Join Now  |  Member Login  |  Recruiters
Contact Us 800-637-3126
Market Intelligence Market Insights
 

Filed Under: Execunet

Published on: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Six-Figure Hotline: Network Past Education Bias

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.

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: Friday, January 13, 2012

Do You Know Where Your Career Plan Is?

Posted By: Robyn Greenspan
Filed Under: robyn greenspan, execunet, executive job search, hidden job market
Comments (0)
 
Whether you are in active job search or just keeping your options open, it's important to have a map for where you want to go. If you are employed and your New Year's resolution was to get a new job, you should visualize where you will be in the summer, as recent ExecuNet research with recruiters revealed that it takes, on average, seven months to transition.

But where to start? That's one of the most common questions we get at ExecuNet. At the executive level, you're less likely to find your next job by going online and sending out résumés; just a fraction of $200K positions are publicly posted anyway.

 

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: Friday, December 30, 2011

Top 11 for 2011

Comments (0)
 
Thank you to everyone who read, commented, visited and shared content from Executive Insider this last year. Much of what we publish here comes from information gleaned inside our membership, with experts who interact in our executive communities, on-site at exclusive events, and the ongoing conversations we have with professionals like you.

 

Published on: Monday, December 12, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
"Why is help so frequently not sought?" That's the question an ExecuNet member, a C-level executive in the manufacturing industry, posed to his peers in one of the business Roundtables. He noted that, in his leadership career, he would have failed countless times had he not asked for help.

"Perhaps part of the culture in this country is that failure is just not an acceptable outcome," wondered the manufacturing executive. "Certainly nobody seeks it, but the irony is that the only way to become experienced and enjoy wisdom in business is to have a healthy mix of successes and failures. We just have to minimize the impact of failure as much as possible and learn to pick it all up and proceed forward again after it does occur."

 

 
If your company doesn't have a strong retention plan, then it better have a successor lined up for the CFO position. ExecuNet's findings reveal these financial executives have one hand on the purse strings and the other on the doorknob.

 

 
If you're a CEO, you'll want to benchmark yourself against others like you. If you're an in-role senior leader, insight into the chief executive can help you strategically focus your performance goals. For those in job search, you can better position yourself as a solution if you know the CEO's business priorities. Finally, if you recruit top talent, knowing CEOs' retention and engagement triggers can help you place your next candidate.

 

Published on: Thursday, November 10, 2011

Have You Heard the One About the First-Time CEO?

Comments (6)
 
There are many different ways to present information, and we've found three approaches typically resonate with our ExecuNet members:
  1. Benchmarks and market intelligence borne from our statistical research
  2. Authoritative advice from vetted experts
  3. Experiential knowledge from peer communities

When an ExecuNet member landed an opportunity at the top of the org chart, we were able to present him with data revealing CEOs' top business priorities, as well as perspectives from Board experts on what they expected from their chief executives. But the real inside information came from those he engaged in ExecuNet’s General Management Roundtable who already sat in the corner office:

 

Published on: Friday, November 04, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
"You will eliminate innovation if you require proof of an idea in advance of trying it." – Roger Martin

I've had this Roger Martin quote on my white board since I heard him speak on The Design of Business at World Innovation Forum earlier this year, as a reminder to myself and everyone who enters my office to, as I like to say, "always be in beta."


 

Published on: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Should You Ask for a Step Back?

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 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: Friday, October 07, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
A friend of mine who worked in corporate roles followed his passion a few years ago and went to cooking school. Shortly after graduating, he left the cubicles for the kitchen but couldn't really connect with the right opportunity.

About six months ago, he was hired for a position that perfectly combined his showmanship and love of food teaching cooking classes and doing new product demonstrations. He'd be perfectly happy if he wasn't so stressed about the salary reduction he incurred when he dropped out of the corporate world.

 

Published on: Monday, September 12, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
Pity the Poor Interviewer is the conversation executive coach Judy Rosemarin recently sparked among members in ExecuNet's Job Search Roundtable, reminding candidates to see the interview from another perspective.

 

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: Wednesday, August 03, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
What have you done for yourself lately?

Take a look at your to-do list. Is there an equitable distribution between what you do for others and what you do for you?

If you're like most busy working adults, probably not. Your time is mostly allocated to your job, family, and obligated to "life maintenance" tasks like dry cleaning and the dentist, which are things we have to do and are not necessarily fun.

Take a few moments today to schedule something for yourself; it doesn't have to be especially time-consuming or extravagant. Before you read on to a collection of the best information to help you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert insight and learn what's happening in the marketplace, please tell us:

What will you add to your to-do list for yourself today?

 

Published on: Friday, July 15, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
To be successful in job search today is to set a focused goal and mount a strategic campaign armed with a well-researched list of target companies, strong relationships that can lead you through a chain of referrals, a polished personal marketing program, an online reputation communications plan, and, of course, a sharp skill set and depth of experience.

Yet, some land in new roles through less calculated methods: being in the right place at the right time; tolerating higher levels of risk than others; conditions that stimulate promotion; family ties; etc.

Hopefully, no matter the method you took to get there, you retain the position through your merits and build your own success.

Before you read on to a collection of the best information to help you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert insight and learn what's happening in the marketplace, please tell us:

Did you land in your last job by choice or by chance?

 

Published on: Friday, July 08, 2011

Do You Know What Got You Here?

Comments (14)
 
Do you remember how you landed your last job? Can you tell me specifically what you did to land it? Probably not. It's just not something we spend much time thinking about — until we have to.

Now, if I asked you what you did to deliver last quarter's revenues or to ensure a new product reached the marketplace in time, I'm betting you can explain very specifically how you and your team accomplished that objective. And you'll tell me with enthusiasm, vigor and pride.

 

Published on: Friday, June 10, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (2)
 
"Networking," in various forms, is the top response when we ask corporate leaders about how they connect to career options in our annual executive market intelligence survey, and we've posed similar questions to our LinkedIn and Facebook groups.

Before you read on to a collection of the best information to help you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert insight and learn what's happening in the marketplace, please tell us:

How did you find your last job?

 

 
Executive job seekers and employed managers considering a career move would be wise not to put their career planning and professional networking on the shelf this summer.

Two leading indicators of projected executive job market expansion — a monthly forecast of management-level job creation and a separate reading on recruiter confidence — suggest continued hiring activity through the summer and fall. Recruiters expect 80 percent of employers to recruit for new management roles or trade up with new hires for existing roles.

 

Published on: Friday, May 13, 2011

Tell Them Why They Want You

Comments (2)
 
Ever wish you had access to an executive recruiter just to ask that one question you've been wanting answered? Members routinely email us their questions, and we tap into our network of executive recruiters for their thoughts. This insight into the minds of executive recruiters is often rather fascinating.

One ExecuNet member wrote: "I have a background in sales and marketing with high-profile accounts. I recently became certified in Lean Manufacturing to complement prior VOC [voice-of-the-customer] training. I believe it gives me insight into offering more targeted solutions to clients. Additionally, my MBA will be finished in six weeks. I would like to go into sales or consulting for a business solutions-oriented company, as that is where my true passion lies. Are there any recommendations for a starting point?"

Executive recruiter Nick Corcodilos, in his usual straightforward manner, offered his thoughts on the topic. Here's an excerpt of what he had to say:

 

Published on: Wednesday, May 04, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
I read this quote recently and wanted to pass it along to you:

"If you hear a voice within you say, 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." — Vincent Van Gogh

"Paint" can be a metaphor for anything we have thought about doing but have not yet taken the action. It can be a creative endeavor, a personal goal or something that feels bigger, or more risky, like job change.

Whatever it is, don't let the inner critic or external cynic stand in your way. Make a plan, take a chance, try, and see what happens. Even if you learn you learn you're a terrible artist, you might have fun playing with the colors or discover something new about yourself along the way.

With that in mind, here are the recent blog posts you may have missed that can further inspire you in your everyday decision-making. We welcome your comments!

 

 
As North American employers set their sights on achieving 2011 strategic goals, they are more focused on rebuilding and upgrading their senior management teams, according to the latest Executive Job Creation Index data.

In March, ExecuNet's exclusive Executive Job Creation Index revealed that 33 percent of employers are expected to add new executive management roles over the next six months, and 50 percent are forecast to leverage the economic climate by selectively trading up with new hires for existing executive jobs. Only 2 percent of employers are expected to continue eliminating executive jobs during the same period of time according to the 155 executive recruiters who participated in the monthly ExecuNet poll. The remaining 15 percent of employers were expected either to avoid adding new management roles or choose not to fill existing leadership vacancies.

 

 
Executive recruiters are following the same cautious route to new hiring as many of their clients, despite indications that executive job creation is increasing in an economy much improved from where it was just a year ago.

In March, ExecuNet's benchmark Search Firm Hiring Index revealed that 26 percent of 155 responding executive recruiters indicated they would be adding new professional research and consulting staff over the next three months.

 

Published on: Friday, April 08, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
It's already the end of Q1 '11! Are you where you wanted or expected to be? What will it take to get there?

For me, and many others, it's time. A few more hours in a day, weeks in a quarter, to do a couple other things, catch up, get some more done.

It's impossible for me to give you more time, but I can save you some time. Here are all the blog posts you may have recently missed gathered together in one place so you don't have to do all that time-consuming searching, scrolling and clicking.

 

 
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: Thursday, March 24, 2011

Coping with Multiple Online Personalities

Comments (3)
 
As a finance executive, I am hard wired to be "confidential." It's easier to always be in a guarded state than to have to actually evaluate whether or not it's "safe" to answer a question, identify myself or share something with anyone other than my dog (who I know won't repeat it). So it should come as no surprise that I am no early adopter of anything social, let alone media that lets me interact with strangers, broadcast to a large audience of folks I don't know, or (gasp) be followed by anyone.

In fact, I guess I am not an early adopter of anything besides the dog. My colleague at ExecuNet, Robyn Greenspan, teases me because she's seen first-hand that I actually still have a VCR that has a wired remote. Yes, believe it or not, I can still manage to trip up guests simply by pulling that cord across the room to pause the playback. Come to think of it, not only is the remote obsolete, but now so is the VCR! I also still have a Nextel flip phone, and there's no email account attached to my Palm Pre (I just wanted portable Internet). It's not that I'm afraid of technology, or even change. I am just wary of investing my time and reputation into anything online until I am assured control over my privacy — and a decent return.

 

 
While executive recruiters continue to express confidence that executive hiring activity will increase over the next six months, they are also following many corporate clients' slow and steady approach when it comes to hiring new professional staff.

In February, ExecuNet's benchmark Search Firm Hiring Index revealed that 28 percent of 171 responding executive recruiters indicated they would be adding new professional research and consulting staff over the next three months.

 

 
Executive recruiters see four-out-of-five employers either creating new executive management roles or, to a greater extent, trading up with new hires for existing management roles to drive business performance in the next six months.

ExecuNet’s benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for a fourteenth consecutive month in February as 169 responding executive recruiters reported they expect 51 percent of employers to leverage the current economic climate by trading up to strengthen their management and 30 percent to add new management roles. Recruiters anticipate that, over the next six months, only 14 percent of employers will choose not to add new executive positions, only 3 percent to leave existing management vacancies unfilled, and only 2 percent to eliminate executive jobs.

 

Published on: Monday, March 07, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
February was a short month, but we managed to bring you a tremendous amount of information to help you reach your career and business goals in 2011. Guest bloggers shared their own special insight, along with ExecuNet experts who capture the trends and deliver the news that informs your every day professional decisions. We’ve gathered all these articles together so you can catch up on your reading.

 

 
Executive recruiters' six-month forecast of growth of executive hiring activity softened in February but remains buoyant as client corporations continue to hire selectively for new management leadership roles and upgrade with new hires for existing roles.

In February, ExecuNet's benchmark Recruiter Confidence Index revealed that 68 percent of 164 responding executive recruiters are "confident" or "very confident" the executive employment market will improve over the next six months. That was down seven points from January but still far above the territory this index ranged in over much of the past year.

 

Published on: Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Executive Job Creation Reveals Corporate Growth Plans

Comments (0)
 
Executive recruiters are expressing more confidence in the executive employment market as they forecast management hiring activity over the next six months.

But now, for the first time in well over two years, executive recruiters are considering or are already rebuilding their recruiting and research teams to keep pace with this anticipated surge in new business.

 

Published on: Friday, February 18, 2011

More Companies Eye Growth, Create Executive Jobs

Comments (1)
 
ExecuNet's benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for a thirteenth consecutive month in January as executive recruiters reported employers are more focused on rebuilding depleted management teams than they are in cutting existing executive jobs.

Forecast hiring among employers expected to add executive jobs in January topped those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top roles by 12 points, signaling a slow but steady rebuild of management resources as employers focus on executing their 2011 strategic growth plans, according to the poll of 188 executive recruiters.

 

Published on: Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Creating Winning Social Media Strategies

Comments (0)
 
"The key to creating winning strategies in social media is first to give up control," Charlene Li, leading analyst of social technologies told delegates at the 2010 World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, "You need to give up control but still be in command."

First, leaders must realize that social media is a lot more than just Facebook, said Li, also author of the bestselling books, Groundswell and Open Leadership. Then, she advised, you need to make sure you have a direction that everyone understands and will follow. "The only way to get people to follow you is if you lead them."

 

Published on: Monday, February 07, 2011

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
Did the year get off to a good start for you? Are there specific professional goals you'd like to achieve? We've pulled together the best information from January to help you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert insight and learn what's happening in the marketplace.

 

 
Confidence among executive recruiters continues to climb as an increase in management recruiting activity confirms that more companies are thinking about growth in 2011, and more business leaders are poised to explore their career options.

In January, ExecuNet’s benchmark Recruiter Confidence Index revealed that 75 percent of 188 responding executive recruiters are "confident" or "very confident" the executive employment market will improve over the next six months, reflecting a five-month surge in recruiter confidence in increased executive hiring activity.

 

 
Our Recruiting Community at ExecuNet has been very active, so I took some notes from their recent meeting to report back what they're hearing directly from the search firms and corporate recruiters who source our executive members.

Sure, we bring you the Recruiter Confidence Index stats every month, with the most recent finding at the highest level since mid-2008, and then our company president and chief economist does the monthly video interpretation, but I wanted to find out what the recruiters have been whispering to our recruiting services team lately:

 

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: Thursday, December 30, 2010

Top 10 for 2010

Comments (3)
 
Can we legitimately report the most popular for the year if our blog is only six months old? Having been a business network since 1988, ExecuNet has always been ahead of our time. Here are the articles that captured the most reader comments and attention in the short time we've been publishing:

 

 
Executive recruiters are optimistic that the executive employment market will improve over the next six months, but judging from their own hiring plans, it seems a conservative approach to rebuilding their teams is the order of the day.

In December, 21 percent of the 144 executive recruiters who participated in ExecuNet's monthly Search Firm Hiring Index poll indicated they planned to increase their professional research and consulting staff to keep pace with expected search assignment growth over the next three months. That was down four points from November.

 

Published on: Thursday, December 23, 2010

Recruiter Confidence Extends Upward Trend

Comments (1)
 
Two-thirds of executive recruiters believe that companies will hire more management talent over the next six months despite continued pressure to contain corporate headcount.

With fewer companies slashing executive-level jobs and more of them identifying skill set needs and gaps in talent that could prevent them from achieving corporate objectives in 2011, recruiters expect companies to do more management hiring if only to replace underperforming leaders with those more qualified to tackle shifting job responsibilities.

In December, ExecuNet's benchmark Recruiter Confidence Index revealed that 66 percent of 144 responding executive recruiters are "confident" or "very confident" the executive employment market will improve over the next six months, up five points from November and the highest confidence registered since the second quarter of 2008.

 

Published on: Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Read Anything Good Lately? Want To?

Comments (18)
 
The number of business books published is staggering, and some wind up in my office, filling shelves, desks and every available surface. Many are quite good, and we work to bring those authors and their thought leadership to our executive members for direct interaction and knowledge-sharing. After all, when you're looking for guidance, advice and practical tactics for improving business performance and career advancement, the experts are the go-to resources.

 

Published on: Thursday, December 16, 2010

Why You Should Care about a CEO’s Sleep Patterns

Comments (2)
 
Like many, chief executives are tossing and turning at night, worried about the issues we identified earlier this year in our annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report:

  1. Economic uncertainty
  2. Consistent execution of our business strategy
  3. Balancing the demands on my personal and professional life
  4. Achieving my personal work-related goals
  5. My pay will not increase

While it may be true that the higher the thread count on the sheets, the bigger the troubles, the reasons those CEOs aren't sleeping are still of consequence to you.

 

 
There are a lot of hardworking yet highly unsatisfied management executives walking the halls of corporate America these days.

Just don't expect them to tell you so, or anyone else, for that matter, unless you're an executive recruiter. After all, they're not working long hours and occasional nights and weekends with limited resources in search of the casual opportunity just to tell their existing employers and colleagues that they're already lining up their options for a new job elsewhere.

Employers and colleagues will find out just as soon as he or she accepts an offer of employment from another company — and then, in typical fashion, they'll scramble to pick up the pieces and search for a replacement whom, if recruited from the outside, may not be found for six to 12 months.

 

Published on: Tuesday, December 07, 2010

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
The unpredictable year of 2010 is racing quickly toward a close, dragging with it a bag of mixed emotions. Some saw marked improvement over a devastating 2009, while others spent the last 12 months still trying to recover.

We're hopeful about 2011 and have had some good news signals lately. Here are all the trends, market intelligence and expert insight from November in one easy-to-read place.

 

Published on: Monday, December 06, 2010

More Executive Search Firms Plan for Growth

Comments (0)
 
Executive recruiters are gaining confidence as they forecast corporate executive hiring in the coming months, and now they're also girding to add new professional staff to meet the anticipated demand for executive talent.

 

Published on: Thursday, December 02, 2010

Rebound in Executive Job Creation Reveals Corporate Growth Plans

Comments (1)
 
ExecuNet's benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for an eleventh consecutive month in November as executive recruiters reported employers are encouraged by improving economic indicators and plan to create more management jobs over the next six months.

The number of employers expected to add executive jobs during that time topped those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top roles by 21 points, a 12-point gain from October and a signal that more companies will recruit executive talent to rebuild their management teams and realize their 2011 strategic growth objectives.

 

 
Executive recruiters are gaining confidence that economic growth, increased consumer spending and growing investor confidence will weigh positively on corporate business objectives — and management hiring plans — over the next six months.

In November, 61 percent of the 147 search firm respondents to ExecuNet's benchmark Recruiter Confidence Index expressed they were either "confident" or "very confident" the executive employment market will improve during that time, based on their read of corporate hiring plans stretching well into 2011.

 

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, networking, executive job search, 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.

 

 
Nearly one-quarter of executive recruiters are planning to hire additional consultants or recruitment researchers in the next three months, as client companies increase their recruiting activity at the executive management level, according to ExecuNet's latest Search Firm Hiring Index data.

 

 
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!

 

 
Recruiters Confident As Small-to-Medium Sized Companies Lead Hiring

ExecuNet's benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for a tenth consecutive month in October, as executive recruiters report employers plan to create more management jobs over the next six months.

The rate of hiring among employers expected to add executive jobs during that time outpaced those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top roles by nine points, extending a positive trend increasingly shaped by a steady increase in hiring by small-to-mid-sized companies with annual sales revenue between $11 million and $500 million.

 

Published on: Monday, November 01, 2010

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
It seems like yesterday I was having summer barbecues, and now I'm eating leftover Halloween candy. This year seems to be moving quickly, with many who experienced the rocky economy firsthand probably glad to see 2010 go.

Before Thanksgiving creeps up on you, take some time to read the blog posts from October we've collected for you. We had some exclusive reporting from the World Business Forum, where ExecuNet hosted the Bloggers Hub, along with our proprietary market trend data, economic analysis and expert insight.

 

 
Healthcare, High-Tech Lead Modest but Sustained Hiring Recovery

ExecuNet's benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for a ninth consecutive month in September, reflecting the slow but continuing rebuild of many corporate management teams.

The rate of hiring among employers expected to add executive jobs in the next six months outpaced those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top roles by seven points, extending a positive trend but still weighed down by employer hesitancy to hire for top jobs.

The September Job Creation Index, based on an ExecuNet survey of 147 executive recruiters, reveals that executive recruiters anticipate 44 percent of companies will leverage the economic climate by selectively "trading up" management talent with new hires for existing executive roles, and 23 percent will add new leadership roles.

 

Published on: Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Keep Your Cool

Comments (0)
 
Report from World Business Forum, New York

I head up the personal marketing services group of ExecuNet, so I'm no expert on global energy policy. But I pay taxes (like most Americans), consume more energy than I should (like most Americans), and care about the planet (hopefully, like most Americans). I also hate inefficiency, which is central to any conversation about energy and how we use it here in America.

So in attending the World Business Forum, and being asked to report for the organizers of the event on the comments of one speaker, Marvin Odum, the president of Shell Oil North America, I had the unique opportunity to get some firsthand insight about how one of the big four oil and gas companies is dealing with what is unquestionably a complex issue.

I have always had a personal interest in the topic of energy, especially oil — how it is being legislated, produced and consumed. Mostly because I am often struck by how much of it we use, how important it is to our way of life, and how time, money, and lives have been spent trying to ensure we have access to as much of it as we want.

 

 
Report from World Business Forum, New York

"Those who achieve success are not bound by their own story; if you want to predict the future, you create it," said Dow Jones & Company CEO Les Hinton during his introduction of Jim Collins at the World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported for attendees. Business is what's ahead, not behind, yet Collins' research in Good to Great, Built to Last and How the Mighty Fall: and Why Some Companies Never Give In looks back to determine the characteristics that give companies staying power.

"The answer could not be circumstance. It is first and foremost a matter of conscious choice and discipline," said Collins. "We became fascinated with how great enterprises stumble and how the mighty fall. We wanted to understand how this happens, and it was scary how far they fell."

 

Published on: Monday, October 04, 2010

Recruiters Busy but Holding Off on Hiring More of their Own Staff

Comments (0)
 
Executive recruiters report they're busy developing business and dialogue with potential management candidates, and despite some growth in hiring in industries such as healthcare and technology, most say they're not busy enough to add to their own staff.

In September, ExecuNet's Search Firm Hiring Index poll revealed that only 16 percent of 147 responding executive search firm leaders indicated their businesses were planning to add new professional consulting or research staff in the next three months, down one point from August.

 

Published on: Friday, October 01, 2010

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
September is when those lazy days of summer come to an end; white shoes and swimsuits get packed away; and your kids are being chauffeured to activities and helped with homework — who has time to read? No worries! We've collected all the blog postings you need to read in one place. How's that for full service?

But make sure you stop back frequently next week for live reporting from the World Business Forum, where ExecuNet is hosting the Bloggers Hub.

 

 
There are a number of ways to perform a job search. There's the old way that many use still today. Some call it the shotgun approach: blasting résumés as far as the eye can see. Filling up the inboxes of recruiters certainly feels productive.

Is this you? Are you using a very general strategy to find a very specific job? The biggest fear I have for you is that this might have worked in the past when times were better and the job search community accepted a more passive effort. Being an independent person, you try that approach again — in this tough and significantly more competitive market.

If so, I'd like to fill your mind with a few practical tips to get you thinking with more precision. A more precise strategy will be more efficient, and, in the end, much more productive.

 

Published on: Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tweet All About It

Comments (0)
 
What once began as a "big, empty box to type into and post on the Internet," one few could understand the meaning behind, gave rise to millions of blogs and the force behind a continually expanding self-publishing industry. Similarly, "When we did Twitter," said company co-founder Biz Stone to Bloomberg TV's Margaret Brennan at the 2010 World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, "we said, 'Here is a smaller box, and you can type into it and put it on the Internet.' People will find their own reason to use it. Everyone will find their own path to it."

That path has led to 65 million Tweets per day from 200 million unique visitors per month. Despite widespread categorization of Twitter as a social network, Stone said the service functions more like an information network or news network. "You can follow CNN, Bloomberg or three of your friends. Whatever you want to pay attention to in the world."

 

 
ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) dropped seven points in August, reflecting slower business hiring activity anticipated in the next six months. However, the rate of hiring among those who expect to add executive jobs in the next six months outpaced those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top positions by four points, reflecting a positive — if cautious — hiring trend.

The August EJCI data, based on an ExecuNet survey of 181 executive recruiters, revealed that executive recruiters anticipate 53 percent of companies will leverage the economic climate by selectively "trading up" management talent with new hires for existing executive roles, and 20 percent will add new leadership roles.

 

Published on: Thursday, September 09, 2010

While You Were Out…

Comments (0)
 
August may have been busy for you; maybe you were vacationing or covering for colleagues who were on holiday. Nevertheless, we gathered all the blog posts for the month we thought you should take some time to catch up on over your morning coffee, commute or business travel. Enjoy!

 

 
You've probably not accepted that as an excuse to resist change and stymie innovation from a colleague, so why use it for your job search? In case you hadn't noticed, the old ways of looking for a job have dramatically changed, but the good news is some of those old school tools are still quite useful.

ExecuNet has witnessed job search transformation over the last 23 years, and contributing editor Marji McClure and I outlined the evolution. Here are some tips to get you started:

 

 
While economists debate the strength of the US economy and employers continue to express caution about new executive hiring, executive search firms are likewise adopting a "wait and see" approach when it comes to expanding their own recruiting and research teams, according to ExecuNet's latest Search Firm Hiring Index data.

 

Published on: Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Management Today is Outdated

Comments (7)
 
Why have there been advances in virtually every technology invented in the last 100 years, yet management is woefully out of date? At the 2009 World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, strategist and innovator Gary Hamel asked the delegates, "Could technology management change in this century the way it changed in the last century? Almost all organizations are running on 19th century management systems."

Management was created, the author and co-founder of the Management Innovation Lab at the London Business School said, to "get people to show up every day and do the same job over and over again like robots."

 

 
I first interviewed with ExecuNet around Halloween and was charmed by the decorations until I saw the giant, purple inflatable spider standing guard in the center of the office space. Despite the combination of two big fears — job interviews and giant spiders — I performed well enough to get the offer. (The spider now appears annually right outside my office.)

This story pales in comparison to candidates who saw dream jobs turn into nightmares when confronted by interviewers behaving badly. We've collected some of the best worst job interview stories from ExecuNet members and asked some of our expert executive coaches to give their feedback. We've excerpted a few for you here.

 

 
Executive-level hiring forecast by US recruiters remained positive for the seventh consecutive month, with companies expected to add more management jobs than they plan to eliminate in the next six months, according to ExecuNet's July Executive Job Creation Index.

"As job creation continues at a slow and steady pace, the real story is in the amount of quiet hiring going on," noted ExecuNet President and Chief Economist Mark Anderson. "The hidden job market is growing. Half of the hiring reflected in the survey is to replace or upgrade existing roles to fit new corporate growth strategies and talent needs."

 

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: Thursday, July 29, 2010

Get In, Get Out

Comments (1)
 
Interest in interim executive positions has risen in the last few years; most recently, 7-in-10 senior-level leaders surveyed by ExecuNet were considering or may consider part-time roles in their career planning — up from 57 percent in 2006. ExecuNet contributing editor Marji McClure explored the advantages of interim opportunities for our member publication, CareerSmart Advisor, and found that while still more prominent in Europe, interim posts are increasingly gaining traction in the US with both organizations and executives for a variety of reasons.

 

Published on: Friday, July 23, 2010

Happy Landings

Comments (2)
 
Every two weeks at ExecuNet, we have a company-wide staff meeting to review what's going on. Besides the bonding it creates among team members, it is a good opportunity to hear member feedback and get the viewpoints from these executives on their marketplace experiences.

Recently, an ExecuNet member wrote in to our Member Services group with what he learned in his job search. He said he started with a belief that it wouldn't take longer than 90 days (at most) to make a change. After all, he was an "A-Player" and never had to look for a job before.

 

Published on: Thursday, July 22, 2010

New CEO or Wannabe?

Comments (2)
 
Who better to learn what to do in the corner office from than those who have been there, done that? The experiential advice that comes from peers can often enlighten and help solve real-world problems that research, case studies and experts don't address. Sometimes just the added support and validation is enough to power through all the critical decision-making and stress that comes along with the role.

ExecuNet members in the General Management Roundtable pooled their collective wisdom for a first-timer who needed to hit the ground running on company growth plans and funding:

 

Published on: Wednesday, July 21, 2010

To Do List: Change Your World

Comments (9)
 
Small goals first; then move on to the entire planet.

No generation, political party or movement has the exclusive on change; it can start in our very own small spaces, and you'd be surprised how far the ripples reach. Everybody at every level, in every career stage, has the ability to change their world.

 

 
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: Wednesday, July 14, 2010

BP “Needs Adult Supervision”

Comments (2)
 
There's no disputing that the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has been over-analyzed by multidisciplinary external interests, but this ExecuNet member in our Sales and Marketing Roundtable group summarized it very simply, while echoing many of the sentiments coming from other senior-level professionals that someone needs to step up and display some authentic leadership.

"Two other guys there [would] have been better with the media and in general, but it would help if there were some women in BP visible too, as women are perceived as caretakers and generally better perceived in governance and accountability," this CEO of a marketing communications company added.

 

Published on: Thursday, July 08, 2010

Slow but Steady

Comments (0)
 
Listening to the media's analysis of the job reports last Friday, where 125,000 jobs were lost in the economy, reminded me of the old story about the pessimist and the optimist and the glass filled only to the mid-point. Is it "half-empty" as the pessimist would call it or "half-full" as the optimist would?

Pessimists read into the employment numbers, as one Wall Street Journal headline did, that the number just passed "the crash test" — meaning that the numbers were barely encouraging except for those looking for a "double dip" in the economy.

Optimists saw "steady but slow" growth in private sector employment over the past six to nine months, and the wow for them was how much better things were than last year, even as recently as last fall.

 

 
Executive management hiring predicted by US recruiters softened in June but extended a positive trend line, as companies expect to add more executive jobs than they plan to eliminate during the next six months, according to ExecuNet's June Executive Job Creation Index.

 

 
While recruiter confidence in the executive employment market over the next three months hit a two-year high in June, executive search firms remain particularly cautious when it comes to adding additional staff to their own payrolls.

 

Published on: Friday, June 18, 2010

Innovation Where You Least Expect It

Comments (0)
 
My head physically spins after two days at the World Innovation Forum from all the untapped possibilities that are out there just waiting for me to think of. For the last couple of years, just as we've done for several years at the World Business Forum, ExecuNet was invited by HSM to capture insights from the intellectual powerhouses on stage and produce thoughtful commentary for attendees and our members.

Without a doubt, the array of speakers challenged me to think in a different way; sometimes radically, like Michael Porter's reinvention of the healthcare delivery system; and sometimes incrementally, doing something to "earn my seat" at work every day, as Seth Godin said.

 

Featured Video

Recruiter Confidence Index

Confidence Improves Among Executive Recruiters

Executive Job Creation Index

Executive Job Creation Picked up in December

Dave's Blog


Lessons learned from and about six-figure leadership and executive career management

Stay Connected

Stay Connected by Email Stay Connected by RSS Stay Connected on Twitter Stay Connected on YouTube
ExecuNet on LinkedIn

Editorial Guidelines