt, but the article is critically important to read in its entirety.

Tucked behind your professional, yet pretty, profile picture, the descriptions of all your past jobs, and that column of “People You May Know” is a section of LinkedIn that most people have never heard of, let alone seen. And yet it’s the real reason why you should actually care about sprucing up your LinkedIn profile and network.

Enter Linkedin Recruiter. And apparently companies are having such success with Linkedin Recruiter that third party recruiters are being hired primarily today for hard-to-fill positions. I see a lot of hungry recruiters in the near future who will be forced to either transform their business models or change careers. Yes, even at the C-level according to my recruiter colleague.

Remember not too long ago, one of the top recruiting firms notified candidates they would no longer be accepting resumes but would be, instead, searching Linkedin profiles instead? Linkedin Recruiter is undoubtedly a part of that decision.

If you are going to be making a career move in the future (and unless retirement is your next move, that is pretty much every CFO or Finance Executive reading this post), today is not a moment too soon to either join Linkedin and/or get your profile complete and compelling. Your ability to move quickly, effortlessly, and painlessly may just depend on it.

Lest you think I exaggerate, let me leave you with the words of Ed Nathanson, Director of Talent Acquisition at Rapid7 …

In other words, Nathanson finds the vast majority of future employees on LinkedIn. And if you aren’t on LinkedIn? He’ll probably never find you. And even if he did, he probably wouldn’t hire you. “I’m always amazed at people who aren’t there now,” Nathanson says. “When I talk to candidates and they aren’t on there that’s a big red flag for me.”

Take, for example, the recent poaching by Stryker of the Dentsply CFO. And the internal promotion of its COO to CFO (not a common promotion, is it?). So what exactly is new about this “Poach and Promote” strategy?

Poaching

It benefits, and greatly favors, the passive candidate. Greatly favors. As in, it took Stryker 6 months to fill its opening … and you can bet they waited -patiently- to lure away the “right” CFO. Waited to poach rather than hire the many unemployed, readily available CFOs that were undoubtedly knocking at its door.

The concept of poaching isn’t new, it’s always been the “feather in the cap” of top-notch recruiters. What is new is the dichotomy of the job search process … 6 candidates for every one opening. Ready and available, albeit unemployed, CFOs who are routinely passed over in favor of hiring – poaching – someone who is employed and perceived as somehow being a major hiring coup.

There is a perceived, and therefore very real, value around being employed, visible, and marketable.

New Rule: While not a new rule in the context of my blog posts and evangelizing, but perhaps new in terms of actually nudging you to take action … leverage your passive positioning long before you intend to make a move. If you’re currently unemployed, begin positioning yourself for your next move as soon as you land. Passive candidates have greater appeal, and that isn’t changing anytime soon.

Promoting

Promoting from within isn’t new either, although promoting an operations guy to a Chief Financial Officer role isn’t exactly the norm.

The challenge with effective internal promotions is ensuring that the company has a career succession plan in place, and that the plan is being executed. For most companies, that’s often not an actionable top priority … at least until it becomes a need.

A recent Russell Reynolds study on career patterns of Fortune 100 CFOs and a Volatility Study from Crist Kolder on Fortune 500 and S&P 500 Companies showed that …

– There are vast pay economies among internal and external hires, with internal hires falling into the bottom 25% of compensation packages.

– While 69% of Fortune 100 CFOs were promoted internally, on average they waited a very long time for that promotion. Statistics cited were that well over half had 11 years of tenure while 41% had 20+ years with their companies.

– Of the “heir apparents,” meaning they were the #2, only 15% had 5 or less years of experience when promoted into the top slot.

New Rule: It might be a safer move, but it will undoubtedly be a longer move and overall compensation may not be competitive with making an external opportunity.

You can read the entire article online, but here are a couple of questions I posed as you – the CFO candidate – engage in a some of your own thought exercises …

– What am I really contributing at this moment in this position in this company?

–  What are my core strengths?

– What do I love doing, want to be doing more of, and have a track record of success doing?

– Who (specific companies) needs what I bring to the table?

– How can I get visible to those folks who need to know about me?

Now, while you are gainfully employed, contributing to an organization in a very meaningful and measurable way, and not contemplating a move is the perfect time to engage in your own “thought exercise” … because ultimately, you are quite replaceable.

Social Media Stats & Trends

The speakers bridged the virtual gap, bringing new insights to the global audience. Take, for example, Joshua Waldman who spoke on, among other things, some of the latest social media trends. Most interesting to me, and hopefully to you, were a few of the statistics he cited.

According to JobVite …

One in 6 job seekers found their position through social media. Conversely, 92% of their surveyed recruiters stated they used Linkedin to find candidates. 

Interesting discrepancy in those numbers. If I was a Chief Financial Officer or other senior-level executive, I would definitely be paying attention to the latter statistic.

Bullhorn Reach, a recruiter research group, found …

Eighty percent (80%) of their recruiters used Linkedin -and- 80% of the 147M Linkedin members are decision-makers. 

The term “decision-makers” is up for interpretation; however, the former 80% stat should lend plenty of credence to the value of being visible on Linkedin.

And finally, and quite importantly, BrandYourself.com says …

While 80% of the people they surveyed Google themselves and other people, only 47% liked what they saw about themselves. 

What does Google tell the world about you? If it’s the only message the world gets, it matters. And NO message is definitely A message.

Career Corner
CFO Studio Magazine

Now that the new year celebration has passed and the new year has begun, let’s look at 5 things you can – and should – do this month in this new year in order to elevate yourself above your chief competitors.

1. Identify your brand

2. Craft and hone your value messaging

3. Identify your target audience

4. Raise your visibility

5. Network, network, network

You can read my entire article at CFO Studio Magazine.

Sorry. There isn’t a list. And there isn’t a list because “key words” are specific to the position and the industry.

However, a question on Proformative asking for the top 5 resume key words recruiters are searching for brought to mind two important points.

Key Word Searches = Posted Position Game

Unless you are talking about key words as they relate to your Linkedin profile, the very question infers a candidate is playing the posted position game. The question also probably implies the candidate would like to be all things to all people in order to have the greatest appeal.

In both cases, the strategy is flawed. It is far better to differentiate yourself, stand out from the competition, be positioned from your strengths and record of contributions … and, to move away from the posted positions and their seductive allure.

Plan Ahead – Be More Visible

The most effective career management (and job search) strategy begins well in advance of wanting to or needing to make a move. And it begins by raising your visibility.

CFO Search Consultant Samuel Dergel responded to the above question with this …

“When I am looking for you, I know where to find you. The more visible and relevant you are, the sooner you will get on my call list.”

The best time to begin your visibility campaign is when you don’t need a new job. It boosts your visibility while raising the credibility of the organization for whom you work.

“Despite the number of new executive search mandates falling 7.1 per cent in 2012 from 2011, continued growth was recorded in the level of fees for assignments (up 1.7 per cent annually in 2012), indicating continued demand for the high-end of search and leadership consulting.”

Recruiters fees are up for high-end searches. That’s great. That means there are opportunities for you, and more to the point, a slight increase in opportunities for you.

Industry searches increased slightly from 2011 to 2012 within Technology, Non-profit, and Consumer Products; with decreases within the Financial, Life Sciences / Healthcare sectors, and Industrial sectors. Searches in the United States grew Q42011 to Q42012 by 8.6%.

That’s positive news … but are you receiving calls regularly from recruiters for the opportunities you want? If not, why not? That’s a question that deserves serious contemplation.

If you are receiving calls but never make it to a) the interview or b) top 3 candidate selection, why not? Another excellent contemplative question.

Even with these slow growth trends, the market is still tight and the hiring process is agonizingly slow. Planning 9-12 months in advance of actually wanting to make a move will help ensure that it’s a smooth transition from one position to another – and that you can move where you want to move rather than moving out of desperate need – without the black mark of “unemployment” in between those moves.