Corporate Warriors

"The Executive Bucket List" to Avoid Losing Your Job

Don Straits — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:25:45 +0000

When I represent executives who have recently been laid off, every single one of them tell me they will do whatever is necessary to never have this happen again. They begin to brainstorm ways that they can become a more productive and effective leader. They are driven to set goals in order to meet their newly heightened expectations. Then when they finally land a new job.... they become complacent and throw all their newfound motivation out the window. In this video, I list some effective tips that execs can add to their “Executive Bucket List” in order to keep yourself relevant in corporate America. I would love to hear of tips that you believe would be beneficial to an “Executive Bucket List.”

How Long Will An Executive Job Search Take? CAN YOU CLOSE THE DEAL?

Don Straits — Thu, 30 May 2013 17:26:08 +0000

Everyone of my executive clients always asks how long his/her job search will take. It is almost impossible to give a definitive answer because there are so many variables. In my latest video, I discuss these variables in depth in order to give insight into what you should expect from a time standpoint in driving your search. If you would prefer to view the written article, you can find that below the video player. I would enjoy any feedback you may have on this topic.

Invariably, everyone of my new executive clients always asks how long his/her job search will take. It is almost impossible to give a definitive answer because there are so many variables. But here are some insights into the time it takes to land an executive level position. Let's break it into four categories: number one: months based on income; number two: seasonality factors; number three: industry/functional experience factors, and number four: simply cannot close the deal. Now, let's examine each of those categories:

1. Months Based on Income. Literally, for decades, career books and career counselors have said you should allow one month of search time for every $10,000 of income. Someone forgot to take into account inflation. That number is now about one month for every $15,000 of income.

2. Seasonality. Believe it or not, there is major seasonality in an executive level search. While I do not have sophisticated quantifiable research to back this up, my 20 years of helping senior execs points to the following: The two best hiring months of the year are January/February....immediately following the December holiday season and December 31st fiscal year end. The second two best months are September/October, immediately following summer vacation. March through June are relatively equal, not bad, but not great either. July/August and November/December are the worst of the year.

What executives should be cognizant of is that when driving a search, don't wait until a few weeks before the best months to start your search. The time it takes to drive a sophisticated search is several months. For Sept/Oct hiring, start in April, May, June. For January/February hiring start your search in Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec. And if you miss your window of opportunity, you should be fully prepared to wait until the next window.

3. Industry and Functional Experience Influencing Time to Hire. These factors are continually in flux depending on the state of the economy and trends on growth of various industries. Right now, medical/life sciences and high technology fields are hot while industrial engineering and operations are a challenge. Civil and mechanical engineering execs are in moderate demand, but will significantly change if congress starts spending money on infrastructure construction. There is always high demand for peak performance sales executives....key words being peak performance. Financial execs, including CFOs, the demand tends to fluctuate more with the economy. In a robust economy, financial execs will be more mobile, therefore more positions open up. In a recession, the bean counters hold on to their positions. So time to hire based on industry or experience can vary widely.

4. Cannot Close the Deal. Last but not least, is the inability of the exec to close the deal with a powerful interview. I wish I had a dollar for every time an executive said to me, just get me in front of the decision maker and I will close the deal. The problem is that when that exec goes into an interview, he or she is up against five or six other execs who have said the exact same thing. While an exec may have had a distinguished career, the competition for new positions is so fierce that his/her interviewing skills just can't carry the day. Career books, career counselors and career pundits (present company excluded) will almost never admit the time to hire is in direct correlation to the ability of the exec to close the deal. While an exec may have had a distinguished career, in today's economy, with new business paradigms, new career paradigms, and a huge number of execs seeking almost every position out there, many talented executives will find the search will take many months, years, or become forever elusive. For a reality check, please watch my video: Today's Executive, Tomorrow's Walmart Greeter [Link].

So if you liked this video, please hit your like button. And if you are a senior executive facing a search challenge, and if you would like to cut your time to land a new leadership position, I would love to talk with you. Please drop me an email or give me a call. Thanks everyone. Have an awesome day.

I Am Open To Relocation For The Right Opportunity. DEAL KILLER!

Don Straits — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:22:19 +0000

You may have kids in school, parents who are in need of support, you're established in the community, church, friendships, and more. But how bad do you want a job? The job market is incredibly competitive and you must be willing to relocate. In this video, Don Straits discusses the importance of being open to relocation during an executive job search.

Case Study: Utilizing Exceptional Research To Land An Executive Position (Part 2/2)

Don Straits — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:55:29 +0000

In my last video, I shared a success story of a former client of mine who landed a job by using unique research tactics. In this follow up video, I discuss methods of utilizing both online research as well as field research in order to produce a summary of observations and insights to aid you in your job search. This will show the key decision makers that you know what, where, when, why, and how to solve problems, implement solutions, cut costs, and drive revenue. I would love your feedback or personal experiences on this topic.

Case Study: Utilizing Exceptional Research To Land An Executive Position (Part 1/2)

Don Straits — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:42:01 +0000

Conducting thorough research on a company prior to interviewing is a must. In a highly competitive job market like today, having any kind of advantage is invaluable. In part 1 of 2 of this video, I talk about the importance of gathering and utilizing information about a company. I share a story of a former client of mine who landed a job by applying these exact research tactics. I would enjoy any of your success stories that may be similar, please feel free to post them! Stay tuned for part two of this video next week.

Linkedin Connections Are Priceless. Are You Using Them Effectively? Here's How!

Don Straits — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:27:38 +0000

Managing and leveraging your LinkedIn connections is worth its weight in gold....literally, in fact, it will generate revenue for your business or open doors for new employment opportunities. In my latest video I decided to share some of the methods of managing your Linkedin Connections, including a short tutorial on exporting your connections into an Excel spreadsheet as well as sorting them into groups based on specific criteria. This a powerful tool that is underutilized by most Linkedin users. I encourage you to try this. If you are familiar with these tools already, how has it been of benefit for you in your business or job search?

Managing and leveraging your LinkedIn connections is worth its weight in gold....literally, in fact, it will generate revenue for your business or open doors for new employment opportunities. Here is some insight on how to make your connections work for you, as well as a simple tutorial on how to export your connections.

You should have an objective of building at least 1000 connections on LinkedIn. That will take some time, but if you work at it for just a few minutes each day, you will be amazed at how fast it grows. Focus on connections that are relevant to your industry or functional area. Do not accept invitations just for the sake of building your numbers.

Here are just a few reasons why you should build your connections:

If you are a blogger....and you should be...you can email your new blog posts to your connections. (See my videos on blogging). That is far more powerful than just adding your blog post to your LI updates. Your readership will skyrocket. If you choose to do mass emails to your connections, use caution when doing so as you may end up on spam blacklists. I recommend you use an email service like iContact. It is inexpensive and enables you to manage all of your mailings.
Update your connections on any change in your employment: i.e. new position, new company, or in transition.
Give your connections relevant content that could be of benefit to them....discuss industry trends, technologies, emerging new businesses or products. Don't just shamefully try to sell your products, services, or seek employment. That's a good way to lose your connections. First, provide a solid benefit, then it is acceptable to mention your company and/or service.
Organize your connections into groups based on criteria. You can sort your connections by location, industry, company, name, and more. This is effective for targeting a specific group of colleagues to contact, rather than contacting all of your connections at once, or sifting through your connections and finding them one by one. For example, since I represent senior execs seeking new positions, I sort by recruiters, VCs, PEs, corporate decision makers, members of boards, key influencers, prospective clients, current clients, and miscellaneous. I can now communicate different email campaigns to each segment.

Simple Tutorial on Exporting your Linkedin Connections:

Step 1: From the Linkedin home screen, mouse over the “Contacts” tab. This will open up a drop down menu. Within the drop down menu, select “Connections.”

Step 2: If you would like to just quickly export all of your connections into an Excel spreadsheet, click the link on the bottom-right that says “Export Connections.” Simple.

Step 3: Additionally, this page allows you to sort through all of your connections based on criteria. Note that the “Tags” represent each person's connection to you (Friend, Classmate, Colleague, Partner, etc.). Each connection is placed into one of these groups when you initially send a connection request. You are able to add additional tags in order to sort your connections as you wish.

Step 4: When you have figured out which group of connections you want to export into an Excel document, you can either individually check the box next to their name, or you can click “Select All,” in order to get them into the right Excel column. All of the names that appear in the right column will be exported into a spreadsheet.

If you are diligent in building your connections and managing those connections effectively, it will be priceless for your business and your career. If you are only using the free basic LI service, I encourage you to consider upgrading to a paid level. Select the one that is most relevant to you. We use the Premium Business account at $19.95/month.

If you are seeking a new challenge, we would enjoy talking with you about your search. Make it an awesome day.

Blogging Tips To Drive Your Executive Search

Don Straits — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:33:55 +0000

In a recent video, we examined why executives should be blogging to drive their career. I recommend you watch that video as well, as it provides great insight into Blogging for Executives as a Game Changer. A link to the video is provided on the screen.

I confess, one of the biggest hurdles I face is to educate executives on the power of putting their strategic thinking and vision into writing. The most common concern is that blogging will be too time consuming. In fact, once the blogging infrastructure has been put into place, it should only require about one hour a week to keep it current. But the impact a thought leadership blog can have on driving your search for a new opportunity is extraordinary.

Here are just a few tips and tricks on how to leverage blogging to drive your search.

1. Create a design that is contemporary with a title and subtitle that reflects your expertise and focus for your blog. Don't be afraid to have a provocative or "catchy" title that will stimulate people to read your blog.

2. Ramp up quickly by posting at least three posts per week for the first two weeks, then two posts per week for the next two weeks, then at least one post every week thereafter. As soon as you have at least six posts on your blog, you are ready to make blogging the game changer.

3. Every time you apply for a job, always reference and include a link to your blog within your email or cover letter. You will be amazed at how many recruiters and decision makers indicate they reviewed your blog and that it was a key factor in selecting you for an interview.

4. Always include a link to your blog in your email signature file, for both new and reply emails. You want people to have easy access to your blog.

5. Include a link to your blog within your Linkedin profile and include all new blog posts in your Linkedin Updates.

6. On occasion, include a video blog post (Vlog) on your blog. Google algorithms loves videos. All you need is a flat wall with a lamp, plant or picture and you are in business. If you don't know how to do it, get the 16 year old kid who lives next door to help out. They get it.

7. Develop an outstanding email database and send your database an email for every new blog post. Include industry influencers in your database such as corporate presidents and editors of industry publications.

8. Did you know you can export your LinkedIn contacts into an Excel file and segment as necessary. This is a great way to manage and leverage your LI connections and directly send them an email for each new blog post.

9. Write compelling posts for your blog. Take a position and defend it. Be provocative. Encourage discussion and comments with opposing view points. Do you want to be a Dilbert Clone or do you want to stand out and stand for something. Leaders are risk takers. Leaders are sought out by growth organizations.

10. Cross Post. Essentially, you will invite other industry influencers to post to your blog and vice versa.

11. Invite decision makers you interview with to post in your blog. This can be a grand-slam home run, but it also has its problems. If we work with you on our blog, we can guide you on how to do this tactfully. We can also guide you in developing short posts of one or two sentences and effective long posts.

12. Interview Industry Influencers for articles in your blog. It enhances your own credibility and helps drive Search Engine Optimization SEO.

13. Speaking of SEO, as part of your long term strategy, you will want to make effective use of key words and tags to help drive traffic and build community for your blog.

14. Once you land a new position, do not stop blogging. I cannot emphasize this point enough. It will have a long-term profound impact on your career.

Now I could go on and on. I have just scratched the surface. But if you follow these blogging tips, they will be a game changer in driving your career.

If we can be of help in driving your search, we would enjoy talking with you. Thank you in advance, and we wish you the best of success in finding a new opportunity.

Why Senior Executives in the Job Market Should be Blogging: A Game Changer

Don Straits — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:29:00 +0000

Blogging? Nobody has time for that, right? Wrong! Blogging is single-handedly the most effective way to “syndicate” your skills, knowledge, and expertise. As a senior executive, a blog can put you on the fast track to the position you desire. Put yourself into the shoes of a key decision maker....swamped with traditional resumes listing accomplishments and accolades that are questionable at best. However one candidate has a dynamic, thought-provoking blog that reflects their strategic thinking and proves that they are contemporary leaders within their industry. A blog adds an insurmountable value proposition to set yourself apart from all others. If you think it's a waste of time, one might ask, “How bad do you really want a job?” In this video I discuss the added value that blogs can bring to an executive job search. I would love your feedback on this topic.

Have Severance Package, Will Travel

Don Straits — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:56:27 +0000

You've lost your job, but you have received a great severance package, so there is no reason to worry. You are a talented executive so you will be hired quickly. But you need a break. You have put in many years of hard work. You would like to do some of things you have only dreamed about. Dedicated family time, adventures around the globe, and just some time to relax. So you are going to put off looking for a job for several months. What you may not realize is just how difficult your search will be. I don't begrudge you that time off, but at lease put in place a few tactics that can help make that time work for you, and give you a head start on your search. Here are a couple of great ideas.

"I've Never Had To Look For A Job Before" The Challenge for Executives

Don Straits — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:15:01 +0000

For decades, many senior executives easily drove their career through advancement and opportunities that were presented to them. Or their network was always able to provide connections. More than ever before executives are finding themselves struggling to secure their next assignment. The “Ole Boy's Network” just isn't what it used to be. Almost a day doesn't go bye that an executive doesn't say to me, “I've never had to look for a job before.” Many executives don't know where to begin and end up making classic mistakes. Here are some guidelines to help executives drive their search.