The Executive Update

Why Retailers Understand Fine Wine, Rare Cheese, and Older Employees

We frequently get questions from “older” workers; professionals over 50 who suddenly find  themselves out of work and unable to convince someone that they are worth hiring because of their age and experience. So I was gratified to see a blog post on ERE.net about an older worker who was rejected by corporate America only to find happiness at the local supermarket.

The story is of a corporate executive with a Fortune 500 company, laid off at 54 with a fat severance package and no prospects. He tried to find another professional position, but was squeezed out. As the blogger explains:

“He went on to say that recruiters aren't high on hiring 50+ people simply because they cost too much, need too much technology training and won't be there very long with retirement age looming. He went on interview after interview. He was qualified for every one of them. But was repeatedly told that 'another candidate was chosen'. After being let down over and over, he thought long and hard about how he could utilize his people skills, negotiation skills, sales skills, presentation skills-and it quickly dawned on him. The grocery store.

The hiring process for the grocery store was easy by comparison. He was asked a few strategic questions and then hired immediately. The grocery recruiter realized that this candidate had skills and assets that were easily transferrable to their needs. When he asked why they hired him, the response was, “because of your wealth of experience working with people, and ability to sell and exceed expectations.”

Understanding Multinationals: Will Your Career Close Out of Town?

I am a regular reader of the McKinsey reports and there was a recent brief in the McKinsey Quarterly that caught my eye,  “Why multinationals struggle to manage talent.” There were some interesting findings cited from the research:

“Participants cited several personal disincentives to global mobility, but one of the most significant was the expectation that employees would be demoted after repatriation to their home location. ‘Overseas experience is not taken seriously and not taken advantage of,” commented one senior manager. “Much valuable experience dissipates” because companies have a habit of “ignoring input from returnees, and many leave.” The quality of the support for mobility a company provides (for instance, assistance with housing and the logistical aspects of a move) also plays a decisive role in determining how positive or challenging an overseas assignment is for expatriates.”

Apparently, there is an ongoing trend among multinationals to devalue managers who work abroad, despite the value they say they place on international management experience. When these executives return home they often expect to be demoted.

The Micro Pitch

Can you tell your personal brand story in 140 characters or less? That’s the challenge of the escalator pitch, profiled in a recent article in BusinessWeek. The idea is that you have to be able to present your brand value in a “Twitpitch” using Twitter – 140 characters, 20 words.

In the age of electronic communications and shortening attention spans we should have seen this trend coming. Professionals are being challenged to cram more information into less space. (I often find it challenging to express a well-developed thought in this blog format; some of my peers complain my blog posts are too long.)

According to the article, the idea was started by Stowe Boyd, a blogger who tracks technology and social tools, who is now experimenting with micro PR, and only accepts PR pitches via Twitter. The lesson is obvious – get to the point. The same is true of job seekers and those who are pitching their personal brand to a recruiter or potential employer. 

Ask the Coach: When Changing Industries, It’s All About Connecting the Dots…

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is a post contributed by last week’s coach Kim Batson, The CIO’s Coach.

Are you actively or passively in a job search and considering changing industries? How do you compete with others who have prior experience in that industry? 

It’s all about ‘connecting the dots’ for a potential employer.

You might consider industries that are similar to the one you are in now, but different. For instance, if you are in the banking industry, you might consider the brokerage industry or credit/charge card industry. A connection can be made in their minds that your expertise would be valuable to them, and for you the change could be enough to recharge your career.

You might also consider industries that are entirely different from yours, but where your skill set is highly valued and needed. For instance, if you are a technology executive with expertise in transforming supply chains in a manufacturing environment, your skill set is also highly sought after in other industries, for example, wholesale or retail. To compete here, you want to make sure that you are highlighting the business impact of your successes and not just industry-specific accomplishments.

Ask the Coach: Tips for Making A Career Transition

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from the most recent session with Kim Batson, The CIO’s Coach, and Deb Dib, head of Executive Power Brand.

Career transition was the main theme of this week’s call. One caller said she had exhausted her opportunities for advancement in her current role. The company she worked for was small, serving a niche market, so it was time to seek greener pastures. However, she had worked for almost two decades for the same company. Would her long tenure with the same company be seen as a limitation?

Kim and Deb said, no, loyalty is an asset that is hard to find these days and something that you can leverage, especially in a career transition. Too many companies tend to lose institutional memory due to staff turnover. Training new employees and managers is expensive. It’s always better to find a way to retain employees to keep those institutional processes and protocols intact and keep the operation running smoothly. That’s why longevity in a job is looked on favorably, especially if you can show a progression of responsibility over the years. That same loyalty and the ability to grow with the job and take on new responsibility are transferrable assets, no matter what industry you are targeting. Make the most of that loyalty, and highlight your relevant career strengths.

 

A Two-letter Response to the Salary Question – NO!

If you are not familiar with Ask the Headhunter, Nick Corcodilos is a great source for job hunting tips and techniques. In a recent post, Nick addressed one of the trickiest questions to plague any job hunter – what do you do when you are asked to divulge salary history in a job application? Nick’s advice: Just say NO! Even if you are filling out an electronic job application, don’t limit your prospects:

“No, you don’t need to fill in a field that puts you at a disadvantage. (If you provide your salary history, you will sacrifice your ability to negotiate salary later.) You can skip it, and you can skip the online application altogether. You are too worried about following instructions, and not concerned enough about where those instructions will lead you — into a holding pen with thousands of other unremarkable competitors. People who feel they must fill in a dollar amount also tend to feel they must answer the phone even when they are busy doing something else. Your action is up to you. Just say NO.”

Nick’s advice, and it’s good advice, is to avoid the application process altogether. Why get caught up in a cattle call and try to make someone else’s application process highlight your unique talents? Instead, do your homework, find out who the hiring manager is, and make your case directly to an authority who has a vested interest and can appreciate what you bring to the job. If you are really willing to work to find the right contact and distinguish yourself from the competition, then you deserve that job.

Don’t Just Walk, Pick a Direction

In the world of executive job search, we often get so caught up in the hunt that we fail to remember what we are really hunting for. That’s why I was drawn to an excerpt in Forbes from a book by Pamela Skillings entitled Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams.

“Your career is a business and you are already an entrepreneur, even if you sell your time and services to just one company in exchange for a salary and benefits. You may have found a good business model for You, Inc., in Corporate America. But that doesn't mean that you don't have other options or that you can't find a better deal if you get fed up with your current client. After all, your employers won't hesitate to cut you loose if your position stops making business sense for them.”

In this blog and the other career management resources we offer through NETSHARE, we have long been advocates of approaching your career as you would a job. In fact, promoting the brand that is uniquely “you” should be the most rewarding professional experience you can have. The challenge for many is to broaden the context for your career, and to start looking beyond the walls of corporate life for true job satisfaction. As Skilling points out:

• 50% of American workers are dissatisfied with their jobs
• 80% fantasize about leaving their current jobs
• Twice as many employees working for small companies are satisfied with their jobs than those employed by large corporations
• 87% of free agents and entrepreneurs are very satisfied with their jobs

Ask the Coach: Think Globally, Start Your Search Locally

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from the most recent session with this week’s coach Debbie Ellis, President of the Phoenix Career Group.

This week, a caller from North Carolina was asking about relocation strategies. He has a strong background in six sigma processes for large corporations, and feels that the economic climate in North Carolina is weak, and he would do better marketing his skills elsewhere, even internationally. What’s the most effective approach to launching a long-distance job search?

Debbie’s advice, target companies in the areas you are interested in and start working your contact list. In many cases, you may have to make cold calls but some of your professional contacts may provide an introduction or at least point you in the right direction. Be very clear about what you are offering and your value proposition. Also be clear about who you want to sell yourself to, and what they are looking for.

Your best bet is to target companies in the same industry, but if that’s not an option then look for companies in parallel industries. The librarian at your local library can be a great ally here. With help, you can learn about specific companies, their markets, their challenges, and who you need to target as a potential hiring manager or influencer.

Once you find the right manager, get your credentials in front of him or her. Don’t send a resume. Rather start with a personalized communication that speaks directly to him or her and gets attention. Establish a dialogue and that will help you demonstrate how invaluable you can be to their organization.

Project Yourself Into the Job

In a recent Experts Connection session, career expert Ross Macpherson noted that one of the best tactics to get hired is to make the hiring manager see you in the role. The same is true for promotions. If a manager can visualize you doing the job, the job is yours. This was the same observation of David Novak, chairman and CEO of Yum Brands and author of “The Education of an Accidental CEO.”

“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you never get promoted until most people in your company can already see you in the position. [Former chairman of PepsiCo, Wayne Calloway], took me aside and said to me, ‘David, I have no doubt that one day you are going to end up running something. So why don’t you just focus on what you need to do today in order to be ready when you get there.’”

Good advice no matter where you are in your career. When you are interviewing for any job, make an effort to show that you have already thought through the new role and have a clear idea of where you can make a difference in that job! One solid approach is to use a real-world example , some challenge the company is clearly facing, and offer a solution that highlights your skills, your savvy, and your readiness to take on the problem.

If you can convince the hiring manager that you are not only prepared, but give him a mental picture of what you can accomplish in that role, then you are on your way.

Move It or Lose Out

When thinking about strategies to maximize your compensation package, one factor that most executives overlook is their willingness to relocate. Cindy Kraft recently wrote about the war for talent. And when I talk to recruiters at the AESC or from top recruiting firms, they often complain about the dearth of quality talent to fill jobs in their target markets. If you are willing to relocate, that makes you a highly desirable commodity, which is something you can leverage.

The willingness to relocate seems to be a trend that changes with the times. When we first started NETSHARE in the early 1990s, the job market was soft, which meant executives were hungry and more willing to relocate. After 9-11 the willingness to become mobile fell off, and more job seekers decided they would rather settle for something closer to home, even if it was less lucrative. Now, with the economy in a slump once again, I am encountering more executives who are willing to move in order to stay competitive.

It’s always surprised me when people are unwilling to relocate. Of course, I was raised in a family that moved every time my father was assigned to a new international office. I got used to relocation, and recall that many of my peers when I was a kid living in Japan were in the same boat. American corporations like IBM and Caterpillar would rotate their executives (and their families) in two-year posts at different global offices. (The standing joke was that IBM stood for I’ve Been Moved.)