I know, I usually Blog on Sundays, but I had an epiphany this morning. The epiphany is that I am you.
Let me explain.
It was one of those hectic days, with one sick kid, Rena, running to the bathroom every three seconds, and the other, Gavriel, my 2 year old, just refusing to put his pants on. I was trying to get them to eat breakfast so we could start our day, and I was also trying to have an adult conversation with my wife.
I like to have adult conversation outside of the office on occasion. It's a nice change of pace.
Of course, adult conversation comes in three varieties these days- When am I coming home from work to see the kids, When is my next business trip, and What's going on in the office.
Now for the sake of some context here, I love my wife, but we couldn't be more different. I started as a telephone sales rep for a sports marketing firm, and have held VP level positions in Media, outsourcing, technology, new media, consulting, and am in the midst of building my 5th successful P + L, this time in the HR industry. During my last job as the head of Business Development for a technology start up, I woke up one morning in a hotel room, and spent 15 minutes on my blackberry and laptop trying to remember what time zone I was in. When I figured out that I could call home, Rena thought it was hilarious to pretend she didn't remember who I was. So I took this job to cut down on travel, and cut back to 80 hours per week to make some time for my family.
Ilana is a career school teacher (3rd grade in the projects in Canarsie), who's been an at-home mom since our eldest daughter was born 4 1/2 years ago. By the way- she's a union member so her job will be waiting for her when she wants to go back.
You could say that Ilana doesn't love the interview process.
I was telling her about a candidate I have late in the interview process for a Corporate Development position, who I think is perfect for the position, but unfortunately doesn't sell himself as well as he could.
... and that's when Ilana reminded me that "not everyone loves to interview."
I do love to Interview. And I'm still irked by the one job I didn't get offered. (I'll withhold the name of the company so I can bitch about the hiring manager informing me of his decision by email... from his secretary... after 3 face to face meetings... )
What makes me successful as a recruiter is that I do love the process, and more importantly, that I relate to my candidates. Most of HP&C's candidates are top-MBAs. I own the candidates who are former management consultants, and I have peers (no pun intended) in the i-banking, and industry arenas.
The tag line on our new website will be "Bridging your past and the future." That works because you've worked hard to get where you are, and the hiring managers who turn to HP&C to find you respect that- in fact your resume had their name on it a few years ago.
And I realized that that is my strength as a recruiter. Unlike most recruiters who have made a career of this from the outset, I was who my candidates are, and I am who my candidates will be. My clients are peers who understand why my candidates choose me.
The epiphany is that I am you.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Website Update...
I have an exciting update to share with you. We've been working pretty actively on launching the new Hawkes peers website. That's the good news.
The bad news is that this project has taken a big bite out of my blogging time, so I wasn't able to post this week.
Have a meaningful Memorial Day, and I'll be back next week with a new post and an update on the new site launch.
The bad news is that this project has taken a big bite out of my blogging time, so I wasn't able to post this week.
Have a meaningful Memorial Day, and I'll be back next week with a new post and an update on the new site launch.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Job seekers: Tips for Managing Your Recruiter Relationships
The majority of candidates fall on opposite sides of the recruiter management spectrum. On the hands-off side you have candidates who are very cautious, and are only willing to forward a resume in conjunction with a position in which s/he is interested. On the other side, you have the micro-managers, who send a new version of their resume each month, and call to identify jobs in which they are interested, and ask for general updates.
The most successful candidates fall in the middle.
I'm going to show you a bit about how the sausage is made, so you can see why.
Many candidates are afraid to share their resume with as recruiter unless the purpose is a specific opportunity of interest. The underlying rationale, is that an unethical or uncareful recruiter could be less than discreet, and potentially burn bridges with potential future employers, or even within your current firm.
This fear is justified, and to that end, I recommend that prior to forwarding a resume, candidates ask the recruiter about the firms experience and segmentation- as well as internal resume handling processes- in order to ensure that there is a fit between the your career aspirations and the firms expertise, as well as understanding/managing how your resume will be handled, and what permissions/processes are in place for sharing it with third parties.
However, many candidates, rather than having a quick email exchange with the recruiter and applying the sniff test, simply make a rule of not sharing a resume until there is a specific opportunity of interest.
Most firms handle hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities, and as much as 100 times as many candidates. No human can track all of that in his head, so recruiting CRM software packages are used to manage the work flow and identify matches between candidates and openings. Recruiting CRM packages are among the most complex in the CRM industry because they manage two sides of the process- candidates and clients- simultaneously. Hawkes Peers uses a CRM system called Bullhorn (www.bullhorn.com).
The records which are the most complete- including resumes, are most likely to be identified by the system, and by not sharing your resume with a recruiter, you are greatly minimizing the likelihood that he will identify you for the opportunities that you want to hear about most. To that end, if you want to use recruiters to maximize the likelihood that you will hear about relevant opportunities, you have to make the recruiter your partner, and share relevant information with them.
Now that you've taken that leap, you want to own and manage the process. You want to stand out in the mind of the recruiter. You don't want to sit at the office waiting for the phone to ring.
The recruiter's time is a zero-sum game. Time spent with you is time he can't spend engaging your potential next employer, so here is how to manage the balance.
Make sure you have at least one exchange (phone or email) in which you convey your goals and aspirations clearly.
Send updated resumes when major changes occur (ie, the recruiter should know about a promotion, he doesn't need to know about the engagement you are starting in a new industry), these updates can be made before your resume is sent to an employer, as a good recruiter will always ask you.
Do not seek generic updates. the recruiter will contact you with specific opportunities.
Demand timely updates when a specific opportunity is in play. You should never not know where you are in the process with a specific employer.
If you are able to stick to this middle ground as a candidate you will make yourself most likely to be identified by the recruiter for the right-fit positions, and make your recruiter more likely to source relevant positions on your behalf.
Next week: The candidate's Bill of Rights
The most successful candidates fall in the middle.
I'm going to show you a bit about how the sausage is made, so you can see why.
Many candidates are afraid to share their resume with as recruiter unless the purpose is a specific opportunity of interest. The underlying rationale, is that an unethical or uncareful recruiter could be less than discreet, and potentially burn bridges with potential future employers, or even within your current firm.
This fear is justified, and to that end, I recommend that prior to forwarding a resume, candidates ask the recruiter about the firms experience and segmentation- as well as internal resume handling processes- in order to ensure that there is a fit between the your career aspirations and the firms expertise, as well as understanding/managing how your resume will be handled, and what permissions/processes are in place for sharing it with third parties.
However, many candidates, rather than having a quick email exchange with the recruiter and applying the sniff test, simply make a rule of not sharing a resume until there is a specific opportunity of interest.
Most firms handle hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities, and as much as 100 times as many candidates. No human can track all of that in his head, so recruiting CRM software packages are used to manage the work flow and identify matches between candidates and openings. Recruiting CRM packages are among the most complex in the CRM industry because they manage two sides of the process- candidates and clients- simultaneously. Hawkes Peers uses a CRM system called Bullhorn (www.bullhorn.com).
The records which are the most complete- including resumes, are most likely to be identified by the system, and by not sharing your resume with a recruiter, you are greatly minimizing the likelihood that he will identify you for the opportunities that you want to hear about most. To that end, if you want to use recruiters to maximize the likelihood that you will hear about relevant opportunities, you have to make the recruiter your partner, and share relevant information with them.
Now that you've taken that leap, you want to own and manage the process. You want to stand out in the mind of the recruiter. You don't want to sit at the office waiting for the phone to ring.
The recruiter's time is a zero-sum game. Time spent with you is time he can't spend engaging your potential next employer, so here is how to manage the balance.
Make sure you have at least one exchange (phone or email) in which you convey your goals and aspirations clearly.
Send updated resumes when major changes occur (ie, the recruiter should know about a promotion, he doesn't need to know about the engagement you are starting in a new industry), these updates can be made before your resume is sent to an employer, as a good recruiter will always ask you.
Do not seek generic updates. the recruiter will contact you with specific opportunities.
Demand timely updates when a specific opportunity is in play. You should never not know where you are in the process with a specific employer.
If you are able to stick to this middle ground as a candidate you will make yourself most likely to be identified by the recruiter for the right-fit positions, and make your recruiter more likely to source relevant positions on your behalf.
Next week: The candidate's Bill of Rights
Sunday, May 6, 2007
But, Is It Really Worth the Money???
All my posts until now have focused on the candidate side of the search and alliances world, but I wouldn't be much use to those candidates without clients to hire them. So I'll dedicate a little ink to the guys who pay the bills.
From time to time a client will ask me to justify my fee, and every time it takes me off guard. The underlying assumption of the question is that the service we provide is not really of value, and I wonder if they ask their lawyers and banks the same sort of questions to understand why they pay for those professional services.
The comparison goes a lot deeper than the obvious. You pay a lawyer for expertise at law, and you pay a recruiter for his search expertise. Your internal HR group will find you the active candidates, but can you say that they'll leave no stone unturned to find you the perfect candiadte? When is the last time someone in your HR group called a passive candidate, or did a mail merge to source candidates with the profile you are seeking?
It's also true that most recruiters have seen more hires than your average line manager. Just a lawyer can share with you, which clauses of the contract create liability, and which are not worth fighting for, a good recruiter can help you understand your needs, and find the most effective hire, with the most efficient process.
The most common similarity, though, is the input/output correlation.
Most executives tell their lawyers what the contract should say, and get back a contract with many more "standard clauses" which legally protect things the executive himself hasn't even considered. Moreover, executives tend to negotiate the core business terms which are important to them, and many details are "left for the contract stage," meaning a lot of negotiating still has to be done to close the deal when the lawyers get involved.
In other words, the document that comes out of the legal process, depends heavily on the input from the executives. The more explicit the executive summary, the more detailed the contract. The fewer points left for negotiation by the lawyers, the lower the likelihood of the deal dying on the legal vine.
The same can be said for the relationship between the hiring manager and the search firm. Many executives aren't sure what they want going into the search process, and figure that they'll sort it out by interviewing a lot of candidates to determine the best fit. This lengthens the process, and harms the recruiter's ability to put the best candidates in front of you.
The more you know about your needs prior to posting the job, and the more openly you share those needs with the recruiter, the more ROI you'll see on his fee.
From time to time a client will ask me to justify my fee, and every time it takes me off guard. The underlying assumption of the question is that the service we provide is not really of value, and I wonder if they ask their lawyers and banks the same sort of questions to understand why they pay for those professional services.
The comparison goes a lot deeper than the obvious. You pay a lawyer for expertise at law, and you pay a recruiter for his search expertise. Your internal HR group will find you the active candidates, but can you say that they'll leave no stone unturned to find you the perfect candiadte? When is the last time someone in your HR group called a passive candidate, or did a mail merge to source candidates with the profile you are seeking?
It's also true that most recruiters have seen more hires than your average line manager. Just a lawyer can share with you, which clauses of the contract create liability, and which are not worth fighting for, a good recruiter can help you understand your needs, and find the most effective hire, with the most efficient process.
The most common similarity, though, is the input/output correlation.
Most executives tell their lawyers what the contract should say, and get back a contract with many more "standard clauses" which legally protect things the executive himself hasn't even considered. Moreover, executives tend to negotiate the core business terms which are important to them, and many details are "left for the contract stage," meaning a lot of negotiating still has to be done to close the deal when the lawyers get involved.
In other words, the document that comes out of the legal process, depends heavily on the input from the executives. The more explicit the executive summary, the more detailed the contract. The fewer points left for negotiation by the lawyers, the lower the likelihood of the deal dying on the legal vine.
The same can be said for the relationship between the hiring manager and the search firm. Many executives aren't sure what they want going into the search process, and figure that they'll sort it out by interviewing a lot of candidates to determine the best fit. This lengthens the process, and harms the recruiter's ability to put the best candidates in front of you.
The more you know about your needs prior to posting the job, and the more openly you share those needs with the recruiter, the more ROI you'll see on his fee.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
The Salary Escalator
Easily the most common question I get from candidates is what salary range they can expect when they transition into industry.
The world of Consulting is unique in that you get paid a premium for working inhuman hours in even worse conditions. Most consultants with 2-4 years of experience choose to move into industry to cut down on their hours and travel.
They also consider their total compensation from consulting to be their base when moving to industry. After all, the revenue sharing component is all but guaranteed barring complete failure to perform.
Most employers who are seeking consulting talent view only a consultant’s base salary as guaranteed income, and the revenue sharing component to be compensation for the less than ideal lifestyle tradeoffs which aren’t as prevalent in industry.
This disconnect can be shocking to consultants in their initial search.
John (not his real name), a highly rated consultant from a top firm with significant industry experience post MBA and pre-consulting had this to say. “When I decided that I didn’t want to become a partner, I thought that moving to industry was a no-brainer. Then I discovered that the market just didn’t recognize my Revenue Share as part of my salary. Leaving consulting was going to mean a pay cut, and probably a step back in title and responsibility- for a company that didn’t fully recognize the value of my consulting experience. The choice to leave isn’t so obvious anymore.”
Believe me. John is not alone. Here are a few thoughts for consultants considering the jump:
The world of Consulting is unique in that you get paid a premium for working inhuman hours in even worse conditions. Most consultants with 2-4 years of experience choose to move into industry to cut down on their hours and travel.
They also consider their total compensation from consulting to be their base when moving to industry. After all, the revenue sharing component is all but guaranteed barring complete failure to perform.
Most employers who are seeking consulting talent view only a consultant’s base salary as guaranteed income, and the revenue sharing component to be compensation for the less than ideal lifestyle tradeoffs which aren’t as prevalent in industry.
This disconnect can be shocking to consultants in their initial search.
John (not his real name), a highly rated consultant from a top firm with significant industry experience post MBA and pre-consulting had this to say. “When I decided that I didn’t want to become a partner, I thought that moving to industry was a no-brainer. Then I discovered that the market just didn’t recognize my Revenue Share as part of my salary. Leaving consulting was going to mean a pay cut, and probably a step back in title and responsibility- for a company that didn’t fully recognize the value of my consulting experience. The choice to leave isn’t so obvious anymore.”
Believe me. John is not alone. Here are a few thoughts for consultants considering the jump:
- Consider your base salary as the baseline when deciding if you are ready to make a change.
- Think strategically- Your salary in year one might be less important than your expected aggregate salary over the next decade. A job with the right career path might trump the job with a quick payout.
- Remember to evaluate the roles more carefully as the titles, Director in one company may have more responsibility and more relevance to your skill set that Sr. Director or VP in another.
- Finally (and perhaps most importantly) evaluate the how the corporate culture of the perspective company values your experience. Is the hiring manager an ex-consultant? Have they hired other consultants in the past? How have they performed? At what level were they hired? REMEMBER: All leads are important, but a lead referred might by a contact from Business School, might not value your consulting experience or be willing to pay for it.
The best analogy I've heard for this phenomenon is "The Salary Escalator." Consultants take the escalator while everyone else walks the stairs. Pretty quickly, the consultant reaches a level significantly above their non-consulting piers from the same class.
When you leave consulting, You're going to have to dop a few floors in the elevator, then start taking the stairs with everybody else.
The good news is that you'll still be several floors above the rest of your MBA classmates, competing with people up to five years more senior- and you've gotten out of the consulting lifestyle.
Are you ready to step off of the escalator?
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