White Paper: 6 Key Questions to Ask Your Search Firm

Posted on May 13, 2013 by John G. Self

We are in the throes of several important search engagements right now so we do not have a new blog post for you today. Instead, we thought we would share a white paper containing six key questions you should always ask when hiring a search firm or executive recruiter.

Click to download: 6 Key Questions to Ask Your Search Firm

We appreciate your patience and will be back with new posts on Wednesday.

Sincerely,
John G. Self

Managing Your Brand While Looking For A Job

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Becky Pearce

Executives looking for a job should always be mindful of protecting their career brand.

From the minor errors in the resume or cover letter, to applying for jobs they do not qualify for, or stumbling badly in the interview process, there is ample opportunity for executives to damage their brand in the job search process.

Here are five guide points to help executives navigate these potentially troublesome waters.

1. Do Not Apply For A Job You Do Not Qualify For – If the job advertisement, internet posting or networking email specifically mentions in the first sentence “We are searching for a physician executive” and you are not a doctor, then why waste your time? The mentality that something might work out is not only wrongheaded but it will diminish you in the eyes of recruiters who are overwhelmed with resumes.

Here is an interesting factoid: “Job seekers self-report spending up to 10 minutes viewing a job,” according to a recent study conducted by internet recruiting site, The Ladders. On average they actually spend between 39.7 to 76.7 seconds. So look before you leap. Clicking the “submit resume” button on every ad that contains the words “leadership” or “executive” is a fool’s errand. Slow down and actually read the job requirements. Submitting a resume for a job that you do not qualify for is a red flag: Beware!! This candidate does not pay attention to details.

2. Resumes Are Preferred For Executive Searches – In an executive search, send a resume that chronicles your executive progression and value-based accomplishments, not a curriculum vitae that focuses on endless listings of appointments, committees, research and articles. The only time you use a CV is when you are applying to an academic or affiliated organization, or a research firm. A 46-page history of your research articles with no clear career path is a great way to be excluded in a competitive executive search. The only people who speed read faster than candidates are recruiting researchers who spend, on average, between 20 and 30 seconds reviewing a resume or CV.

3. Do Not Send The Same Resume For Every Job – No two jobs are alike. Pay attention to the client’s selection criteria and preferred characteristics. Use a career summary paragraph at the top of a resume to emphasize your strengths and accomplishments that match the needs of the client. The one-size-fits-all jobs resume is a thing of the past. Target your audience.

4. Proof Your Documents – We all have submitted documents in our career—resumes, letters, proposals, contracts…heck, even blogs, that contain errors. While regrettable, one or two errors will probably not change the rotation of the earth. However, if, over the course of a search, the number of minor errors increases, you are only reaffirming that you do not pay attention to details.

5. Be Prepared, Be Smart – If you have a career glitch – and I am not talking about the candidate with five felonies (that is another story), or if you fall short with one or two elements of the selection criteria, prepare in advance how you will address these issues. Only a foolish candidate will be cocky enough to devise an answer on the fly when asked. Think these issues through. Draft responses. Practice and revise. Then practice in front of a mirror. When asked, smile, and then hit the ball out of the park.

Regardless of the industry, competition for the best jobs will only intensify in this new economy. Faced with an avalanche of resumes, recruiters must eliminate candidates to get the number down to a manageable level.

Do not make it easy for them to eject you from the game.

Recruiting: Five Questions for CEOs

Posted on May 6, 2013 by John G. Self

“At most companies, people spend 2 percent of their time recruiting and 75 percent managing their recruiting mistakes.” – Richard Fairbank, CEO at Capital One, Forbes Magazine, April 2013.

Over the next five to seven years, as the healthcare industry faces a tsunami of change/transformation, an organization’s success or failure will turn on the quality of their employees and flawless execution.

CEOs who get caught up with big picture strategy options – Accountable Care Organizations, patient-centered medical homes, mergers, and acquisitions – at the expense of talent acquisition, development and retention do so at their own peril. In fact, you could make the case that an organization that fails to find, train and retain the best available talent – the “A” candidates – runs the risk of significant losses and, ultimately, business failure.

Here are five critical questions CEOs should consider to avoid career destroying mistakes:

Own the recruiting process – The great CEOs in modern business history will say that a big part of their success is driven by their focus on people – finding, recruiting, developing and retaining the best employees. How much time do you spend on recruiting/talent acquisition and training – 50 to 70 percent of your time?
Know your recruiting brand – Healthcare providers cannot attract and retain the best talent if their reputational brand stinks. How do potential employees see you in the market? Are the top candidates lining up to work for your business? What is your turnover rate? How many EEOC complaints are pending? Do your recruiters treat candidates with respect? Do they communicate effectively? Do you tolerate bad behavior from key executives and clinical leaders because of their perceived importance? What are you doing to ensure your brand says and means “employer of choice”?
How does your internal recruiting team perform? – Did you terminate your relationship with external recruiters because you wanted to improve the quality of the candidates, or to cut costs? Most CEOs will say “yes” to both questions. The fact is that many get stuck focusing on costs, as evidenced by onerous performance metrics that penalize recruiters who take too long to find the best talent. Metrics are important, but the real measure of successful recruiting is in the number of “A” candidates you interview and hire. Are your recruiters “A” quality or are they nice people content with filling job orders?
Do you have a best-of-breed management succession plan at the manager/director level as well as the C-suite? – While there is enormous reluctance among many healthcare executives to engage in succession planning in the executive office, one of the other threats is management turnover at the Department Director or Manager level. This is where success or failure is achieved – managing the day-to-day operations. Executives who fail to acknowledge this immutable truth will be career limited sooner than later. Are you really prepared for management and executive turnover with an up to date plan?
Do you have a sense of urgency? – Change is coming. When the full effects of reform hit, will you have the best people in place? If you wait, it will be too late. Finding the top talent requires a sense of urgency and a highly competitive spirit. If your competitors are smart, they are already sizing up your top performers. When you are recruiting an “A” candidate, you must instill a sense of urgency with the recruiting team. Do you allow endless meetings and scheduling conflicts to delay your recruiting process? What is more important, finding top talent or attending another unrelated meeting at which nothing is decided?