Career Journal: Real Advice for the Real World

Let's get practical, here. Dishing out career advice during a recession of unprecedented scope ' at least in the last quarter century ' is a bit like telling Sir Ernest Shackleton what to expect as he set out to explore the South Pole in 1914. While not necessarily as perilous a journey, it can be nonetheless as unnerving when exploring the great unknown of the world of job searching.

Over the last year, I have written this column with the idea of offering longer-term career management advice. My recommendations have been more about career positioning and relationship building, disciplines critical to exercise in today's corporate environment for any executive on the move. Yet, these actions are simply a way of planting long-term seeds with potential upside results. What if you need to eat now? What can you do to navigate these treacherous waters? Perhaps the following suggestions can help guide you through a situation you have not previously found yourself in before ' looking for a job in a really bad economy.

Network, Network, Network

Networking is a discipline we should all do as executives,
at all times. Nothing earth-shattering in that advice. But too often, we get lax in this effort. It is important to network when you are not necessarily looking for a job as well as when you are on the hunt. Minimally, networking is a way to ensure that you are staying current on who's who in your industry and, just as importantly, knowing what they are doing. When meeting your contemporaries, it is often a time to compare and contrast “best practices” to discover alternative methods you could deploy to do your job more effectively. Even those gainfully employed and not looking for a job find attending association meetings, speaking on panels, and socializing with professional colleagues on a one-on-one basis a valuable exercise. Online virtual business and social networks provide a cheap, less time-consuming alternative to keeping in touch with others. Use them.

Networking is like proactively creating serendipity. Sound like an oxymoron? Sure, there are times that chance, coincidence, or pure luck puts two people together in the same place at the same time, but more often than not, there is a reason why it happens. It's because you have put yourself in the right place, at the right time, for an encounter to happen. Create that opportunity by getting out there and professionally socializing regularly. Of course, ramp it up when you're ready to or need to make a career move.

After all, networking remains the single most effective way, and as a result, the most often used platform, for connecting to a job. The executive search industry provides its value when those efforts prove futile ' for companies or candidate

Strategically Target Key Executives

Everyone likes to be flattered. It is human nature. If you take the time to target a select group of people in your industry or with your same functional expertise, you can establish relationships that will potentially pay dividends in a job search. You may be usurping your competition for a possible position before they even become aware of it.

For example, perhaps you have read with interest an article in an industry publication in which an executive is quoted. If you think his comment has merit, you should take the time to reach out to that person to express your shared philosophy. Send an e-mail or letter with your impressions. Comment at the end of the note that you would welcome the opportunity to meet briefly with him or her. Certainly, that is fairly forward thing to do. But think about this: If you were the one receiving that e-mail or letter, would you respond, perhaps? Of course, if there is no response from an executive you try to contact, move on. Don't become a professional stalker.

Work with an Executive Search Firm

Search consultants may not bear the brunt of as many jokes as lawyers do, but it is one of the few professions in which a pejorative term is regularly used to describe it. Certainly, there is good reason why some are called “headhunters” as they may come across as serving their own self-interests over yours. But there are incredibly talented search consultants in the profession who produce great results for their clients and treat people with respect. However, by design, our profession is somewhat cloaked in secrecy as we are actually paid to be discrete. That can create an awkward dynamic with executives in terms of “full disclosure.”

Moreover, we are often not in a position to help many jobseekers, certainly even less so in a tough job market. Our lack of response can be frustrating to some. How, then, can you be effective in reaching us? Certainly, if you have ever worked in the past with a search consultant, stay in touch with that individual and see if he or she is willing to introduce you to others. Do not be discouraged if they are not, because they have to be respectful of their colleagues' time as well.

If you don't have a lot of contacts in the industry, you should work to find the right person online. Using industry association Web sites, for example, the Association of Executive Search Consultants (www.aecs.org), can be an effective portal to navigate your way to the right consultant in an otherwise highly fragmented industry. Click through to the listing of members and start narrowing your search for the right consultants who recruit in your sector. Ultimately, the same rule applies in contacting a search consultant as contacting the targeted executives I spoke about earlier. Contact consultants selectively ' those who recruit in your space. I pay particular attention to how jobseekers approach me. If their e-mail starts out with, “Dear Executive Recruiter,” I disregard it. You are essentially spamming and wasting the multiple recipients' collective time. Conversely, if someone writes me and points to the type of recruitment I do as being germane to what he or she does, I reward their due diligence and take the time to respond and in some cases, meet with that person.

Perseverance

Looking for a job is an art form, not a science. There is not a set formula one can apply to create a job. But by carefully targeting the right people to contact and selecting the right places to be can greatly increase your chances of success. You may try all of these things and in a down market like this one, still not have any luck. But persistence will pay off. By being discerning and trying to establish key relationships of potentially mutual benefit will reap rewards.

By the way, old Ernie died on his last doomed excursion down to the frozen tundra ' but don't let that be a deterrent to you.

Michael DeCosta, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a Senior Client Partner with Korn/Ferry International, resident in its Stamford, CT, office. Michael is a member of the firm's professional services and legal specialty practices. He focuses on search assignments for management and IT consulting, accounting and law firms. He can be reached at 203-406-8770 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Let's get practical, here. Dishing out career advice during a recession of unprecedented scope ' at least in the last quarter century ' is a bit like telling Sir Ernest Shackleton what to expect as he set out to explore the South Pole in 1914. While not necessarily as perilous a journey, it can be nonetheless as unnerving when exploring the great unknown of the world of job searching.

Over the last year, I have written this column with the idea of offering longer-term career management advice. My recommendations have been more about career positioning and relationship building, disciplines critical to exercise in today's corporate environment for any executive on the move. Yet, these actions are simply a way of planting long-term seeds with potential upside results. What if you need to eat now? What can you do to navigate these treacherous waters? Perhaps the following suggestions can help guide you through a situation you have not previously found yourself in before ' looking for a job in a really bad economy.

Network, Network, Network

Networking is a discipline we should all do as executives,
at all times. Nothing earth-shattering in that advice. But too often, we get lax in this effort. It is important to network when you are not necessarily looking for a job as well as when you are on the hunt. Minimally, networking is a way to ensure that you are staying current on who's who in your industry and, just as importantly, knowing what they are doing. When meeting your contemporaries, it is often a time to compare and contrast “best practices” to discover alternative methods you could deploy to do your job more effectively. Even those gainfully employed and not looking for a job find attending association meetings, speaking on panels, and socializing with professional colleagues on a one-on-one basis a valuable exercise. Online virtual business and social networks provide a cheap, less time-consuming alternative to keeping in touch with others. Use them.

Networking is like proactively creating serendipity. Sound like an oxymoron? Sure, there are times that chance, coincidence, or pure luck puts two people together in the same place at the same time, but more often than not, there is a reason why it happens. It's because you have put yourself in the right place, at the right time, for an encounter to happen. Create that opportunity by getting out there and professionally socializing regularly. Of course, ramp it up when you're ready to or need to make a career move.

After all, networking remains the single most effective way, and as a result, the most often used platform, for connecting to a job. The executive search industry provides its value when those efforts prove futile ' for companies or candidate

Strategically Target Key Executives

Everyone likes to be flattered. It is human nature. If you take the time to target a select group of people in your industry or with your same functional expertise, you can establish relationships that will potentially pay dividends in a job search. You may be usurping your competition for a possible position before they even become aware of it.

For example, perhaps you have read with interest an article in an industry publication in which an executive is quoted. If you think his comment has merit, you should take the time to reach out to that person to express your shared philosophy. Send an e-mail or letter with your impressions. Comment at the end of the note that you would welcome the opportunity to meet briefly with him or her. Certainly, that is fairly forward thing to do. But think about this: If you were the one receiving that e-mail or letter, would you respond, perhaps? Of course, if there is no response from an executive you try to contact, move on. Don't become a professional stalker.

Work with an Executive Search Firm

Search consultants may not bear the brunt of as many jokes as lawyers do, but it is one of the few professions in which a pejorative term is regularly used to describe it. Certainly, there is good reason why some are called “headhunters” as they may come across as serving their own self-interests over yours. But there are incredibly talented search consultants in the profession who produce great results for their clients and treat people with respect. However, by design, our profession is somewhat cloaked in secrecy as we are actually paid to be discrete. That can create an awkward dynamic with executives in terms of “full disclosure.”

Moreover, we are often not in a position to help many jobseekers, certainly even less so in a tough job market. Our lack of response can be frustrating to some. How, then, can you be effective in reaching us? Certainly, if you have ever worked in the past with a search consultant, stay in touch with that individual and see if he or she is willing to introduce you to others. Do not be discouraged if they are not, because they have to be respectful of their colleagues' time as well.

If you don't have a lot of contacts in the industry, you should work to find the right person online. Using industry association Web sites, for example, the Association of Executive Search Consultants (www.aecs.org), can be an effective portal to navigate your way to the right consultant in an otherwise highly fragmented industry. Click through to the listing of members and start narrowing your search for the right consultants who recruit in your sector. Ultimately, the same rule applies in contacting a search consultant as contacting the targeted executives I spoke about earlier. Contact consultants selectively ' those who recruit in your space. I pay particular attention to how jobseekers approach me. If their e-mail starts out with, “Dear Executive Recruiter,” I disregard it. You are essentially spamming and wasting the multiple recipients' collective time. Conversely, if someone writes me and points to the type of recruitment I do as being germane to what he or she does, I reward their due diligence and take the time to respond and in some cases, meet with that person.

Perseverance

Looking for a job is an art form, not a science. There is not a set formula one can apply to create a job. But by carefully targeting the right people to contact and selecting the right places to be can greatly increase your chances of success. You may try all of these things and in a down market like this one, still not have any luck. But persistence will pay off. By being discerning and trying to establish key relationships of potentially mutual benefit will reap rewards.

By the way, old Ernie died on his last doomed excursion down to the frozen tundra ' but don't let that be a deterrent to you.

Michael DeCosta, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a Senior Client Partner with Korn/Ferry International, resident in its Stamford, CT, office. Michael is a member of the firm's professional services and legal specialty practices. He focuses on search assignments for management and IT consulting, accounting and law firms. He can be reached at 203-406-8770 or via e-mail at [email protected].