Global Recruiters of Lawrence

Lessons from a Lobster

2011-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

I recently came across the following article:

Excerpts from “Lessons from a Lobster” - Author unknown

For a moment, try to picture a tank of lobsters in your local food market or favorite restaurant. In one corner there is a small one pound lobster. In the middle there is large six pound lobster slowly making his way across the tank. But how did he do it? How did he grow that large? Each time the crustacean felt cramped, restricted or trapped in his shell, he shed it. He left the safety of the armor that protected him from his environment and his natural enemies. For the next 6 weeks, the lobster had to face his world totally vulnerable to the underwater currents that could bash him against the rocks and to other fish that might make him their next meal. During this time he slowly grew a hard shell that provided ample room to grow. During the first year of his life, he would repeat that process six or seven times. In later years, he would face the ordeal twice every year. It is the price he must pay to live and grow.

There is an important lesson that all of us can learn from this phenomenon. In the course of our lives, many of us paint ourselves into tight corners. We construct vocational and behavioral paths that we pursue for years only to eventually find ourselves feeling stifled, burned out and trapped situationally, financially and even emotionally. Some of us discover that the career path we chose so many years ago no longer maintains its enchantment or we realize the marketplace that once provided us a living has radically changed. But even with that reality staring us in the face, we can feel paralyzed to affect a change. In some cases, the city or state in which we once wanted to live no longer seems safe or enjoyable. But we are too fearful to make a move. Even worse, our marriages, our lifestyles and the emotional patterns we have carved out over the years may now seem restrictive, cramped and painful. The solutions so often chosen: tolerate it, make the best of bad situation; get drunk or drugged; overeat; stay depressed; blame others; leave; run away; throw in the towel; give up; self-destruct or learn some lessons from a lobster.

This is something to think about when you feel like you are stuck in a position with no room for advancement. Sometimes, you just have to break out of that protective shell to be able to grow. Change is hard and there is a lot of anxiety involved but sometimes it takes a new environment (shell) to help us realize our true potential.

Change is in the Air

2010-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight" - Phil Collins

In speaking with companies and industry professionals everyday, it provides us with a good perspective on the current economic climate.

During the tough times, companies will delay filling open positions, put new initiatives on hold and, unfortunately, need to reduce headcount. On the flip side, when things begin to turn around, many of the executives will move quickly to to act on important initiatives that have been in the planning stages for many months.

Right now, we are starting to see this happening. For many companies, Q1 results are in and the trends have been positive. With this in mind, many are jumping to get a leg up on the competition by becoming more aggressive.

High level Business Development positions are opening up as the battle for market share gets more intense. As their customers begin to spend more money, the aggressive and proactive companies will be there in the forefront.

Also, during downturns, many of the first positions to be targeted for reduction are high level corporate support roles. Since many of these are considered to be "non-revenue producing", they come under a lot of scrutiny. As hiring freezes get lifted, this is another group of positions that quickly get brought back into the fold. Many of these executives are the ones that "fine tune" the operations of the company through Continuous Improvement, Best Practice Implementation, Process Enhancement and Efficiency Increases. We are starting to see more demand for these individuals as well.

So, what implications does this have?

Over the past several months, in addition to slower hiring trends, many high-performing industry professionals have been asked to do more with less which has created a lower level of job satisfaction. In the US, Job Satisfaction Levels are, according to several reports, at the lowest in over 30 years. Normally, an unhappy employee would start looking around and make a career move. However, with all of the discouraging economic and employment numbers, they elect to ride it out because of the perceived stability of their current situation.

Now, these individuals are sensing the change and have begun surfacing and exploring new challenges and career opportunities. This, coupled with the hiring increases mentioned above, has started to increase the number of voluntary resignations and caused employers to implement contingency plans to address this unplanned turnover.

During tough times, many people hunker down to avoid the storm and can miss what is happening in the world outside. As a company, are you prepared for the rebound and do you have contingency plans in place to address unplanned turnover? As an Industry Professional, is it time to act on those desire for a change?

Perhaps is it time for you to open the window and check the climate. You might feel a change in the air.

Quality of Life - Balancing the job and the family

2009-12-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

As an Executive Recruiter, I speak to many hard working executives about their current roles and what their aspirations are for the future. While many of the responses are what you might expect - higher pay, opportunity for advancement, more responsibility, etc. - another that is coming up more frequently is "a better work-life balance".

Companies continue to try to do more with less (which is important) however, the "fortunate" ones that remain after downsizings/rightsizings are impacted as well. This routinely means more work, longer hours and increased stress. After work, it is off to sports practices, dance recitals, school programs, etc. By the time everything calms down, it is time to go to bed and start all over again.

The workers sometimes are caught in a vicous cycle - morale/job satisfaction is low and work hours are long. They might begin thinking about making a career move but, when do they have time? It takes a lot of time, effort, research and networking to conduct a job search. Plus, they don't know if conditions are any different at other companies.

As for companies, Senior Leaders need to realize the impact that cutbacks/restructuring/downsizing has on the remaining workforce. Take a look at Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to work for and read some of the programs and activities that these companies are doing to keep morale high. Several of these companies have experienced stagnant (or negative) growth but keep programs in place that have a positive impact on their workforce. These don't always have to come with a big price tag and, in the long run, it can be much less costly than losing key producers within the company.

Recently, we were working on a search for a client who has a reputation for ensuring that their workers maintain a good work/life balance. During this search, we contacted an executive who was working in a large corporation whose financial performance had been lagging which created cutbacks and poor morale. She was working 13-15 hour days and, many times, was working on weekends. This really limited the quality time she could spend with her family.

After exploring the opportunity with our client, she elected to make a change. Shortly after taking on her new role, friends and family noticed an immediate change. She was smiling a lot more and seemed much more relaxed (and felt like a new person). In this new role, she rarely works past 5pm, gets to take her son to (and from) daycare and does not have to work weekends. Her quality of life has improved greatly.

So, if you are an executive that is frustrated with your current work/life balance, share your concerns with your employer. If the situation does not improve, you might want to discretely consider other career options. Reach out to a recruiter in your industry and have them confidentially contact some other companies on your behalf.

Senior Executives have been asking more and more from their employees. The strongest leaders don't lose sight of the fact that people are their biggest asset and, if they want to keep them, they need to provide them the opportunity for that important work/life balance.

Hopefully, everyone will be able to spend additional quality time with family and friends this holiday season.

Happy Holidays.

A shotgun may not be the best weapon in a job search

2009-12-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

The current job market is proving to be frustrating not only for job seekers but also for employers. Let's take a look at both sides of the equation.

First, as a job search drags on, job seekers feel the need to cast a wider net by applying for more positions. With the ease of submitting applications/resumes via the internet, one train of thought is - apply to anything close; "what do I have to lose?". As more and more applications go out that receive no response, the feelings of rejection grow. Unfortunately, by using this approach, job seekers may actually be hurting their own cause.

According to the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations Report, employers say, on average, that 44% of resumes they receive are from unqualified candidates. All of these resumes still have to be reviewed by someone as they arrive. With only a finite amount of hours in a day, that means less time reviewing each resume which can cause applicants that are qualified to be missed.

From the employers side, in addition to spending more time reviewing and screening out those unqualified candidates, many hiring managers feel they are in a "buyer's market". Therefore, they are scrutinizing and evaluating applicants more closely than usual which lengthens the hiring process.

So, as a job seeker, despite the temptation to use the shotgun approach to your search, a more focused strategy might be better for both sides in the long run.

Why would I want to speak with a recruiter?

2009-11-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

You are sitting at your desk and the phone rings. It is an Executive Recruiter calling to speak confidentially with you about a position that a client has asked them to fill. You are gainfully employed, happy in your current role and not actively looking for another position. So, why would you want to take the time to speak with a recruiter?

Here are some things you might want to consider:

Although you are currently happy in your role, don't assume that there isn't something better out there. Isn't it worth a few minutes of your time to see if the opportunity could potentially get you closer to your career goals and/or improve the quality of life for you and your family?
If the position isn't right for you, why not refer the recruiter to someone else who you know? Many executives feel uneasy doing this however you could be doing your colleagues a disservice by not referring them. What if this was their dream job and you just kept them from learning about it? Think about it the other way, if one of your colleagues became aware of a position that you would love to have, wouldn't you want to be able to make that decision for yourself? Additionally, don't assume that a colleague isn't looking just because they are employed or wouldn't relocate because they have lived in the same place for a long time. It is doubtful that you know everything going on in your colleagues' lives just like they would not know everything that is going with you.
Think longer term. Perhaps this position isn't right for you or anyone in your network. However, many times, establishing a relationship with a recruiter can pay off down the road. Once the recruiter learns what is important to you, he/she can keep you abreast of opportunities that align with your goals. Let them be your eyes and ears in the industry. You don't have time (or desire) to scour the want ads or jobs boards plus many senior level positions are not publicly posted.
Many people feel that they are being disloyal by talking to a recruiter about another position or are afraid that their boss might get mad. Think about those concerns for a minute. First, loyalty. Everyday, there are stories about corporate layoffs and downsizings. Many of those people impacted are long-term employees who have been "loyal" to their companies. Loyalty is often a one-way street. As for being afraid that the boss might find out and get mad - is that really the environment that you want to work in?
The best time to find a new job is when you have one. When you are employed and exploring other opportunities, you have leverage because you don't have to take the position if it is not truly better than what you currently have. If you walk in one day and discover that your position has been eliminated, your leverage is gone.
Take the opportunity to make sure that you are being compensated fairly for your labors. If you have been with one company for a long time, you lose perspective on what other companies are paying for people with your skills. Consider this, merit (cost of living) increases, during normal times, average around 3%. People who are employed and make a career change to another company typically see increases of 10-15%.

As a former executive in corporate America, I was guilty of not taking recruiter calls because I "wasn't looking", "was happy" and "was in my comfort zone". It was a case of the proverbial - a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. Looking back on it, I did myself a disservice by not networking with recruiters.

Now, as a professional in the Executive Search industry, it is extremely satisfying seeing people who were "happy" and "not looking" taking advantage of new career opportunities that truly change their lives for the better.

Next time the phone rings, it could be opportunity calling.

October Employment Numbers

2009-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

This week, the US Dept of Labor released the October employment figures. The overall unemployment rate rose to 10.2%.

Looking inside those numbers, however, there was some good news. If you look at the numbers for people with a 4 year degree over 25 years old, you will see that the rate is actually 4.7% (seasonally adjusted). While this is higher than last year (3.1%), it is better than September (4.9%). Link: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm . Click here to view a discussion on Bloomberg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO3AIOitIvI

Additionally, there were a couple of other news stories that came out this week that did reflect some positive news:

Even though the manufacturing segments have been hit the hardest, there are some positive indications there: http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/02/news/economy/ISM_manufacturing_October/

While some industries are down, others are actually struggling to find qualified employees and positions are sitting vacant for long periods of time:http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/03/news/economy/jobs_sit_open/index.htm?postver

Careerbuilder as a recruiting tool - just the tip of the iceberg.

2009-11-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

Is your company using Careerbuilder or Monster as your primary method for recruiting for key openings? If so, consider these facts.

The US adult population is approximately 220 Million. Careerbuilder touts the fact that they have 32 Million resumes (approximately 14.5%). Therefore, roughly 85% of the population is not represented there. Also, many of those 32 Million are either unemployed or disgruntled where they are. Plus, many of these have been picked over by many companies.

Consider also that hiring people who are unemployed or disgruntled increases your risk of turnover. Due to their current situation, they may actually take a position with your company and continue looking for something else. Retention is higher with people who are running toward something rather than away from something.

While Careerbuilder can be a great place to start, companies who use this as their primary recruiting tool are missing out on a very large pool of potential candidates.