According to Dr. John Sullivan, the definition of a down-but-not-out-star is this …
… you bring an exceptional record of performance and whatever bumped you from your perch is most likely only a short bump in the road. (Full article)
I was having the “passive candidate” conversation with another finance executive recruiter recently. His comments really resonated given the article by Dr. Sullivan. When asked whether he presents unemployed candidates to his client companies, he said yes … and why they are unemployed makes the big difference. Did they work themselves out of a job or were they terminated?
Working yourself out of a job could certainly define you as a down-but-not-out star. If that does define you, what are you doing to separate yourself from the non-star finance executive candidates competing for those same positions?
Unless you stand out from the crowd, you will blend in; and if you blend in, it’s unlikely your stardom will be shining through.
A very accomplished CFO prospect contacted me yesterday. When I inquired what he had done in the three weeks he’s been unemployed and before contacting me, he said, among other things, posting his resume on all the public job boards. He has now blended in, commoditized himself, and made his search that much more difficult.
Step away from the job boards and do what your competition is NOT doing. If you have star power, even down-but-not-out star power, leverage it!