The Perfect Fit

Happy Holidays! . . . And Adios 2009!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all you loyal readers of my blog and followers on Twitter.  It's been a helluva year.  In many ways I'm glad to see it go.  From a business perspective, it was (hopefully) the worst economic climate that any of us will ever have to negotiate in our careers.  I know I'm glad to still be standing.  The statistics about how many retained recruiters went out of business this past year are just scary.  I also realize that way too many of you lost your job this past year.  My hope is that something that I share might be of assistance to you in finding that next killer opportunity.

I learned a great deal this year and I hope grew both professionally and personally.  I want to think that I contributed to the careers of others who I recruited for opportunities that they didn't know existed.  I believe I helped my clients grow and feel wonderful about being able to provide a valuable service to them.  I've become friends with many of my candidates, which is always one of the best perks of this profession.

I've made an effort to give back to others through my work with REBUS and MAPSS, this blog and through sharing thoughts and articles through Twitter.  I've received enough positive feedback on all those efforts to know that I'm going to continue them into the future. 

If you're not following me on Twitter, I encourage you to do so @HeadhunterBob.  I share thoughts on marketing trends and issues, recruiting, the retention of employees, and corporate leadership issues affecting corporate culture.

My best wishes to you for a spectacular Holiday Season, and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Are You Ready For Your Next Career Opportunity?

I had a candidate apply for an Account Supervisor position yesterday.  My client is in Dallas and I know this candidate is overqualified for an Account Supervisor level position.  It's not unusual for those who have been without a job for several months to start aiming a bit "lower", just so they can get employed again.  I responded to the candidate and pointed out that the position was in Dallas, and that perhaps he'd missed that.

I thought his reply to me was pretty interesting, and shows some of the frustration not only of those who are currently out of work, but also for workers who are employed.  They're looking too (see my posting "The Next Six Months . . . Emerging Employment Trends") . . . The market is just starting to turn from being one of Employer driven, to the candidate having a bit more leverage.  It's not as easy to find that leadership candidate as many think.  As I've written and Tweeted before, it's never easy finding top performing leaders who fit into a particular company culture, and have the same sort of vision of and goals for the future.

Here's how the candidate replied to me:

Thanks for the information on Dallas position. I assumed that there was not relocation available. That seems to be the case with most jobs nowadays. I've been looking for a couple of months now. There are some opportunities, but even more people looking for them. It's tough enough to be competing against some of the quality of communications professionals out of work, but you still have to compete against those looking to change jobs. I sometimes wish that those with a job would take a break from looking, then that way those of us without one could compete for the open positions. I've run into that a couple times already.
 
Thanks also for keeping in mind for any positions that come up.

I'll just say once again that it's important for every employee to "manage their career".  You need to be ready for a change, should you identify the right opportunity.  You should have your resume and portfolio current, and ready to present.  You should have your online profile(s) in order and up to date.  You should make sure that every tool you have to sell yourself to a prospective new employer is ready to go at a moment's notice.

It would be very unfortunate to miss your next great promotion and/or career opportunity, because you're not ready for it.  Are you ready for a phone call from a recruiter tomorrow? 

Turnover is going to build. How to keep your best workers.HarvardBusiness.org http://bit.ly/7AAgEX It's such common sense! A terrific follow-up to yesterday's post: The Perfect Fit http://bit.ly/pnxRw

Are You Being Taken Care Of, Or Taken Advantage Of?

There was unexpected good news lately with the nation's unemployment rate dropping from 10.2% to 10% . . . doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a start.  The forecasts for spending in marketing and advertising are trending up for next year.  There's already more hiring activity in the 4th quarter than many would have expected.  I'm betting that lots of employees are just biding their time, before they move to a new opportunity.

A survey by benefits consultant Watson Wyatt found that the "engagement" or loyalty, of top performing employees has dropped by 25% over the past year, largely because people who kept their jobs have been soured by layoffs, bonus and benefit cuts, and a stoppage in promotions.  Many employees are keeping their eyes open for their next opportunity.

Employers seem oblivious to making the necessary effort to retain those top performing employees.  While compensation and benefits are obviously very important, they're not the only drivers of employee satisfaction.  Employers could be creating better work cultures.  They could be more aware of what their employees are thinking, by engaging with them . . . yes, actually having a conversation with them in an effort to find out what's important to each one.  I'm not talking about those conversations that happen during "reviews", either!

They'll find that something as mutually valuable as training, or ongoing education is high on most employees lists of things they want more of.  Smarter employees add more value to their employers . . . seems so simple.  Many employees would also like the opportunity to diversify what they do everyday.  They'd like to work in other departments.  Many would enjoy a lateral move to another position in the same company . . . just doing something different can be refreshing and fun.  The result for the employer is employees who are cross-trained, and know more about how the company works, creating a beneficial redundancy . . . all while making the employee happy too.

I've stopped being shocked by hearing the things that consistently drive employees crazy.  At the top of that list is "micro-management" by the boss, or the lack of anyone listening to what are in some cases outstanding ideas to help efficiency or profitability or client retention.  Simple "communication" is a the top of many lists as well. 

My point is that I believe employees are getting ready to move as soon as they can.  It's similar to 2001 and early 2002, when there were huge layoffs, and very few real marketing "career" opportunities.  Employers had employees working additional hours, while being understaffed ("lean" as employers call it).  There was nothing an employee could do, other than simply be happy they're employed.

I know most who are employed today are thankful.  We're getting through the worst economic climate in any of our lives.  Being employed, even unhappily, is an ok thing.  Employers had better start paying attention, and working harder for their employees, or they're going to be very unhappy when the exodus begins.

What do you think?  Do you think your employer is taking advantage of you, or taking care of you?