Coaching Tips | CFO Coach

4 Effective Career Management Strategies for 2018

December 21, 2017 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster the years seem to fly by? I sure have! We are sitting on the cusp of yet another new year, and it has never been more important to take control of your career. If you are a CFO who is anticipating a move in the next year or so, here are four strategies to help ensure that you achieve your goal.

Update Your Resume

Yes … it’s painful.
No … it isn’t fun.
Yes … it takes time and effort.

But when a recruiter calls you because he thinks you are a viable candidate, you are in a position to forward him a resume when he asks. Otherwise, you run the risk of sending him something outdated or rushed and incomplete … both at the risk of losing a potentially great opportunity.

Update Linkedin and Leverage Its Power

Linkedin is a tremendous passive strategy for current and future jobseekers, but especially for future jobseekers. There is nothing so appealing to a recruiter than the opportunity to lure away a passive candidate into a new position.

For active jobseekers, it is a passive strategy that works 24/7 in concert with your proactive strategy … enticing recruiters and prospective companies who need the skills you have and are willing to pay, and pay well to get them, to look at your profile.

To believe Linkedin is a non-player in the job search process is to risk missing opportunities you may never otherwise discover.

Network with Intentionality

A common response by my Finance Chiefs to the question, how is your network, is either …

– I don’t have a solid network, or

– I have been so busy working my job that I have not had time to build a network.

Resolve that this will be the year that you commit to building and nurturing your network. It will pay huge rewards when you are ready to make a move.

Raise Your Branded Visibility

This strategy ties into the other three, because without branded positioning there really is no reason to be visible. If you aren’t visible, it is very difficult for the recruiters and companies to find you rather than discover your very visible competition. If recruiters and companies aren’t finding you, you may be missing out on dream opportunities.

Execute the first three strategies, and then work consistently and constantly (whatever that looks like in your busy schedule) to ensure that the people who need to know about you do, in fact, know about you!

Call me if I can help! Please note my NEW phone number … 813-727-3037.

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Cindy Kraft is the CFO-Coach and America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance Executives helping clients understand their marketability, articulate their value, and position themselves as the clear and compelling choice. She is a Certified Reach Personal Brand Strategist, Certified Reach Online Identity Strategist, Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach. Cindy can be reached via email Cindy@CFO-Coach.com, by phone 813-727-3037, or through her website at www.CFO-Coach.com.

Do You Need a Disrupting Irma in Your Job Search?

September 7, 2017 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

There is nothing like a Cat 5 hurricane bearing down on your state to make you put your priorities into perspective. This is one of those times when I’m thankful I don’t live on the coast, but I’m not sure this particular monster cares much about location. She is bigger than Michigan, twice as big as Alabama, with winds far exceeding the Cat 5 minimums. Talk about a disrupter.

It did get me thinking about what it takes for most of us to be disrupted in our lives to the point of actually taking some action or a different action. It seems to be human nature to be content with misery rather than to risk pursuing and embracing change.

Maybe, as a job seeker, you need a personal “Irma disruption” in your life. Granted, a job search doesn’t cause the kind of physical devastation that a hurricane does … but an extended job search can feel pretty devastating. Stephanie Carson wrote about the ugly side of being unemployed and job searching.

What would happen if you disrupted the status of your current job search?

Your Plan is Only YOUR Plan

And YOUR plan is only as good as all of the external elements cooperating. Much like a hurricane, the job search process can have a lot of un-cooperating aspects …

– A lack of right-fitting opportunities

– The black hole phenomenon

– The ineffective spaghetti strategy

– Far too few responses.

If your plan isn’t working, it might be time to ditch it and do something new and different. The bottom line, though, is that you need a plan.

Refocus on what is Really Important

Usually in an executive job search, what is most important is a strong network. It takes time and effort to build, and most CFOs are quick to tell me they don’t have a strong network in place.

Besides, searching job postings online is easier and infinitely more comfortable … right? It might be easier and even comfortable, but it is definitely not an effective job search strategy for senior finance executives. Refocusing your efforts on building a strong network will ultimately provide a much greater ROI.

Become Other Focused

Who needs your particular problem solving skill set? Sometimes we can become so focused on duties and responsibilities that we forget good marketing means being able to meet the need of someone in a position to buy what you’re selling. In a job search, you are selling yourself.

Hurricane prep is all about “me.” But the reality is, post-hurricane it is all about community. The job search is all about you finding a new position. From a company’s perspective, it is all about what you can do for it.

Fortunately, my business is portable so Irma‘s disruption to my life and business is, hopefully, significantly reduced. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who are in her direct path and to the many first responders standing at the ready.

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The Dog Ate My Homework

August 22, 2017 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

With that cliché title, I am no doubt dating myself. That’s okay. You already know I’ve been in business for 23 years so I’m definitely not a young pup.

This bit of sage advice from my colleague, Barb Safani, came through my Linkedin newsfeed this morning.

“If recruiters ask you to ‘walk them through your background,’ focus on your core messages of value, not the five positions you held pre-1985.”

This wise counsel is true not only when you are talking with recruiters, but is also critically important when crafting your resume, Linkedin profile, cover letters, leadership brief, and every other written marketing document you use. Not doing your homework, which in this case is not doing the hard work to clearly understand your value so you can articulate your value messaging, won’t result in a 0 grade for homework not done. Rather, it may cause you to miss out on a very lucrative opportunity; maybe even your dream opportunity.

Here area 4 tips for honing your value messaging in the competitive world of CFO job search:

– 10 to 12 are the magic numbers

While a recruiter and/or a company is interested in how you got where you are, what the hiring company most cares about is your ability to solve the kinds of problems they are currently experiencing.

In the fast-changing world of technology, that means your tangible impacts over the last 10-12 years matter much more than what happened in the early years of your career or your degree. Those foundational things matter, but they will not help a company with a problem understand how you can resolve their issue, challenge, or situation.

Which brings me to …

– It is not what, it is how

What you did only matters in the context of how you delivered value as a finance leader who knows how to step in, eliminate or mitigate issues, and make a company stronger and better. That is your track record; that is your core value; and that is what matters to a prospective company.

– Self-identify by value rather than job title or worse, lack thereof

Besides screaming desperation, which shifts the balance of power, identifying by your job title is absent any value to a potential employer. Find your value and then, use it as a neon sign at every opportunity.

– The more you blend in, the less you will be noticed

When I made the decision to work exclusively with CFOs, it was based on two things:

– With whom did I most enjoy working, and
– Where was a gap in the saturated resume writing/job coach market?

The answer was the same for both questions. I loved working with accomplished finance executives and there were no resume writers or job coaches working exclusively with CFOs.

That is true for you as a job search candidate whether you are currently in a search or anticipate a move within the next few years. Identifying how you are different from all your competitors will help to ensure that you stand out from them rather than get lost in the masses.

Your core value and strongest positioning are the most visible when you have identified what you love doing, quantified your track record of success doing those things, clarified your target market, and taken ownership of that space.

If I can help you hone your value messaging, give me a call!

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Cindy Kraft is the CFO-Coach and America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance Executives helping clients understand their marketability, articulate their value, and position themselves as the clear and compelling choice. She is a Certified Reach Personal Brand Strategist, Certified Reach Online Identity Strategist, Certified Career Management Coach, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach. Cindy can be reached via email Cindy@CFO-Coach.com, by phone 813-727-3037, or through her website at www.CFO-Coach.com.

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Linkedin Profiles & CFOs

June 21, 2017 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

Fast Company recently posted an informative article on what recruiters prefer to see in a Linkedin profile. It is good advice, and you can read it here. I thought I would add my two cents, aimed specifically at CFOs, to the information.

– Keep Your Profile Current

It is so easy to “forget” about Linkedin when you are not in job search mode. The reality is that recruiters are always looking for top-quality passive candidates and one of their sourcing methods is Linkedin. Keeping your profile current so you can be found, and your contributions as a problem-solving CFO are front and center, is a commendable career management strategy.

– What Constitutes a Headline?

It isn’t your current or most recent job title. The moment we identify by job title rather than value to a prospective company, we begin to lose important positioning.

Think about what entices or intrigues you to actually read an article or a post beyond skimming “headlines.” That same methodology applies to recruiters, while simultaneously differentiating you from the competition.

Honing in on how you are different from your competitors and how you have (and do) deliver value is the beginning of an effective headline.

– Your Profile Might be your Home on the Web

And if it is, it is NOT the same as your resume. Nor should it be a mere recitation of duties and responsibilities held throughout your career. Your “home on the web” is best utilized by creating an authentic and cohesive value-story that begins with your headline and ends with contributions delivered throughout your career, including any hobbies or personal interests that further or solidify your value positioning. Culture fit is the most challenging piece of the hiring process, so your ability to showcase fit-for-culture will only enhance your appeal.

If you need help crafting your value positioning on and off the web, let’s talk. You can reach me at Cindy@CFO-Coach.com or 813-727-3037.

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Cindy Kraft is the CFO-Coach and America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance Executives helping clients understand their marketability, articulate their value, and position themselves as the clear and compelling choice. She is a Certified Reach Personal Brand Strategist, Certified Reach Online Identity Strategist, Certified Career Management Coach, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach. Cindy can be reached via email Cindy@CFO-Coach.com, by phone 813-727-3037, or through her website at www.CFO-Coach.com.

Always Lead with Your Value

February 23, 2015 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

I saw some really bad advice given this morning, and it was sent to a very large audience of Senior Finance Executives. In good conscience, I cannot let this flawed advice stand unchallenged.

Don't Date Yourself — Don’t Date Yourself

Here’s what I believe to be very bad advice for Chief Finance Officers or other Senior Executives …

I strongly believe in putting the academic background at the top of the resume with graduation date(s), especially if it is impressive.

Don’t do it. Unless you graduated five or less years ago, your academic background does not matter [nearly as much] as your career impacts. And let’s face it, CFOs and Finance Leaders weren’t born yesterday, nor did they graduate yesterday.

Please don’t do it. Don’t lead with something that can only set up age discrimination, particularly for those looking to exclude you. Don’t sabotage, negate, or diminish your solid value positioning by focusing on something that happened 20 or 30 years ago.

Always … lead with your value. Always!

If you are a Finance Executive and want to know how to create a marketing message that ensures you lead with value, contact me. It’s my passion!

Feeding the Un-hatched Chicken

October 15, 2014 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

You are no doubt familiar with the cliché … don’t count your chickens before they hatch … right? And yet, it is a common phenomenon in the job search process. Maybe somewhere in your career climb, you were tripped up by the perception of “it’s a done deal,” when it wasn’t even close to done.

Everything seems to be moving along quite nicely …

You go on an interview … Score!
You continue through the process … Score again!
You become a top three candidate … Score big time!

And then,

You wait … Score, um, … maybe?
And wait … Not sure it was a Score after all.
And wait a while longer … Score officially turns to fret.

Maybe you -eventually- get the good news. But maybe the news isn’t what you were expecting. And all the while you thought that chicken had hatched you were doing nothing else on your job search. You counted your chicken before it hatched, only to find out – it didn’t hatch.

Now, you’re back at ground zero once again. Only this time, it feels a little harder, a little more challenging, a bit more of a struggle as hopeful expectation turned to disappointment and self-confidence took a beating.

Just because you have a “potential” opportunity, don’t lose sight of the bigger goal of obtaining a new position. Until you have received a written offer and accepted it in writing, you have nothing but an unhatched egg in your job search basket. Don’t feed only it, because it may not be the one that ultimately hatches.

In fact, don’t stop executing your good career management habits after you land either, because that place where you landed is only temporary … regardless of how you define temporary.

Super CFOs are Strong CEO Prospects

October 2, 2014 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

In the last week, I’ve read numerous articles about the appeal of Chief Financial Officers to fill the top seat of Chief Executive Officer. Articles in the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s, and the StartUpProfessionals blog, among others, are buzzing.

On the flip side, there was a question in the Proformative community asking … can’t I just be content to be a CFO?

Apparently the train has now officially left the station. That does not mean …

– You missed it, or
– You have to be on it

Aspiring to be a CFO and being perfectly content with your role in that capacity is completely dependent on what’s right for you. Embrace your contentment and effectiveness. Doing what you love is a wonderful thing.

Having a goal to sit in the CEO seat, sometime soon or in the future, is a personal – and very achievable – goal. I believe it will only continue to be more and more possible, and even typical, for the accomplished Finance Chief.

However, to move up requires that you understand, and be able to message, “how” you are qualified to hold that top leadership position. It will require you to step away from your responsibility messaging and step into value messaging backed by your compelling track record of tangible impacts.

Maximum Return for Minimum Effort

May 14, 2014 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

Does it ever really work that way? Maybe on occasion, but never as a rule.

Recently I saw this post on Facebook …

“I want a really good guitar but I don’t want to pay very much for it.”

It made me think about the career management / job search process as most candidates view it. Even though your career is “the” thing that funds everything else in your life … provides housing, clothing, and food for your family; a vehicle to get to and from your employment and the ability to pay for the gas it guzzles; the means by which to get away from work, a/k/a vacation; the over-priced coffee on the way to the office … the reality is that a career is given little thought until it is threatened.

Career management should be in place in order to minimize and perhaps even permanently eliminate job search. In this economy is that a certainty? It sure is not. But it is certainly a great strategy to minimize the risk, and the associated financial impact, of finding oneself amongst the unemployed-and-desperately-seeking crowd. You not only lose income, you lose power and positioning.

At the Chief Financial Officer level, 9-to-12 months is still a realistic expectation for making a move. And that, is much more realistic as a passive candidate.

Expecting maximum results for minimum effort can turn out to be very costly.

The Value of Being Referred

April 28, 2014 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

In processing the incredible thought-provoking information from the speakers at the Career Thought Leaders Conference (#CTLconf2014) last week, I could not wait to share this insight with you. I know it. I evangelize it. But oftentimes, the information is received intellectually but without action. Now, it’s time to act on what we know.

While I hope that Chief Financial Officers do NOT play the “posted position game,” at least not as anything remotely resembling a primary search strategy, the reality of these statistics points to the necessity of understanding the role networking plays in managing your career -or- conducting a job search.

For every posted position, 75-150 (and that top number could actually top 250) will apply. For purposes of this exercise, we’ll use an average of 100 applicants per position.

Of that 100 average, four will come in through an employee referral. Of the four, two will not be qualified. Now, just think about that a moment before reading further.

It gets worse for the non-networked candidate.

Of the 100 who apply, half will not be qualified. No employer will ever see 100 candidates. They won’t even see 50. Nor 25. In fact, they will search the system for five candidates. FIVE.

Going back to the employee referral statistic, that means two referrals are now part of the five finalists and will often be the first three on the short list. Hiring managers will look at the referrals before they look at anyone else.

That means, if you are a referral you have a 1-in-5 chance of getting an interview that leads to a job. If you are not referred, your chances drop to 1.2%. An employee referral gives you a 14X better chance of securing a job-procuring interview than without a referral.

That is exactly why you should not play the posted position game, but rather, continue to ramp up your networking efforts! Do you really have time not to?

Oversight Responsibilities

March 11, 2014 by Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

A recent post in a Linkedin group asked about “oversight responsibilities.” When you hear that phrase, what pops into your mind?

Maybe I’m alone in my thinking, but that is a phrase you will never find me using in the context of describing the scope of responsibilities my clients hold. Why, you might ask?

A Google search of the word reveals the first meaning of “oversight” as

Now I know that in your resume it is not intended to indicate an “error, omission, or failure” to do something. However, “oversight” is not a derivative of “oversee.”

Words evolve and change over time. In fact, the second definition of “oversight” in our current dictionaries says …

“the action of overseeing something.”

But the word “oversight” isn’t in the 1828 dictionary. It’s a relatively new word, with a new connotation … but just like other new words with new meanings in this day and age, changing the word doesn’t change the intent of the word in the minds of some folks, particularly old-school English majors who love words.

Might I suggest some more positive, action-oriented alternatives you can use to frame your scope of responsibilities?

Oversaw (which is the past tense of oversee)
Administered
Directed
Guided
Supervised

The English language is robust and provides much better options to avoid painting a potentially negative picture in the mind of the person reading your resume … “failing to do” versus actually “doing.”

Just because it is a generally-accepted phrase doesn’t mean you have to use it. Dare to be different! And … grammatically correct.