Lessons Learned By Being Laid Off
November 13, 2008
I have been neglectful of CareerThoughts and I have a big reveal over memorial day, but in the mean time I couldn’t help but share this great post by Andrew.
http://www.legalandrew.com/2008/05/20/lessons-learned-by-being-laid-off/
On Friday, May 9, one of the vice presidents walked into my office and fired me. Little did I know that I was the second casualty of five (10% of the staff) to be laid off on that Black Friday.
I’m headed to a better life with my own solo law firm. I have a small, growing client base, and new opportunities pop up every day.
But I want to highlight a couple things I learned by being laid off. It was unexpected, shocking, surreal, and enraging. Here is what it taught me:
Maintain your teeth
Last August was the first time in my life that I ever had dental insurance. My parents always took us for regular cleanings, but payments were out-of-pocket. When we were hired, my wife and I opted to get on the company dental plan, which really paid off.
Since August, I had my wisdom teeth extracted and three small cavities filled. Of course, I’ve had two regular cleanings as well. Most of the expense was paid by for by the dental insurance company!
Now that I’m self-employed, dental insurance sure is expensive, so I’m not going to get it. My teeth are all taken care of now, so I can afford to just pay for my cleanings.
It’s best to maintain your teeth, since you never know when that spiffy insurance will dry up.
Use the flex health plan
Have you opted into your employer’s flexible health savings plan? Here’s why you should.
In January, we decided to have $3,900 taken out for medical expenses for the year. At the time of our lay-off, we had spent about $3,200 on medical expenses. You can do that because you get the entire flexible spending amount on January 1. It’s sort-of like a medical expenses loan that gets taken out of your paycheck each week.
But the cool part is that only about $1,500 had been withheld from my paycheck by the time I was laid off. I was a bit worried that we’d have to pay the difference from my small severance pay, but we don’t. The employer bears the risk that you’ll leave the company in the hole with your health savings plan. Neat, isn’t it?
Keep your resume updated
I chose not to seek out another full time employment position. But if I had, my resume was ready. It’s always updated and at-the-ready.
To make my resume 100% ready for use, all I had to do was add the final date of my previous employment. I also made sure that my list of duties was accurate and updated.
Since you never know when opportunity will knock (or when you’ll be kicked to the curb), you should always have a resume ready. Here are my 52 resume tips, and Daily Writing Tips has 44 tips of their own.
Think about addresses
As an attorney, I’m a member of several professional associations and the Virginia State Bar. They all require contact information.
When I registered with these groups, I gave them my work address, phone, and email. But I see now that it was a mistake. One of the first things I had to do was update all this address information.
For this reason, I suggest considering the address that you use when registering with professional organizations. Your home address might be a good, stable choice.
Back to work…
That’s what I’ve learned so far. I’m trying to take this life change in stride. A door has closed, but God’s opening up many others.
And now I have to do some work for clients. That’s a good thing!
India Remains Top Choice for Off-Shoring
November 13, 2008
Bangalore keeps its top position as the ideal location for global delivery services. New Delhi edges out Manila for second place, according to a new study from IDC, an international market research firm.
IDC’s Global Delivery Index (GDI) indicated that India is still the off-shoring country of choice in Asia. In its second edition, IDC’s GDI ranks 35 cities in the region based on criteria such as labor and rent costs, language skills and political risk.
Two other Indian cities also made it to the top 10 list: New Delhi edged out Manila for the No. 2 spot, while Mumbai dropped three places from last year’s list to seventh.
Chinese Cities Gaining
Jenna Griffin, senior research analyst for global delivery services research at IDC Asia-Pacific, says that Bangalore and New Delhi are attractive due to existing infrastructure, large quantity of skilled workers as well as competitive pricing.
Auckland and Beijing made significant progress over last year, moving up five and three notches, respectively. Griffin says that Auckland’s ranking was influenced by factors such as greater government support, an increased emphasis toward a digital economy and currency depreciation.
On the other hand, China’s investment in Beijing’s infrastructure and the environment for the upcoming Olympic Games has sharpened the city’s competitive edge, she added.
Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian Make Top 10
“With prices on the rise in India, locations like Beijing with established infrastructure and lower costs will be in demand,” Griffin points out. “Beijing also has a highly skilled workforce, supported by a strong education network.”
The Chinese cities of Shanghai and Dalian were also counted by IDC as among the top 10 global delivery locations. Dalian, however, slipped from No. 4 in 2007 to the current No. 9.
According to Griffin, there will be an increase in the number of Chinese cities considered as optimal global delivery locations by 2012. Xian, for instance, will become a top 10 off-shoring destination for businesses.
“Jobs Beyond Borders”
Meanwhile, a new study released by Careerbuilder.com and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania identifies the top three technology jobs at risk for moving offshore. The study, titled “Jobs Beyond Borders,” includes research from 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals as well as 6,700 U.S. workers.
The study suggests that 32 percent of computer programmer and software developer jobs and 16 percent of systems analysts jobs are at risk. According to the study, “More firms are off-shoring high-wage, high-skill jobs that were once though to be immune to global competition.”
In fact, the study says, 28 percent of employers have already off-shored high-skill services positions overseas to third parties or foreign affiliates. What’s more, 69 percent of employers who offshore believe high-skill services positions are more likely to be off-shored than low-skill jobs.
Saving Money is the Big Reason
The majority of employers surveyed listed saving money as the reason for off-shoring jobs. According to the study, nearly half of the employers who did off-shore information technology jobs reported saving an average of $20,000 per person.
Of the workers who were displaced by off-shoring, only one in five were reassigned within the company. Of those who were let go or left the company, 81 percent went to another employer who was not aggressively off-shoring.
Matt Gerguson, CEO of Careerbuilder.com, says that in order for most employers to compete with other companies worldwide they ship jobs offshore. “Among employers who off-shore, half said they believe off-shoring is necessary to compete in a global economy and 15 percent project more than 20 percent of their jobs will eventually be sent overseas.”
While high-skilled jobs are at risk for being off-shored, Gerguson is positive about the U.S. job market. “One-in-four employers who offshore said it has enabled them to create a greater number of better jobs here in the U.S.,” says Gerguson.
Worried About Your IT Job?
November 13, 2008
I think that range of emotions that most professionals are feeling right now ranges some where from mild concern to flat out panic as the housing market continues to decline, the economy continues to operate in volatile swings and unemployment continues to rise. The good news is that under it all there is some good news. The Washington DC Metro region continues to shine in direct contrast to the rest of the countries employment markets and IT jobs are gaining across the country.
The Greater Washington Initiative coins DC as “well beyond a government town” with the federal government representing 11.4% of the employment in the region while 23% is professional and business services. As of last year Greater Washington ranked second nationally in the number of professional, scientific and technical jobs held. “One striking aspect of the region’s diversity is how little it is publicized. Everyone has heard of Silicon Valley, but few know the Greater Washington region is one of the largest employers of technology workers,” Greater Washington Initiative 2008 Regional Report. “As further evidence of the region’s resilience, Greater Washington has had the lowest unemployment rate of the top ten metro areas in all but two months in the last seven years.”
While the overall employment market is experiencing heavy losses, IT employment has reached an all time high, according to the National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses, which tracks monthly IT employment. According to the NACCB IT employment reached 3,907,800 in June. So far this year, IT has grown by almost 90,000 jobs compared to the overall employment market that has lost 438,000 jobs.
This is a trend that isn’t likely to end. The Computing Research Association’s annual survey of universities with Ph.D.-granting programs found a 20 percent drop in students completing bachelors degrees in professional IT fields in 2008, continuing a trend seen for several years. Enrollment in undergraduate degree programs in computer sciences is more than 50 percent lower than it was five years ago. Between 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 the number of new students declaring computer sciences as a major fell 43 percent.
So what does this all mean? I am confident that the demand for IT professionals will remain healthy to spite other economic challenges and that in coming years there will be a significant strain on employers as they attempt to hire IT professionals. In the short term while gas prices rise, housing prices drop your biggest asset maybe your IT skills. My career advice is keep them sharp!
What’s Happening Out There?
November 13, 2008
It has been far too long since you have heard from me and some might assume that it is due to tumultuous circumstances of our economy and more specifically our job market. In part that is true. The job market has seen as many swings as the stock market of late. If you read the news it would be reasonable to assume that this would be the worst time to contemplate any type of change in employment unless you were forced to do so. This premise is not entirely true.
The job market is actually far from dead and there is still a tremendous focus for many employers to secure outstanding technical talent. You can see the many jobs we are still recruiting for here. There are pockets of dynamic opportunity to do new and exciting things from a career perspective. The green community and associated green technologies are a growing industry. Locally we will see an increase in jobs and technology to support the new initiatives of the federal government. This increase will create jobs and opportunity in both the government and commercial markets. Additionally there are still many exciting technology organizations that have continued to grow to spite the dismal news.
I would be lying if I said that DC was recession proof or that this market wasn’t without its challenges. In this type of economic cycle it is important that your skills are sharp and that you are adding maximum value where you are. Fight the urge even if you are with a company in trouble to check out. In this type of market superstars are hired for the best jobs. Work on becoming a superstar so you have that to leverage.
Additionally this is a tougher market for those in management or more functionally focused roles. There will continue to be a premium put on specialized technical skills. It is also likely in this market we will see many people leaving for “greener pastures” (better opportunities) without an increase in compensation. In some cases we are seeing people flee environments where the screws have been tightened so tight that it has choked out all the company culture. We have seen people in these situations opt for less money to be in a better situation.
In summary the past months have been busy and erratic. Some things are bad, but not all things are bad and in DC most things are okay and some things are actually still great. It is a time when many people are re-evaluating their priorities, investments and careers. As I always recommend it is during this time it is best not to go it alone. Regardless of if you are looking, not looking or simply wondering what in the world is going on out there contact a good recruiter (ME of course!).
Career Satisfaction
May 27, 2009
In my industry there are many myths that are often accepted as fact. I have been thinking a lot about this recently because in these times many people have become more likely to accept undesirable circumstances. I understand sacrificing your picture of ideal for stability and in some cases I recommend it. What does continue to amaze me is when people do become engaged in a job search how little they focus on what truly makes them happy at work. If you are going to make the leap in this market or any market focus on the things that makes your job a place you WANT to go everyday. Some myths I hear often:
Myth: I am leaving my position because I want/need to make more money
Truth: There are many reasons people make this statement but it is truly rarely about the money. For most even when aquiring a new job at a 5-15% increase after taxes are going to have a negligible “real” increase (meaning that it might mean an extra nice dinner a month or a vacation at the end of the year, but I guarantee you none of those things are going to make you jump out of bed with a smile on your face when you think about going to work). A majority of the time what people are really say is: I feel under valued and unrecognized for my contribution; further I have been unsuccessful in leading my company to see my value. I feel passed over or left behind.
Myth: I have no career growth here.
Truth: I don’t have an advocate or a mentor. My company has stagnated and I feel I am stagnating with them. I have been limited in my ways to learn and take on new challenges (growth doesn’t always mean promotion it means you are learning and challenged. If you feel valued and like you are continuing to learn it is rare to look at your company as a place where you can’t grow).
In addition to the myths there are the hidden reasons people really aren’t satisfied that no one talks about. I think the most frequent are:
I don’t like/trust/respect my boss
I don’t like/trust/respect the executive management team
I don’t like/trust/respect my co-workers
The reality is that all of the above are valid reasons for making a positive change. Most work will always have elements of what is above (no company or job is perfect) but if you are battling a never ending struggle against one or more of these elements you will be hard pressed do be motivated and empowered. It is even less likely that you will do your best work.
The part that amazes me is when I sit down with people to talk about changes in their careers we might start out talking about career growth and company culture, however by the time most people get to an offer they are agonizing over details that will rarely ensure they are happy in their jobs. Yes we all need to get paid (and yes for those of you who work with me I am a broken record) but when you wake up in the morning and are driving to work you won’t be saying “Gee I am so happy to go to work today because I am making an extra $20, or I am getting that extra 1% contribution in my 401K”. You will more likely be saying “I love the work I am doing, I love my colleagues or I love my company” or “I don’t love the work I am doing, I don’t like the people I work with, I am not crazy about my company”.
Scrutinizing the details of a company’s benefits package to determine if you want to work there is one of the worst ways to pick your next career adventure. Salary is also a really bad primary criterion for determining your next career move. The other interesting point is that might be slightly controversial: the specific tasks of your job might not be as important as you think. It is rare that anyone is doing exactly the job that was outlined in their interview process 6-12 months later. Most roles morph as you learn the needs of the organization and the organization learns your strengths.
The details that really matter, the hours that you spend deciding if you want to join an organization should be spent on: Do you believe in the organization? Do you love the people who work there? Do you buy into the management style of your direct supervisor? Do you respect the executive management team? Do you believe you could learn a lot? Do you believe you will be challenged? Do you believe your contribution will be valued and recognized? This is where the satisfaction lies.
I believe strongly that in life you can’t buy happiness and when it comes to work your employer can’t buy your happiness either.
Putting it all in perspective
November 13, 2008
Blogging in my field (recruiting and technology) is no easy task. I have found it is difficult to give an original though to a subject that has been so over talked by everyone from CEOs to HR professionals and beyond. Frightening terms like “the War for Talent” would lead job searchers to believe that offers are plentiful and high and all they have to do is drop a couple business cards on the sidewalk to lead recruiters to their door. At the same time there are reports of outsourcing and American jobs being sent to everywhere from China to India. All of these conflicting messages are as confusing as the books on career management, interviewing, jobs searching, thinking about job searching, changing careers, second careers, launching careers and on and on and on.
So I thought it was important to keep it simple, keep it relevant and keep it interesting! I am open to responding to things you are interested in and questions you have! Leave me a comment and I will discuss. In the absence of questions I will cover the topics I am most passionate about. The topics that get people hired and get people fired. The truth about relationships and how to use them to get jobs. And the stories no recruiters will ever tell you (this is the interesting part). In the last seven years of recruiting I have seen things that are hard to believe, imagine, fathom. I have also learned that things people think are intuitive may not be. Hopefully some of my fun antedotes will leave you laughing and thinking about how to paint your future.
In the Heat of the Day
November 13, 2008
Sitting here in DC looking out the window at the hottest day of the year so far (suppose to hit 100 with about 50% humidity) I was thinking about the heat warnings they issue. You know on the news and the radio: “drink plenty of water, don’t lock your dogs in the car, don’t run or exert yourself outdoors.” This led me to thinking about the heat of negotiations, particularly job negotiations.
I wish there were warnings that went out to both candidates and employers. “Today it is going to get heated, don’t forget how much you liked each other. Remember your humility and the joint benefit from working things out together like partners.” It seems that we are some how trained through the traditional interview process to play nice during the initial phases and then at the end do an about face and start the “battle of negotiation.”
As the job market has consistently grown in the last couple of years and particularly in the last several months I have seen more and more focus on compensation. The reality is there are so few people who every really “win” when waging this war. As a job seeker you can win at getting a big offer with a good increase in compensation, however if you are looking to upgrade your career, skills and take the next step up an entirely different approach is needed. You have to be willing to weigh the long term compensation value of the career stretch the job offers you. You also have to consider how the environment, company and people will help you to build your reputation and enhance your professional experience and satisfaction. If you focus on these components and know what you want from the beginning, communicate what you expect from the beginning you will be likely to get it.
Employers hold the same responsibility to keep in mind how long and hard they have searched for the golden candidate. Is this the person who not only has the skills and capability, but the personality, charisma and drive for the position? When you find this person is it worth it to lose them over $5,000? Is it worth it to risk giving them an offer that is going to disappoint them? When you crunch the numbers of how much it will cost to go with the position unfilled and the cost of continuing to sink resources into interviewing?
So here is my heat warning deep in the heart of July. When the deal heats up and you feel yourself slip into the trap (my friends told me I could get more money. The last guy we really liked had more skills and was willing to take less.) Drink lots of water and take a deep breath. Is this the right long term home for you? Is this the next great piece of your career? Is this the person who can change the direction of your organization? Are they someone who can be an impact player? If the answer is yes you can approach the situation like the thunderstorms we hope will roll in this afternoon and cool us down, work together like partners and come to an agreement that represents the type of relationship you are hoping to develop together to create mutual success.
Salary to Share?
November 13, 2008
Rob posted the following comment which I wanted to address:
rcimperman: Hi Nicole. This posting reminded me of an interesting topic you may want to address. At a previous company (that you have had some dealings with), there was a trend among a subset of employees from a shared country of origin to share their salary information with each other. As a manager, it caused us difficulty to no end because anytime members of that group got different raises or salary levels, as justified as they may have been, management would hear about the perceived disparity in startling detail. Have you encountered this and what is your (or your readers’) thoughts?
The inevitable reality for employers is that whether an employee is motivated by good ole’ got to know gossip or wanting to know they are paid as much or more than the people they work with, employees are going to discuss salary. The sad reality is that while this is very troublesome for the employers it is typically more detrimental to the employees.
Lets examine compensation first, companies offer employees a wage that is based on a number of factors, but most commonly skills, years of experience, expertise, market demand for those skills and company compensation structure (whether formal or very informal). This is the HR definition for the most part.
The reality of compensation is that very few companies adhere to a formal linear structure where the employee’s compensation is directly in correlation with experience and credentials. Most company’s structure compensation on the employees anticipated impact and VALUE to the organization. Everyone’s value maybe measured on a subjective scale. And if a company is using a rigid methodology their top performers generally leave because they aren’t rewarded for their stellar work but instead are chained by their skills.
So why are the discussions detrimental to employees? First, the reasons for discussing compensation are generally toxic. (i.e. using their compensation as a social status measure. I want to ensure I am better than you and being paid more than you validates this point. I am suspicious my employer doesn’t value me and I want to find out by seeing what they pay someone else). Second, you can’t build a good business case on your increased value to the organization based on “he is getting more than me so you should pay me the same.” I can’t tell you how many candidates want me to find them a job with a certain compensation because of “what their friends are getting paid,” which inherently contains absolutely zero business sense. Finally, your friends, colleagues and family are not qualified to give much advice on your value to the company, your compensation and whether it is competitive in the market. When you take advice from these sources (as well intentioned as it is) you build a flawed perception that isn’t based in business logic.
The bottom line is if you are good at what you do and add considerable value to your company it is fair to guess you are well rewarded (remember not all rewards are compensation based). If you feel like your employer has fallen behind in this area and is not rewarding you in an equitable way use your BUSINESS sense to fix the problem. Complaining, consulting or discussing your salary at the water cooler is something high school kids do not professionals. You have a relationship with your employer and it is a betrayal of that relationship to discuss your problem with your colleagues before you address it with them. Seek out a good recruiter or business mentor to work with you on a strategy of getting what you are worth where you are.
There are my two cents…okay maybe three! What do you guys think?
TGIF…Do we really work five days a week?
November 13, 2008
I am sitting here in my casual gear (thank you HireStrategy!) after eating Friday pizza thinking about why we love Fridays? I guess for me it is that Fridays at around 4:00 PM I admit to the occassional thought of the drinks I might have or the golf I might play slip in (unless the boss is listening) and maybe even distract from the thoughts of candidates I might recruit. I love these Friday rituals (minus the extra treadmill time to work off the pizza) and I began to ponder is this a great unknown American tradition?
Why do we love Fridays so much? Do we slack on Fridays (all day, in the afternoon, just in the summertime)? Does this hurt or help our companies (remember happy employees are more productive employees)? What could our companies do to make every day like Friday? What are your Friday rituals and why do you love them?
–Tell me all about your Friday tradition!
Rejection: Can You Take It? Can You Learn From It?
November 13, 2008
Rejection is one of life’s cruelties that can at times break us down in ways that stay with us for a lifetime (don’t tell me you don’t remember the first time you were dumped). In the work place just as on the playground rejection can shape who you (at work most specifically who you are as a professional). A big part of how it shapes you has to do with how you deal with it. On Sunday I was quoted in an article in the Washington Post about how to deal with rejection in interviewing situations. This article by Susan Kreimer focuses on how to take the feedback and use it to your advantage, which sounds great in theory.
I want to get some feedback from you. What was the best rejection (most classy, the rejection you learned the most from?) What was the worst rejection (most unprofessional, unconstructive?). How did these experiences shape you?
Does your employer own your social network?
November 13, 2008
I found the following article to be intriguing and potentially startling: Your boss could own your Facebook profile. With the exploding growth of professional networking sites like LinkedIn I can’t imagine this is the last time we will hear about this issue.
LinkedIn, MySpace, FaceBook and Blogs are topics that are no stranger to the law right now. The court is making ground breaking (Okay I like the drama of “ground breaking” it might be more accurately be “the first time these issues have been addressed in court”) rulings that will be as critical as any civil laws we have. For the first time the courts are stepping in or out on how much of our cyberspace we own. For example we do have privacy rights for our postings on MySpace, FaceBook, etc (even if our employers own them according the article above). http://kevin.lexblog.com/blog-policies-and-ethics/.
Everyone from celebs to local political figures http://kevin.lexblog.com/2007/07/blogs-in-the-news/police-chief-sues-blogger/ are suing over libel and slander. It is only a matter of time (or maybe just more research from me) before this becomes a corporate issue.
Any thoughts/advice on how to protect yourself? What are your thoughts about your cyberspace? How does your company feel about the Web 2.0 world and what have they communicated to you about it?
Is this the “one”
November 13, 2008
People most often contemplate if their job is right for them when they are leaving or just joining. In the day to day hustle it is rare to reflect on if we are where we are meant to be. Lets face it the work world is a complex place and our thoughts and feelings about our place of employment are even more complex. Generally the companies that we work for and the people we work with are more than just the places we go and the business transactions that we are involved in. They are institutions that we are emotionally and financially tied to and people that we tend to have fairly significant relationships with.
In a job transition we scrutinize in great detail every aspect of a job, company, financial package, environment, etc. We mull over 401Ks and how bonuses work, we speculate about the future based on 2-3 hours of impressions generated through interviews. It is rare that when we wake up in the morning and begin our trek to work that we think about that extra $50s a pay check we are getting or the additional day of vacation pay we negotiated. Our job satisfaction is so rarely linked to the factors that we negotiate over when we are starting a job. It is even rarer that someone leaves a job over those factors alone.
In my business I find that even when someone comes to me for a shorter commute or to get a better benefits package that a career wound resides somewhere generally not too deep beneath the surface. Those wounds are what tear us away from the things we thought were going to make this the job that set us on the road to greatness.
When I am talking about a wound I am not talking about the little things that annoy us. We all have days when we stare out the window and wonder if it wouldn’t be better to forsake our corporate lives and open up a little bar on the beach in paradise? I am talking about the manager that makes you cringe at the thought of Monday morning or the betrayal of being passed over for a promotion.
The problem is that sometimes the wounds and the annoyances blend together and it is hard to know am I where I am suppose to be?
I know you are all waiting for it. You know the magical formula from the esteemed recruiter that allows you to calculate is this where I should be? This maybe a let down but I think the following advice is the best barometer I have for determining in the maze of transactions, relationships, duties and emotions are you where you should be? You know your job is right when you feel like you have joined your professional family. This is the place where your job isn’t perfect, but you feel at home. Your colleagues maybe an eclectic group that you might not have hand selected but you are all in it together. You might not always agree with your management team but you know they have your best interest at heart and they are going to be on your side when it counts. It is when you take pride in what you are a part of because your business logic tells you and your heart is in the game to spite the risk that anything can happen. You do things that may make you roll your eyes and drive you crazy, but you do it because this is your professional family and that is what families do.
Sound emotional? It is and so is life. For better or worse your life doesn’t end when you walk into the doors of your office. Because we spend the time we do at work your job is inherently a part of who you are and why wouldn’t you want it to mean a lot to you?
So when you find one of these rare jobs. HANG ON TO IT! There is no work more rewarding, no experience more valuable and no job more satisfying.
Sunday Morning Fun! My New Favorite Corporate Video.
November 13, 2008
We may judge too soon about some jobs being boring. When I think about accounting and auditing, nightmares from taking accounting classes sneak up on me. I have to say this Sunday morning I was proven wrong. It appears you can work for a company that “loves a good audit” and have a heck of a lot of fun. I was checking out this video (http://www.approva.net/audittrail/2007/07/12/happy-fifth-birthday-sarbanes-oxley-music-video/) made in honor of the fifth year of SOX compliance and I realized these guys must have a REALLY good time working there. In watching this video I realized that you don’t have to work for Google or Apple to have a good time you can work for a company that does serious work but knows how to have fun.
I would love to hear about the fun things your company does or how you have fun doing your job?
The week of the Recruiter: Why You Need One When You Aren’t Looking
November 13, 2008
Many people don’t think about using a recruiter unless they have made the firm decision to look for a new job. This is generally the first in a series of wrong turns that lead to recruiters being a source pain instead of an invaluable resource for professionals in their careers (notice I did not say job search). This series of Blogs are going to focus on how, when and why it is critical to your career success to have a good relationship with a good recruiter.
Today I am going to focus on beliefs we have that might as well be fairy tails that are often regarded as facts. These fairy tails maybe preventing you from investing in your career and relationships ultimately hindering your long term success.
Belief #1: The Right Job Will Be Ready For Me When I Decide To Look
When looking for a job there are a lot of factors that will determine if a position is going to be the right next step for your career. These include company, environment, role, growth path, people, commute, travel, compensation, stability, risk, and on and on. To assume that you can choose a point in time and truly identify the best role for you is really a bit naive. The reality is that at best you are going to identify the best position available in that limited timeframe, which maybe far from the best position to meet your objectives.
When you work with a recruiter on an on-going basis they can help to make sure you have eyes and ears in the market place so when the perfect next role comes along whether it takes a month or two years you will know about it.
Belief #2: A Recruiter’s Job Is to Pass My Resume Along To The Companies I am Interested In and Arrange the Interview.
If your relationship with your recruiter is exclusive to when you are searching and they are doing nothing but shuffling your resume around and scheduling you should get a secretary and stop wasting their time.
Your relationship with your recruiter should start at the beginning of your career (if it didn’t START NOW) and they should serve as an expert advisor and mentor to you in your career. You should NEVER work with a recruiter who doesn’t want to meet with you (if they don’t want to meet with you they are probably shuffling papers and scheduling for this you might as well just invest in a profile on Monster). During that meeting you should share your career history, your career goals (not just your next job but all the things you want to accomplish and the steps you think will get you get there) and solicit their input on your background thus far (how do you compare to other candidates with similar skills).
You and your recruiter should then develop a profile for your ideal next position, the skills you need to gain to get to your career goals and the things you can do to build your credentials. This should be both a short range and long range plan. You should have work with them on a “what if” plan. Understand what if you lost your job? What would they do on your behalf and would you be ready if you were plunged into the marketplace unexpectedly?
Belief #3: I Can Get The Same Jobs Applying On Monster.
Job Boards, Company Career Websites, Emails, Electronic Applications. All of these mediums are very impersonal and leave out a big part of who you are as a professional. The way to get a GREAT job is finding a way to get in front of a company so they can get to know who you are. They aren’t going to do it through your Monster profile. Also you are going to be most attractive to those employers who are looking for someone who has previously done exactly what they need done. The only problem with this approach is that it doesn’t give you as an employee much room to have a “career stretch”, meaning that you take on a role that offers you considerable advancement based on potential instead of track record.
If you work with a recruiter who knows you; knows your strengths, weaknesses and understands your potential and ability they will be able to cut through the electronic maze and present who you are to the companies you are targeting. Secondly, a recruiter is going to be much better equipped to help you get positioned for a career stretch (which is what you want if you are changing jobs! This is the best and most compelling reason to leave a position).
Belief #3: I Am Good At Negotiating On My Own Behalf.
I am going to skip talking about negotiating salary when you are taking a new job (that could be a novel of its own). It is very rare that professionals ever consult outside help when approaching their performance reviews or promotions. This is a MISTAKE! Recruiters know better than anyone what the market looks like.
Before you walk into your bosses office for an evaluation, raise or to ask for a promotion talk to your trusted advisor. Find out if you went to get this job in another similar company what would your shots be? Are you over or under compensated? Have them help you develop business reasons based in fact about why you want the increase, promotion or training you are asking for. Have them help you to make sure that every 6 -12 months you are gaining new skills that make you better than the other people who do what you do. You can’t just put together a resume when you decide to look for a job you need to be building your accomplishments and credentials all the time so when you look you have the best options!
The moral of this story is that you may have to look to find a good one, but having an excellent recruiter who can be your trusted advisor is really important. This person should be actively involved in your career strategy all the time (even if you only think about it two times a year let them think about it for you the rest of the year). This relationship will serve you better than any other career mentor.
