Generator Group - Talent Management and Recruiting

From entrepreneur to employee: making the transition

By Candie Fisher, Client Development

Are you one of the “unemployable” entrepreneurs?  Making a transition from entrepreneur to employee can be challenging, but taking these steps will help you find the opportunity that’s right for you.  Really, it’s good advice for anyone considering a career change.

1. Be clear on what you want.  Successful entrepreneurs often think of themselves as a “jack of all trades.”  Hiring managers, however, are looking to fill a specific role, even at the executive level.  Decide on your ideal next role, figure out what skills and experience are most relevant, and build a resume around it.  Use your resume to focus recruiters and potential hiring managers on your successes, accomplishments and skills, and avoid looking too broad, shallow or unfocused in your talents.

2. Network like crazy.  As a successful entrepreneur, you have no doubt created an extensive network of contacts in your field – customers, vendors, partners, philanthropic colleagues.  Your network is where you will find your next opportunity.  Responding to a job posting is taking a shot in the dark.  We’d all like to think that ours is the resume that makes the recruiter jump out of their seats with excitement, but the reality is that you are competing with hundreds of other people and chances are slim that your resume ever even makes it to the hiring manager.  Use your network to find out about opportunities and to reach the hiring managers for positions that interest you. 

3. Consider the company’s culture.  You were great in the interview, you got an offer…but is this company right for you?  Especially in the case of an entrepreneur, cultural fit is one of the most important criteria to assess.  Have you spoken to the right people about the culture?  Have you asked the right questions about the attributes that are important to you?  What does your gut tell you?  As an entrepreneur who is used to calling the shots, taking risks and reaping the rewards, be honest with yourself about whether or not you will thrive in this new environment. 

Ultimately, you’ll need to use the things that made you a successful entrepreneur – creativity, relationships, perseverance, focus - to successfully navigate your search for a new career.

Candidate Interview Protocol: Bringing your “A” game to the interview

By Enrique Washington, partner at Generator Group

The time spent preparing for an interview is as important as the time invested in getting the interview.  To get to the interview, you have applied or been recruited and likely participated in the beginning stages of a hiring process.  As a result, your interest level in the job has increased and the organization has become more interested in you as a strong candidate.  What can you do to make sure you put your best foot forward, bring your “A” game and get that job offer.

Of course, there are long lists of things you can do to prepare for an interview and I encourage you to “Google” them. However, for the purpose of this article I will share some of the most common areas that even seasoned professionals forget before their interview. In preparation for your interview, here are five areas that will help you develop your “A” game.  They are as follows:

1.         Do your homework – as simple as this may sound, there are still seasoned professionals who do not come prepared for an interview.  You should: a.) understand and research who you will be meeting with       b.) understand and know the organization’s business at a level that shows you have invested the time to learn about them and how that connects to the role they are trying to fill, c.) leverage your network by speaking with individuals who may have worked for the organization, currently work for the organization and/or know people who have worked for the organization. d.) understand the culture down to the level of knowing what is the appropriate way to dress for the interview. e.) if the organization has a retail store, you should visit the space or if they have product in a retail store you should check it out to increase your awareness.

2.         Be prepared to reflect on your experiences- because the interview can often predict future job performance, you should come prepared to communicate your past and/or current work experiences.   The best way to prepare for such questions are to think about your responses by using a simple acronym called S-A-R.  S-A-R translates into “your situation”, “your actions” and “your results”. Remember to be clear and concise!

3.         Be present – there is nothing worse than going to a meeting and not being 100%  present.  Being present will definitely impact the interest level of your potential employer.  Come focused on your interviewers and remember to listen.  You should prepare thoughtful, follow-up questions that you may want to ask your interviewers.  Do not forget to silence your cell phone!

4.         Be organized – it is very natural for people to come to meetings prepared with the necessary items needed to be effective.  So, why should an interview be any different?  You should always come with extra resumes, a notebook and, of course, something to write with.

5.         Do your follow-up – letting people know how much you appreciate their time should never be forgotten.  It is important to write a brief thank you note to the individuals you met with.  To demonstrate how well you listened, you should reference in your note a statement or comment from the interviews.  Do not forget to confirm your level of interest.

All too often even seasoned professionals make simple mistakes that cost them the job.   Seasoned or not, you should always invest time in planning and preparing for your interviews.  Bringing your “A” game to an interview will highlight the difference between you and other candidates being considered for an offer. Spending the time, being prepared, being present, being organized, and following up are all part of your “A” game to help get you that offer.

Career Transitions: Re-Entering the Workforce After Being a Professional Parent

By Roy Notowitz, Partner - Generator Group

A couple of years ago, my sister wanted to get back into the workforce after taking 6 years off to be a professional parent for her young children. She has now been back in the workforce for two years and has resumed her previous level as a VP in a major financial institution in New York City. 

When she wanted to get back into the workforce, she had asked me to help her through the process because she anticipated that potential employers would think that her skills were not relevant anymore.  I worked with her  to perfect her communication around her desire to return to work. We also worked on her ability to articulate the core competencies that she still held despite her time on the sidelines. The first few interviews were challenging for her, but we debriefed after each one to learn from the experiences.

Here are a few of the important success factors that worked for her:

1. She needed to have confidence in her abilities in order to succeed in the interviews.
2. She did not have to settle for just any job as a result of taking time off, she could be selective.
3. She bolstered her marketability by doing some contract consulting work to gain a baseline of experience with some of the newer systems and audit procedures.
4. She maintained a positive attitude and demonstrated flexibility without giving up what she really wanted.

Many employers did not view my sister’s time off as career suicide and,in fact, it wasn’t really a big issue. Although initially she had to take a bit of a salary cut and start at a slightly lower level to compensate for her gap in experience, she quickly rose back up to her previous level and commensurate compensation. Her biggest challenge in re-entering the workforce was adapting to the changes in pace, productivity, systems, and email etiquette driven by the proliferation of technology that happened in her absence. For example: she asked me once if she should reply to a coworker’s email saying “Thanks” after receiving a reply to an email that she originally sent to that same coworker.

Here are some resources for professional parents who wish to re-enter the workforce on a part-time or full-time basis:

Matchpoint  (http://www.matchpointcorp.com/)

Matchpoint is focused on the needs of professional parents. With operations located in NY, Portland, LA, Atlanta, and Seattle our mission is to help professionals identify and explore professional opportunities, share information on domestic services, and help create and sustain family friendly work environments. We are committed to improving the way corporations engage and leverage the skills of talented professionals looking to find a balance between family and work.

Back on the Career Track (http://www.backonthecareertrack.com)

Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-At-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, a book offering strategy and advice to women resuming careers after extended time at home with children. Both graduates of Harvard Business School, Carol and Vivian have experienced personally the process of building a career, taking a career break to be home with children, and getting “back on the career track”.

iRelaunch (http://www.iRelaunch.com)

iRelaunch  is a resource that will be launching shortly to connect mid-career professionals on career break with each other, with resources to update them and with employers interested in reengaging them.

Generator Group - Executive Job Search Firm

What’s Wrong with the Old Career Path? Based on “First, Break all the Rules”

Here is a great article on talent management by our friend Christina McGuire at ODImprints. Check out Christina’s web site at: www.ODImprints.com

 

What’s Wrong with the Old Career Path? Based on “First, Break all the Rules”

By Christina McGuire, owner, ODImprints

Sooner or later every manager is asked the question, “Where do I go from here?”

The employee wants to grow. He wants to earn more money, to gain more prestige. He is bored, underutilized, deserves more responsibility. Whatever his reasons, the employee wants to move up and wants you to help.

What should you tell him? Should you help him get promoted? Should you tell him to talk to Human Resources? Should you say that all you can do is put in a good word for him? What is the right answer?

There is no right answer – any one of these answers might be the right one, depending on the situation. However there is a right way to approach this question – namely, help each person find the right fit. Help each person find roles that ask him to do more and more of what he is naturally wired to do. Help each person find roles where her unique combination of strengths – her skills, knowledge and talents – match the distinct demands of the role.

For one employee, this might mean promotion to a supervisor role. For another employee, this might mean termination. For another, it might mean encouraging him to grow within his current role. For yet another, it might mean moving her back into her previous role. These are very different answers, some of which might be decidedly unpopular with the employee. Nonetheless, no matter how bitter the pill, great managers stick to their goal: Regardless of what the employee wants, the manager’s responsibility is to steer the employee toward roles where the employee has the greatest chance of success.

On paper this sounds straightforward; but as you can imagine, it proves to be a great deal more challenging in the real world. This is primarily because, in the real world, conventional wisdom persuades most of us that the right answer to the question ‘Where do I go from here?’ is ‘Up’.

It Doesn’t Have to be This Way.

This system (of promotion – up) is flawed, for it is built on three false assumptions.

The first fallacy is that each rung on the ladder represents a slightly more complex version of the previous rung. Consequently, if a person excelled on one rung on the ladder, it is a sure sign that with just a little more training, he will be able to repeat his success on the rung above. The best managers reject this. They know that one rung doesn’t necessarily lead to another.

Second, the conventional career path is condemned to create conflict. By limiting prestige to those few rungs high up on the ladder, it tempts every employee, even the most self-aware, to try to clamber onto the next rung. Each rung is a competition, and since there are fewer rungs than there are employees, each competition generates many more losers than winners. Great managers have a better idea. Why not resolve the conflict by making prestige more available? Why not carve alternative career paths by conveying meaningful prestige on every role performed at excellence? Why not create heroes in every role?

Check out Christina’s web site at: www.ODImprints.com