senior-level executives

Recruiting Game-Changers

by

As much as I detest pro-sports (with the exception of the “BroncoGators”) and particularly the whole LeBron hoopla, I could not pass up Dr. Sullivan’s article without commenting. If you’re a game-changing finance executive or CFO, the article is well worth the read. 

Here are a few of Sullivan’s comments, followed by my thoughts:

“Google for example has estimated that a top-performer generates three hundred times more revenue than an average performer.”

The difference in salary between an average performer and a top performer can be quite large … but only if you are a visible, in-demand target with the ability to clearly communicate your value.

“… game-changers, innovators, and top performers truly are different and must be recruited in a unique manner.”

Sullivan has a list of characteristics that describe these talented executives … among them, they are not actively looking for a position, they dislike standard recruiting practices, and there is often a negative career-impacting event that moves them to begin thinking about probing potential opportunities. 

At the risk of beating a dead horse, as a senior-level executive – finance or otherwise – it is critical to proactively manage your career with the mindset that you are only ever between searches. Eventually you will move. Getting the game-changer positioning and staying on the radar screen of those people who need to know about you is a good career habit, and one that needs to begin while you are still happily employed and, in the eyes of the recruiter, the “most desirable” candidate.

“Shift to a “game-changing recruiting approach.”

Lesson #3, while written for the executive recruiter to recruit game-changers, could just as easily be a roadmap for a successful positioning / search strategy by game-changers.


If you want to play, you have to understand the rules. Game-changers hold immense power … once they understand how the game is played.

A No Win Scenario

by

In yesterday’s coaching session, my client (we’ll call him Jim) told me that, before engaging my services, he received a phone call from a contingency recruiter in California. Jim didn’t know the recruiter, but was told by the recruiter that he had about five or so contacts where he could present Jim. Ahhh, the lure of an opportunity. 

Jim sent off his resume and heard … nothing. He still has heard nothing. My advice, write to the recruiter and inquire to whom he presented his resume, when, and put him on notice that he was not authorized to present his resume to anyone else without Jim’s knowledge and consent. 

Why? Because in this situation, every one stands to lose. 

The recruiter randomly blasts out Jim’s resume to companies in his database so “if” there is an opening at any of those companies, the recruiter can say “he” presented the candidate and claim a fee. If the company doesn’t want to pay the fee, he simply doesn’t hire that … perhaps very qualified … candidate. If the company does hire the candidate, he just might face a lawsuit from the recruiter. Everyone loses.

Sound crazy? Read the story directly from this recruiter on ERE.net. 

Did you notice this sentence? 

“Our candidate put his resume on career builder.”

If you are currently working with recruiters or intend to work with recruiters in the future, the rest of the story is one good reason, and there are many, why CFOs and other senior-level executives should NOT post resumes on public job boards, in my humble opinion. 

The best way to work with recruiters is to build relationships with them before you need them. Most recruiters are professional and credible. It is the recruiters like the one who called Jim that can cause problems for everyone. The only way you, as a candidate, can discern which recruiter(s) is the best fit for you is to have a solid relationship in place long before you find yourself in the job search market. 

Dependency of a Newborn

by

I’ve been AWOL over the past weeks as I practiced and perfected my grandmothering skills with my very first grandbaby – a beautiful, healthy, and happy girl. It’s been great fun and absolutely exhausting! It feels good to be back to my old normal life again … and great to be connecting with my readers again.


One thing I noticed over the past few weeks is the similarity between the total dependency of a newborn and the employed (and even unemployed). Much like a newborn relies completely on her trusted adults for care and provision, MOST of working America depends on others for his job or next job. The company to retain them (corporate loyalty has been replaced by bottom line profits), a nice boss who likes them, recruiters to find them jobs (not the way they work), a network (if they have one) to find them a job when they are unemployed, and on and on. I’m finishing up an article on this … email me if you would like a copy when it’s completed.


Today’s Bizjournal says CEO confidence has dipped again in June, including confidence around employment. Execunet says demand for senior-level talent is likely to increase during the second half of 2008. I guess the truth lies somewhere in the middle.


Regardless of where the truth lies, being in control of your career rather than giving control to others, is key to landing the job you want at the salary you deserve. My question is … are you depending on someone else for your next career move or are you embracing the self-employed mindset with a clear strategy and plan for execution?

Change

by

There are numerous truths about change. Here are four important ones that relate to your career.

1. Change is inevitable. That means, you have the choice to be proactive or reactive to what will be coming your way sooner or later.

2. Change causes fear among people who know you. That means, when you are ready to move you might find yourself surrounded by naysayers … presumably looking out for your best interests.

3. Change is driven by a desire to change. That means, it is important to look within yourself to find the motivator(s) that will force you to move.

4. Change makes you uncomfortable. That means, if you aren’t uncomfortable, you’re probably not growing. If you are floundering in stagnancy, you probably aren’t as successful as you could be.

For my full article around Change, Opportunity, and Your Career, send me an email and I’ll happily send it your way.

Search Firms See Executive Hiring on the Rise

by

The results from Execunet’s most recent Executive Employee Report indicate that executive hiring is trending upward.

“According to the report, the Recruiter Confidence Index (RCI) increased in October for the second consecutive month, once again bucking August’s report in which the RCI fell as a result of the mortgage industry’s sub-prime lending crisis. An overwhelming majority (81 percent) of executive recruiters are expecting an increase in assigments over the next three months.”

If you haven’t seen it, the full article appears in Manage Smarter.

While on the surface this looks like great news for executive job seekers, if you read my article following the Kennedy Recruiting Conference from last week then you know that this is much better news for passive, top–talent than it is for unemployed executives.

If you are unemployed and looking, you must understand your marketability and clearly articulate your value … and get out of the job boards … in order to compete with the coveted passive candidates.

For senior–level executives, resume saturation in the public job boards can be career suicide.

Do You Know What You Don’t Know?

by

I’ve gotten some questions and read some articles this week about whether it is preferable to write your own resume or have a professional write it. Since I’m in the resume writing business, my answer is perhaps biased. However, permit me to make my case.

One of the main arguments for self-writing is that you know what you’ve done better than anyone else. Of course you do. The question is … how well can you articulate it? Not every one has a gift or talent for writing. And very few people are savvy at marketing when they are the product.

My finance executives tend to be numbers-oriented rather than words-oriented. They can finesse and lovingly massage P&Ls, keep department budgets in line, monitor profit growth, and set strategic direction, but when it comes time to marketing themselves through the written word, there can be a serious disconnect.

There is also perspective. We always look at the things we’ve done through our own narrow viewpoint and that sometimes does not allow us to clearly see the value in the things we’ve accomplished and the ways we’ve contributed. Sometimes, it is easier to see the worth of our accomplishments if we have an objective person asking us questions that allow us to look at our contributions from a different vantage point.

I’m not crazy about the way my hair stylist styles my hair, but she cuts it exactly right. She has a different perspective than I do, and one I cannot begin to replicate by looking in a mirror with a pair of scissors in my hand.

My clients are senior-level executives who understand that if you don’t know how to do something, you partner with an expert who knows what you don’t know. If you are immersed in a frustrating and discouraging job search, seek the advice and help of a career coach who knows what you don’t know and who can help you see what you can’t see. The insight you gain regarding your marketability and value to a prospective company can give you a fresh approach … even if you do decide to write your own marketing documents.