A Client Speaks - 18 Dilemmas Facing Executives in the Job Search
Is This You?
- Laid off or fired?
- Bored & desire a new career?
- Over 45 & concerned about career strategy?
- Sending out resumes - little or no response?
- Recruiters not responsive?
- Can't find what you want?
- Can't find unadvertised job opportunities?
- Can't get past gatekeepers?
- Outplacement firms getting you nowhere?
- Want interviews now?
The job search is multi-faceted and complex, at best. However, there is one common factor applicable to all executives: for you to receive an offer of employment, the company must identify you as the best person to satisfy an unfulfilled company need. Each interviewer is wondering if s/he is receiving a full measure of worth and talent for each dollar s/he is paying you. Moreover, interviewers want to know that, even though you are a wonderful person, they can make money off the sweat of your brow.
Can they track your performance to the bottom line? If so, you are the one. If not, they will hire someone else who seemingly has the ability to make them money. Why they hire you becomes an exercise in being able to effectively communicate your self-awareness and talents, both verbally and in writing, to the satisfaction and comprehension of your potential employer. When you have done this, they will employ you.
This assumes a great deal. First, you are fighting an economy with a high unemployment rate. Second, at your level of expertise and experience, they don't hire two of you for the same job. In other words, the pyramid gets narrower the closer you are to the top. This means that not only are the number of executive jobs limited but you also face fierce competition from other highly qualified people for a limited number of positions.
Many executives, when transitioning to higher levels in their careers, fall victim to one or more of these common pitfalls or traps. Failure to effectively avoid, sidestep, or completely prevent these dilemmas will not only yield short- and long-term financial losses but also result in career mistakes that can range from uncomfortable to disastrous.
