How to best explain career changes

One of the first questions asked when reviewing a resume is why the candidate has made career changes, especially recent ones.  Sometimes it is more evident than others - a relocation from another state for personal reasons, a company closing or being merged with another, a layoff, etc.  But other times it raises some serious questions.  If you have had basically the same position for ten years, but with seven different employers, it will make a person wonder why you have made all of the changes.

Here are a few basic tips to consider when explaining job movement:

1) Less is not always more.  Candidates falsely believe that providing as little information up front is okay as they can answer questions when their arise in the interview process.  Well, what happens if you never make it to interview stage?  Or if you do make it and the questions come up, but it is at an awkward moment in the interview after staring the discussion with some early momentum.  It can derail the conversation if you don't already have some basic facts outlined in a resume or even a cover letter.

2) Keep it positive.  Don't assume your audience knows why you would leave an employer that is perhaps notorious for high turnover.  Or that there wouldn't be a connection to that employer within the group of people interviewing you for a job.  It is a small world out there and only getting smaller.  If you bad mouth a former employer and hope that counts as an explanation for your departure, you are badly mistaken.

3) Keep it professional, but keep it real.  This line gets blurred sometimes when candidates outline details of a personal situation that affected job performance.  I had to chuckle thinking about this while watching a recent episode of "The Office".  There were some office break-ups that really affected the working culture within the office.  While it might make sense at the time, a prospective employer will not want to hear the gory details of a past personal relationship gone bad that led to your resignation or termination.  While on the other hand there are sometimes personal tie-ups that require a change in job or even some time away from the working world altogether.  You do not always need to be worried about what people will think of these situations as they may have been unavoidable and won't impact job performance going forward.

4) Don't blame others for failures.  No one wants to hear about a boss that stifled all of your brilliant ideas and prevented you from being successful.  People naturally want to hear about how you succeeded, and sometimes despite your working environment.  That is much more valuable to a prospective employer as opposed to you alluding to the fact that you'll need someone else to "set you up" in a certain manner as the only way to be successful.  While having resources and support is important, it is much more impressive to have new ideas and the desire for an open dialogue to finding avenues to succeed in the future.

The bottom line is that the vast majority of us will experience at least 3-5 job changes in their career, if not more.  I will never forget a college professor telling me that the average person will have 6-7 job changes after they graduate and before they turn 35.  At the time I thought he was crazy.  Now after ten years of recruiting I have to admit that he was spot on with his assessment.  Which makes this topic a pretty relevant one and something to keep in mind whether in active job search or not.

Contingency search - what is the difference between active and passive?

There are many ways to describe what I do for a living, but there are certain terms that I absolutely detest like headhunter, ambulance chaser, and the lesser known, yet equally offensive "noodle thrower".  By definition the last title is a reflection of some search firms that throw "noodles" or resumes against the wall just to see which ones stick.  What we do is quite different from that and can be better explained by digging into the difference between an active and passive contingency search.

An active contingency search is quite easy to define.  This is a company that is actively engaged both internally and externally with a search firm to fill an open position.  In most cases everyone is on the same page -- human resources, the hiring manager, and our internal team.  A great level of detail is known about the position and we have a lot of confidence in knowing what we are looking for.

A passive contingency search is much more complicated and many companies do not even attempt to wrap their minds around what this would look like.  There are three basic examples:

1) A position that is perpetually open.  The idea of hiring salespeople usually fits into this category.  You can also sub-categorize this into different levels such as a salesperson who can bring an immediate Rolodex, someone who is going to need some grooming, a veteran presence to mentor others, etc.  The bottom line is that a company will ALWAYS look at this profile no matter the situation.

2) A confidential search where a company may be looking to replace an employee.  This can be for performance-related reasons, bad culture match, or simply the desire to move into a different directions.  For this level of passive search, you must really trust the search firm you are partnering with so that the story is consistent and remains quiet until more detail can be shared.

3) An opportunity hire or a projected growth hire.  This is one of my favorites as candidates are drawn to these types of opportunities and companies.  The type of position that may be required in 6-8 months, but the company has enough foresight to plan ahead and find good talent before the need is too great.  

Although these definitions seem pretty self-explanatory, many organizations are hesitant to engage with an external search firm until they have exhausted all internal resources or simply get to a point of desperation with the search.  While we will still engage with a client at that point, it makes much more sense for us to be involved early on in the process.  We might have that "perfect" candidate in other discussions and you could risk losing an opportunity to speak with them if you wait too long.  Or perhaps the external search firm could help you tell the story from an objective third party perspective.

The bottom line is that we are trying to reach trusted adviser status with our clients and when that occurs, it could make a lot of sense to consider more opportunities to work is this passive silo more often.  Especially since the contract I am describing is 100% contingency involves very little up front risk.  Unfortunately there are some search firms that give the titles I described at the outset of today's blog a lot of validity.  But if you can find the right firm, the idea of true partnership should always be on your mind as well.

Would you agree?  Anything to add about the definition of passive vs. active searches?  As always, I would welcome your thoughts and feedback.

How to stand out from the crowd

This weekend I attended the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival for the fifth year in a row.  8,000 bacon-loving people bought tickets for the event in less than four minutes.  Then descended upon our infamous State Fairgrounds on Saturday morning to celebrate all things bacon.  Later on Saturday evening I enjoyed reading all of my friends posts on Facebook - many of whom I didn't even see during my six-hour bacon binge.  It was simply a sea of people meandering from booth to booth to try delicious bacon morsels.

I had tried to dress boldly by wearing a bright, light blue t-shirt with a funny design on the front.  That way if I was separated from my friends, they would know how to find me.  Unfortunately the volunteers for the day were all also wearing bright, light blue shirts.  So much for standing out, I guess.......

It did make me think, however, of what candidates attempt to do in their job searches to be noticed.  We get everything from crazy resumes to bold predictions in an email title of "BEST CANDIDATE EVER" to unique introductions on Facebook and LinkedIn.  Ironically the ones that try too hard usually end up in my deleted folder more quickly than any others.  So what gets my attention, or more importantly the attention of a hiring manager at a company you would like to work for in the future?  Here are three simple tips to consider:

1) Keep it simple, Stupid.  Yes the old K.I.S.S. philosophy.  And no, I am not talking about the rock band from the 70's.  Create a professional resume that clearly outlines your background, but isn't too flashy with twelve different fonts and accomplishments in bold, italics, and followed by ten exclamation points.  If the information is good, it does not require neon lights pointing them out.  A trained eye will be drawn right to them without all of the fanfare.

2) Keep it fresh.  Although you don't want to get too crazy, having a fun and colorful social media or online presence can be a great way to connect with your audience.  Again, just please don't advertise that as your primary method of getting your information out there.  Listing hobbies on a resume is somewhat of a thing of the past.  But the great news is that you can have that information on your LinkedIn or Facebook page.  I love posting stories and pics of me going golfing with my son.  Oftentimes I get people asking me how old he is, how long he has been playing, and ironically if he is better than me.  Not quite, but it won't be long.......

3) Keep it current.  Many people get too caught up about accomplishments from fifteen years ago.  While still important at some point in the conversation, it needs to be relevant.  I tell people all the time that I had some good success stories from my days as an insurance broker, but that was more than ten years ago.  If I approached one of my clients today proclaiming that I could replicate that success in a short period of time, they would likely ask me what I have done recently to prove that.  Have I sold a large account?  How have I kept up with PPACA and other relevant changes in legislation?  If I don't have good answers for that, my past experience won't do me too much good.

What other ways do you think are relevant to "stand out from the crowd" in a job search?  I would love to hear any stories or feedback!

Why I will be watching "The Job" on CBS......

With Mark Burnett at the helm, there is bound to be a lot of reality television predictability with this particular show.  But there are some very obvious reasons why it would be good for any job seeker to consider watching a few episodes of this show.

1) Never lie on your resume.  I caught a trailer that showed a candidate squirming as she had listed Spanish as a language she was fluent in on her resume.  When asked about it, she could barely say hello in Spanish.  You might think listing some skill proficiency will grab the attention of the company, but unless it is undeniably true, you will likely be called out at some point.  I know how to create an Excel spreadsheet and even a few formulas, but to say I am an expert is a huge stretch.  So I would never even list that on my resume.

2) There is a difference between like-ability and downright goofiness.  Again, in a trailer I saw it appears as though the candidates are going out of their way to outline their personalities.  While that is certainly part of a job interview (and eventually your job), please remember there is a time and place for everything.  The number one function of a job is actually doing the job.  Not getting along with everyone, showing how much of a chatterbox you can be, or even be up to speed on current events.  At the end of the day employers are going to hire based upon job skills and fit for the job.

3) There is ALWAYS competition for a job.  Just because an interview is going well and the hiring authority is showing all kinds of buying signals, there is always someone else being considered.  Including not even filling the position.  It is hard to imagine that is competition, but if a company is on the fence whether or not to hire you, they may choose leaving the position open over making a wrong decision.  So whether you think you are up against two or twenty candidates, be sure to put your best foot forward as if you are on the stage with others and you want to be memorable for all the right reasons.

At the end of the day you must keep everything in perspective.  I am not endorsing this show by any stretch of the imagination.  Their goal is ultimately to sell ad space.  But crazy things happen in the interview process all the time and this could be a good reminder to stay sharp so that none of the craziness ever happens to you!

Let me know if you end up watching the show - I would love to hear any reviews!