New Year, New Job?

So, this year, instead of giving you a holiday bonus to pay for your new swimming pool, your boss signed you up for the Jelly of the Month Club.

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Hopefully you did not take Cousin Eddie's approach to the situation...

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Instead, you likely made a New Year's Resolution to find a job with a company that better appreciates you. If you made a resolution to find a new job in 2014, you are not alone. According to a poll by Right Management, only 5% of employees plan to stay in their current jobs through the end of the year.

Of course, changing jobs is easier said (particularly with a belly full of rum and eggnog!) than done. The reality is that only 23% of people achieve their New Year's Resolutions. Life gets in the way. One week into 2014, you are probably up to your eyeballs in work from your current job and feel that you are too busy with kids' activities, commuting, and paying down the holiday bills to think about a job change.

I hope you really like jelly…

If you are serious about changing jobs in 2014, there are some practical steps to follow that will significantly increase your chances of finding a new place to hang your proverbial hat this year.

1.       Polish your resume. While you were putting away the holiday lights in the basement, perhaps you dug through your files to locate an old copy of your resume. The good news is, you found it; the bad news it, it lists "WordStar" and "Lotus Notes" as your key skills. Now is the time to do a new resume. The universe works in funny ways and once you put the "I want a new job" vibe out there, you will get requests for your CV. Take the time before you kick off your job search to think about what kind of job you want and articulate why you'd be the ideal candidate for the role.

2.      Send your updated resume to your favourite recruiters. A perfect resume is a beautiful thing but it's not going to do you any good if nobody sees it. Send a copy to any recruiters you know or do some digging to see who the recruiting experts are in your field. Choose at least three recruiters and let them know you are open to new opportunities.

3.      Put together a list of the top 10 companies you have always wanted to work for and do a little research on them. If you have any industry association meetings or trade shows planned, use them as opportunities to speak with other people in your field. Find out who's hiring, who's firing, and a little about the corporate culture of your target companies. Perhaps your industry is going through hard times and you are lucky to be getting a year's supply of jelly. Better to know that upfront and consider making a more radical change.

4.      Get your references in order. There is nothing worse than being offered the job of your dreams only to realize that there is nobody who can vouch for your skills other than your current boss. Scan your LinkedIn connections and see who might be willing to give you a glowing review. Take your former boss out for lunch to reestablish a connection before you ask for a favour.

5.      Commit to two networking meetings a month. People who are successful at achieving their New Year's Resolutions put clear action steps into place. It's easy to get to December 2014 and realize you've done nothing to push your dreams forward. Meet with your old colleagues. Ask someone respected in your field if they'd consider mentoring you. Taking specific steps towards your goal will help keep you motivated.

6.      Spruce up your look. Have you ever watched the TV show What Not to Wear? There is something transformational in improving your appearance: everything from your self-confidence to people's first impression of you tends to improve. Take advantage of the January sales to buy a new interview suit or get a new haircut. Embracing small physical changes can help you prepare for larger emotional changes such as switching jobs.

7.      Prepare for any major changes. Perhaps you are an investment banker who wants to become a chef. If you plan to make a drastic career change, it pays to do some upfront research. Talk to people in the industry to make sure you know what you are signing up for. Meet your potential future colleagues. Sign up for a class or get the accreditation required. You try on a pair of shoes before buying them to make sure they are comfortable: take the same approach with your career.

8.      Start talking about your goals. Job searching while still employed is an activity that requires some discretion. Obviously you don't want to change your Facebook status to "Peeved off with the boss and looking" unless you know you can wrangle a package and start elsewhere right away! But it's OK to let trusted people in your circle know that you'd be open to new opportunities. Statistics show that at any given time, most people are open to new employment opportunities so while you don't want to advertise it on a t-shirt, it's not a state secret.

9.      If you identify a company you might like to work for, ask for an informational meeting. It's good to kick the tires of a company you are contemplating joining. Arrange a meeting with a line manager in the area where you want to work (you can cold call or, even better, get someone in your network to help arrange it.)  Find out what the company is really like and increase your chances of getting hired when a position opens. We've observed that successful informational interviews lead to an eventual job offer 80% of the time, as you've demonstrated your initiative and have some insight into the organization when you have your initial screening meetings with Human Resources.

10.   Have fun. Hey, you might be on the brink of changing your life for the better: it's exciting! It can also be stressful so surround yourself with friends and family who support your goals and can act as cheerleaders. Celebrate little victories such as getting your resume done or booking a key meeting. People who celebrate their small achievements along the way are much more likely to reach their major goals.

Making a resolution to improve your career can lead to a major life improvement. You can surround yourself with more like-minded people, improve your financial situation, and increase your daily satisfaction. And unlike those who resolved to lose 10 pounds, you can still have cheesecake (so much tastier than jelly…)

Happy hunting!

Nancy

Everything we know about recruiting we learned on our summer vacation

Well, not really, but it makes for a snappy title, doesn't it. There are a lot of career lessons that can be taken from our holidays if we think about it though. Here are five:

Like potato salad on a picnic, jobs have an expiration date. If you have been in a job for years with no upward or sideways movement, at some point you get stuck there. After a while, people don't just take you for granted (have you ever been at a picnic without potato salad?) but they start to avoid you too (the warm mayonnaise becomes a worry.) It's important to ask to take on fresh challenges and learn new skills. If your current role offers no movement, perhaps it's time to update your resume and look around. Reinvent yourself: become a devilled egg.

Careers can be like a roller coaster or a ferris wheel. Some people's careers look like the ferris wheel. It's an easy and steady journey up and then, once the apex has been reached, it's a fairly steady ride down into retirement. You get a good view, you are rarely surprised, and you finish with your hair neatly in place. Other people's careers are like a roller coaster. There are big ups, big downs, the pace is fast, and nobody knows what to expect. Like the ferris wheel people, the roller coaster people end up in the same place (where they began, only with a fatter 401K Plan or RRSP than in the beginning.) The difference is, the roller coaster folks will either feel exhilarated or dizzy and sick upon their arrival. There is nothing wrong with either ride. Some people prefer the ups and downs of working for startups. Others like to join a big company and have a smoother experience. The key is to know if you are a ferris wheel person or a roller coaster person. As a recruiter, I sometimes find that ferris wheelers seek a roller coaster ride in later life. That's cool. Just make sure you read all the warning signs first. And for the roller coaster lovers who decide middle age better suits a ferris wheel, I urge you to take up a hobby to supplement your need for adrenaline. We hear that BASE jumping is fun.

Work is like baseball: when you hit a home run, everyone wants you on their team. If you are thinking of making a change in your job, don't wait until things get really bad at your current place of work. It's hard to interview well in this state. The time to start looking is when you've just done something well. Perhaps you just finished managing a high profile project. Perhaps you just won an award. If you've been thinking about leaving your role, try doing so when you are on a high. Everybody wants a winner on their team.

It takes three to waterski. If you want to waterski, you need three people: the skier, a boat driver, and a spotter to tell the boat driver if the skier falls.  What looks like a one-person recreational activity is a three-person endeavour. When you want to find a new job, it takes a village too. A close friend or family member can be your driver: proofreading your resume, practicing interviewing skills with you, and helping you craft those cover letters. You also need a spotter: someone to tell you what jobs are out there and alert you if something is going wrong. As a recruiter, I'm never the driver. I work for my clients, not the candidates, and it's not my job to get you employed. But I can be an excellent spotter and tell you what jobs are out there. I can also tell you if another boat has cut in front of us and you need to jump the wake.

Don't let a skunk ruin your campfire. At work, we will all meet skunks. If you engage with them, you might end up stinking too. The best thing to do is avoid them. Don't yell at them and don't try to remove them from the area unless you are a trained professional. If they refuse to leave your campsite, throw some food into the bushes (perhaps there is a side project you can give them...) and they will likely leave you alone.

If you want to enjoy the fireworks, you have to prepare. Fireworks are awesome but they don't just happen. Somebody has to buy them. Somebody has to set them up in the bucket of sand. Somebody has to wait until it's dark enough to light them. A good fireworks display requires some planning. You don't want to set off all the chrysanthemums right away and close the night with some sad looking burning schoolhouses. Be organized, persevere, and plan: the results can be spectacular!

Happy hunting!

Nancy

Increasing your visibility on LinkedIn

The one thing that everybody asks me is if recruiters use LinkedIn. The answer is yes. We do. And yes, you should be on it. But if you are an active job seeker, it's not enough to simply upload your resume and sit back waiting for a call. Here are a few tips from a headhunter about how to better use LinkedIn to your advantage:

Make your profile search-friendly. The best thing about LinkedIn is that everyone is on it. Of course, that's the worst thing about LinkedIn too. As a recruiter, I use LinkedIn to identify who's who in a particular job market. But when I do a broad search, I'll often generate hundreds of names. In order to make the tool work better for me, I have to set fairly narrow parameters. I'll often specify a job title or a particular skill set. If you do not have these terms in your profile, I might miss you, even though you'd be an ideal candidate for the job. Take the time to list all of your skills.

Use common terms. Perhaps you are King of Brand Philosophy. That's cool, but if I'm searching for a Marketing Director, I might not find you. If you have a job title that is not obvious, include a subtitle that explains exactly what you do.

Join industry and functional groups. When I am doing a search, I often look at related groups to see who is a member and who is actively participating. Join groups and be an active participant. Make it easy for me to see that you are a leader in your field. 

Look to see who is looking at you. You can choose to see who has been looking at your profile. If you see a recruiter has been looking at your profile, send them a message or link up with them. Having a good relationship with a few recruiters is never a bad idea. If you don't want to publicly link with a recruiter, we are always happy to get an email or a call from you. 

List contact information. Make it easy for us to contact you. Recruiters are discouraged from linking up with people we don't know. We can pay to use LinkedIn's mail function but we only get so many mail opportunities each month. Unless you are the obviously perfect candidate, I might not contact you if you don't list your contact information. If you are an active job seeker, make yourself easy to find. 

Be honest. If you are looking for a job, tell me that in your summary. As a recruiter, I am interested in finding people who are looking for work. It's tempting to try to hide that you are not employed but if you want to find a job, it's good to let people know that you are actively looking. 

Happy hunting!

Nancy

(Not) winning the interview

When you are interviewing for a job, it often feels like a competition:

Often, there will be several candidates applying for one position. Many of us are naturally competitive and it's natural to want to win the competition and get hired. It's tempting to see the interview as a platform to show off your strengths and engage in a one-sided conversation as you seek to win over the recruiter and earn the job offer.

Repeat after me. My career is not a contest.

You are not trying to win a position, but rather find out if the open position is an ideal job for you. The interview process should be an open dialogue between you and a potential employer to see if you might work well together. If you are currently working, the job interview should be an opportunity for you to determine if you really want to change jobs. If you take a job that is not a good fit, it puts the company in a bad position and prevents you from finding a really great job more suited to your skills and personality.

Here are some ways to make the interview as productive for you as it is for the hiring company:

Be honest. The company's recruiter knows what skills and experience they require. They also have a good understanding of the company's culture. The best thing you can do is be honest so the interviewer can assess if you have the skills needed and are a good fit. Often, it seems that hiring managers and recruiters act as gatekeepers and are more concerned about keeping candidates out. As a recruiter, I can assure you that what companies want most in the world is to make a hire. There is huge pressure to fill open positions and companies tend to err on the side of hiring the wrong person rather than leave the position unfilled. Trust me on this one. Just as the credit card company might not tell you that you really ought not get that increased limit, a hiring firm might not tell you that you aren't right for the job. You need to figure that one out for yourself.

Ask questions. This is the chance to ask lots of questions. Hiring companies like people who ask questions. It shows you are interested and engaged. Ask about the role. Ask how you will spend your day, who you will interact with most, and what the deliverables will be. Ask what the performance management system looks like. Ask what the next logical position would be. Ask how much travel there will be. Ask why the position is open. If you are interested in flexible hours or work from home, ask about that now.

Make sure you meet your potential team members. Some companies have Human Resources do most of the hiring. While HR can answer questions about the position requirements and the general corporate culture, they cannot always tell you everything you want to know. Request to meet with the hiring manager. Ask to meet with someone from the team. The main reason why people love or hate their jobs is the people. It's not unusual to have several interviews with HR, but make sure you know what the team looks like before signing on the dotted line. These are the people you'll be sitting with at 10pm when the project is overdue, not HR.

Make sure your new job is not your old job. Often there are things you do not like about your old job: a difficult boss, no upward movement, a company in financial trouble. Now is the time to make sure you are not going from the frying pan into the fire. If you are joining a publicly traded company, there will be lots of information available. If it's a private company, the interview is a great time to check things out.

Turing the interview process into a two-way dialogue will give you the confidence to take on a new job. When we find candidates getting cold feet at the 11th hour, it's often because they know what their current job looks like and can't imagine the new one. Ask questions until you have a good sense of the new environment. And if you still insist on seeing the job search process as a competition, know that companies are impressed when they see you doing your due diligence. It implies you are through, curious, and have enough confidence in your skills to know that the hiring process is a two-way street.

Happy Hunting!

Nancy

Surviving the First Few Weeks

So, for the last few weeks, we've been taking you from getting hired to having a successful reference check and giving your notice to dodging any counter-offers. Now, it's the first day of your new job. How can you best prepare for success?

1) Make sure you arrange the details of your first day before you start. Large organizations like Fortune 500 companies or government, have a fairly standard procedures in place to onboard new hires. If you are employee number four at a tech start-up, however, don't assume that there are standards in place. The first few days of a new job can be nerve-wracking for everyone, so make sure you know who you are meeting, what time they want to see you, and exactly where you should go. This sounds pretty obvious, but if you arrive at 9am on a Monday, you may find yourself standing in front of a locked office door while your hiring manager leads the morning sales call. Plan ahead.

2) Find out what to wear. Yes, in interviews you likely trotted out your Sunday finest. But if you are working for a start-up filled with 25 year-old surfer-types, you don't want to show up dressed like an undertaker. If in doubt, ask HR or the hiring manager. Nobody will judge you harshly for wanting to respect their corporate culture.

3) Don't bring your entire office on the first day. Yes, your Hang in There cat poster was the hit of the office at your last place, but take a look at the offices of your colleagues before you start to decorate. Often interviews are held in boardrooms that give you little sense of the culture of the organization. Many companies have moved towards a hoteling concept where you are assigned a new workspace everyday depending on what you are doing. The last thing you want to do is drag in your ficus plant only to find out that your officemates survive with a rolling file bin and a laptop.

4) Ask whoever lets you in where everything is. Bathroom, photocopier, file area, coffee area. Ask how you get in and out of the building and how your passcard works. Think of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: the sooner you get comfortable with the basics, the sooner you can start to self-actualize and earn your keep.

5) Be friendly to everyone. Even if you are the world's biggest introvert and have been hired for a job where you talk to nobody, plaster a big smile on your face and be friendly to everybody. Most people will judge your character in a minute or less. Based on what they think, they can be helpful or not helpful. Yes, over the next few weeks you will be judged based on merit, but the first few days are more like speed-dating. Be cheerful, be charming, and avoid any conflict or controversy (I don't have to tell you to hold open elevator doors and avoid cutting anyone off in the parking lot.)

6) Ask what they'd like you to start working on. Often your manager will hand you a pile of work from whoever held your position last. Ask specifically what you can work on and arrange a time to meet to hand over some deliverables. You will all feel better once you actually produce some results.

7) Clarify any buzzwords. Every organization has its own lingo. If you don't know what a term means, ask. You have a month to be stupid and ask questions. After that, people start to judge.

Most of all relax, have fun, and find out when people go out for drinks night (and make sure to attend it!) You've worked hard for this moment so enjoy.

Happy hunting,

Nancy

The Counter-Offer Conundrum

Ok, so you've been working in your job for a while. You've been feeling like there is not a lot of room to move up so you've been putting out some feelers. You get called by a fabulous recruiter like me, you go to some interviews, and the company you are interviewing with loves you. You love them too. They make you an offer for a job that is slightly more senior than your current one and it comes with a bigger paycheque. Life is good.

So you accept their offer and your references are good (of course!) and you make an appointment with your manager to give her your notice. You've been prepared to work out your notice and you've been prepared to be walked out of the building by security. What you were not prepared for is when your boss offers you a promotion and pay raise to stay.

Welcome to the counter-offer.

The candidates we have are talented people and it's not surprising that their current employers want to give them an incentive to stay. And, boy oh boy, is it flattering to be the object of so much affection.

When presented with a counter offer, you have a choice to make: in the immortal words of The Clash, "should I stay or should I go?" You carefully weigh the two offers.

The temptation will always be to stay. People, as a rule, don't like change. There will be a probationary period at your new job, you'll have to meet all new people, you'll have to prove yourself again and, let's face it, you might lose your status as the Four Square mayor of the nearby Applebee's. If you've ever watched Let's Make a Deal, you know that if you turn down the certainty of the brand new washer and dryer set for door number two, you just might get the donkey.

But I'd caution you here. The Clash was pretty wise when they observed, "If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double." Our research and experience has shown that most employees who accept a counter offer from their current company leave the organization within the year. In other words, the counter offer is almost always the donkey.

Your current employer should understand and value your skills better than an outsider. If it takes another offer to make them realize how good you are, that is an indication of a problem. Perhaps you and your manager have not communicated effectively and he is not aware of what you do. Perhaps your organization is in cost-cutting mode and will only remunerate you fairly when they have to. Perhaps you've been underpaid because you are not a great cultural fit with the organization but they still want you around to complete your projects. Unless there are some other changes going along with the counteroffer (perhaps your unobservant manager has just been replaced) the underlying problems will continue.

Also, once you've tipped your hand that you are looking, your organization's attitude towards you might change. People tend to value loyalty and if you are viewed as the type of person whose loyalty can be bought, there could be long-term repercussions. Our advice is to never take a counter offer where the only factor on the table is money.

The last thing you want is to accept a counter offer, finish up the project that made you indispensable, and find yourself out on your ear. When you call back the new company that wanted to hire you, you'll likely find a less than warm reception. If the counter offer is too good to pass up, we recommend getting an employment contract drawn up that provides you with some job security.

It's nice to be liked. But being liked by way of a counter offer can be tricky. Remember that if your employer had been offering you everything you wanted in the first place, you would not have gone to all the work of finding a new job.

Happy hunting!

Nancy

You're hired! Now what?

So let's say that one day, out of the blue, I call you and tell you about an amazing opportunity to work as an account manager for one of our clients. You've been working as an account manager for a smaller firm in the same industry. You love your work but you are looking to handle larger accounts and there is no upward mobility in your current role. The job I tell you about sounds pretty perfect.

So you send me your resume and I love it. I show the client your resume and they love it. I ask you some general questions about your skills and experience. Finally, I arrange for you to meet the client. The first interview goes well. The second interview goes even better. You love the people you meet and they love you back. One day, I give you a call and tell you the good news: they want to make you a job offer. They want you to start in a month.

Now what?

Before you dance into work, hand in your resignation, and start singing na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye to your annoying co-worker, there are a few things you need to do.

1) Gather your references. Chances are, the job offer is conditional on references. So don't quit yet. Occasionally offers are rescinded based on poor reference checks, and it's better safe than sorry. Think about who the best people are to tell your new employer about you. Your current employer is ideal but unless you are in a downsizing situation, it's unlikely you want to tip your hand that you plan to leave your job. Offer the name of a former employer, ideally the boss at your previous job. Another good bet is someone who has left your company recently, who can talk about your current role. This person does not have to have been a supervisor; a co-worker can still talk about your skill set. It's a good idea to call whoever you give as a reference to give them a heads up and thank them in advance for their glowing remarks. Tell them a little about your new role so they can tailor their comments.

2) Review any employment contracts or agreements you may have signed. Did you sign a non-compete clause or any other agreements that might put limitations on what you do in your new role? How many weeks notice must you give? Discuss any limitations on future employment with your recruiter. It might be worth hiring an employment lawyer to review your contract if anything is unclear.

3) Think about your start date. If you are moving to a competitor, you will likely be walked off the property as soon as you resign. Some employers will want you to work during your notice period so make sure you give your new employer a realistic start date. If you were thinking about taking a holiday, it can be wise to take it before you start your new job so that you can have a few uninterrupted months to get settled. This might push your start date out too.

4) Make sure you understand any terms of probation. Often a new employer wants you to have a probationary period where they can terminate you without cause (or remuneration) should things not work out. While you can assume that any firm working with a research-based recruiter like me wants the relationship to succeed, it's still important to understand the risks before you sign on the dotted line. Find out what measures will be put into place to help ensure your success on the job.

5) Discuss the job change with any key stakeholders. Change can be scary and the bigger the change, the scarier it can feel. If the new job requires you to relocate or make other major lifestyle changes (eg. lots of travel, working from home) make sure everyone affected by the change is on board.

6) Understand any contracts you'll be expected to sign. Your new employer will likely have an employment contract they will want you to sign. Make sure you understand all of the terms of employment before you formally accept the offer.

Once your references have been checked, you've accepted the terms of employment, and you have all key stakeholders on board, it's time to resign. There is only one more thing to consider:

7) The counter-offer. Sometimes your employer will refuse to accept your resignation and will offer you more money or a promotion to stay. Next week, I will discuss the pros and cons of the counter-offer in more detail.

Until then,

Happy hunting!

Nancy

Increasing your job search success

We know of a fellow who did not want anyone to know that he had lost his job. Each morning he got up, put on his dress shirt and slacks, and pretended to drive to work. He'd hang out at Starbucks and would discretely look for a job online, figuring he'd let people know he'd been laid off when he secured another job.

This is NOT something we'd recommend doing.

Yes, it's awful when you are let go from your job. But let's face it, it's commonplace these days. It's hardly something of which to be ashamed (unless you were fired in a spectacular fashion with cause, because you did something socially unacceptable, in which case hiding out at Starbucks until the smoke clears is not a bad strategy...)

The reality is, the best way to find a job is by talking to other people. If people do not know that you are looking for a job, people can't help you find one. So here are some ways to use your existing social network to find employment:

Update your status on LinkedIn. Let people know you are looking. This might be hard to believe but recruiters are looking for talented people looking for new opportunities. Nothing tells us that you are keen to talk to us like seeing that you are "between successes," so to speak.

Update your status of Facebook and tell people what you do. I recently heard of a fellow who had dated a woman for the better part of a decade and had no idea what she did for a living. People are pretty wrapped up in their own lives and may not know that you were the best marketer of brass widgets in the Tri-state area. Tell your network you are looking for work and tell them what kind of work you seek. It's amazing what your network can do for you. We're not telling you that you need to get a mega-phone and shout about your job status wherever you go. Then again, we aren't telling you that you don't need to do this.

Get out and about. When you are laid off, you go through a grieving process. It's normal to want to den in and watch Game of Thrones for a month. But the jobs are out there, not in your living room. Go out, talk to people, let them know you are looking. That's how things happen.

Have an elevator pitch prepared. Be able to summarize the kind of job you want and your skills in about 30 seconds. You never know who you might meet when you are out and about and you don't want to be trying to figure out what you want career-wise on the fly. Have a couple of lines about you at the ready so when someone asks what you do for a living, you have a good answer.

Happy hunting!!

Nancy

How to be Headhunted

So, you keep hearing about people getting these great jobs through headhunters. But your phone never rings. Is there anything you can do to get yourself on a headhunter's radar?

Absolutely.

As a headhunter, I get paid to find the best people for the job. That breaks down into two parts 1) finding the people and 2) making sure they are the best people out there for the position. So first, I need to be able to find you. Second, I like to have evidence that you are good at what you do. The best way I can do this is to have other people in your field recommend you. The second best way is for me to see evidence that you are passionate about your career. This allows me to go to bat for you with my client and say with confidence that you are one of the best out there and it's worth offering flex hours or making a salary stretch to bring you onto their team.

So, how can you show me how great you are when you have no idea I'm conducting a search?

LinkedIn. I can never say this too many times: get your profile on LinkedIn. Some people are nervous about putting their profile on LinkedIn because they think it indicates to their employer that they are looking for a job. Repeat after me, LinkedIn is not a job hunting tool. There are far better tools for that such as the myriad of job boards that exist. LinkedIn is career networking tool. If you have a career, you should be using LinkedIn regularly. Join relevant industry groups and participate in the discussions. You will gain credibility as an expert in your field and build out your contacts -- something that your employers, present and future, will value.

Industry Associations. If you are a very passionate digital marketer, I assume you are a member of your local digital marketing association so you can find out the latest and greatest. Not only are you attending association events, but you are probably helping to organize them. Headhunters are very good at getting their hands on association lists. If you are not participating, you are difficult to find. And even if I do track you down, I wonder how committed you are to your industry if you seem to have no interest in it beyond 9-5.

Conferences. If you are an engaged and valued employee, you probably attend a conference from time to time. If you are perceived as an expert in your field, you probably speak at these conferences too. Often I will get hold of conference agendas and track down the speakers to find out about an industry.

Stay in touch with former colleagues. When someone leaves your group for other employment, make a point of staying in touch with them. That way, when I call them, they'll give me your name. It's like getting a soft reference right up front. It builds my confidence in your skills.

Twitter. Lots of people have their own twitter accounts where they tweet industry-relevant information. Use hash-tags, tweet often. Trust me, I'll find you.

Happy Hunting!

Nancy

Why Headhunting is Exactly like Dating.

So, let's say you are happily single. Life is going well: the job is good, your friends are fun, your half-marathon training is going well, and your cat, Mr. Jingles, is good company during those times you have nothing else planned. 

Then, one day you are at the local Whole Foods, trying to decide whether or not you will be able to get through two cartons of the two-for-one organic blueberries before they spoil. Suddenly, you notice that someone on the other side of the blueberry display is watching you.

Startled, you give the Jeremy Renner look-a-like a half-smile. He's not wearing a wedding ring. He smiles back. You notice organic dog food in his basket. He likes animals too.  

"I find that when I buy both cartons, I end up wasting the second one, " Jeremy Renner says. You know it's you to whom he's speaking because you've turned around, assuming someone else is behind you - like his physicist-swimsuit model girlfriend. But nobody is there but you. 

"You know, I could buy the berries and give you the free carton," he continues. 

And you freeze. You went to Whole Foods expecting blueberries and that Jerk Tilapia they do so well. You did not go to Whole Foods expecting Jeremy Renner. 

A call from a headhunter is not unlike this: the earliest stages of courtship.

It's unexpected. Think of the active job search market as online dating. Companies are aggressively looking, candidates are aggressively looking, and, at the end of the day, it's a numbers game. Plenty. Of. Fish. It's also time consuming and exhausting. When companies hire a search firm like mine to find candidates for a position, it's a bit like hiring one of those high-end matchmakers on TV. Think of me as Jeremy Renner (though frankly, I'm more of an Amy Poehler in real life): It's my role to hang out at the Whole Foods, keeping an eye out for good people. As I identify people who are a good potential fit for the role, I give them a call. The jobs I fill are good ones: I'm offering candidates a proverbial box of free organic blueberries.  But still, candidates can be taken off-guard when, in the middle of minding their own business, they are invited to explore a new possibility. Try to be open to new things. There is no reward without some risk. 

It's a time to get to know each other. OK, so let's say you allow Jeremy to buy you the blueberries and now you are sitting at the little area in the front of the store drinking your fair trade coffee with him. You find out that he's a divorced software sales manager who loves french bulldogs. You are a cat-loving hat designer who called off your engagement to your long-distance Swedish paramour Sven. And you both love The Eagles, Indian food, the colour persimmon, Ayn Rand books, and Jerk Tilapia (Jeremy bought some too.) You have some things in common, enough to arrange for another coffee meeting. This is how you should view the interview process with a search firm. You have a job: life is good. What you are trying to find out is if life could be better. Perhaps this new job would give you more autonomy, a broader scope, a heftier paycheque. At this point you are just exploring possibilities. Relax and have some fun with it. 

It's a time to not rush forward (even though you really want to.) At some point in the process, it will hit you: OMG, I have just met Jeremy Renner and he loves animals and is employed! Depending on your age, you might also realize that you are statistically more likely to be hit by lightning than to have had this happen to you and you want to close the deal now now now. Before you get Vera Wang on your speed dial and have poor Jeremy running for the hills, you need to take a deep breath. If it's meant to be, Jeremy won't go anywhere. He'll realize that there are not many of you - Gwyneth Paltrow meets Tina Fey - on the planet. Companies are probably interviewing a number of candidates, but if they have hired a search firm, it's because there are not that many people who can do the job. Relax. If it's a good long term fit, it will happen. 

Don't have a one track mind. The first thing most candidates want to know is what the job pays. I have a mortgage too: I get it. But salary discussions are a bit like sex. Wait a few dates before bringing it up. A search firm will be feeding the client good information about what the market is paying. If they are willing to pay to hire a search firm to fill your role, they are not going to lose you over a few dollars. If you seem too fixated on the topic, your motivation may be called into question. Again, relax.

It's a time to look for red flags. Confession time: The reason things did not work out with Sven is he took a strong liking for Bjorn. All of those ABBA posters on his wall that time you visited him in Stockholm should have been a clue. Live and learn. Take your time to get to know Jeremy. See how he treats his dogs. See how he treats his mom. Does he tip the waitress? Is he respectful? How is he under stress? How is he when he meets your busty friend wearing that white tennis dress in the rain? Believe me, Jeremy is looking to see how you behave in a variety of situations. The dating process is a two-way street. The job interview process is no different. If it's a publicly traded company, read what the analysts say about management. If it's privately held, find out about the owners. Why did the last person leave? Why is the role hard to fill? The earlier in the process you find out about the bad stuff, the easier it is to go your separate ways. And if there are no deal-breakers? Nirvana!

Consider cultural differences. Perhaps you come from hearty stock who would only take a rest from work if someone were hospitalized. Maybe Jeremy was the baby in a laid-back family who believed a lot in napping. This might be a problem down the road. The same applies to the workplace. If you come out of a hierarchical, rule-bound organization, working for a creative start-up with a bunch of 20 year olds might just blow your mind. Unless you've been itching for a change, in which case it will rock your world. Don't be bound by what you've done in the past. Think about what you want now. 

Consider balance. Maybe you'd like to see Jeremy three days a week. Maybe Jeremy would like to see you once every three weeks so he can work, work out, hang with his posse, practice with his band, and date other girls. This could be a problem. Ditto if you are a nine-to-fiver who is about to take on a job with a 24/7 culture. Work-life balance is key and a valid point to discussion during an interview. Remember, we called you. You have a good thing going already. You can choose to be picky. 

This is the time to run. If Jeremy, cute as he is, starts to bring up topics such as astral projection, that time he was in prison, or his need to stock up on anti-itch creme, don't hesitate to run for the hills. If you mentioned these things, he'd be running. Nobody will be upset if you discover that a job is not a good fit early in the process. When you've accepted the job, the paperwork has been drawn up, your office has been repainted and your predecessor let go, they might get angry when you declare, "maybe I'm just not that into you."

If you just got married, fess up. To be clear, I am not Ashley Madison. If you have just joined a new company to take your dream job, you should not be interested in what I have to say. Yes, I'm Jeremy Renner: new on the scene and kind of exciting. But you're with Brad Pitt. He's promised to stand by you through thick and thin. God bless. And if you have the name of any eligible single friends, please pass them on. 

Happy hunting!

Nancy

LinkedIn Love

OK, so everyone know that if you want to find a new job, you should be on LinkedIn. But are you using the tool as effectively as you might? Here are some tips to using LinkedIn from a recruiter's perspective.

Better no profile than a poor profile. When I'm networking in the marketplace and someone gives me the name of a potential candidate,  the first thing I do is check to see if there is a profile on LinkedIn. If it's not there, I'll probably place a call. If it's there and looks as expected, I'll definitely place a call. If it's there and is poorly done and rife with errors, I won't place a call. When Woody Allen said "Eighty percent of success is showing up," he was not referring to LinkedIn. 

Use standard terms. As recruiters, we have all sort of cool software at our fingertips to help us identify fantastic candidates for a position. This software can comb through LinkedIn and identify potential candidates based on skills. If, for example, we are looking for an Account Manager for a digital agency, we will look for people with SEO and SEM experience. Maybe your company calls you a Search Wizard. That's really cool, but you won't turn up in a keyword search for SEO. You might be the best account manager in the world, but if we can't find you, our clients can't hire you. Use standard terminology. 

Use appropriate photos. Repeat after me, LinkedIn is not Facebook. The best photo is a decent head shot with you looking friendly and professional. If the only photo you have of yourself involves alcohol, a Halloween costume, or a cat beard, please stick to the little grey-scale avatar. No photo is better than an unsuitable one.

Join relevant groups. One of the ways recruiters learn about a particular field is to checkout LinkedIn Groups. Join industry and functional groups and post comments that show that you have expertise in your field. Show that you are passionate about what you do. 

Link to other social media. You can share your Twitter feed with LinkedIn users but only do this is you tweet about work-related matters. It's great that it's #FajitaNight at the local #nudist resort. Your LinkedIn followers do not need to know this. 

Reach out to recruiters. One of the great things about LinkedIn is that you can see who viewed your profile. If you see that recruiters are looking at your profile, feel free to send them a message telling them that you'd be open to helping them network in the future. (This is code for: were you looking at my profile to see if I'm suitable for a job that is amazingly fulfilling and pays ridiculously well?)

Use the postal code of the city where you want to work. Often we will use postal codes as a way of finding good candidates for a search. If you live in Pig's Elbow and are happy to drive the 3 hours to Chicago each day (or are happy to relocate), use a Chicago postal codes so you are not excluded from our Chicago-based searches. 

Check your inbox. Recruiters will send you mail through LinkedIn if we think you have an interesting background. Use the notification function to trigger an email when someone sends you a request or message. And check the system a couple of time a week. Finding out that someone wanted to talk to you about a dream job after the job has been filled feels a bit like finding an expired winning lottery ticket in the pocket of your winter coat. There are enough "if only" moments in life as it is. 

Happy hunting!

Nancy

Résumé schmésumé

Ok, so with the advent of LinkedIn and Skype and Bullhorn Reach and all sorts of other ways of connecting with employers, has the résumé gone the way of the detachable shirt collar and the cassette tape?

Nope.

Résumés are a very useful tool for job seekers, but not for the reason you might think. Yes, recruiters want them. And HR usually insists on a copy to keep in your file. But more importantly, pulling together a good résumé and cover letter (remember those?) forces you to think about your current skill set, your career goals, and what you bring to the table overall. It's easy in this world of online CVs to simply add skills without ever stepping back and seeing you career as it's seen by others. Even if you end up staying in your current position, going through the exercise of seeing what skills and experiences are valued in the marketplace and then seeing how you compare can be valuable. This insight can help you position yourself better come performance review time, or convince you to upgrade your skills to make yourself more marketable. If you do end up finding a role that looks interesting, all of that work preparing a new résumé will make the interview a snap. If you walk into an interview with only a cursory glance at the LinkedIn profile you created two years ago, you might not find it as easy to talk about your skills.

If you are writing a résumé for the first time in a while, here are some tips from someone who has read far too many bad ones.

1. Don't over-jargon things. I'm sure that when you and your buddies gather around the water cooler, it's cool to talk in acronyms. To an outsider such as a recruiter or someone in HR, buzzwords don't make sense. At best, you'll come across like one of those over-zealous Star Trek convention attendees who like to order their beer in Ferengi. At worst, we'll wonder if you actually know what you are talking about. Almost all jobs require good communication skills and a résumé is a great place to show how you can make your industry-specific knowledge more accessible to others.

2. It's not Match.com. It's awesome that you like walks on the beach, BASE jumping and long-haired ferrets. I don't need to know that, however. Résumés focus on employment-related skills and experience. Period. If you are the treasurer on the board of the local hospital, that would be relevant for a job with some finance responsibility. If you have an Olympic medal kicking around and you are interested in a job that needs fortitude and achieving goals, by all means share. Beyond that, we do not need to know a whole lot about your personal life. And please, no photos. One of my former colleagues used to collect terrible photos featuring job-seekers shirtless on vacation, falling off horses, and surrounded by empties. Life is hard enough without appearing on someone's wall of shame.

3. Proofread. There is nothing worse than reading about someone's attention to detal. Use spellcheck and grammar-check and then actually read your résumé. I'm pretty sure you'd want your tattoo artist to pay attention to spelling. This is no less important.

Happy hunting,

Nancy

Five reasons why the headhunter did not put your name forward to the client

Job seekers. As recruiters, we want to like you. We really do.

At 3am, when I come across your twitter feed, or resume on LinkedIn, or your name on a list of potential candidates which came from a hard day of networking, I really, really want to like you.

You see, I already know that - on paper - you have many of the skills that our clients need. Our clients have often put part of their business plans on hold, waiting to hire someone just like you. And our clients are eager for us to talk to you. Boy, are they. They call us weekly, or daily, or even hourly sometimes, asking if we have found their perfect candidate. Even though we have explained that the recruiting process takes time, they give us gentle encouragement to find you.

Image courtesy of stockimages /via/ 

So, please know that when we finally track you down and talk to you, we are predisposed to want to like you. And we are looking for your best qualities. That being said, sometimes, even though a candidate looks perfect on paper and even though our client is really eager to see resumes, we cannot put them forward to our client. Here are the top five reasons I will not put your name forward for a particular job.

1) You don't have the skills. Yes, it's great that your dog obeys your command to sit. Trust me, that's nothing to sneeze at. But if that's the only management experience you have, and our client needs you to step in and manage a group of 300 employees right away, I cannot put your name forward. We love that you have a great attitude and are willing to learn but we are hired to find someone who can walk in and do the job on day 1. If you feel that you are not moving forward in your career because you lack a certain skill set, acquire it. If you lack management breadth at work, perhaps you can join a Board of Directors for a charity you support. If you do not know a certain piece of software, take a course.

2) You don't have the right experience. You might wonder why job specs ask for 3-5 years experience or 5-10 years experience. If you've been giving a job the old college try for six months, surely you know everything there is to know about that position, right? Wrong. While there is nothing magic about the number of years (only a fool would reject someone for a 5 year manager position on the basis that they'd only worked 4 years and 364 days) when you have worked in a role for a number of years, you tend to have encountered a wider range of situations. A five year sales manager has probably lost an account and has learned from that. She has probably had to fire an employee and has learned from that. She has probably helped her team land a few major accounts - and knows how it's done. A ten year manager has probably experienced an economic upswing and downturn and knows whether or not he can stomach that ride. He may have had to handle morale after a downsizing. He's probably had to staff up a new team. This is why we ask for a certain number of years of experience. It may seem arbitrary but it's not.

3) You cannot translate your experience to our clients' needs. Right now we am looking to hire 2 environmental designers, a digital account director, an SVP of sales, a product developer, some recruiters, a sales operations director, a director of communication and marketing, a brand strategist, a BD manager, and a creative director. Believe it or not, we have not personally held all of those jobs. This means that with most positions we are looking to fill, we have to learn about each job and what makes for a successful hire. By the end of the search, we sound like veterans of that industry and could probably step into the role in a pinch, but if you are the first call we make, we're still in a learning curve. If you speak in industry buzzwords and jargon, we have a hard time figuring out if you actually have the skills and experience required to do the job. The best thing you can do is to ask to see the job spec and then show us how your talents match. This is great practice for interviewing with HR who appreciate your ability to translate your skills to their job specs too.

4) You run down your company. Yes, we're sure your boss is a hybrid between Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun. But trust us, we don't need to hear it. All we want to know is that you are interested in hearing about the opportunity. Perhaps you feel under-appreciated, or want a shorter commute or you are simply charmed by the sound of my voice (it happens.) I don't really need to know that. After all, I called you. Our clients want to hire happy, functional employees who will bring their skills and a great attitude to work. If you trash talk your current employer, I'm not sure you won't be trash talking our client one day. Keep it positive.

5) You are rude. If you are rude to me, I can only assume that you are a rude person. And in all of my years in search, I have yet to find a client asking to hire someone rude. Snapping at me, calling me from the bathroom, and dropping the f-bomb are not appropriate (even if you are taking my call via bluetooth while driving.) If you cannot talk when I call, but want to talk later, tell me. I'm happy to call you at home or at another number or to email you the job spec before we talk. You can never show too much kindness or consideration.


Happy hunting!

When a Recruiter Reaches Out to You

As a recruiter, I reach out to a lot of people when I'm in the process of finding candidates for my clients.    Most of the people I reach out to are happily employed. Some politely tell me they are not interested. Some people are helpful and let me know what's going on in the industry (we love these ones!) And  some people never call or email me back.

Now, of course, I would love me to call you back. But here are some reasons it might be in your best interest to call a recruiter back even if you are not interested in a new job:

1. Market intelligence. I've likely been talking to all of your peers. I know who is hiring, who is shrinking, and what positions like yours tend to pay. While I might not be able to give you specific information about the job I'm searching for, I can let you know if you are in line with your peers.

2. Databases are forever. This is a digital age and most recruiters have information in a database. If you slammed down the phone and told us never to bother you again, we won't. And the next call might have been us offering you your dream job.

3. It's a small world. If I meet someone amazing, I tend to remember his or her name. If I hear about a colleague doing a search where you might be a perfect candidate, I'll call you. What's the worst thing that can happen? You'll have a reputation as a rock star with someone with access to jobs.

4. I am discreet. Believe it or not, if I immediately ran to your current boss and said "guess who I talked to," I'd be out of business." Recruiters know how to keep a confidence.

So next time you get a call from a recruiter, take a couple of minutes to be nice. You never know how it might help you down the road.