Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By admin, July 19, 2008 3:15 pm

Bet you haven’t heard that before. But it is true. Except for vacations of key people (an easy work around), most companies have more time to interview; to hire. Later in the year, there are trade shows, conferences and all sorts of crash mode product deadlines to consider.

For companies whose fiscal year starts in June, summer is prime time for hiring. Money is available and the new org chart has just been created.

But the key reason summer is the best time to look for an Executive or Technology Professional job is because other people aren’t. Those who are considering a job change typically wait until September to begin their efforts; you have less competition.

One of my recent clients began his search in January but it wasn’t until May that the interviews were offered and June saw seven very real opportunities where he was one of three or four candidates. And each company signaled they wanted to move quickly.

You have to like those odds. He laid the groundwork in the preceding months and reaped the rewards when people he had contacted for leads began to email him about openings they just now heard about.

So let’s keep this secret to ourselves so you can keep competition to a minimum and find those hiring companies eager to have someone in place before all that craziness of September begins.

PS: Missed the summer hiring window? The holidays are also excellent for landing a job. Most folks are in town, relaxed and ready to spend that last dime left in the budget before the company’s new fiscal year begins.

Ready to amp up your job search? Download Job Search Debugged The Insider’s Guide for Executives and Technology Professionals. www.jobsearchdebugged.com.

Need help in your search? Contact the Coach at jobsearchdebugged dot com for Coaching options.

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By admin, July 8, 2008 3:56 pm

KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO TO A JOB OFFER

There is nothing like receiving a job offer or interview opportunity after a dry spell to cloud your vision. You used the right interview questions and you listened to the corporate sales pitch knowing it was just that. Yet you jump at the chance to take the wrong job seriously.

Do you know what the wrong job looks like? How do you spot the red flags when you are completely focused on the outcome?  Create a Go/No-Go list before you even begin your job search.

The list includes the basics like minimum compensation you will accept and location. But it should also cover all variables relevant to a job. Imagine the job in six months. The thrill of the increased compensation is worn off, now what is important to you?  Everything you feel is critical to your success and comfort belongs on the list including senior management track record.

Once you have created your list, you have to use it. If you are willing to accept an opportunity that doesn’t conform to your list, the item must be removed from the list or you must pass on the job.

But how do you spot the red flags?  Most companies hope to dull your senses with glowing reports of their growth, ease of getting things done or prospects for your employment. You are considering where you will spend the next four or five years of your professional life and with whom.  Evaluate the company as if you were planning to invest $50,000. If what you learn tells you it is a good investment, go forward. If not, take my favorite Monty Python advice, “Run Away.”

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By admin, July 8, 2008 3:30 pm

HOW EXCUTIVES DISCOVER IF THE JOB OFFER IS FROM AN EMPLOYER THAT FITS

How do you know your prospective employer is the right employer for you?  When you interview, everyone is in “sales” mode to keep you interested in working for the company.  Even if they tell you about challenges, they don’t tell you the real downside to working there and every company has them.

Why is finding out the dirt so important, especially to an Executive or Technology Professional? Your career/resume are sacred. If you show several short term stints you rob your credentials of valuable currency. Employers want to see staying power. They want to know you have lived through the results of your decisions.

Most people change jobs for reasons other than money. Which means vetting your prospective employer is vastly more important than negotiating every last dime. 

So how are you to get past the sales pitch and learn what the company is really like? An even bigger challenge if you are not a local. Talk to the techies. Once you are in serious consideration for an opportunity, ask to talk to the Q/A manager and the Customer Services manager. Want to really get the scoop? Talk to the customers, former customers and people who have left the company.

And don’t forget to take a look at glassdoor and other sites where employees comment on their employer confidentially. Don’t use them as the end all, only as an alert and guide for questions. Want to test the sites? See what people say about your current or most recent employers and do a reality check.

Since every company has a down-side, keep a pros and con list to provide balance in your decision. And also consult your Go/No-go list to make sure none of the concerns rule this employer out of consideration.

For detailed support for your search, purchase Job Search Debugged, Insider’s Guide to Job Search.  For highly targeted and personalized guidance with your job search, consider Job Search Coaching.

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By admin, June 26, 2008 11:42 am

As though looking for a new job isn’t stressful enough, let’s add scams and phishing warnings to the mix.  As an executive, you are considered a high net worth individual.  Your contact information is valuable.  Learn to protect yourself from marketers and scammers with selective use of the Internet. Omit your home address, even from your resume and use a free email address from Yahoo or Gmail.

There are oh-so-many ways for miscreants to appropriate your identity, get your credit card information and entice you to send them money for job search related scams.  And if you use the job boards, you increase the possibility of becoming a target.  You don’t have to pay for a job, job listings or other services unless you initiated the outreach.  And always double check the job boards to investigate a contact; determine the validity by new entries, not clicks to the site offered in the email.

Google (jobs, scams) and observe a circus of entries.  The hopeful candidate is always willing to believe the emperor is fashionably dressed.  My neighbor found a site that appeared to be recruiting for high income government jobs.   The job descriptions were compelling, the salaries were uncharacteristically high, in the mid $150,000′s.  Hard to resist making contact.  With just a few Google clicks, I discovered it was bogus.  The “recruiting” agent was selling extrodinarily expensive training (money up front, please) to qualify for those jobs.

It behooves you to check for scams periodically since the scammers and phishers are constantly reinventing efforts to get their hooks into your wallet.  Sadly, the cliche’ “If it looks to good to be true, it probably isn’t,” applies even to a job search.

For just a glimpse at what Executive candidates need to fend off: 

http://news.antispyware.com/?p=79
http://gadgetopia.com/post/3417
http://www.franzone.com/2007/10/16/a-monster-phishing-scam/

If you have been affected by a job search scam, let us know so others can learn what you know.  Make comments here.

For detailed support for your search, purchase Job Search Debugged, Insider’s Guide to Job Search.  For highly targeted and personalized guidance with your job search, consider Job Search Coaching.

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By admin, June 18, 2008 3:17 pm

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot extremely good Executive Recruiters who are worth their weight in gold. But the industry didn’t garner the reputation of being “the used car salespeople” of the business world without reason.

Those most vulnerable to the antics of a few bad apples are Executives who have been out of the job market for a while. Most of us assume the best in people until proven otherwise. With Recruiters and your executive or “C” level career, it is best assume the worst and protect yourself.

Let me be frank; an Executive Salary of $150,000 can generate between $45,000 and $67,500 commission for the Recruiting Firm. Recruiters are highly motivated to make the placement. And no matter how nice, or how friendly, you know from your life experience, you never really know what someone will do when they are under financial pressure.

Armed with this knowledge, play it safe. Avoid telling a Recruiter names of companies for which you are already in consideration or have submitted a resume. If they have the search for that job, you have just become the competition. The trick is, if they offer to represent you in that company, you have to decline their assistance but decline in such a way that they are not tempted to sabotage your efforts, no matter how innocent the “mistake” may appear.

I actually know first hand of a highly visible technology Recruiter who let it “slip” to her client that a candidate she was not representing had been fired without cause from his previous job. It was patently untrue, and to her credit, she did clarify weeks later, but the damage had been done.

And if the Recruiter asks you to submit a list of all the companies where you have interviewed, RUN AWAY. The most likely reason for the request is the Recruiter is looking for leads to new clients for her other candidates. Let the Recruiter be pro-active; have her ask your consent before she presents you to any company. Then you can determine if representation is required.

Once you have determined a given Recruiter deserves the honor of representing you, always treat her with respect. Remember, she is a gatekeeper and should be treated with the same respect and professionalism as you would treat any member of the Board of Directors. Use that as your base-line for your behavior and you won’t go wrong.

For detailed support for your search, purchase Job Search Debugged, Insider’s Guide to Job Search.  For highly targeted and personalized guidance with your job search, consider Job Search Coaching.

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