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Beating Them to the Punch – Looking for Hiring Triggers

January 27, 2013 by

Companies have natural triggers that will cause them to look for talent.  See below for my starter list of triggers.  Your goal is to look for companies who have recently experienced one of these triggers (say last 12 months) and network your way in to the impacted departments.

Your expectations when finding a trigger has occurred should be as follows:

  • Every company will respond differently from one another and perhaps differently to each trigger.  Companies who are strong in pre-planning or response, you want to get inside as close to the event as possible.  This is where your network will pay rich dividends in getting you necessary insight.
  • Decisions on talent may take several months or more so a company can learn how something impacts their business.  A good rule of thumb is that areas impacting revenue or customer service are usually tackled first so the top line does not falter, typically followed by getting control of cash and financial results.
  • Not every trigger will go public before it happens (e.g. acquisition), however, this is where you study your targeted firms and play a bit of “what if”.  For example, if a company has experienced good growth from a core set of products, then it’s a reasonable supposition that they will need to either develop or purchase new markets and/or products to maintain that growth.  Seeing the event before it happens will put you at the head of the line.
  • You will need to understand how your experience fits with an event (e.g. how you’ve helped a company correct lower than expected profitability) – as you get more information on the company situation, you can adjust which experiences to emphasize in your resume and pitch.
  • I would be cautious with any event that is simply a company announcement.  Many of these do not come to fruition, therefore, keep you investment of time in check until you can validate how much of the announcement will come to pass.
  • Keep tabs of local business media for both the company and its competitors for both specific and potential events.

These triggers are directional indicators (sorry, no matter how hard we wish, not absolute) that helps you both find and prepare for potential opportunities.

Hope this helps and good luck today.

Mark

Starter List of Potential Triggers That Can Create Hiring Opportunities

  • Acquired company(ies) in last 12 months
  • Major competitor acquired or making acquisitions
  • New management team (CEO, CFO, etc.) and/or major departure
  • Acquired by another company within last 12 months
  • Major investment in outside company
  • Rapid revenue growth (20%+ annually)
  • Lower than expected profitability
  • Significant levels of debt (limited cash flexibility)
  • Expansion into new line of business by company or major competitor
  • International expansion
  • Sale of business(es)/product line
  • Industry with rapid pricing and product changes
  • Consideration to go public
Filed Under: General

Your Networking Contact and their Ability to Absorb and Retain

October 14, 2012 by

One of the best lessons I learned in my finance career was “the details are important, just not to everyone”.  As I worked with different audiences to present results, while I had a similar message (the results and the drivers were the same), the ability for them to first absorb and then to retain and act upon was all in the delivery.

The same can be said with our messaging in networking or interviews.  We all have started with the simple message and can drill down – which is a good start.  But as you move beyond the simple, consider what the person has the ability to absorb and retain.  It’s usually within those details that set you apart from other candidates.  The question is how to give them what they both can quickly absorb and then retain following your meeting when the real action happens. (See blog post “Where is Value Created in Networking” for the importance of the post-meeting period).

First, it still no more than 3 points.  Regardless of how important, your message is competing with many others, so pick your spot and give a message that is relative to what you are seeking your networking contact to do for you (e.g. make a connection, offer references, etc.). Your contact may have the ability to understand a good deal of your background, but allow them to ask for a broader scope.

Second, through lots of trial and error, I found a person’s familiarity with a topic heavily influenced what was retained both initially and longer term.  Investing time to consider what they will be familiar with will help get your message across.  Given the action comes after the meeting, getting a message across that will stick is critical to success.  I sketched out this graph to how to think about the message I delivered and how often it may need to be reinforced.

Your networking connections will generally fall into one of these broad categories, so create your top 3 messages for each one and a few specific accomplishments under each.   These accomplishments serve as the proof points to the message (if you have examples you can share, even better) that a delivered as part of your pitch.

Writing in advance saves tons of time in prep.  I recommend you begin with the ‘Same Role, Same Industry” and then just simplify down. Again, remember as you simplify, think about what details (if any) are important to them.  Before the actual meeting, you can tweak the message based upon your contact’s background.

A few thoughts about retention, the people with similar roles or industry will be able to recall you easier due to the shared experiences which create a firm anchor for future reference.  For my fellow finance or industry colleagues, I am amazed at how much we seem to retain about each other’s backgrounds because of those shared experiences.  Of course, the retention fades in time, but the big items do stick.  For HR, I’m not throwing their ability to retain under the bus.  This is simply a reflection of the volume of candidates, resumes, etc. they need to review in the course of their job, so it’s unrealistic to expect them to retain everyone.  The same is true for a general networking contact, they see lots of networking contacts.  For both, HR and general connection, they are more likely to remember you because of a ‘personal’ connection (same school, contacts, etc.) than what you promise to bring a company since the two of you lack a common work experience.  These are the people where follow-up is critical to reinforce the simple message given.

All networking is trial and error, use this chart as a place to start your messaging and then adjust as you test it out.  When in doubt, lean toward less than more.  A good short message is always safe and if people want more they will ask.

Good luck today.

Mark

Filed Under: General

Where is the Value Created in Networking?

July 9, 2012 by

Networking is like any sport in that it is the practice before and after a match that gives you the best performance.   The chart below offers a view of where you create value in networking.  At first glance, you may think just opposite, since if you can only win during the game, would not the meeting be the most important event to creating value?

A typical networking meeting allows you to start or expand a relationship and launch a pipeline of possible job opportunities and the victory usually comes after the meeting.  The ability to get the relationship and pipeline going begins before you ever meet and the ability to grow the relationship comes after you meet.

Where is value created with Networking

The graph above is built from my 700+ networking meetings, in particular, its built on my realization of what made a networking meeting really pay off.

Before: Selection is the most important step in networking.  Selection begins with understanding what you want (career development, job search, etc.) and identifying the type of networking contact who can help you achieve that task.  Your goal is to make sure that your pitch/ask is something that your contact can act upon.  Then it’s research about your contact and prep.

During: Establishing that you came to network is what set the tone that you came to build a relationship.  The key purpose of the research is to find ways you can offer help to your contact, it’s that offer of help is what sets the tone.  The other most important item to create value is a simple message that will remain, so a ‘less is more’ approach when it comes to how much you share about yourself.

After: Get ready for action, because this is where it all happens and is the payoff to the work before. If your objective is a new position, unless you’re lucky, most contacts generally do not have any roles they know of when you meet, but they will over time.   You goal after a meeting is to continue to stay in contact and offer connection, insight, etc. from your continued networking.

The chart below is how the payoff will occur after a meeting.

 

  1. You and your initial contact will exchange connections as a result of your meeting
  2. You meet their connections using the ‘relationship building’ approach (offer connections, etc.)
  3. These connections will provide feedback to your initial contact, usually because of your ‘relationship building’ approach.  That feedback builds your reputation.
  4. You continue to network to a broader number of people.
  5. The people in Step 2 are known to your initial contact, but the people in Step 4 may be people of interest to them.  Taking a few minutes after a meeting to make that connection can build a relationship (make sure the introduction has mutual value to both parties).
  6. Here’s the payoff.  Because you maintained and tried to build upon the relationship, your initial contact will remember you when opportunities come about and pass them to you.

This seems like work and it is, however, the cool part about making connections like this is that it becomes easier over time because you get to know the person.

These charts are also good indicator of where time is spent.  Value is created when a relationship can be maintained.  Therefore, consider how much time you have to invest into networking.  You want to allow time in both building and developing your network.

Good luck today.

Mark

Filed Under: General

The Art of Managing Downtime during Job Search

February 19, 2012 by

A last minute call cancels a networking meeting.  You have another meeting close-by, but it does not make sense to drive home and back.  For whatever reason, you have an extra hour or two on your hand.  Now what?

When we are employed, there is generally a well-stocked backlog of activities that fill any extra time.   When unemployed, we can adopt a less urgent focus on time, as we seem to have all day.  Yet, time is a search’s most value asset to be invested wisely.

Those extra hours happen more often than you like and the number can add up pretty fast.  If you allow ten hours of prime ‘job search time’ to go unused, that’s ten hours you take out of time needed to keep your psyche strong (being with family, volunteering, consulting, etc.)

A colleague of mine, Tom Kulikowski, once remarked “He stayed ruthlessly organized” during his search.  The ruthless organization was as much for eliminating unnecessary work as it was for keeping his weekly search time under 40 hours a week.    It is easy to occupy 60+ hours a week, but after 40 hours, both your productivity and effectiveness drop off like a rock.  Trust me, I know from both being ineffective and seeing in fellow candidates.  Working smarter instead of longer applies regardless of your employment status.

To use that extra hour, my activities fell into the following areas.  While not presented in a ranked priority, I always gave precedent to preparation for meetings/interviews and follow-up. For which, the tools were my calendar for the last month and upcoming two weeks and my Targeted Company list.

One: Upcoming meetings – Have you determined what you want from the meeting and how you can offer your contact something to make you memorable?  Use the time to fill in a “Networking Meeting Checklist” for each of our upcoming meeting.

Two: Empty Spots in Your Calendar – I would check my progress on my Targeted Company list and figure out who I needed to meet to either within the company or to help me get in the company.  Then I would send out my invites, suggesting the times that were open in my calendar.  Having a roadmap makes it much easier to reach your destination, so I recommend you use a Targeted Company List.

Three: Follow-up to past networking meetings is what takes them from interesting to relevant.  Your follow-up on commitments and reminders of theirs is critical especially for demonstrating action on your part.

Four: Sharing or creating content that demonstrate your skills highlighted in your resume.  Early in my search, another colleague, Peter VanNest, showed me the examples of his work for use in networking and interviews.  He was right in that an actual example of your work was significantly more powerful in proving you can deliver that just telling someone about it.  I now have two dozen examples that I share.

Five: Professional research to keep you up to date or expand your understanding of an area.  One of the reasons I like Proformative (a resource for finance professional) so much is the depth of content and practical advice from fellow finance professionals.  There are many similar sites for other professions.

Six: Read the local business news to see what businesses are growing or changing.  I got into more companies simply because I followed up on a news article with an e-mail.

These items were more than enough to fill an hour and you can do every one while still enjoying a large coffee.

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , ,

Your Skills Transfer but what about the Culture?

January 22, 2012 by

It’s easy for us to get heavily focused on our skill set as the primarily determinant as to whether we fit into a role.  We start with our resume that is summary of positions held, skills and accomplishments. For many on-line applications, we answer screening questions regarding our qualifications based upon skills, education or positions held.

When you are looking at potential role, the culture of a firm will play a major role in the level of effectiveness in using those skills.  A firm’s culture impacts every aspect of a business; how decisions are made, management style, processes, hiring practices, internal politics, tolerance for risk, and how an exceptional employee is viewed.  A great example is a publicly traded firms who is heavily tied to quarterly results and as a result will advance or delay projects based upon the most recent quarterly earnings.

I have had the opportunity to work in firms with very different cultures (family-owned, venture-backed, global firm, heavily regulated public, emerging growth and start-up) and I’ve also met numerous candidates who changed cultures, so I can offer a few observations about cultural fit to help set your expectations when considering a change.

First, for those people who came from other cultures and it did not work out, it was very clear that it was not a technical skill issue.  Expectation: Skills is what a company needs, cultural fit is what they want.

Second, the people to learn the about culture are those whom also came from a different culture and have been with the firm you are interested in for several years.  They will be able to point out the key differences within this culture.  Expectation: Long-time insiders will have difficult providing a good contrast to other cultures, but can give insight into the types of people who succeed.

Third, good ideas can trump the culture occasionally, but not every day. There is an attraction to firms where your skills can bring change, but start with its current success.    The culture of a firm is what binds together the team and makes them work as one, so you don’t want to be seen as trying to work outside of it.  I’m not saying every culture is highly efficient, but if it’s working, then it is hard to make it change because the insider’s view is that it’s okay.  Expectation: You can bring your ideas by proving you can work within the existing culture and build relationships with peers.  You must be willing to live within the culture until we’ve built those relationships.

Fourth, even if a culture needs to change, it is generally a slow shift.  Take an emerging growth firm that needs to transition from a start-up mentality. The infusion of processes, maintenance of systems, etc. will take time.  Even if the company says they want to change, it takes time.  Expectation: You might bang your head against the wall at first, but it will pay off.

Fifth, be honest with where you can work by comparing the culture to your own style and interests.  It deserves an equal level of importance as to evaluating your skills.   This is not to say you cannot adapt, but your goal after landing is to perform, you also need to be reasonable on how much you can adapt.  Expectation: You don’t want to be in search again, so make sure the culture will not limit your success.

There’s a reason that you will hear people say “_______ is a big company person”, “________ sure fits a sales culture”, because they have found both success and the comfort of fit within a given organization. If you happen to work great in a given culture, then nothing wrong playing to your strengths and continuing in a place you can succeed.

The comedian Bill Cosby said “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” This is very true when trying to work in a culture you do not fit.  If do your homework of both understanding yourself and a company, then you’ll find success.

Good luck today.

Mark

 

Filed Under: General Tagged With: ,

Good Question: Do Cold Letters Work

January 16, 2012 by

I answer job search questions on Proformative.com, I like to share the good questions from their members.

Original Good Question:

Given the job market we are experiencing, do you recommend sending a letter to a business that does not have an advertised position posted? Are cold letters such as this viewed as irritating to the business leaders?

If you recommend sending a letter, should it be very brief merely asking about a job or should it accompany a resume to inform the business of your skills?

My response:

Is a Cold Letter Effective?

A cold letter is generally ineffective because there is not an immediate need to fill, therefore, no reason to look at talent.  Also, without a referral or introduction, it is difficult for someone to dedicate time from their day to review the letter (e-mail, etc.)

No Advertised Position – How to get in:

To get into companies with no advertised positions, I have used two steps with success

First, I have looked for ‘events’ that could trigger need for people with my skill set (new products, funding, acquisition, etc.).  I looked at events within the last six months – it’s usually a series of small events, not a major one.  While that seems like a big window of time, a company may need an extended period to determine what it needs.

Second, I find a way to get a referral or connection to remove the ‘cold’ – just to give your letter a chance to be read.  Remember, regardless of how strong a referral, your letter may go unread.

I think the book “Take the Cold out of Cold Calling” (www.takethecold.com) by Sam Ritcher is a great tool for finding connections.

Letter versus E-mail:

Use an e-mail; you are more likely to get it read.  Letters are good for follow-up.  I like to send notes like this on Sunday night, when people begin to scan e-mails on their smartphones in prep for the week, but their Inbox is not jammed.

What’s in your e-mail:

As what to include in the e-mail it’s all about addressing a need.  In addition to using your network to get a connection, also seek insight into what’s happening in the firm and specifically for the person you want to meet.

Here’s what I’ve included in my e-mail.

1) Should be to a specific person (e.g. CFO)

2) Reference your referral by name (I include in the title of my e-mail)

3) Identify the need that person has from the event (e.g. integration of accounting post-acquisition).  When I say need, what do they think about are those tasks they personally need to accomplish to remain successful.

4) In short, mention only background that is relevant to the addressing the need (e.g. I’ve done 4 integration projects).

5) Ask if they would like to meet, at a minimum you can share insight from your background.

Your objective is to have them take a meeting.  Give them a compelling reason why to meet – anything more simply gets in the way and diminishes your chances.

Include the URL to your LinkedIn profile instead of a resume and leave out asking for a job.  You want to avoid making someone feel like they will have to say “No” to you regarding a job (Who wants to take a meeting like that?)

There are no advertised jobs for a reason, they are not looking.  But just because they are not actively looking does not mean they do not have a need to solve.  What you want to do with your e-mail and meeting is highlight the need.

While these are generally longer-term plays, the interesting part is very few people use this method to get in – especially when it comes to stringing together several events where the cumulative effect could be significant.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , ,

The Person Who Has The Job You Want

December 5, 2011 by

Actually, there may be several people who have the job you want.

My advice is to contact them.

Why?

As the person in the chair they can offer you advice on how they got the role, skills did they emphasized during their search and what they are using today.  The difference between the skills emphasized and what they see now is very important; as it firsthand knowledge of what’s truly important to the people that will hire you.

They are great insight into the differences in the companies within the industry (what role does each company play, who is strong, who is weak, etc.).  Since their company has the role filled, you want their insight into those other firms.   They also can offer key contacts within the industry.

More importantly, they can be a good source of job leads.  As they sit in the chair today, people are likely to contact them about similar roles (networking contacts, recruiters, etc.), assuming they are happy, then most are likely to pass the role along to others.  This is why you always want to practice the “80% Rule of Networking” to establish a good start of your relationship.

I used this technique and it produced several good leads.  When I reached out to people, I told them that I was interested in the industry and wanted to get their opinion.   Never once did I ever ask for a job – though they knew I was looking for one.

I also found out much more about the role that I did not know before, there were items that were particular to both an industry and the firm.  These included key areas of focus, trends effecting the role, etc.   In a few cases, I realized that my skills were not as strong as a fit with the role as I had anticipated.

Give it a whirl – Talk to someone who has the job you want!  May be one of the better ways to find the job you want!

Good luck today!

Mark

Filed Under: General Tagged With: ,

Pitching Your Startup Experience to an Non-Startup Audience

September 25, 2011 by

Question: Does having a start-up or early-stage experience help or hinder your resume’s appeal?

The answer: Depends on the reader.

I know that’s a crummy answer, but it’s the truth.

If the reader has a background with firms that were with startup/early-stage, entrepreneurial, fast growing or rapidly changing business  (regardless of company size), they can appreciate how the experience will impact what you can offer a potential employer.  If not, it’s more difficult.

Think of it like working outside your home country, it’s tough to truly appreciate until you cross the border.

Since you may move between established firms and start-ups, understanding how to position your experience to a non-Startup audience is important.

Having worked in and with start-up/early-stage firms for the past five years I can share some of the key upsides and downsides.  There are loads of both, but these items that come up most frequently in either discussion with colleagues or what I’ve experienced firsthand.

UPSIDES:

These are the items to emphasize in a cover letter, pitch or within body of resume.

Fine tune your view of the customer: Without all the meetings, processes, etc. this is where you focus all of your attention on understanding the need, design a product to fulfill it, understand their motivation to buy, how to find them and convince them to put money in your wallet.  There’s not a company on the planet that does not want to serve their customer better.  This is the best thing going for a start-up, that ability to get to the absolute essentials of bringing revenue into the business.

Visibility to the entire business process: This is the second best thing going for a startup; you get to see the entire delivery process to a client – from product, pricing, operations through collection of cash.  You learn both what’s truly essential to running the business and when to add functions to your company.

Expand and Understand Your Skills: Titles are given, but generally optional when it comes to getting the work done.  Those skills you were good at become great; those skills you were okay at become better. My titles have been CFO, but my tasks have including designing web pages, developing a social media plan, creating sales tools, and operating manuals.  I’d never say you’ll become an expert, but you certainly learn to use what you’ve got and how to deal with situations where you have little past experience.  In a small firm, you are pretty open about your strengths (also it’s hard to hide) and when to ask for help – which makes you a more effective member of a team to accomplish a given task.

Speed of Decision-Making/Risk Taking: Due to a variety of constraints, you learn to move quickly with less information.  More importantly, you learn to focus on the ‘right’ information.  How you approach risk is also finely tuned, because you learn to balance the need to move quickly and the risk that a bad decision can sink the firm.  You move to try new ideas quickly, but you move to shut down rotten ideas with equal speed.

Problems = Innovation: There’s always some problem or roadblock to overcome.  Whether it’s too little capital, change in client behavior, your solution did not work exactly right, or new competitors, you learn to adapt your original vision of what you bring to market.  Because of their frequency, you become enamored with what you can deliver, less on how it’s delivered.  Innovation extends well beyond the initial idea into how to make the idea commercially viable.

DOWNSIDES:

A non-startup audience may often view the following items as less than favorable because of how they differ from their typically established company perspective.  I describe the traits and how to offset it in your pitch, etc.  When it comes to the downsides, my advice is to assassinate the assassin, by directly addressing the issues that may derail your chances.

You could not get job in big firm:  There is a common belief that established firms were not interested in you, so you went to a start-up.

Offsetting argument: The reality is that given the risk of capital, the investors, board and management tend to be very choosey as to who gets hired.  They have both capital and reputation on the line, so everyone wants a team that can bring success to this deal and for fundraising in future deals.

Failure or non-performance of start-up: It’s the nature of the beast and no one is immune.  You are defining a new product, new market or both and with this come higher risk.

Offsetting argument: It’s this risk that enables the upsides noted above, however, without a roadmap, processes or history – you are likely to make mistakes.  When you compare a start-up’s success rate against that of an establish firm’s success rate on new products (success being either on time, on budget and hitting expected returns) – it’s clear that the risk applies equally to all firms.

Nomadic lifestyle: People will see that you may have worked with a number of start-ups in a short period of time.  There are three primary reasons why this might be true.  First, it can take several tries to find the right deal and you may have to jump in to figure it out.   Second, not every start-up needs your skill full-time after launch; your work can be a project to get the business launched.  Third, the business does not succeed or grow, so it’s time to try a new one because they cannot afford you or there’s no upside.

Offsetting argument: Start-up investors lay bets on a large number of start-ups with the belief that 1 in 10 or 20 will have a significant return that more than offsets the deals that goes sideways.  They go into deals knowing that many will not succeed; the tough part is that they don’t which one up front.

CAVEATS:

Before pitching someone, learn their background and their firms.  For their firms, remember that big does not always equal stodgy, and may be very entrepreneurial for their size.

The non-startup audience is not wrong in their view of skills, simply different than your own.  It’s your responsibility to help them appreciate the startup experience.

Your experience will vary in scope and depth.  Before you head out to pitch yourself, take an inventory of your experiences – you’ll be surprised at what you’ve learned!

If your start-up hit it big, then skip the above and promote the end result, you’ve punched your ticket.

Good luck today.

Mark

 

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

Interview Performance: In Transition Candidate Versus The Employed Candidate

August 30, 2011 by

Have you ever wondered if being in-transition makes you less attractive in an interview?  The answer may be “Yes”, but not for the reasons you may think.

My colleague Marcia Ballinger from Keystone Search and I were having coffee and we got on the topic of interviewing.  She shared some amazing insight into how in-transition candidates effectively derail their chances during the interview.

Marcia has submitted many in-transition candidates for her clients’ consideration because they have the right skills and experiences that make them attractive to a client – regardless of their employment status.  Also, Marcia’s firm has sat in interviews as an observer for the past five years, so she has seen both types of candidates in action.

She has observed a pattern of behavior from the in-transition candidates which lowered their chances because they made themselves an ‘outlier’ when compared other candidates – but in the wrong direction.

Much like that old joke about when you and buddy are being chased by a bear, you don’t have to run faster than the bear, just your buddy.  When it comes to hiring, the candidate selected is not the best at everything, they are simply better than the other candidates.

Here are the traits that Marcia has seen from in-transition candidates are going to get you caught by the bear.

  • They talk more and listen less.
  • They are very quickly convinced that an opportunity is “perfect” for them, even when they don’t have all the facts.   Marcia said that she frequently has in-transition candidates proclaim that they are ‘perfect’ for a position, even before they have seen a job description.  (Writer comment: For an executive position, these can be literally ‘million dollar’ decisions given the potential impact of the executive on a business.  Who makes million dollar decisions with no information?)
  • They lean forward.
  • They don’t always wait for the speaker to finish answering the question.
  • They are glib, surface, and less “thoughtful.”
  • They talk faster, as though they are trying to “squeeze” more in.
  • They seek to persuade, not to understand.

Having interviewed during my own transition, I’ll admit to being guilty of these behaviors.  At the time I felt as though I was displaying my eagerness and interest, but now I see it was my anxious feelings shining through.

How does someone with a job behave during an interview?  Here’s what Marcia has observed:

  • These people are picky.  They are choosey.
  • Instead of trying to convince, they are waiting to be convinced.
  • They are genuinely interested in learning more and investigating whether the opportunity could be a fit.  But, they do not come in convinced that it IS a fit.
  • There tends to be more mutuality in the discussions with employed candidates.  Employed candidates see themselves as ‘peers’, so the interview is more like two business people having a meeting.
  • For the hiring executive, it feels more like a regular meeting between a boss and a staff member, and less like an outsider, or a “salesperson.”

For you and me, these types of ‘insider’ insights are pure gold since its behavior from fellow candidates – both what’s working and what’s not.  However, Marcia made another point which I think is more relevant: The in-transition candidates’ behaviors arise from their circumstances and build over time; therefore, they need to work harder to suppress these behaviors.

The employed candidate comes into the interview with the ability to walk away, which gives them a position of strength.  They feel less overall risk and certainty no reason to push or persuade.  This is why the discussion is more relaxed and interactive.

Can an in-transition candidate give themselves the walk away power?  While perhaps not at the same level of the employed candidate, you can get close if you go into an interview with this mindset: I don’t want to be interviewing a year from now; therefore, I need to be sure this is a job where I can truly succeed and will be retained.

If this approach helps you avoid being back in-transition in the near term, it’s a powerful motivation to help you make sure this is the right position.  (If you are at the point, either financially or emotionally, that you to just get into a role please see: The Art of Settling for Less).

My thanks to Marcia for sharing this amazing insight that will help all of us get the most out of our interviews.

Good luck today!

Mark

Filed Under: Calming pre-interview nerves, General, Interview Mistakes, Interview Prep, Interviewing, Interviewing Preparation, Interviewing Tips & Techniques Tagged With: , ,

Great Resume Tip: Words for Database Only

August 24, 2011 by

The first place your resume gets ‘read’ within either an external or internal recruiting department is their database.

The only time a recruiter/HR reads your resume is when it’s relevant to a search, which is no different than you and I only reading what’s relevant for our work.   Also, with the ease of resume submission, a smaller shop of 4-5 partners may have 20,000+ resumes in their database – and we would rather have them finding roles to fill than reading resumes all day!  For companies, the pool of potential resumes can be much greater.

The trick is to be included in the results of a resume search, which will lead to your resume being read by the recruiter.  For purposes of this post, I’ll use the term ‘recruiter’ to represent both external and internal resources.

No different than using keywords in Google, the recruiter will use a series of key terms (position name, title, companies, division names, skills, etc.) to filter in those resumes that match a client’s requirements.  There’s not much you can do with the position titles and companies, they are what they are.  That leaves the ‘skills’ to help get you into the search.

The question is how to tilt the ‘skill’ field in your favor by including all the keywords and still have a resume that reads well?

If you jam your resume full keywords, then the effectiveness of your content is greatly diminished and you look like a rotten communicator.  The net result is you win the battle, but lose the war.  You get into the pool of possible candidates (win the battle), but when the recruiter reads your resume, better yet tries to read it, you provide them with little incentive to pursue you further (lose the war).

Here’s a tip from my colleague, Bill Wolff, that very cleverly solves this issue.

At the bottom of his resume, in 2 point font in white (so not visible in either on screen or in print  see it really works), Bill included all the relevant keywords to his skills (strategic planning, publicly-traded, etc.).   As long as it did cause an extra page break, then he could put in as many additional terms as needed.

My two tips for this idea.

First, the important word in the prior paragraph: relevant.  Make sure the terms used can be backed up with your resume, so that you remain in the pool of possible candidates once your resume is reviewed.

Second, use terms that cover everything about you:  Technical terms relevant to your position/industry (e.g. petrochemical), Personality (e.g. collaborative, etc.), Skills (e.g. public speaking, etc) and Work Experience (e.g. international joint ventures).

A great tip – candidate to candidate.

Good luck today.

Mark

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

Good Question: How to Avoid Networking Burnout

August 15, 2011 by

I blog on Proformative.com (on-line community for finance executives), this is one of the questions that I was recently asked.

Good question:

I have been in interview mode for about 8 months. How do I refresh from this process so that I don’t start to sound like a “canned speech”. I am networking and in interviews, phone and in person probably about 25 hours per week. Selling yourself starts to become tedious.

My answer:

Before I begin, if you are feeling burned out – take a break. Cancel your networking meetings. You only have one chance to impress and no matter how you try, if you feel burned out – it comes through to whomever you are meeting. Trust me, I’ve been on both sides of this equation. No one buys from a sales person who lacks confidence – and you are your number 1 sales person!

I found that burnout is a combination of three factors: low psyche (from not getting a role or being treated poorly in process), repetition of process (different people, same pitch) and too many similar meetings (all hat, no cattle).

  1. For the low psyche – two ideas:
  • Define ‘success’ as those actions that got you an interview or moved the hiring process ahead. If you only define success as getting a new role, then it’s tough to feel like you accomplished anything. Keep a running list of accomplishments for each week – 2 or 3. It’s these little accomplishments that will add up over time. (Also see my post on Redefining Success)
  • Pick a project that you can accomplish in short-time. Whether as volunteer, contractor or at home – I had a list of projects I could knock out. Gave me the rhythm of being at work, where I had the sense of moving things ahead.

I know both of these two may sound like parlor tricks, but the first is about what to expect from yourself and the second reminds you that bring value to a firm. I’ve given this advice several times and had good feedback – I’ve also used it for myself.

  1. Repetition:

What varied this for me was practicing the “80% Rule”, where 80% of my networking was focused on the other person. This strategy is a long-term investment in building a relationship because you are focusing on what you can do for that person – but I can guarantee it never gets boring.

You will get your chance to pitch, but it’s usually not the same – because most people return the favor and start to ask different questions and the networking becomes more collaborative. (See the resource “Networking Checklist” and blog post “Making Networking Effective – Your Timing is Everything“.)

  1. Too many meetings:

One of my mistakes in search was too much networking. I was taking too many of the same meetings or not making the most of my meetings.

For taking too many of the ‘same meetings’, try the “Daily Point System“. This tool will help you allocate your time to those meetings which make a difference.

For not make the most of my meetings, see the blog post “Roadmap to the Hiring Manager“, this was my discovery of aligning my request for help with the networking contact’s level of relationship with the hiring manager.  In short, asking for help that they can truly deliver.

This is just a starter – if you have other specific questions, please ask via the “Connect” tab – send me an e-mail.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Polish Still Matters

August 12, 2011 by

I recently met with two professionals; both are incredibly competent in their fields and offered excellent advice.

The first professional has truly worked on their delivery – sitting up straight, punctuation, self-confidence and keep remarks to the point. As you might expect, the second professional was less so.

Here’s why it matters.

ONE: Effectiveness – The meeting subject was similar in complexity, yet the second meeting took nearly twice as long and only completed 50% of what we set out to complete. I found myself pulling the meeting back on course or clarifying points because of meandering answers.

TWO: My focus – I was so distracted by their behavior, that I found myself thinking of the next meeting, even thought I needed to complete this topic.

THREE: Time – Had it not been mandatory, I would have moved on.

In job search, we focus a good deal of time on the message and content. So simply make sure you are matching that content with delivery.

Delivery is more than words, but the entire package of how you present yourself. This is why I pointed out the different elements above; because each has an effect on the person you meet.

Working on your delivery is where a good friend will come in handy. Just go to coffee, don’t tell them the intent, after a half-hour ask them how you are doing.

Sure, chances are you’ll be on best behavior, but consider it practice. Trust me; having done this exercise, you’ll get some good feedback.

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

www.candidateschair.com

Job Search from a Candidate’s Perspective – Advice and tools for search organization and networking

Candidates Chair LinkedIn Group:http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=2328268

Filed Under: First Impressions, Networking

Five Ways to help a fellow Candidate

July 7, 2011 by

When it comes to keeping your psyche strong during job search, another way to help your psyche is by helping others.

Here are five ways to help a colleague in job search – you can pick as many as you like.  Anything you provide will be appreciated as insight from fellow candidates is often the most valuable.

  1. Listen to their story – Do their documents match their story? Are they underselling themselves?
  2. Listen to their pitch – Is it clear and crisp? Do you know what role they want?  What are the 2-3 skills that make them unique?   If not, help them rework their pitch.
  3. State of networking – Are they effectively using all the tools available to locate opportunities or networking?
  4. 2-3 Contacts – Start them off with 2-3 contacts to see how they perform.  Call your contacts to see how it went.  You can give them valuable feedback.
  5. Follow-up – Drop them an e-mail or call every 45 days or so.  A friendly call can go a long way (for both of you)!

Many people may not feel comfortable in asking for help – so reach out and offer!

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

Filed Under: General

Networking – The Art of the Data Dump

May 30, 2011 by

To data dump or not to data dump – that is the question.  My answer is ‘Not until it’s asked for’.

There is always a temptation to pack as much information into an e-mail, resume, biography, or answer so the person on the other end gets the ‘full picture’ of who you are.   You are also worried about time – it always seems best to jam in what you can.

You’ve also confirmed it yourself.  Just think back to the last time a salesperson carried on about the features of a product.  You sought the product because it generally fit a couple criteria (size, price, etc.).  Once the salesperson covered your key points, the rest was less interesting or sort of annoying when they kept carrying on.

So how does one data dump artfully?

First, let the information build by starting with a small pitch.  Think of your e-mails, resume, marketing plan, etc. as a commercial.  Give them enough to get interested to ask for more detail.

A decent commercial gives you what need the product fulfills and a couple unique points – that’s it.  Do the same for yourself.

Second, let them seek it out.  Your networking contact will guide where they want more information.  Let them seek it out, because they will remember what they seek and you will be amazed at how much information you will give out.

Go back to the salesperson example; you will remember the 2-3 key features that interest you.  The interesting part is the amount of recall you will have on details shared as part of an answer to your questions.

What if the person does not ask for anything more information?  Then they either do not want it or need it.  So do not give them anymore.  Stick with repeating key points you want them to remember without any depth beyond.

Three, tell a story.  Telling stories of events are useful, because it gives something tangible (an acquisition, a new client, etc.) that the person can attach each of your abstract feature (strategic thinking, communication, etc.).  Begin with the tangible event, this you can give a bit of depth since it’s probably something they are familiar (if not, you’ll know by the look in their eyes), then tie your key point (communication skill).  I find they I get more great questions and discussions following a story.

Lastly, go back to the beginning.  Remember that the sharing of information has to achieve an end goal.   Therefore, always start with what commitment you seek from the person with whom you network (provide a referral, etc.).  Give them enough to be interested, through their questions they will decide if they make the commitment.

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

Filed Under: General Tagged With: ,

Making Networking Effective – Your Timing is Everything

May 8, 2011 by

Your timing of when you deliver your story makes all the difference of whether or not a meeting is successful or not.  A story or pitch is only effective once you’ve fully engaged the other person.

WHY THEY WANT TO BE THERE

“Interested, but need to be engaged” is what I call people who have agreed to network with you.  They agreed to network because of a mutual connection or desire to help, so they are interested.

You want them engaged from the start; therefore you must begin the meeting by showing them why they want to be there.  We all have self-interest and desire to be appreciated.  We also know when those two elements are fulfilled; we are far more likely to engage in whatever activity lies ahead of us.

While not scientific, the chart below will illustrate where to put your attention to get the most of a meeting.

HOW TO GET THEM ENGAGED

Let’s slice up the meeting into four sections and your objective for each section.

Initial Impression: It starts with simple professional courtesy, being on time, etc., but it continues with setting the stage by establishing why you wanted to meet, expected outcome and that you are looking to network with them.

Selling Phase: The initial impression you want to set is that there is a good meeting ahead, which gets their interest.  Now you want to stoke that interest by beginning with them.  The best way to do this is use the 80% rule (80% of networking should be focused on other person – click on the link for tool).  By doing homework beforehand and asking question during the meeting, you will likely be able to offer them help through connections or insight.  During this time you do not focus on yourself at all.

Telling Phase: The help you offer has opened the door for you to make a very simple pitch.  The pitch should be the 2-3 important messages that want your connection to remember after the meeting.   To make a message about a skill or experience memorable is to accompany it with an outcome or important lesson.  If someone would like to learn more about any of the 2-3 message, they will ask.

It’s your pitch, but you still need to keep focused on your contact and watch their eyes and body language for signs of disinterest or lack of understanding.  I learned that just because I thought a point was compelling it did not mean everyone did  (even if I repeated it).  I also learned to what how my questions where answered, which gave me a sense of how the other person likes to communicate – whether it was telling stories, humor and sketching on paper – I would use the same methods to explain my message.  Remember if the loss of interest continues, regardless of where you are in the pitch, it’s time to move to the close.

Close: To send your contact with motivation to help, close the meeting with your follow-up actions.  Most people will respond with their own actions, if they do not, it’s not a cause for worry.  Once a meeting starts to finish most people begin to think about the rest of their day.  You will get those thoughts to them in your follow-up e-mail.

Changing your contact from ‘interested’ to ‘engaged’ will make the world of difference in a meeting’s effectiveness.  Not just during, but more importantly after the meeting when most of the follow-up work really happens.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , ,
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