A story on Forbes from back in May this year caught my attention when I read the title … “Should you accept a job that pays half your former salary.” There are some CFOs who are indeed wrestling with that decision, while some unemployed Finance Executives wish that decision was theirs to make.
The reality is that things are not going to get a whole lot better in the next year or two from a job search perspective. The market is going to remain incredibly competitive for those top positions, with companies seemingly to take forever to make hiring decisions.
Let me speak first to the unemployed and then to those who still have the luxury of passive positioning.
Unemployed …
If what you’ve been doing is not generating the kinds of results you want, it’s time to do something different or some things differently. When you are carrying around the black mark of unemployment, a clear and compelling value proposition, strong communication message, and a consistent search strategy comprised of multiple tactics is a necessity.
Being visible with a marketable value proposition (possessing something a company wants and needs and is willing to pay to get) is much different than having visibility as an unemployed Chief Financial Officer.
I see resumes every single day that are responsibility-based. It’s not what you’ve done, it’s how you’ve impacted. And that message needs … NEEDS … to infiltrate every aspect of your marketing message.
Passively positioned …
Don’t wait another moment to do the kinds of things that make sense from a career management perspective. Pinpoint your value proposition. Hone your value-oriented communication message. Network. Distinguish yourself as a subject matter expert. Get visible.
If you do these things now, while you’re employed, you just might avoid having to answer the question … should I or shouldn’t I accept a position that is a step down and pays a fraction of what I was making.
Cindy
You’ve hit the nail on the head. Again.
I speak with CFOs everyday. Too many are missing these KEY points you address here.
CFO: It’s not about ‘you’. It’s about what your next employer wants. You don’t have to change who you are. You have to change how you are packaging and positioning yourself. The fact is your next employer wants what you can deliver. They just want you to do a better sales job of yourself so that they can (1) find you, and (2), say ‘you’re hired’.
Samuel Dergel, CPA, CA, CPC
Dergel CFO Search & Consulting
“You don’t have to change who you are. You have to change how you are packaging and positioning yourself.” EXACTLY! Thanks Samuel!