Beginning A New Job

Beginning a new job is exciting. So it was for me this week. I began work for a new client, a small but established professional services company. My sponsor and I have been talking about this project for three years, and now we are on. The client employs about 20 people. They are dealing with the same issues and stresses faced by most small businesses today. The competitive landscape is changing, along with technology, and the needs of their customers. I have been hired to help this company build and manage an internal recruiting and selection function. In the past, whenever they needed to hire someone their recourse was to use external recruiters, at great expense. The client understands that their recruiting and selection function is not working. It is not supporting the needs of the business. There have been too many misfires.

When starting a new project, as with any job, it is a good idea to get to know who you will be working with, how they view the business and the capabilities of the organization. It is just basic onboarding. It is important to build relationships with key team members. It is important to understand the decision process so recommendations are well-received, without distraction from protocols one doesn't understand. It is important to know the technical capabilities and limitations so that recommendations will have validity.

This first week was about cultural immersion and learning their management style. I was encouraged to attend the Monday morning staff meetings where the team updates current projects. Later in the day, I discussed my assignment with the Executive Steering Committee to ensure that we are in agreement on goals and deliverables. The client currently lacks a Director of Business Development. Filling that position is my first milestone.

During the remainder of the week, I spent time with the individuals on the team. My client wants to ensure that the team understands my objectives to be clear that their jobs are not at risk. I want to understand the culture so as to learn how things are done in this company. I also want to learn their capabilities around social media in support of their recruiting efforts.

Everyone was very friendly and helpful; however, some were more guarded than others. They want the company to be successful and to share in that success. Some of the employees have been with the company for over ten years, with a few over 20, and one over 30-years tenure. Then there is the other half of the team who have been with the company three years or less. A few of the employees have only six months’ time on the job. The culture is changing, but full alignment still needs to be achieved. There is some concern that the company is falling behind technologically and that they could be more efficient. Since they work on a project basis, there are issues around communicating updates. The reporting structure is another opportunity which is understood by the client.

I thought this would be a fun and exciting project when I accepted the contract, and so far that seems to be the case. By the end of the week, I had talked with all but four team members and had completed the communication plan to begin the search for the Director of Business Development. I have a better understanding of the client company and how it works. Getting off to a good start on any new job or assignment certainly improves the likelihood of a successful engagement. Based on my assessment of this week's work, this project is right on track.

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Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

June 19, 2016

What Is Your Story?

I’ve been spending a lot of time pouring through resumes this week. It has been a disappointing effort. It hasn't been disappointing because the quality of candidates is poor, far from it. It hasn’t been disappointing because the formats are poor, generally speaking, they are fine. It hasn’t been disappointing because the candidate's contact information is missing either. Well, one resume was missing an email address. They are disappointing because the content was poorly structured and tedious. The prose lacks critical information making the resumes less than compelling. It also costs me more time! Looking at resumes is fundamental to my work. I see a lot of them. It’s the resumes from two current assignments that are giving me angst.

One of my searches is to find a new Financial Controller for a small, but successful company. The job specs call for someone with Controller experience in the restaurant industry. Many of the candidates have experience with companies I don't recognize. No problem. I don't know all of the employers in the market. The problem is that these folks do not provide a description of their employers . Their resumes lack company revenues, product lines, years in business, and industry sectors. This is a problem because it makes the reader's job much more difficult. The other problem is that these resumes don't make a clear distinction between roles and responsibilities and accomplishments. That creates, even more, work for me. I might not like reading resumes that are poorly constructed, but I know from experience that good candidates don't necessarily have the best resume. I have also seen excellent resumes from candidates I would not present to a client. I will invest the extra effort to find viable candidates for my client. On the other hand, I am confident that many of these poorly constructed resumes are going into the circular files of other recruiters.

Also at this time, I am working with a Senior Executive to help him craft a new resume and rebuild his LinkedIn page. He is a smart guy who knows that he needs help. He is willing to hire a professional to solve his problem. His issue is similar to those of my Controller candidates as he doesn't showcase his accomplishments as distinct from his job responsibilities. His biggest issue, however, is that his verbiage is confusing and doesn’t position his capabilities appropriately. I will fix his resume and dramatically improve his digital presentation.

We all know that recruiters and software quickly scan resumes. Job Seekers have precious little time to make an impression that will lead to an interview. Putting extra effort into the quality of your resume is vital to your success as a job seeker. Make sure to provide a short sentence that describes your employer by industry segment, sales volume, and whether it is public, private, or a PEG portfolio company. Provide a short sentence or two to describe your job responsibilities. Use bullet points to list your accomplishments at each job. Also, it can be very helpful to mention the circumstances for leaving you employers.

Your resume is not just a job history; it is your career story. By describing each employer, your job responsibilities, and accomplishments your story is revealed. Your strengths and interests become evident. In all likelihood, you will find a common theme to your work, your positioning statement. You will become a compelling character in your play, stimulating interest on the part of the reader.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

June 5, 2016

Wantrepreneur:

Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?

Business is picking up, and so are my networking activities. Of course, a lot of my networking lately is about creating "buzz" for my new book, "Fighting Alligators." Perhaps, you have heard about it. Creating buzz is an indirect way to attract new searches, consulting business, and help those people between jobs, so it is all good. One recent networking meeting was brokered by my friend Brownell who has been very helpful in the process of publishing my book. Brownell introduced me to Mark Myette. Mark is also in private practice as an Alternative Career Coach. He helps people determine if they have what it takes to become an entrepreneur and guides them through that process. He published his first book, Wantrepreneur, in February. Brownell surmised that our work is complementary, so she thought we would be able to help each other.

Mark and I scheduled an early morning meeting last week for breakfast at his club. As we are both Fortune 500 refugees with similar entrepreneurial pursuits, we connected immediately. We began by exchanging background information and our connection to Brownell. I told him about Fighting Alligators and its underlying thesis, and he presented the theme for "Wantrepreneur," which he described as the "One Minute Manager" version of becoming comfortable with franchising. The book's subtitle is "Do you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur?" Wantrepreneur is a clever bit of “word-smithing” that speaks to people who would like to be their own boss, but can’t or don’t know how to get started. Mark's book dovetails nicely with Fighting Alligator's message about building a career in the "New Normal."

To say that it was a productive meeting would be a gross understatement. Mark gave me a copy of his book and an intelligent bookmark he created as a marketing tool. He confirmed my thinking that the opportunity for speaking engagements would increase significantly now that I am published. We explored ways to collaborate, and help each other. Some follow-up steps were discussed and confirmed.

Over the next few days, I made a point to read Mark's book. He was right about the reference to the One Minute Manager. Wantrepreneur is a short read, but very much to the point. Much of the book summarized the current employment statistics and trends in small company formation and related career opportunities. He also broke down employment by industry sector with each sector’s contribution to GDP. He went on to talk about the general dissatisfaction many people have toward their jobs, especially the middle-aged. These folks are not happy with their careers and want to find a new situation, something more fulfilling. I am confident that job security is a major part of their angst. Mark spoke to an epidemic of addiction, depression, and suicides among this group, rooted in economic despair and hopelessness. People are looking to create a better life by "doing their own thing."

The remainder of Mark’s book is about defining alternate career options, including entrepreneurial pursuits, so the reader can better understand each path. Finally, he presented a template to assist in determining one's suitability for those options.

Mark did a thorough job describing the New Normal, without getting into cause and effect. The current economic situation is part of a much larger transformation as we move further into the Digital Age. Traditional employment is in a state of flux. There is no going back to an earlier time. Understanding the current playing field and one's options is a critical first step to building a successful career in the New Normal. Wantrepreneur is an excellent companion to Fighting Alligators, which I recommend to anyone who is serious about managing their career. Wantrepreneur by Mark Myette is available on Amazon.com.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so, please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com