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Filed Under: Dave Opton

Published on: Monday, April 02, 2012

Six-Figure Hotline: Recruiters Won’t Market You

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As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

An ExecuNet member asked: "I founded a small, very successful consultancy and now want to apply my leadership skills and experience to the benefit of a larger organization as a member of the executive team. Do you recommend that I sign on with an executive recruiter, or should I go it alone? Would I have a better chance of landing interviews at the right (high) levels in the target organization if I am represented by a recruiter?"

 

Published on: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Six-Figure Hotline: Network Past Education Bias

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As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

An ExecuNet member asked: "After over 15+ years of a successful career as a procurement specialist, considered a lobbyist/partner within the law firms where I was affiliated in DC, I am changing careers to business development and want to work in-house. Although I have worked with corporate CEOs, Presidents and Emirs, I find that my lack of formal education stops my application when it hits HR. I'm frustrated because in my field it's about delivery and not about your degree. How do I overcome this challenge?"

 

Published on: Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Six-Figure Hotline: Face-to-Face Networking

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: execunet, networking, dave opton, six-figure hotline, john o connor
Comments (0)
 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In a recent teleconference in which John O'Connor, an executive career coach and ExecuNet meeting facilitator joined me, a caller asked, "What can one expect at an ExecuNet networking meeting?"

At ExecuNet, we have found in our more than 20 years of connecting business leaders that about 70 percent of executive positions are found through networking, so it's no surprise that networking is a key component of ExecuNet membership. In fact, last year we redesigned our website with what we call "The Social Media Platform" to allow our members to interact with each other more effectively. We also have a great deal of networking related content and programs. Here's our reply to the caller:

 

Published on: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Should You Ask for a Step Back?

Comments (2)
 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In a recent teleconference a caller asked, "Once you've progressed far enough in the interview process, how aggressive do you really need to be as far as asking for the job offer? How do you respond to the question, 'Is this job enough for you?' How do you counter the fact that a position may be a step back, but you really want the role for a variety of reasons, (e.g. great company, advancement opportunity, industry, etc)?"

Here's what I told him:

 

Published on: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

This is Getting to be a Drag

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: executive job search, networking, dave opton, executive coach, resume
Comments (0)
 
Ever since I can remember, there has been a factoid making its way around the career management world about how long someone should anticipate their job search will take. It goes something like: You should plan your search to take about one month for every $10,000 you seek in salary.

In talking with ExecuNet members, this is a subject that comes up with great frequency. Certainly not surprising, as most executives tend to be type A and focus on objectives to be reached within a specific timeframe and get pretty impatient if/when it doesn't look like that's happening.

In truth, I believe this is one of the major reason why we all find the search process so frustrating.

 

Published on: Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Six-Figure Hotline: Résumé Version Control

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As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In a recent teleconference where Bob Hueglin an executive career coach and ExecuNet meeting facilitator in Dallas, Texas joined me, a caller asked, "What is the best approach to brand and sell your skills when they are diversified across areas like marketing, business channels and so forth; do I create three different résumés, or do I approach this in a different way?"

Résumé construction and the best ways for executives to brand themselves are areas where ExecuNet has devoted a great deal of resources and has many experts to call upon. Now more than ever before, how one has branded himself is a critical aspect of the job search process and is an area members frequently inquire about. For those who missed the teleconference, available on demand, here's what we suggested to the caller:

 

Published on: Tuesday, August 16, 2011

People-Challenge-Balance-Worth

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When you talk to anyone trying to make a career change these days it doesn't take long before you realize that while there are lots of the questions being asked, the answers vary significantly.

To many of us this comes as a very frustrating and unhappy surprise. This is especially true for those seeking executive-level jobs, since most come from positions of executive leadership and are very used to asking questions and getting answers that don't start with "well, that depends..."

In short, I think the discomfort comes from the fact that the dynamics of making a career change are, at its core, made up of a process that is, despite all the hoopla around assessment instruments, interviewing, résumés, etc., based on the subjective judgment of both the executive recruiters and the candidates.

 

Published on: Friday, August 05, 2011

Start with Why

Comments (1)
 
It used to be tough enough to pick a few columnists to follow, but when blogging grew into a hydra it became impossible to pick "just a few." Indeed, even if you wrote off the millions who make you wish for a universal "block and report" spam button, there is still so much "good" stuff that one could not begin with any organized approach, and even if there were a "system" I am too undisciplined to have followed it.

I have to say that despite all the issues we face in the country on more levels than I can count, I am encouraged by what seems like a never-ending stream of creative, thoughtful, and often very insightful writing that I come across either by chance or because someone sends me a link they think I would be interested in.

 

Published on: Friday, July 29, 2011

Networking May be Old School but it’s Still Ivy League

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: networking, dave opton, job search, executive employment
Comments (0)
 
We at ExecuNet keep our eyes glued to emails and our ears attached to the phones, as we communicate with members constantly on a daily basis. Behind all the graphics are the individual stories of not just what happened, but more importantly, how it happened.

I like to keep my eye on the "how," because with all the hype around the Internet one would think that's the only way people make job changes. These days, if you say the word networking it sounds so yesterday. This type of thinking just makes me shake my head, because ever since ExecuNet was started over 23 years ago we have never stopped pounding the networking drum as the route by which most of our members make a change.

 

 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In a recent teleconference where HR and executive recruiting expert Jennifer McClure of Unbridled Talent joined me a caller asked: "How does one discover access to the hidden job market, gain access and then become a lead candidate for some of those positions?" This is a topic that ExecuNet members frequently inquire about, one of those timeless job search questions, so I thought I'd share what we had to say.

 

Published on: Wednesday, June 15, 2011

When You’re Feeling Needy, Give to Your Network

Comments (1)
 
When you're looking for a job, the first instinct is to call your A-list and ask if they know of any openings. However, that's not networking; it's need-working. What you should do is separate yourself from your emotions; stop the impulse to collect business cards and ask yourself, "What can I do to help people in my network?"

 

Published on: Monday, June 13, 2011

If I Had a Nickel

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Everyone knows the "If I only had a nickel..." phrase, and I know we all have dozens, if not hundreds, of situations where we have thought of those famous words as we sat frustrated over one thing or another.

The most recent instance for me actually wasn't one of frustration but rather was much more positive, although it didn't necessarily start out that way. So why did the "If I only had a nickel..." phrase run through my mind?

 

 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In a recent teleconference a caller said: "I am in a job search now for a position as a principal in an elementary or middle school. There are so many budgetary cuts going on in education, locally and nationally, that I feel it makes sense to revamp my résumé and reflect on how my skills and experience could transfer to a well-paying job outside of K-12 schools. Any and all insights and suggestions are welcome."

 

Published on: Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The More Things Change…

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If you remember waiting for the Sunday classified sections to check job listings, then you certainly appreciate the speed and ease in which information is now accessed online. But, for executives, most new opportunities are found through their connections to others, and ExecuNet CEO and founder Dave Opton points out that technology is no substitution for building strong personal relationships.

 

Published on: Thursday, April 28, 2011

Six-Figure Hotline: Network Your Way into the Dance

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: executive job search, networking, dave opton, six-figure hotline
Comments (1)
 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today. Whether you are in a job search, thinking about changing positions, or want to learn how to strengthen your success in your current position, this weekly teleconference is designed to provide you the support you need to reach your goals.

Recently, in one such teleconference, a caller said: "I have been performing in the middle management ranks now for a number of years and feel I have demonstrated many executive qualities in my prior experiences. The problem is I keep hearing ‘they are looking for someone who was a vice president before.'"

 

 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today. Whether you are in a job search, thinking about changing positions, or want to learn how to strengthen your success in your current position, this weekly teleconference is designed to provide you the support you need to reach your goals.

Recently, in one such teleconference, I was asked about candidacies getting flattened by the "You are overqualified" objection. The caller said: "I am trying to re-direct my career from doing turnarounds to becoming COO with an early stage company. Invariably, this means working with younger individuals. It seems they buy into me on paper and on the phone, but when they find out how old I am when I show up I am suddenly 'overqualified.' Maybe it's just my imagination, but..."

 

Published on: Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Six-Figure Hotline

Comments (2)
 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today. Whether you are in a job search, thinking about changing positions, or want to learn how to strengthen your success in your current position, this weekly teleconference is designed to provide you the support you need to reach your goals.

Recently, in one such teleconference, I was asked about companies insisting that candidates meet every single requirement that they are posting or "don't bother." Should executives still bother to submit applications to these companies if they have 90 percent of the desired qualifications?

 

Published on: Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Six-Figure Hotline

Comments (0)
 
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today. Whether you are in a job search, thinking about changing positions, or want to learn how to strengthen your success in your current position, this weekly teleconference is designed to provide you the support you need to reach your goals.

Recently, in one such teleconference, I was asked about recruiters having a "square peg, square hole" mindset. The caller said: "They know that companies value and need diversity, but are afraid to put forth candidates who have excellent credentials, experiences and leadership — because their client (the company hiring) tells them only to bring them candidates that are ‘square peg and square hole.'"

He said, "This seems more prevalent among the large retained search firms than the boutique firms, and they do get some of the best assignments. Do you have any advice on how to change the large retained search mindset?"

 

Published on: Tuesday, January 18, 2011

It’s About Giving, Not About Getting

Comments (1)
 
Unless you have been in a time capsule, when it comes to managing a successful job search, everyone knows that the most effective strategy is networking. Saying the word reminds me of the conversations I used to have in a former life around the subject of performance appraisals. We all agreed that it was needed, but nobody liked them. On the other hand, nobody has come up with something better either.

For over the 23 years ExecuNet has been around, 70 percent of the members we have talked to who have made a change say it was networking that was the key for them. People sometimes think that since we are always trying to drive home this message that somehow we have a plug and play answer on making it work for them, and preferably making it work like yesterday! Would that we could!

What we do try to do, however, is not just talk about it, but put all sorts of resources together to not only show them how, but also try to provide them (both online and off) with the ways and means to implement a plan effectively.

 

Published on: Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Countries Network the Crossroads Nation

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: execunet, networking, dave opton, new york times, david brooks
Comments (0)
 
"The Crossroads Nation" was the title of an Op Ed column by David Brooks that was in the November 9th issue of the New York Times. It is worth a read as a stand-alone piece if for no other reason than it can serve as a bit of an antidote to some of the poll numbers that speak to how disillusioned many of us are about the prospects for our country going forward.

There were a couple of other points made in this piece that I kept going back to:

  • "...creativity is not a solitary process. It happens within networks. It happens when talented people get together, when idea systems and mentalities merge."

  • "Information networks need junction points. The nation that can make itself the crossroads to the world will have tremendous economic and political power."

 

 
Our recent blog post, The Scam Artist All-Star List, really struck a nerve and generated a lot of great comments — from those who experienced these fraudsters and from career professionals with additional tips. The reader feedback was too good to keep hidden, so we're bringing some of the edited highlights to the forefront with plenty more to read at the original article too.

 

Published on: Friday, November 12, 2010

Job Search: Take Two

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: execunet, executive job search, networking, dave opton, executive coach
Comments (16)
 
Ever since I can remember, there has been a "factoid" making its way around the career management world about how long someone should plan their job search will take. What I can't recall and never remember seeing is the source from which this "factoid" came. In any event, if you're in a job search, you have probably heard it, too. It goes something like: You should plan your search to take about one month for every $10,000 you seek in salary.

I haven't the slightest idea, nor have I ever seen statistics that indicate whether this rule of thumb is right, wrong or anything in between, and I have been roaming around the career management space since (dare I say it?) 1961.

That said, in talking with ExecuNet members, this is a subject that comes up with great frequency. Certainly not surprising, as most executives tend to be more type A than B; as such, they focus on objectives to be reached within a specific timeframe and get pretty impatient if and when it doesn't look like that is happening. In addition, as leaders, they are used to being in control (more or less), and if things are not going the way they want them to and fast enough, they can make the needed changes.

 

 
As we all know, there are top 25, 50 or 100 lists for almost everything. As we all also know, it seems that whenever something awful happens, be it large or small, man-made or natural, there are always some folks lying in wait to take advantage of people when they are down and at their most vulnerable.

We read about it every day: con artists scamming seniors, sub-prime lenders, quacks selling phony cancer cures, or those who think of ways to take advantage of people whose lives have been shattered.. The list is dreadful, long and always makes you wonder how or why one person would do something like that to someone else. Even more depressing is the fact that lots of these people are actually parents!

 

Published on: Friday, October 22, 2010

Lost Without Leadership

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"This but not that." "Someday." These are the last five words in a recent Op Ed piece by David Brooks of the New York Times. The title of the piece was "The Paralysis of the State" and essentially deals with why government at all levels is so broken. Not something that comes as news to anyone.

What Brooks was pointing out with these last five words was simply to remind readers of the enormous price we all pay if we are part of something where there is a lack of leadership. Of the many examples cited in the article, perhaps the epidemic of unfunded public pension programs is as good as any in demonstrating what happens when the political will is not there to say this but not that.

 

Published on: Tuesday, September 28, 2010

A Lesson in Courage

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: dave opton, education, courage, nightly news, teacher, town hall
Comments (1)
 
As most know by now, NBC has sponsored a national conference on education called Education Nation. "Pretty cool idea," I thought. God only knows the more air time we can give to this subject the better. When one is looking at stats that tell us 68 percent of eighth graders cannot read at grade level, it is just one more "factoid" in the mountain of evidence that underscores the crisis in our public education system.

For those of you who didn't catch the segment on Nightly News, check out the comments of this young teacher who got up at the Teacher Town Hall and in just a moment or two really focused on the elephant in the room. It took real courage for her to say what she said.

 

Published on: Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Try Making Lemonade

Comments (3)
 
Most of us go to industry conferences all the time. If the ones you attend are anything like most that I have been to, they usually have a keynote speaker to kind of kick things off and get people energized. Also, and if you are anything like me, you have heard really good ones and some who are...not so good.

Like everyone else, it is hard for me to get "energized" and in a positive frame of mind when I read what I read, and see what I see both on the domestic as well as the international scene. Not much to get energized about. In truth, it is pretty easy to get down on life in general and yourself in particular even though in doing so you know very well that you are wasting both your time and energy.

How do you break the cycle?

 

Published on: Thursday, August 05, 2010

Tap into Collective Wisdom

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: execunet, networking, dave opton, collective wisdom, james surowiecki
Comments (0)
 

“No one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.”
-H. L. Mencken

I am sure that many of us have heard this Mencken quip before and smiled. But I would guess there are also plenty of us who read or heard about James Surowiecki’s book The Wisdom of Crowds which essentially argues that H.L. may have been a very funny guy, but in this case, at least, he was wrong.


 

Published on: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Easy to File Charges But…

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: dave opton, age discrimination, bias, reality, supreme court
Comments (84)
 
If you are anything like me, while you always knew there were laws against age discrimination on an intellectual level, it wasn't until you got out there in the real world looking to make a change at 45+ that you came to realize it's indeed all too real. Not a great feeling, to understate the case.

A few years ago, there was a fair amount of press given to the Supreme Court ruling that supposedly made it easier for people to file a suit. When all that was going on, it served to remind me that when it comes to stuff like this, it still puts the person who feels they have been injured in a very tough place indeed.

 

 
A couple of weeks ago I posted a few thoughts on some of the "learnings" senior executives in transition or those just looking to make a change could take from coach John Wooden, which for lack of something more creative I called: Job Search Success Wooden Style. Based on some of the sports news that has happened since then, I hope someone sends a copy of Wooden on Leadership to the latest addition to the roster of the Miami Heat, but that's another story.

The real reason I bring up the post again is due to a comment that came in from Martin Yate, the well-known and respected author of the Knock 'Em Dead series that has covered the subject of effective job search from start to finish for many years.

 

Published on: Monday, July 12, 2010

LeBron’s Leaving

Comments (26)
 
By the time anyone sees this, it will likely be buried in the millions of posts that have something to say about the LeBron move to Miami. It will be interesting to see the results of the many polls that will inevitably be taken on how people (sports fans or not, basketball fanatics or not) feel about what transpired. Not so much around the marketing and PR hype that led up to the ESPN circus, but how they feel about the message his decision delivered on a number of levels.

Clearly strong arguments can and have been made on both sides: It speaks to the few of us left who actually think loyalty should mean something and those who feel that loyalty has nothing to do with it. He has the right to do what he wants; he put in seven years in Cleveland, worked hard both on and off the court, etc. All true.

 

Published on: Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Not a Hockey Stick, but the Curve is Good

Comments (0)
 
One of the downsides of the information age is that there is information — way too much of it. Especially when you are trying to follow people on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and oh yeah, newspapers, TV news, and iPhone alerts. My problem is that I look at the subject lines, and see so much interesting stuff that the next thing I know I am further and further behind the tasks that I really ought to be doing. I need to talk to someone who is in the self-discipline business!

 

Published on: Monday, June 21, 2010

Job Search Success Wooden Style

Posted By: Dave Opton
Filed Under: executive job search, dave opton, john wooden, best practices
Comments (11)
 
Whether you ever played basketball, or any other sport for that matter, it would not be hard to find anyone in the business world who both knew of and greatly admired Coach John Wooden who recently passed away at age 99. He certainly was a man who was looked to by many as not just someone who was a master strategist and motivator but maybe more importantly as someone who demonstrated what real leadership is all about at a very high level for a very long time.

If you have never seen Wooden's Pyramid of Success, it is very much worth a look and, I thought, has a great deal to offer anyone who finds themselves in the middle of trying to manage a job change at a time where the environment is challenging to say the least.

 

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