Top headhunter James M. Citrin on how to build a great career now.
From: Issue 83 June 2004, Page 98 By: James M. Citrin URL: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/83/gettingahead.html
Who he is: Global leader, technology, communications, and media practice, Spencer Stuart
CEOs he's placed: Terry Semel, Yahoo; Ed Zander, Motorola
Most recent work: Coauthor, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers (Crown Business, 2003)
The state of the hiring market: We're in the healthiest place we've been in the 10 years I've been in the business. There's balance between experiential value and potential value. Hiring companies want a proven track record of success coupled with indications that the person will continue to learn and build on her experiences.
Best places to work now to get to the next level: I tell MBAs and middle managers this all the time: Do not underestimate the power of the brand you're associated with. Go blue chip earlier in your career. It's like going to a great university. It's great taking entrepreneurial risk, but you have to establish a track record at one of these recognizable companies. Here are some businesses that fit that bill and why.
Microsoft--It's moving toward much more of a general management philosophy. Seven business units with full P&Ls and general managers. This has the potential to be the GE for tech leaders of the 21st century.
Dell--Hiring companies love its degree of growth, its bias for analysis and measurement, and its quantitative management. Its direct-to- customer model is one that many companies across all industries are trying to move toward.
The whole wireless category is very sought after--Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, less so AT&T Wireless because it's not renowned for its management. Think about it: Wireless is tech and communications convergence, it's the direct-to- consumer model. It also has retail channels, it has a subscription model, and it's highly competitive. It's applicable to industries as wide as cable television, fast food, publishing, and the Internet.
Last "Hey, doc, can you look at my elbow?" conversation: I just talked today with a guy, 40 and highly regarded, who has been running a business unit and whose CEO wants him to become chief strategy officer. He was very concerned about getting off the operating track, and what that would do for his continuing career development.
My advice: If he goes from an operating role to a strategy role for three years, then yes, he'll be rele-gated to Siberia. But to do it for one year, even two years, is great. Because, ideally, boards want people who are operators, strategists, and who have leadership skills. If he can get experience and acknowledgment for strategic planning, then that's actually a great thing. But he should try to negotiate an out from his contract that would let him leave for a noncompetitive operating role.
Career book to read right now: Career Warfare , by David D'Alessandro (McGraw Hill, 2003). Funny, direct, pithy. Lots of stories.
Best "found" career advice: I read the John Adams biography by David McCullough. Adams was such a student of people that in his early days, after Harvard, every time he met somebody, that night, he would go and write what made them special in his journal. I started doing that after every meeting.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
The 8 Habits of Effective Job Searchers
You got the offer, now what? Questions every candidate should ask before signing on.
From: Issue 84 July 2004, Page 90 By: Fast Company URL: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/84/gettingahead.html
Anne Lim O'Brien reveals how to find the right job and her methods for determining great candidates.
Who She is: Senior partner and practice leader, global consumer products, Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. Active in CFO and CMO practice, and works with senior chairman Gerry Roche on high-profile CEO searches.
Go-To Person For: PepsiCo, private equity firms Kravis Kohlberg Roberts and Forstmann Little.
What one piece of advice do you give the job candidates you meet?
This is all mine. I call it the five Cs and three Ts. I'm giving my trade secrets away by telling you! First, the five Cs. These are things candidates should think about, and then decide what's most important.
Challenges Is this new job going to broaden you? Is this setting you up for success or failure? How does this add to where you want to go? I look at this, too: If a candidate has already "been there, done that" in terms of the job duties, then the motivational level won't be there. Are they going for the glamorous title? If so, they may be reaching for failure.
Company This goes beyond homework on the company's financial performance. You see yourself in the mirror and think, "I am brand X." You have to be true to that. Do I feel more like a Procter & Gamble? Or do I feel more entrepreneurial?
Culture Within each of us is a set of values that charge us up every day. We want to believe that what we're doing is lined up with the values of the company. Is there integrity and good communication? Or is this a culture with a lot of toxic managers? When you're CEO, you get to set the tone. What are you going to do?
Chemistry A lot of people don't look around and see with whom they're going to be spending 12 hours a day. This is especially important the younger you are, where development really counts. What are you going to learn during the next three to five years? Does a manager just want to get the most out of you without giving you much in return?
Compensation Don't shortchange yourself. You'll look back and say, "Ugh. Was I too anxious?" I see this with people who've been out of the workforce for a couple of years and then don't know where to pin their value down. A company should always respect the value you bring.
What are the three Ts?
These are my tools, but it's important for a candidate to know them, too.
Track record It doesn't have to be clear-cut -- P&G into maybe PepsiCo, and then boom, you're the next CEO of some consumer company. But you want to see consistency of achievement. Did she bring success? Can she show how she added value?
Trajectory You see a lot of Wall Street people go straight up. Whoa! How do you deal with that? Up fast, down fast. We're looking for a 45-to-60-degree angle moving up, not 90 degrees. Because people have to be emotionally equipped to handle their success. You have to be able to relate to people, not just be good at what you do. Plateaus are okay. If I can understand a reason behind each one, for balance factors, it doesn't put you out of the game.
Transition Where do you ultimately want to go? When you say what the endgame is, I try to track your transition from point A to point B. Why did you move? I am trying to understand motivations.
From: Issue 84 July 2004, Page 90 By: Fast Company URL: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/84/gettingahead.html
Anne Lim O'Brien reveals how to find the right job and her methods for determining great candidates.
Who She is: Senior partner and practice leader, global consumer products, Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. Active in CFO and CMO practice, and works with senior chairman Gerry Roche on high-profile CEO searches.
Go-To Person For: PepsiCo, private equity firms Kravis Kohlberg Roberts and Forstmann Little.
What one piece of advice do you give the job candidates you meet?
This is all mine. I call it the five Cs and three Ts. I'm giving my trade secrets away by telling you! First, the five Cs. These are things candidates should think about, and then decide what's most important.
Challenges Is this new job going to broaden you? Is this setting you up for success or failure? How does this add to where you want to go? I look at this, too: If a candidate has already "been there, done that" in terms of the job duties, then the motivational level won't be there. Are they going for the glamorous title? If so, they may be reaching for failure.
Company This goes beyond homework on the company's financial performance. You see yourself in the mirror and think, "I am brand X." You have to be true to that. Do I feel more like a Procter & Gamble? Or do I feel more entrepreneurial?
Culture Within each of us is a set of values that charge us up every day. We want to believe that what we're doing is lined up with the values of the company. Is there integrity and good communication? Or is this a culture with a lot of toxic managers? When you're CEO, you get to set the tone. What are you going to do?
Chemistry A lot of people don't look around and see with whom they're going to be spending 12 hours a day. This is especially important the younger you are, where development really counts. What are you going to learn during the next three to five years? Does a manager just want to get the most out of you without giving you much in return?
Compensation Don't shortchange yourself. You'll look back and say, "Ugh. Was I too anxious?" I see this with people who've been out of the workforce for a couple of years and then don't know where to pin their value down. A company should always respect the value you bring.
What are the three Ts?
These are my tools, but it's important for a candidate to know them, too.
Track record It doesn't have to be clear-cut -- P&G into maybe PepsiCo, and then boom, you're the next CEO of some consumer company. But you want to see consistency of achievement. Did she bring success? Can she show how she added value?
Trajectory You see a lot of Wall Street people go straight up. Whoa! How do you deal with that? Up fast, down fast. We're looking for a 45-to-60-degree angle moving up, not 90 degrees. Because people have to be emotionally equipped to handle their success. You have to be able to relate to people, not just be good at what you do. Plateaus are okay. If I can understand a reason behind each one, for balance factors, it doesn't put you out of the game.
Transition Where do you ultimately want to go? When you say what the endgame is, I try to track your transition from point A to point B. Why did you move? I am trying to understand motivations.
Uporout....
Bower is considered the father of modern management consulting. He led McKinsey's worldwide expansion and created many of its consulting tools and applications, increasing the company's billings tenfold in the process. He pioneered the practice of hiring business school graduates and utilized the "up or out" policy to develop future McKinsey partners.
A career system, meticulously followed by the US Army and McKinsey, where an employee either moves up the career ladder or moves out of the firm.
Hence the name...
A career system, meticulously followed by the US Army and McKinsey, where an employee either moves up the career ladder or moves out of the firm.
Hence the name...
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