Author Archives: Dorothy Dalton

The hard truth about soft skills

“Hard skills are the foundation of a successful career. But soft skills are the cement”

Five years ago it was normal to have a line at the top of a CV just stating a professional objective. What we are seeing now is a marked shift. Most companies are less interested, in the early stages of a hiring process at least, in what a candidate wants personally. At this point hiring managers are more focused on the needs of the organisation. What does this candidate do well and can he/she do that for us? Usually followed by “how quickly?” To successfully convey that message a succinct synthesis of your career path is required, joining the dots between hard and soft skills distilling it into a coherent story with a snap shot of any achievements.

I read hundreds of CVs and professional profiles a week. It is my job to identify potential talent behind quite often poorly written presentation. Even though I have many years’ experience I am sure I miss excellent candidates. Others who are less experienced and don’t know what to look for can do this consistently. It’s not that there are typos (those resumes are frequently cut) but these profiles simply don’t tell a compelling story, giving their background and career coherence.

Usually, they have no professional summary linking hard and soft skills.

Hard skills

Their resumes will come to my attention (or other executive search specialists) probably because of the high incidence of hard skills in the text which will carry a heavy weighting in terms of keywords. This could include: education, job titles, professional training and so on. That CV would make the number which are read by a human eye. But unless that resume or professional profile tells an engaging account, the chances of the phone being picked up are slim.

If you do get lucky and speak personally to someone in the hiring process, but are not able to articulate those success stories verbally, you will not continue through the remainder of the process.

It is therefore imperative to bring clarity and show coherence around your career story as early as possible. You should be able to do this effectively both in writing and orally.

But like a wasp at a picnic the question keeps re-occurring – why don’t people do this?

Barriers

Lack of self insight – they simply don’t do the hard yards and take the time to look into their own careers. It’s a lot of work and probably the most significant career management exercise anyone will do. Ever. It’s a life skill and once mastered can be used regularly as part of an annual career review and goal setting exercise.
Arrogance – this is not what they have always done. The “old way” might have worked well once, but times and expectations are changing. Panic sets in when a problem is encountered (e.g. job loss, professional disappointment)
Fear of bragging – many simply don’t want to appear to brag. This is very common but particularly noticeable with women. I coached a woman recently and based on her CV I thought she was “communications counsellor”. The reality was that when she retold her story personally and somewhat circuitously, this is not her function at all. She is actually a senior political media and government relations strategist, and in one role launched and led communication campaigns for one of the world’s most renown leaders. Think President status! This tapped into a whole host of soft skills she is still in the process of naming.

Soft skills cement a career

Risks of not doing this

Candidates who fail to pull their career history into a coherent story suitable for delivery in writing can appear to have what one senior HR Manager in Belgium recently described as “a collection of short-term moves, which can be a symptom of professional instability and/or lack of ability/willingness to make and hold long-term commitment to a team/company and/or to a mandate with a set of heavy challenges requiring significant time investment into a definite position“.

This takes on greater significance if in a five generation workplace where Boomers, very often in hiring roles, struggle to understand that for younger candidates the length of time spent in any position is shorter today than it was thirty years ago. Economic circumstances have also resulted in general churn between 2009 -2012 and will need explanation. One CV was recently cut from a process for having seven positions in fourteen years. Some see that as job hopping for others this is strategic career advancement.

No short cuts

There is no short cut to being able to perfect this process. It requires insight to pull the threads of a career together and present them in the best possible light. Hard skills also date over time. So although they tend to be the foundation of a successful career, it’s the soft skills required to achieve results that provide the cement.

A professional summary that can be delivered in writing and person is a vital tool, not just in today’s job search market but as part of a long-term career strategy.

If you need help honing your success stories – get in touch NOW!

LinkedIn: leave those kids alone!

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In an attempt to attract younger users to a new university section of the website, LinkedIn has reduced its minimum age limit for members from 18 years to as low as 13 years of age in some geographies. Coming into effect from September 12th, the age limits will vary according to statutory requirements in different countries: 14 years old: United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Australia and South Korea, 16 years old: Netherlands, 18 years old: China.

13 years old: All other countries

A number of measures have been taken to “safeguard the experience of LinkedIn members under the age of 18″ with additional precautions for privacy. Their profiles will not appear in search engines and neither will their ages be published in the public domain. Profiles will be displayed “first name, last name initial, and general region”.

This has produced a flurry of debate in the blogsphere and amongst the Twittererati.

Is this a good thing? The jury is out.

Dilution

There are many who think having an influx of 13-18 year olds will dilute the professional content of the site. Concern that high-flying execs will be bombarded by a veritable flood of text speak about dates, discos and school projects is anticipated. Just a short conversation with my 16-year-old neighbour made that possibility seem remote. The signature simultaneous rolling of eyes and raising of eyebrows, to the unspoken “whatever” pretty much said it all.

It has been some years since my kids were 13, but chances are that Mum and Dad saying “go and complete your really fun LinkedIn profile after you’ve done your homework ” will be met with equal derision.

Will we see a deluge of disruptive teen activity on LinkedIn in the next months? I suspect not. I have to plead with MBA candidates to set up a professional profile and they are generally more than twice their age, let alone Year 7 or 8th and 9th graders. Kids are hardwired to rebel against anything parents think are cool or necessary. That is the whole point of being a teenager. This is their time to hang out, have acne and find their own way. My nephew is 13. Do I think a priority in his life should be his online professional presence or crafting a succinct value proposition?

No I don’t. Not unless it relates to the U14 cricket team. His response to whether he would like a LinkedIn profile was ” What’s LinkedIn? Is this about jobs and stuff?”

Parents

I suspect that much of this will be centred around the parents.

One dad told me “My son (13) can have a professional profile when he knows what to do with it and how to handle the process appropriately. At the moment he doesn’t understand the implications of online activity or the potential repercussions of any mistakes. He’s simply too young.”

Another spin-off of this development will be that its taps into the essence of that ever-growing demographic: the pushy, helicopter parent. I have no doubt that whole hosts of “yummy mummies” and “driving dad’s” will be creating adult style profiles for their coddled offsprings in an effort to create a perfect CV. Will the next dinner party conversation be centred around the number of hits their kids have had on their junior LinkedIn profiles in the last seven days? I’ll put money on it! These are the kids who will be offered a rotation of internships with the friends of their super connected parents by the age of 18 to build up impeccable credentials. That is on top of their funded trips to dig wells in Africa and build homes for underprivileged families in Eastern Europe.

The aim of the new ‘University Pages’ feature is to give prospective students access to information about colleges, plus the ability to connect with other students and alumni. That is all fine. I am all for a more strategic approach to careers and definitely think university is the time for this to kick in.

But for me 13 is far too young. How many thirteen year olds go to university anyway? The last two years of high school allows plenty of time to start being a career-focused grown up.

Let them be teenagers

Protecting kids from inappropriate internet activity is fine and dandy but most are on Facebook anyway, so I’m not sure what difference this will make. Teenage years should be spent worrying about kissing with braces, debates about who to take to the prom and thinking your lab partner is a nerd. With a bit of luck there might be a passing interest in grades and homework.

Their mission at this point in their lives is to be embarrassed by their parents. Not attempting to be their clones. This is how it absolutely should be. Just as crawling before walking is a vital developmental function, this is a rite of passage and a necessary part of the maturing process to independence.

This is before we even start to explore the impact of the gap created between teens who don’t have professionally savvy parents, who will get left even further behind.

What do you think?

The most overlooked piece of networking etiquette

Brush up your networking etiquette. It’s not about you! Make one person feel comfortable at every event

Do you ever wonder which sadist put eating, drinking, standing up and networking in the same sentence?

At networking events, do you feel genetically challenged and your fine motor movements suddenly seize up? Does securely balancing your glass, clutching a cocktail napkin and finger-food plate in your sticky fingers become an impossible task?

Do you dread slickly producing your business card with a smooth sleight of hand of hand, while simultaneously delivering some pithy, riveting sound bite about the value proposition of your business (or yourself) in one easy movement? All this of course at the same time as other physical aforementioned challenges?

Do you create a danger zone and is anyone else physically at risk, if cutlery is involved in any part of this process? A spoon, but heaven forbid… a fork?

Do you quake at the prospect of elbowing your way to one of those high cocktail tables, overcoming nausea at the un-appetizing buffet detritus, squeezing your plate in and asking if you can join the group?

Does the thought of a chirpy encounter with a cool, calm and connected fellow networker purring “Tell ME all about YOU”, fill you with total horror?

When you see the phrase “walking dinner” on your invitation do you immediately groan and think “foot petals”?

Does your handbag appear take on the same demolition potential as a sledgehammer?

Does root canal work sound appealing in comparison?

You are probably in the majority.

I have read, written spoken, coached and consulted on networking for many years. But while we are exhorting the newbie networker to get out there and perfect their elevator sound bites, dive into the networking scrum and no end of other challenging strategies, there is one overlooked piece of networking etiquette that deserves to be resurrected by every networker, confident or otherwise. We should all aim to make one other networker comfortable at an event. All it takes is a few words:

Please join us…
Can I help you with …?

Being a good networker isn’t all about being cool. It’s not just about making your perfect pitch, collecting cards or securing appointments. It’s about embracing others. If you are genuinely a good networker you will be empathetic towards, and aware of, the people around you and help them feel at ease. You will remember your networking etiquette

The man or woman struggling with their carefully constructed bite sized tortilla, miniature tiramisu, or diminutive shrimp on an oversized garnished spoon might very well be useful connection or have something of value to add.

If you are truly a skilled networker, you should add to your networking strategy: make at least one person feel comfortable at any event.

Let’s start to reconsider what constitutes good networking etiquette.

Repatriation: 8 causes of “re-entry shock”

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Repatriation can be more stressful than the original move.

I am a long term expat with two international moves under my belt. Three if you count the move from England to Wales. Both my children are “Third Culture Kids” (TCK) having been born outside their passport country. o I know first hand that a successful international experience can be an enriching one, personally and professionally, for both the expat and his/her family.

Increasingly there is a great deal of corporate support during the outward process to guarantee a seamless transition into an expat assignment. But I know from any number of stories heard socially and professionally, that repatriation is quite often not supported as seriously as the outbound transfer and even neglected totally by many companies. This is both financially and also in terms of transition supervision.

Why repatriation is not taken seriously

In theory, the expat is going back to a situation with which he/she is familiar and it is often incorrectly assumed that this process will be problem free.

Stressors tend to intensify in relation to the length of the international assignment. Long term expats with multiple moves under their belt, with portable careers and skill sets, report additional difficulties.

Repatriation: 8 causes of re-entry shock

Expats talk of “re-entry shock” and feelings of reverse homesickness are very common.

Re-assimilation can take anything from six months to five years depending on the length of the overseas assignment and the degree of local integration experienced in their expat lives.

If you need support with repatriation or an expat transfer check out the individual coaching programmes

The are 8 expectations to manage:

1.The home environment will be the same

The expat has usually lived a life changing experience. There is a tendency to assume that practices in the workplace of origin will be unchanged and professional relationships can be picked up where they left off. This is almost always not the case. These too will have evolved, particularly any nuances in the balance of power and influence which may have developed and changed during the period away from base.

It is very common for the expat to feel excluded or passed by, especially if the re-entry is to a central headquarters. Many expats make a decision to return to HQ for career development reasons because they perceive being away from headquarters reduces their visibility quite literally. When they get back they are considered to be out of touch.

2. New skills will be appreciated and maximised

Feelings of frustration are commonplace if accompanied by few or no opportunities to maximize any new skills or experience. If the expat experience does not seem to be valued, disappointment will be intensified. Unmet expectations can even lead to depression and the employee leaving the company.

3. Family and friends will be interested

The expat has usually had an exciting time, using professional opportunities to enhance their personal experiences via travel and other activities. Returning expats report that old friends show very little interest in their overseas lives to the point where they cease to talk about it. In some instances it is perceived as bragging.

4. The returnee will feel at home

Many cultural changes will have taken place in the culture of origin during the international assignment which the expat will not have been part. The expat can feel like a “foreigner” in his or her own country and customs and practices that were once completely normal to them now seem alien. The expat location was their home.

5. Career Transition Coaching is not needed

To support this stage of career development is invaluable to engage all stakeholders to achieve successful re-integration and to maximize the return on what has been a significant corporate investment. The reality is that repatriation process should be positioned as part of an ongoing longer term career strategy to maintain motivation. Ideally it should start well in advance of the return to home base.

Many companies do not do that to their detriment and are surprised to see transition issues with the employee on his/her return. They are even more surprised to see the employee leave with a 19% turnover reported. This is a poor ROI on talent management investment.

6. Family and Partners will be fine

This is part of the thinking process that needs to be re-examined by many companies as the professional and personal continuum is blurred during the return to the country of origin. The expat not only has to manage his/her professional re-entry, but will be impacted by negative experiences to which the family is exposed. So if the trailing spouse and any children are struggling, especially those born outside their passport countries (TCK), then the expat will be under even greater pressure professionally.

7. Loss of expat perks

Depending on the seniority of the assignment expats miss very often the financial perks of an international mission which could include company car, petrol allowance, school fees, flights home etc. On the return these benefits tend to cease. In some regions (APAC, Eastern Europe) domestic support is provided and/or is very affordable.

8. Expats will not miss their friends and overseas lives

International communities tend to be very open and welcoming, as well as offering a variety of cultural experiences, shopping, travel and food items and so on. Adjustments will need to be made contributing to the feeling of homesickness.

So, for many the challenges of “coming home” can be just as significant as the transition of “going overseas.”

Do you need support repatriating? Get in touch NOW

Do you have a career P.L.A.N.?

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Do you have a career plan?

The likelihood of most of us sitting down every year with a professional career coach to create an annual career strategy is about as great as chocolate cream cake becoming a zero calorie dessert any time soon. No one would think of having a medical with an unqualified doctor or getting their cars serviced at an unauthorised garage. Yet many casually stick their heads out of their pods and ask their colleagues, spouses, pub buddies, friends or family members for definitive input on what are potentially important career questions.

Do you go with the flow?

Most of us have a very casual, laissez -faire, “trust in the moment” attitude to our careers, especially if we enjoy our jobs and are professionally satisfied. Careers quite often move along at their own pace with perhaps some superficial input at an annual performance appraisal. But few organisations are progressive enough to have meaningful appraisal systems that they actually implement.

In our lives we maintain our cars, our gardens, our health and our homes, yet we rarely maintain our careers.

Do you have a career P.L.A.N.?

Until of course there is a problem or we get stuck.

Then, in response to a glitch or unexpected situation we frantically update our CVs, reach into our network to call “what’s his name” and desperately try to set up some sort of online presence. So even if we are sublimely happy (and perhaps even more so) every one of us should have a career or professional plan.

There is a fine line between complacency and contentment.

Here is my helpful acronym that illustrates why:

P is for PURPOSE – Create goals “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible” said Tony Robbins. If you go through this process with a professional career coach so much the better.

L is for LEARN – learn and understand your transferable skills and strengths. They will thread through your careers like a string of pearls and will become invaluable confidence builders and key to your overall plan. The workplace is changing at a phenomenal pace and skills become quickly outdated. Ongoing life and professional learning should be a key component in our career plans. .

A is for ANALYSIS – in any S.W.O.T. analysis identifying opportunities and development needs will be very significant. People who know what they are good at and have identified any skill shortfall are almost always excellent managers and leaders. Set up training programmes and create strategic alliances and network contacts in line with your longer term goals. Ask what can you do for those connections before an issue arises. If any crisis does occur “what’s his name” will be someone you can contact without embarrassment and who will be happy to return your call.

N is for NAME – naming and articulating your success stories and goals and creating a plan boosts a dream or a wish into a reality. In today’s complex workplace even the most successful, competent and content among us have set- backs. Knowing the steps that underpin a career plan make it so much easier to be flexible and re-evaluate in the light of new circumstances and change direction if we need to. Having the skills and experience to create and implement a plan will help you get beyond any negative situation.

So do you have a career P.L.A.N.?

Do redheads need to be a protected minority?

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I was born with light red hair. Back in the day it was called strawberry blonde which I never really understood, because strawberries are actually really red! Sometimes and more ostentatiously I was a Titian blonde. Apart from the odd building site worker yelling “Hey ginge” from time to time, I was never subjected to any sort of name calling, teasing or harassment that many redheads are now subjected to. In fact, it was generally a source of affectionate banter. So why do some people now think that redheads need to be a protected minority?

Old wives tales

Like all the old wives tales associated with this colouring, I am inclined to be a little hot-headed. I bleed profusely when cut and I am less easily anesthetized. I break away from the curve as I have fewer freckles (angel’s kisses) than most redheads. Should I decide to grill myself like a vegetable on the beach, I could sport a sun tan, if I wanted one. I know I am a higher risk for skin cancer, so always wear a hat and factor 50 sunscreen. Over the years like most with my colouring, I haven’t gone grey, merely faded to a sort of sandy blonde. I counteract this with some assistance from my dear friend L’Oreal. To the best of my knowledge I have never turned into a vampire.

So I was surprised to learn that there is a growing move for redheads to become a “protected minority” as a result of the increased incidence of bullying and discrimination. This is not only in schools where only the quickest search will reveal horrendous incidents reported. A school teacher friend told me that red heads are on teacher’s bullying at risk watch list.

It is also been part of a comparable growth in workplace bullying, ranging from corporate settings to the NYPD. I found a plethora of web sites set up exclusively to report such incidents and to offer support to this minority.

The ginger gene

In 1995, Professor Jonathan Reese discovered that mutations of the gene MC1R on chromosome 16 were responsible for red hair (known as the “ginger gene”). The gene mutation responsible for red hair in humans probably arose 20,000-40,000 years ago. It occurs naturally on approximately 1–2% of the human population more frequently (2–6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations.

As with any minority, throughout history reactions have varied from admiration, suspicion to ridicule. Redheads were burnt at the stake in medieval England as witches. Aristotle was said to have called them “emotionally un-house broken” although that has never been substantiated. Across the globe, proverbs and warnings are centred around the negative aspects of unfortunate encounters with persons of red hair colouring.

Migration and red hair

A very small percentage of black people also have red hair. Dr. George Busby an expert from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics suggests that red hair trait may also have been transported by early migration in the 1600s and developed from historical interactions between Europeans and Africans in the Caribbean. Irish people were sent to the West Indies as indentured servants during that time period.

“This might also explain why you occasionally see red hair on a black Caribbean person who has two black parents. By chance alone, it might be that they are both carrying a European mutation which has come together in their child,”

Unprotected minority

But why in this day and age this sort of prejudice exists is a mystery. One explanation offered by a social historian contact, is that with all other sorts of blatant discrimination now outlawed or considered politically incorrect, (race, gender, physiology, sexual, nationality) the bullies amongst us have been left with few targets for their vicious invective.

It is yet another form of “othering.” Are redheads therefore becoming one of the last unprotected minorities?

Let’s find out!

Joel, 29, works in Sales Accounts for a U.K. based insurance company. He has very short hair which he keeps in a number 5 buzz cut. To you and me this is street speak for extremely short hair, but I suppose on trend with today’s fashion. It doesn’t seem out-of-place in the centre of business London. Joel’s hair colour is naturally what you and I would call chestnut, a rich brown. But when the sun shines on it some copper tints and glints are visible. Don’t people pay fortunes to have such highlights put into their hair I mused? Not Joel. He cuts his hair every two weeks. Why? “To avoid teasing and bullying. I got sick of the comments and I also worried that my hair colour would be an issue for promotion”

I should add that Joel is over six-foot and a rugby player, built like a tank, so unlikely to be physically abused, but clearly took to heart the verbal jibes. This is in stark contrast to Alex Kosuth-Phillips who was attacked and his jaw broken in Birmingham, U.K. simply because of the colour of his hair.

International scope

However, this is not a British phenomenon, although with the nature of the gene it is more likely to be found in certain ethnic groups and therefore geographies. Incidents are widely reported in Canada, Ireland, Australia and anywhere Northern Europeans are based, or have migrated to.

It is almost impossible to believe that the U.S. has a “Kick a Ginger Day” a follow-up from the T.V. show South Park.

But they do.

Marilyn, a Washington based lawyer with Irish heritage, spends over $100 every month colouring her naturally red locks, brunette. “This is not because of anything that has happened in the workplace, but because of the trauma of growing up with red hair and the scars it has left from bullying in school.”

On a more positive note according to a Clairol Color Attitude survey, with 71% of redheads saying they feel the word “bold” describes them, 24 points ahead of blondes; 80% say they are self-confident, 25 points ahead of blondes. We also have a head start in the health stakes survival game surviving many debilitating illnesses it would seem at a better rate! Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but redheads have more sex, or at least they do in Germany. Some of the most prominent literary figures and leaders in history from Mark Twain, Cleopatra, Cromwell, Vivaldi, Van Gogh and George Washington were all redheads.

Next generation

This is an update nearly a decade later. I still get regular comments and messages in response to this post. Many commentators recount horrific tales of abuse and bullying which linger into their adult lives.

My grand daughter is a redhead. And honestly is anyone does anything to hurt her – they will have me to contend with!

So do redheads need to be a protected minority or should they dare to be different?

What do you think?

If you wish to eradicate bullying and harassment from your organisation get in touch NOW!

Metrics: If you can’t measure it – don’t mention it

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The Peter Drucker phrase “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” has been around in management training manuals for decades. With some dissenting views, it is widely accepted if not as a business truism, certainly as a useful guideline and management tool.

In career management what is also gaining credibility is the line “If you can’t measure it – don’t mention it.”

I’m a big subscriber to that philosophy.

Metrics

We are seeing a convergence between the marketing techniques usually associated with entrepreneurs and businesses with individual self promotion (in biz patois, Personal Branding,) with the the same measurable values starting to become applicable. Many balk at this shift, feeling that people are becoming commoditized. But are they really? All this really involves is simply a move from a task and chronology mindset, to a result, achievement and skills focus.

Just as we don’t care about the detail of the business process for any organisation, we are also starting to expect the same approach on individual resumes and profiles. We don’t care how smart phones are made. We just want to know what they can do for us. When we buy jars and tubes of emulsified chemicals from L’Oreal, we buy products that are hopefully going to magically transform us – even if it’s only in our imagination. We are buying the added value. Why? Because we are worth it.

Bigger picture

The management accountant who produces monthly reports and forecasts using Bex Analyser and Excel would be better placed telling us what he used that information for, rather than describing the detail of the routine task. If this can be followed with a metric and results so much the better.

When you include “young and dynamic” in your elevator pitch, I need to know what difference that will make to an organisation. If it means you have just graduated at the top of your class with the most up to date mathematical models to support faster analysis of business processes at your finger tips. Tell me that.

These are just two conversations I had this week alone.

Need help identifying your transferable skills? Check out the individual coaching programmes

Forget cute, metrics matter!

Very often people are so focused on being cute, zany or idiosyncratic that their message becomes simply verbiage and we have no idea at all what they mean. I am highly literate so always recognise the individual words, but sometimes I have no clue what the person actually does in a joined up sentence. “Effective change agent, crisis manager, business turn around leader.” A crisis could be a merger, takeover or a blocked loo. What sorts of businesses, crises and changes? What were the outcomes? Can this person do that for us, is the over-riding question of any employer. If it’s not clear and the question has to be asked, the risk of losing the reader (me) has already increased. I have the attention span of a gnat. And I am slow!

Just as when we buy a lap-top we want to have some information on the basic features (weight, operating system, colours, memory, hard drive etc) the main questions will be centred around what value that lap- top can add for us, how we can benefit from it and how we can best use it for our own purposes.

Job search processes are no different. If a computer had a “buy this computer” sign on it, wouldn’t you ask “Why? What will it do for me?”

Candidates are no different.

If you need job search help, get in touch NOW

7 downsides of DIY recruitment via LinkedIn

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DIY recruitment is short sighted and lazy

Two people apparently join LinkedIn every second of every day.

This platform and others like it have changed forever the way organisations identify and recruit talent. Some aspects are improvements. Others are not.

These platforms should potentially reduce the need for external recruiters and change the way they are managed by corporations. Historically the key claim to the added value of third-party specialists was their networks and in-house data bases. These were built up over the lengthy careers of each consultant and protected ferociously. Much of this information is now obviously in the public domain, creating a level playing field for all.

In certain de-regulated geographies anyone with a LinkedIn account and a lap top can set up shop and call themselves a recruitment specialist, whether internally within an organisation or as an independent third-party. But it has also produced a slipshod DIY approach to hiring talent, carried out by those involved in the process who mistakenly believe it’s an opportunity to recruit on the cheap.

I was approached myself by a London-based in-house recruiter only last week! Yes really! Me! Sadly, my credentials are as distant from the required profile as Brussels is from Beijing. However, my name had appeared in a LinkedIn search. I was what I call a “low hanging fruit” candidate. Visible and easy pickings.

This I believe will ultimately back fire. And here’s why.

7 reasons why DIY recruitment can fail:

So anxious are organisations to reduce the length of the recruitment process that in-house recruiters are taking on the searches themselves and are targeting the “low hanging fruit” candidates. Minimal or no skill is required and they can be identified by the most rudimentary search. These are the candidates who are on the market, rather than a thorough search of the talent that is in the market. And therein lies a huge difference. Researchers usually junior, end up calling the wrong people. This only serves to extend , rather than reduce the timeframe, generating even further costs, estimated at between 3-5 times the annual salary of the open position.
Hiring managers can be so focused on reducing the cost of the process of filling each individual open position, that they fail to link the expense of the recruitment assignment to the bottom line of their own businesses. Very often the “butts on seats” approach, affectionately known as the “Homer Simpson hire” also has extensive hidden costs. An unsuccessful or inadequate hiring decision can lose companies thousands in the opportunity cost of an under performing new hire or one who leaves early.
With the growth of LinkedIn an increasing number of us ( 21%) have 500+ connections. Identifying the most on-target candidates will becoming more complex.
Highly sought after profiles will become beleaguered by numerous contacts from recruiters targeting “low hanging fruit.” They will either stop using LinkedIn altogether or refuse to engage.
It’s not enough to identify the candidate, but to bring him or her to the to the hiring table. This requires professional soft skills in what Greg Savage calls “candidate seduction.” I would love to put that in my profile but have concerns about the type of impression “Dorothy Dalton: Candidate Seductress” might create!
Changing careers is rarely an emotional snap decision although I have seen that happen. It is usually a protracted process involving partners, families and other factors. A relationship with a trusted partner with a strong reputation who acts as a sounding board will be important in that process.
The fear of getting hiring decisions wrong shunts recruiters into “copy-paste” placement mode, playing safe and ignoring valuable transferable skills leading to more “low hanging fruit” candidates who are easily sourced.

Does the proliferation of online profiles mean that the future of the industry is under threat? I don’t think so. But it is certainly a game changer and any one in the sector would be unwise to ignore that fact.

If it weeds out the unskilled, incompetent DIY-ers that would be welcome collateral damage.

Debunking 4 online professional profiles myths

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Much is written about professional profiles by many “experts” that frightens the life out of the average job seeker, or even passive candidate who simply want to have a strong online presence. The list of dos and don’ts is never-ending, with the net result that many are totally confused.

I’m actually confused.

There are many so-called pearls of wisdom written about what people in the executive search or recruitment business are looking for, which completely mystify me.

But hold on…..I AM in the executive search business. Am I making decisions on these so-called “deal breaker” criteria?

Truthfully? Not really.

The reality is that many pundits are no longer (or have never been) involved in executive search and recruitment and are out of touch with the process or are not even currently working in a corporate environment. They are merely expressing a personal opinion, not issuing irreversible imperatives.

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Debunking 4 online professional profiles myths

The LinkedIn summary – everyone is in agreement that this piece is where the punch should be packed. It is a searchable field so should have a good smattering of keywords but not stuffed (over done in layman’s terms) Most recruiters don’t really care if it’s written in first or third person because they don’t have time. It’s not up for the Pulitzer Prize in literature. Personally, I would avoid referencing myself by name and generally favour dropping pronouns altogether. But that is a personal opinion.

Text rather than bullet points is de rigueur – recruiters and search specialists take about 8 seconds to read the top half of a profile – so it doesn’t really matter to most of us as long as it is easy to digest. The object of a summary is to entice the reader to scroll down and make contact. If you are a bullet point type of person it makes no sense to present yourself as a writer of prose. If you are a indeed a wordsmith, an editor or targeting a sector where writing skills will be important – this is a good place to showcase them. But by no means mandatory.

Will the prose writer carry more weight than the bullet pointer with the same skill set?

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No. Not in anything I have been involved in. Ever.

Your CV and LinkedIn summary should not be the same – who says? I have never sat in a candidate review meeting and heard anyone say “You know, I think we should cut X. His/her CV profile and LinkedIn summary are identical” It just doesn’t happen. If you meet the skill set required by the job profile you will likely be contacted, unless there are other mitigating factors (typos, your biz pic looks as if it belongs on a police report and so on.)

Put different content in both – once again not sure why this gem is doing the rounds. A LinkedIn profile gives possibilities to highlight different areas of expertise and skills in greater detail because there is no space limit. It also offers the opportunity to highlight recommendations, endorsements, make a slide share and so on. So it will, de facto, be different. But a CV should still include all the key points contained in an online profile, but in a more concise format perhaps, using more complex vocabulary and syntax to showcase writing skills. Research says that recruiters are reading LinkedIn profiles before a CV anyway.

What anyone involved in the search and recruitment business needs in terms of content is what my back in the day high school Economics teacher Mr. Malcolm Thomas used to call C.P.R.: concise, precise and relevant. If you can write that with a Welsh accent you will be fine!

And this is where the real skill lies.

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Professional relationships that turn sour

What happens with professional relationships that turn sour?

Do you think you can really be friends with your boss and colleagues?

When you get to a certain age we have all had any number of knocks, disappointments, bad experiences and betrayals. Sometimes the wounds are deep and take a while to heal leaving a build up of cumulative scar tissue.

Many try to cover it up, ignore it completely or have the psychological equivalent of laser surgery. But lumped together this becomes the well of experience we can tap into and learn from. Getting these knocks early in your career can actually be a bonus. So to use that old bumper sticker phrase “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Nowhere is this more sensitive, valuable and variable than in the area of personal relationships in the workplace. Is it better to get burnt in your early career and learn some lasting lessons in the best school of all? Life.

What happens to professional relationships that turn sour?

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Charmed life

I had lived a pretty charmed existence, with almost no scar tissue from my early career. My deepest wounds were to come later, for which I was completely unprepared. At that point I was betrayed and duped by people close to me, or whom I had known both professionally and personally. I thought I knew them, so I was completely thrown for six when I found myself let down and even conned.

You see, I had built up no scar tissue.

Three years ago an encounter with a rogue recruiter left me wiser and poorer. He disappeared owing me a sum of money large enough to matter, but not significant enough to make it economic to pursue him through the courts. This was his modus operandi. I found I had been an easy target. My lesson was to be much tighter with my paperwork and my research and more contained about personal interaction. After a period of extensive cynicism where I viewed everyone with deep distrust, I am finding a balance, but I do remember to touch my professional scar tissue when in doubt .

Jeff is 27 and a Junior Consultant with a major international organisation. He was in two interview processes recently, one with another similar organisation where the job content was less interesting, but offered an excellent compensation package. The second was with an organisation where an old family friend would be his boss. He had been made a verbal offer for what seemed like his dream job. He had instantly established a rapport with the hiring manager, a familiar face from his High School days. They had played squash a few times and a start date had been agreed. Jeff turned down Job Offer 1, but then sadly, Job Offer 2 failed to materialise. An internal candidate was appointed.

Although Jeff hadn’t resigned from his present role (he nearly did) so he does still have a job, but a more junior colleague was promoted over him. This in real terms is demotion by another name. He had discussed his job offer conundrum with his current boss and colleague with whom he is very good friends at their regular TGIF pub outings

The moral of these vignettes of professional relationships that turned sour:

Just because someone acts like your friend it doesn’t mean to say they are. I found that out to my cost. Your boss in particular will put organisational needs first. Your co-workers can be your competitors.
The blurring of professional and personal relationships can cause difficulties. I was a victim of white-collar fraud which is more serious and intentional. But caution when confiding personal information in the workplace even with peers, is always advisable.
In any process you need to find the steps involved and who the decision makers are. A line manager may want you on the team but may not know of other factors playing out in the background: budgets, internal HR policy etc. Try and get as much in writing as you can. People make commitments in good faith and are over ruled. Others go beyond their authority level to impress.
A verbal offer is not binding. Sort out contractual arrangements before rejecting other offers and especially discussing the situation with your employers.

Jeff is upset, angry and frustrated. Is he wiser? I hope so!

Upside? He now has some career scar tissue!