That the quality of executive resumes is deteriorating in a competitive job market is a remarkable discovery. Several transition coaches in the healthcare industry agree that is the case and no one can figure out why.
There are hundreds of books on the subject, and more career coaches and resume “doctors” than Carter has liver pills, almost all of whom who would be more than willing to help, if only they were asked.
Many executives who are offered transition assistance by their former employers, it seems, would rather just have the money. The executive believes he or she doesn’t need any help with their resume or interviewing skills. After all, they have experience in managing a complex organization. Unfortunately, that is like saying that because I recruit health system CEOs you should feel perfectly comfortable hiring me to run the organization.
In the old days, hospitals didn’t blink an eye at paying an outplacement firm $20,000 to $35,000 to help an executive find a new job. So when an executive asked for the money over much-need help, that was significant. However, those days are gone baby gone.
Transition coaching or outplacement assistance, like so many other educationally oriented programs, is rapidly moving to the Internet, which is exactly how we structured the JGSA Career Transition Coaching. This approach offers better value and lower costs. Our program costs the employer about $7,000 for a senior executive, including a face-to-face meeting with Nancy Swain who runs this practice. Executives also get unlimited access to the excellent on-line video education programs. Follow-up coaching sessions are conducted via Skype or FaceTime. Not to brag, but Nancy’s results are impressive. In one major engagement, she successfully transitioned 250 senior executives and managers from a company that was acquired by a larger corporation. Everyone landed in a new job.
So, if your employer offers help that you don’t have to pay for, take the help, not the cash. At the salary level of most healthcare executives, the $7,000 for a top-flight transition program is not even one month’s pay. Candidates who don’t ask for help usually take eight to 12 months, or longer, to find another position.
The $7,000 value of the transition coaching might be the best money you did not have to spend.