recruiters

Is That Job Offer in Writing?

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Do you remember the days when one’s word and a handshake could seal a deal, and to not honor it would cast a deep, dark stain on your character? Me neither … although I have heard the stories. Today it is all about written, binding contracts and lawsuits that keep lawyers happy and well-fed.

Today, our words are often empty and meaningless, albeit … polite. And as a result, there is another kind of story taking over that while casting a dark stain on a company, they rarely care. This new story involves a verbal job offer that is rescinded or revoked before the proffered start date.

Words and a handshake of agreement have little to do in our world today. And they have absolutely nothing to do with a verbal job offer. Unless that offer is in writing AND signed, it is merely words that may or may not be retracted at any time no matter how sincere you believe the intent.

It is sad that our words mean so little today. For example, have you ever …

— told someone you would call them back with a decision … but did not? This is a point of great contention with my CFO clients and recruiters.

— agreed to pass on someone’s resume … but did not? You may have had the best of intentions, but it is still buried somewhere on your desk because you are busy solving challenges that have taken precedence.

— offered to make introductions to folks in your network … but did not? This is one of the best ways to cultivate relationships, so not following through can prove disastrous to your future networking efforts.

I think we can all probably remember a time when we acted contrary to our words, even when we had the best of intentions at the time. Sometimes we even say things to be nice or polite but have no intention of doing what we said. That becomes a very big deal when believing a verbal offer means something it may not.

Nick Corcodilos has written a couple of articles (here and here) about this disgraceful situation, which no one in our industry, and I’m sure no jobseeker, wishes to see become a trend.

Two pieces of advice …

– Don’t think a verbal offer is iron-clad.Unless you have a written, signed offer which you have also signed and accepted, all you have are words. Don’t confuse the two.

– Don’t put in your notice unless and until you have accepted and returned a written, signed offer.

It’s sad that we so often do not say what we mean and mean what we say. If you’ve got a verbal offer, don’t celebrate prematurely. Get it in writing and when it is signed, sealed, and delivered … then, celebrate! When you are done celebrating, update your resume and your Linkedin profile!

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2018

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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.

Is There a “CFO” List?

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Negative publicity is still publicity, right? Not in my book. Once we form a negative opinion about a company or brand, it takes monumental effort to have our perspective altered. Unfortunately, sometimes we deal with those companies and brands anyway … complaining all the while. My love/hate relationship with Facebook is evidence of a company (and controlled platform) I dislike but use anyway even as I grumble.

I am sure no CFO would be pleased to find their company on the “20 Most Hated Companies” list. That is negative publicity no Senior Executive would enthusiastically welcome.

Reading that list, though, caused me to wonder … might there be a “most wanted” recruiter list for Chief Finance Officers? Obviously not a public list, but quite possibly some kind of internal list probably does exist. If such a list does exist, perhaps it would look something like this …

Top Notch Candidates

This list would be comprised of those visible, known, and accomplished candidates who are employed and in high demand. If you are constantly getting calls from recruiters for exactly the kinds of positions you would be seeking in your next role, then you have probably made this list.

Been There, Done That … No Thanks

If you’ve burned a recruiter or company; pretended to be something or someone you clearly are not – and been discovered; quit a position before you ever walked in the door on your first day; or have a tendency to treat anyone other than a decision-maker with condescension … you could find yourself on this list. And it could be a list that is not only shared internally, but also within the very small world of recruiting. It seems like negative publicity gets faster notice than positive publicity far too often … and job search candidates are not immune from that notice.

Unknown

This isn’t really a list, but a blank sheet. If you are unknown and choose to stay that way, you will never make it onto either of the other two lists. But, if you desire to be known and become a credible, viable, sought-after candidate, this presents an opportunity to position yourself as a top-notch candidate. Basically, you have a blank canvas and endless opportunity.

Need help getting on that “Top-Notch CFO Candidate” list? Give me a call. I would love to help you if I can.

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2018

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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.

3 Reasons NOT to use Resume Templates

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Last week I saw comments by the CEO of Linkedin about the evolution of resumes. He is right that resumes are changing. Actually, they have been changing for a good 10 or so years with a clear focus on the ability to solve problems and deliver impacts rather than duties held and responsibilities performed. But …

A few days later, I saw that Linkedin and Microsoft have joined forces for a new Linkedin feature called “Resume Assistant.” DING DING DING! Perhaps Linkedin’s CEO had a bit of an agenda in mind when he made his resume comments.

Despite the fact that I hate resume templates, that is the first of my 3 reasons I would advise my CFO clients not to use this feature.

I hate resume templates

And most recruiters can spot them a mile away. All a resume template does is make you blend in rather than stand out from the competition. In this competitive job market, it is imperative to differentiate yourself from other candidates. What is different about how you, as a Finance Leader, solve problems and deliver impacts speaks directly to the challenge a company faces in hiring for culture fit.

Additionally, most templates do not allow you to use strategy to drive format. Rather, the templates are often format driven relegating strategy to second place.

Passive candidates are in high demand

When your resume is posted, the message – intentional or not – is that you are in active job search mode. Even if you are, advertising that can dilute your negotiating power. The perception is that something seemingly unattainable or hard to get is much more prized, valued, and desired.

My #1 reason for advising you to NOT use this template is …

If your resume is front and center on Linkedin (or any other public job board for that matter), there is no reason for a recruiter to pick up the phone, discuss his job requisition and search, give you an opportunity to articulate your value message, and ask for your resume. If you give them your resume upfront, the conversation may never take place. As a candidate, you want that conversation!

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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.

The Challenging C-Level Job Search

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It can take 9-12 months to find that next right-fitting position … are never words my prospective Finance Executive clients want to hear. However, setting up realistic expectations ultimately translates to less frustration and impatience during what can be a very long and challenging journey.

Recently I participated in a conversation on Facebook that spoke directly to this issue. The original post noted that on average, it takes 42-70 days to fill a job vacancy. That comment quickly turned to the length of a C-level search.

This conversation again points to the wisdom of starting an executive job search well in advance of wanting or needing a new position. In fact, recognizing that being employed only means you are between searches is the key to executing good career management habits and facilitating smoother transitions.

Whether your search takes 4 months, 6 months, or 12+ months, there are a few things you can be doing while you are still gainfully and happily employed and thinking about your next career step.

Remember that finding the right fit takes time.

Attracting recruiters and companies who need what you bring to the table and are willing to pay, and pay well, to get it takes intentionality … and time. If you are considering making a move within the next 12-18 months, it is not too early to begin the process.

The pursued has the most power.

When you are being pursued (vs. doing the pursing), you occupy the power position in compensation negotiations. Make sure your marketable value message is compelling and visible to the companies and recruiters who need to know about your career contributions and impacts so they can find you when they need a CFO with your talent.

Balance is key!

The best Chief Financial Officer positions are rarely found on public job boards. Executing a balanced search plan that includes a strong network, visibility among your target market and recruiters, and a proactive campaign aimed at companies on your hit list will garner much better results than a search plan that consists primarily of forwarding your resume to blind ads.

When you have the luxury of time, you can afford to wait for that right-fitting opportunity rather than make a choice out of desperation that may or may not be the right fit.

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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.

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The Proverbial Elevator Speech

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Every time I hear the term “elevator speech,” it makes me cringe. I know it serves a purpose and I’ll talk about that in a minute, but most people use an elevator speech to talk “at” people – about themselves – far too often. That is especially true when one is in job search mode. Think about a wife talking at her husband, or vice versa. How much listening is really happening? Or, is the other person …

– planning what s/he is going to say next;

– mentally wondering what else is on his “to do” list;

– trying to determine how soon he can disengage from the me-centered conversation; or

– strategically scanning the room to see who else is there?

That is a consequence of using an elevator speech when a back-and-forth conversation would be much more effective. Such communication is much easier when you understand your value and can articulate it in problem-solving language. When asked what do you do, there are conversation stoppers and more intriguing conversation hooks with which to respond. For example,

I am a CFO for XYZ Company; or

I help small mid-cap companies meet their growth objectives.

The first response is typical and completely misses the value piece of a message. Short of something like how long have you been there, the conversation is on its way to a quick end. Conversely, the latter response invites a follow-up question. If you are skillful at handling the follow-up questions, you can keep the conversation flowing while simultaneously creating rock-solid problem solving positioning.

Save your elevator speech – that 60-to-90 second spiel that tells people about you – for round table networking events and when answering the question “tell me about yourself” during an interview or in a conversation with a recruiter. At that point, it is both appropriate and useful because your written marketing documents (resume, cover letter, leadership brief) and digital footprint have already answered the value question.

Proverbial or not, I do not believe an elevator speech is appropriate when you are standing in an elevator or attending a networking event. Talking at people will never be as effective as engaging people by talking with them.

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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.

Are You a CFO with the Goal of Being CEO?

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I have thought for years that the Chief Financial Officer was a natural fit to step into the role of Chief Executive Officer, even before the expansion of the Finance Chief’s responsibilities. And while I still believe the facts support my perspective, the statistics of those finance leaders “actually” stepping into the top position at a company are quite low.

However, for those CFOs who have the CEO seat in their sights, Crist Kolder’s president says …

“For about 80% of the CFO searches we’re doing, our clients are specifying that they want someone who can be a CEO successor someday.”

Regardless of whether your goal is your first CFO role, a new CFO position with more responsibility, a CFO position that leads to a CEO role, or our first Chief Executive Officer role, there are 3 things that are critically important to positioning yourself for any of those roles.

A cohesive message of being a leader who solves problems

Whether you are positioning yourself for an internal or external move, your ability to solve problems and deliver impacts matters … greatly. There are limited CFO and CEO opportunities in the marketplace. Separate yourself from the competition, who largely focus on duties and responsibilities, by concentrating on the challenge you faced, the potential risk or consequence of doing nothing, and the action(s) you took to resolve the issue and position the company to achieve its objective.

I have heard Finance Chiefs say … “if I can only get in front of someone, I can close the deal.” That’s great. But you need the opportunity to get in front of a decision maker. Your value message must be cohesive and flow throughout every written marketing document, including a Linkedin profile, as well as verbal messaging.

There is also a mistaken belief by internal candidates that they do not need to work as hard as external candidates. That is a flawed perspective. If anything, the internal candidate needs to be even more visible and vocal about his or her contributions. You might think the people who need to know do know, but your job is to make sure they know rather than assume they know.

Proven and recognizable soft skills

I talked about this in my previous blog post – In Demand CFOs – but it is worth repeating. You did not get to be a Chief Financial Officer because you do not have finance skills. But it might very well be the case that you miss out on a really great opportunity without proven soft skills.

A cone of influence

The truth is you need to know people who know people. Job boards are seductive, and ineffective. Recruiters want the perfect-fitting candidate and they don’t have a monopoly on the market. Your network is the best source of leads and referrals to those great opportunities you are seeking.

When you are looking for that first position – whether it is as a CFO or CEO – someone who knows you and can vouch for your ability to do the job just might be the influential lynchpin that gets you in the door.

A strong network cannot be understated for any executive candidate.

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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.

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The Dog Ate My Homework

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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!

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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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5 Tips for a Compelling Linkedin Profile

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Following my article on the CFOO, a CFO asked me this question …

<<… when you say “using LinkedIn as a placeholder for your online presence is a bad idea” what do you mean?>>

What I meant by a placeholder is a bare bones Linkedin profile – a name, maybe a picture, the current employer, and maybe education. A visual might be a person walking into a networking event wearing a brown paper bag on his head. It doesn’t invite perusal or conversation – there is simply nothing there to see.

Here are my 5 tips for ensuring that your Linkedin profile is more than a placeholder and sending a message you didn’t intend to send.

1. Make your headline a headline

Most people resort to dropping their most recent job title into the spot underneath their name. Using a job title is a clear missed opportunity to immediately convey value. A value statement also transcends any potential future job loss.

2. Expand your summary section

This is another place to convey value AND tell a story that will intrigue a reader to continue reading the balance of your profile. With 2,000 characters available, it is also a chance to capture critical key words that a recruiter or company will use when searching for a CFO candidate.

3. Keep your experience section fresh

By fresh, I don’t mean just updated – although that is a key point. However, cutting and pasting your resume into this section is not fresh. It is redundant. If you repeat your resume here, there is no need for a prospect to ask for your resume. Rather, think of your marketing documents as bricks that, when stacked on top of each other, form a solid wall of credibility.

4. Be judicious in choosing your connections

We never know who might be a great networking connection, but there are two important reasons to be selective in growing your online network.

First, recruiters do look at your connections and right, wrong, or indifferent – it is a part of their first impression.

Second, do you want to build a rolodex or grow your network? One is not necessarily helpful; the other is a necessity.

5. Get recommendations

Third party testimonials add credibility to your own value statements about your ability, and they matter – to recruiters and to the Linkedin algorithm. A profile doesn’t need a lot of “atta boy” recommendations; rather, it does need a few that validate your problem-solving abilities while helping to ensure a complete profile.

Social media is a critical piece of today’s job search process. Without a strong, value-oriented presence, recruiters might be missing out on the perfect Chief Financial Officer – you – to fill their job requisition! Don’t be a wallflower. Instead, be the candidate who stands out from the competition!

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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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Industry Expertise

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I have been working exclusively with Chief Financial Officers for a long time. Eight years to be exact. And much has changed in those 8 years. Like …

  • The evolution of the stereotypical bean counting CFO to a Chief Financial Operations Officer.
  • An increase in the number of CFOs who have an interest in moving into the CEO seat.
  • A slight bump in the number of CFOs who have embraced social media.
  • The paradigm shift on “industry experience.”

It is the industry experience paradigm shift that is the focus of my thoughts today.

Up until about 5-6 years ago, industry experience was almost always a requirement. Recruiters would rarely consider candidates from outside “the” industry. Making a change was nearly unheard of and almost impossible to achieve.

That, however, is no longer the case. Companies are finally realizing that while group think (hiring within the industry) begets more group think, hiring outside the industry can facilitate a completely new and different perspective on solving problems and achieving objectives. Companies also recognize that knowledge of the industry can be learned and hiring candidates who possess certain skills – including soft skills – may be the greater imperative.

My favorite story to illustrate this point is a client who worked in a multi-unit retail space. He got calls – repeatedly – for CFO positions in healthcare … not because he had any healthcare experience, he didn’t. Rather, he had what the healthcare industry did not have – candidates who possessed multi-unit experience. It was not the industry experience that mattered. It was the skillset sorely lacking in that space that was attractive to his candidacy.

If you want to compete for Finance Leader positions outside your industry, then it is time to …

  • identify industries in which you can be competitive;
  • leverage your unique and transferrable skill set which includes doing what you love, want to do more of, and in which you have a track record of success;
  • raise your visibility with a compelling, value-oriented message; and
  • ramp up your networking efforts.

 

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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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The Chief Financial Operations Officer

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Today’s CFO is really a CFOO … a Chief Financial Operations Officer. And it has been that way for at least the past 5 years. There is no going back. The CFO is now the CFOO and in some cases, the CEO … Chief Everything Officer.

I almost didn’t read this article because of the title. Despite the title and my disagreement with his last statement, the article makes some valid points. Like …

<<In fact, today’s CFO is more like a COO in disguise.>>

Maybe it would be a tad more accurate to say that today’s CFO position demands a deep knowledge of operations and how numbers interact with operations to drive profitability. I don’t believe there is anything concealed about that fact.

<<… there’s so much overlap with what a COO does that
it seems to me like having both is redundant.>>

I agree. However, it also seems to me that a strategic CFO is in a much better position to do that than a COO, even with a strong controller in place.

My focus, though, is how the CFO evolution impacts a finance leader’s market positioning. Pure number crunchers are rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Articulating value as a finance executive with a track record of both visioning and executing initiatives that positively impact operations is imperative within a competitive market. That imperative is even more so when there are a limited number of positions available at the top.

Believing that “if you just got the chance to talk with a prospective company, you could close the deal” is understandable. My clients are always very accomplished. However, without strong marketable value positioning that gets you noticed, those chances may be significantly diminished.

– Does your resume contain more than duties and responsibilities? It must demonstrate your ability to take your financial and operational expertise and execute corporate initiatives.

– Does your digital footprint convey your compelling value messaging? Being a wallflower or using your Linkedin profile as a placeholder can significantly reduce your ability to get noticed by a company who needs what you do and would be willing to pay, and pay well, to get it.

– Does your network know and understand how you solve problems over and above the responsibilities you held and duties you performed? It is always about how you have stepped into a problematic situation, resolved the issue, and delivered a tangible impact as proof that you can solve the kinds of problems a prospective company is having.

Without solid operational finance messaging, perhaps there could be some truth to the author’s statement that the CFO may become a relic of the past.

If you are a CFOO who wants some help identifying your compelling value messaging – whether that is in your resume, your digital footprint, and/or among your network – give me a call!

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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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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