Pontiac Career Management

Archive for the ‘Consulting Career’ Category

Job Fairs are starting to pick up, and Dice is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs.  At a Bay Area job fair in January, 10 companies as showing up, and Dice has 82 job fairs scheduled for 2010 across the US.

How do you compete at a Job Fair?  The competition can be significant, but you can help yourself stand out from the crowd with advance preparation.  At AA-Careers, we have a simple six-step process to get ready.  Don’t just go to drop off your non-customized resumes at all the booths!  (If that’s all you plan to do, save some time and gas and stay home.)  Plan to go?  Here’s how to prepare:

First, research the companies that are going and pick your targets.  Research the companies that are there ahead of time.  Go to their websites and see if they have their openings posted.  Pick a reasonable number to target, and get ready to spend up to an hour researching each one.  It’s hard to do more than 10 in a day, and 3-5 is a much more reasonable target.  For each company, you want to know: key product lines, recent news, and executive names.  Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies.  You’ll end up with a page or two of research for each company/job.

Second, if there are job postings on the web, read them to see what the hiring manager is looking for.  Create a mapping of your accomplishments and skills to the requirements of the job.

Third, create a ‘mini sales pitch’ for each likely company/job combination.  Write down a 90 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat verbally describing why you are a great candidate for that position.  You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet people at the job booth.

Fourth, modify your resume for each job type.  The objective on your resume should exactly match the position you’re targeting.  The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job.  Then choose the accomplishments and skills that most clearly match the job requirements.  Especially at a job fair, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews.

Fifth, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews.  Dress well and be well groomed.

Finally, practice your ‘mini-sales-pitch’.  Collect your research and the resume for each position – bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a clearly labeled folder.  Keep them in a lightweight briefcase or folio.  Remember to smile, and good luck job hunting from all of us at AA-Careers!

Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of key executives – CEOs, Partners, COOs, Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, and so on. Top business professionals like these present unique challenges to the Career Consultant, because they face unique challenges in their own transitions! Specializing in working with this clientele, I have identified 10 distinct issues that senior executives usually confront with when conducting a job search – and I have developed practical solutions for each one of them:

#1 – EGO

Loss of self-esteem, identity, self-worth, and self-concept

Embarrassment, shame, and “tarnished” image

Loss of control; feeling “out of control”

Used to making BIG decisions and having MAJOR impact

SOLUTIONS:

Keep your “usual life” going (family activities, volunteer, sports, hobbies, etc.)

Develop/recognize your worth OUTSIDE of the job

Be open to learning new things and taking small risks

Recognize the value and power of “baby steps” (doing the right things over and over)

Ask for support!

#2 – NO RESOURCES/SUPPORT/INFRASTRUCTURE

Not accustomed to doing all the day-to-day administrative tasks yourself

Lack some basic habits for details and logistics; organization of tasks, etc.

Technology impaired

Must think of everything/burdened with time-consuming planning and activities that used to be handled by support personnel

SOLUTIONS:

Get over it and get busy

Learn new behaviors and technical skills

Leverage technology and basic organizational tools

Respect and value the small tasks that support the whole process

Possibly hire someone to assist part-time, or get a volunteer to help with some tasks (friend, family member, etc.)

#3 – HIGH-END JOBS HARD TO FIND OR TO DUPLICATE

Search takes longer, and frustration can be greater

Simply less opportunities at this level; sometimes only one or two appropriate positions open in the entire country

SOLUTIONS:

Expand your scope, consider being more flexible, and possibly relocate

Consider taking a short-term step back in order to eventually move ahead

Explore consulting or starting/buying a business

Be more creative in developing your Target Company List and personal marketing plan

#4 – MAINTAINING HIGH COMPENSATION

Difficult at all times, but especially tough in a bad economy

May be a threat to other senior employees

SOLUTIONS:

Be prepared (job-seekers’ toolkit!)

Be sure you talk to the right people, i.e., the ultimate decision makers

Research the target company and talk to contacts for compensation information

Collect data on actual salary ranges for the type of position you are seeking (salary web sites, industry journals, directories, etc.)

Do financial planning, including diversifying and developing other income streams

Seek flexible financial arrangements, such as an equity position, bonus income, or employment contract with bigger upside

Assume a “partnering” attitude rather than a “take control” attitude

Be realistic about what you NEED vs. what you WANT

Downshift your lifestyle to take the pressure off

#5 – REACHING THE APPROPRIATE CONTACTS

Higher barrier of entry; difficult to get through senior executives’ gatekeepers

Human Resources is of little or no help

SOLUTIONS:

Join and participate in executive networking programs, boards of directors, and venture capital groups

Leverage relationships with search firms and other career contacts

Use your senior-level references and referrals

Focus on solutions and the added value you offer

Call-in favors and get help from senior-level friends and colleagues

Talk to hiring managers about ways you can help them reach THEIR business goals; positions are often created at this level

Develop a “Proposal for Service” and quantify the real value of your contributions

#6 – JOBS FILLED INTERNALLY AT HIGH LEVELS

Staff members have been “paying dues” for years at the company, and are already in line to get the top job

Company does not want to take a risk bringing an outsider into such an important position

Company does not want to spend the money to conduct a search for an outside senior executive

SOLUTIONS:

Explain how being from the outside can be a strength; you can “broaden the gene pool”

Focus on companies that are open to bringing in outside management, and that have done it successfully before

Target troubled companies that might need your fresh perspective and specialized skills

Leverage your professional referrals and contacts

Research the internal structure of a company to determine how to best position yourself

#7 – THERE’S MORE COMPETITION AT THE TOP

High-level job openings often get national exposure

The more desirable the position, the more people are fighting for it

There is only ONE President or CEO (and perhaps only FIVE Senior VPs, etc.)

Leverage your professional referrals and contacts

In a tough economy, top people “stay put,” so turnover is slower

SOLUTIONS:

Research a company’s culture and weaknesses; understand BOTH and sell to the company’s needs

Be totally prepared. Sell yourself HARDER (job-seekers’ toolkit, accomplishment stories, etc.)

Do more networking with your “centers of influence”

Learn how to “rise above the crowd” and get an edge

#8 – AGE!

Perceived as being too old, “washed-up” or “over the hill”

This concern can be expressed in many ways (i.e., “you’re overqualified”). Listen and watch carefully for the clues!

SOLUTIONS:

Refocus the employer on your qualifications, proven results, industry contacts, and experience – not age

Identify REAL issue underneath the age concern

Know the culture of the company: if no one there is over 40, don’t try to get hired at 64!

Target smaller companies that might appreciate your experience, contacts and credibility

Maintain/demonstrate your health, vitality, energy, and enthusiasm

Avoid “the R word” (retirement)

Be “tech-savvy,” up-to-date and informed about your industry

Convey your intention and commitment to stay at the company long-term

#9 – LOCKED IN PARADIGM (of being The Boss)

Losing a job at this level can be devastating (“the bigger they are, the harder they fall”)

Feeling “invulnerable” on the job (“layoffs won’t affect me; I am IN CHARGE!”)

Don’t feel comfortable asking for help

Have been isolated and “cocooned” or “coddled” for too long

Hidden fear that maybe you really CAN’T hack it on the outside (been at same company/job so long)

SOLUTIONS:

Get over the DENIAL, “roll up your sleeves” and get busy

Do market testing to assess the real worth of your qualifications

Engage the services of a professional Career Consultant to get you on track and keep you accountable

Prepare a great portfolio of job-seeking tools

Pull your head “out of the sand” and deal with the reality of the situation

Rely on the ability and intelligence that got you to the top in the first place

Seek-out support as needed

#10 – PERCEPTION OF OTHERS

Your failure seems greater – because you were higher up on the corporate ladder

Not being taken seriously as a job candidate (“she doesn’t really need to work”)

Others project their own fears onto you, so they feel threatened

Others are in denial, not believing that your cr
isis is real

People act like you’re “contagious” (if YOU lost YOUR job, then no one is safe!)

SOLUTIONS:

Tell the story about your departure from the company (get comfortable with it)

Let everyone know that you’re OK with the situation

Gently “straighten people out” regarding your real situation (push back)

Be genuine, humble, relaxed, and real

Demonstrate positive attitude, faith, and perseverance in the search

Tell friends and family how their reactions affect you (positively or negatively)

By gaining a better understanding of the special challenges they face, and implementing the solutions outlined above, my senior-level clients have dramatically improved their job search results and significantly decreased their levels of anxiety and frustration. More importantly, they have all landed wonderful, new jobs!

Copyright © 2008, Career Potential, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

If you don’t want to miss any superb career opportunities that appear in a HR department of one of the world’s leading Consulting firms, then consider registering your CV with them. You might be actively looking out for your next opportunity or just passively interested in opportunities that could catapult your career into a new an exciting phase. Or are you ready to go one better and become an independent consultant?

But if you have the time and opportunity to choose from more than one opportunity and other top consulting firms, which would you go for?

Consulting Magazine surveyed 13,000 consultants representing 205 firms. Questions were grouped into six sectors:

- Compensation

- Work/life balance

- Career development

- Job experience

- Firm leadership

- Firm culture

The winners of the best firm to work for were:

1) Bain & Company

2) The Boston Consulting Group

3) North Highland

4) Point B

5) Booz & Company

6) Alvares & Marsal

7) Milliman

A.T. Kearney

9) Monitor Group

10) Kurt Salmon Associates

Other firms you might consider working for include:

Abt Associates

Accenture

AT Kearney

Avanade

Bain & Company

BearingPoint

Booz Allen Hamilton

The Boston Consulting Group

Deloitte

Development Dimensions International

Diamond Mgmt. & Technology Consultants

First Consulting Group

Hitachi Consulting

Huron Consulting Group

IBM

PRTM

ICF Consulting

Infosys Consulting

Kurt Salmon Associates

McKinsey & Company

Mercer Management Consulting

Mercer Oliver Wyman

Monitor Group

Navigant Consulting

PA Consulting

Point B

Proudfoot Consulting

Robbins-Gioia

Sapient

Tata Consultancy Services

Towers Perrin

ZS Associates

Working for one of these firms can provide you with excellent experience on being a consultant. But remember that to a large extent, when working for one of these firms, you are what some call ‘wrapped up in cotton wool’ and allowed to simply go out and consult with guaranteed income every month.

Being an independent consultant is far more demanding as you have to take responsibility for all the aspects of running a business in addition to providing consulting services to clients. But once successful, you can enjoy far more freedom, independence and a higher income than many employed consultants.

Which type of consultant do you want to be? If you possess some entrepreneurial spirit, the excitement, rewards and satisfaction of helping others through your own consulting business might be far more attractive than just being another employee in large consulting form.

If you want to become a successful independent consultant and you have the courage and ability to succeed without the corporate cotton wool that employees are wrapped in, you need to learn how you can win a pipeline of high paying clients and earn the high six figure income that you probably want.

It is certainly not for the faint hearted because knowing your subject is simply not enough. You need to know how to operate a complete business and then go and and satisfy your clients.

Marketing, finance, account management, project management and leadership are just some of the areas that you need to become an expert in when running your own consulting business.

Which type of consultant do you want to be?