Florida Executive Search Employer Info

Author: Ruth Klein

A new year is when many people ask themselves, is it time to change careers? People in this generation will change jobs more often than in any previous generation, and fewer jobs are offering the kind of security enjoyed by our parents.

Sometimes changing careers means going to work for yourself. Indeed, one study by economists at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin found that people who change careers to work for themselves feel more secure in their self-employment than those who work for others.

More than 30 million workers in the United States today are self-employed or own their own businesses. So changing careers is not just limited to changing employers; it also can be about making your new boss yourself.

Whether you want to work for someone else, work in a different field or become self-employed, following an action plan and organizing your step-by-step progress will help you make a smoother, more productive transition.

Here are five smart tips that will help you reach your goal:

1. Create an Action Plan. Pro-active steps can put you in charge of your career, instead of the high stress than comes with not being in control of your own destiny. If you are unhappy with your job, and find that you cannot make changes that will allow you to be happier at your job, then decide right now to change jobs, and get started on your action plan. Create a chart on paper. Give yourself a week to research career change options. Ask yourself, what am I truly interested in doing in my work and in my life? During week two, whittle down your findings to one or two potential careers that fit your goals. Then, “go deep” during the third week exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each. Next, start looking, and chart your progress each week to keep yourself on track.

2. Network. Networking still is the most powerful way to find a rewarding job. If you are changing careers, then change your professional networks to zero in on the career you really want. Invest in a membership at your local chamber of commerce, and join committees or subgroups related to your next career, not your current one.

3. Integrate your Lifestyle Goals. Don’t just think about changing careers; think about how you can reach your lifestyle goals, incorporating your career change. For example, if you want to spend more time with your family, consider changing to a career that might pay less, but provides the priceless dividend of time. If you want to be healthier, consider changing to a career that does not force you to sit at a desk for 10 hours a day. It’s ultimately more rewarding to downsize your budget to accommodate a lower-paying, but less stressful job, than to shorten your life with an unhealthy career.

4. Enlist a Coach. Enlist an outside coach to help you integrate your lifestyle goals you’re your career search. I’ve helped hundreds of people change careers and lifestyles through Ruth Klein’s Dream Maker’s Circle with 180 days of personal consulting, monthly and weekly tele-coaching sessions, seminars, and hands-on help with changing careers or starting your own business. Visit www.ruthklein.com, and click on Dream Maker’s Circle under “Upcoming Events” to learn more.

Author: Tony Jacowski

People usually look for a new career either when they are bored or when they are looking to do something new. Starting out a new career maybe scary for few people in the beginning, but it promises to be a completely new adventure in the long run.

Planning plays an essential part of success when embarking on a new career. The first thing to do when planning on a change in career is to check the prospects the new career has to offer you, both professionally as well as personally. It also includes forgetting the skills or experience that you have acquired from your old job.

It is obvious that if you’ve been working as an engineer for two years, you can’t use those skills if you have thoughts of starting out a career in writing, unless you’re writing on engineering subjects.

Given below are some of tips on starting out on a new career:

-Look for some support: Be sure that your family and friends support you with respect to your new career. Starting a new career doesn’t mean that you should shut them out of your social life. Keep yourself surrounded by positive people who drive you to achieve your goals.

-Recognize your strengths and weaknesses: It may also mean that you need to know your likes and dislikes. The reason why you’re starting out a new career may be because of something that you didn’t like in your previous job. Don’t repeat that mistake. See what you’re good at and try to improve the areas where you lack potential. Try and find out your passion, since that is an ideal way to start a successful new career.

-Talk to people who have gone through your experience: Knowing what other people went through in similar experiences and how they have achieved success will prepare you in advance to encounter problems in the future. People who have had experience in this matter provide great advice on change in careers. Try and dig out information on what amount of commitment it takes to change and start a new career.

-Keep track of emerging careers: Due to innovative concepts, new career options are sprouting up everywhere you look. Do your homework and look out for new and exciting career options before settling in for any one. The IT and retail sectors are on a roll. You will find many career options in these sectors.

Author: Paul Megan

We had an uncomfortable job search strategy session with Keely a few weeks ago.

She sounded desperate. She had met some unexpected resistance in interviews . . . two in a row. Turns out prospective employers were questioning her about how her background could possibly fit into their organization.

She clutched. She stumbled. She came away from the interview feeling totally defeated. Of course, this colored her enthusiasm for continuing her job search.

Keely’s story is not unique. It happens to all of us in one way or another–especially when we’re looking for a job. The question is: how you respond to it

Are you going to be a victim or a professional

1. You’re a victim if you start putting yourself down. You’re a professional if you acknowledge that there’s something you need to learn so this doesn’t happen again.

2. You’re a victim if you blame the employer for failing to see how good you are. You’re a professional if you take the time to understand what an employer’s needs are.

3. You’re a victim if you throw in the towel because you’re discouraged. You’re a professional if you pick up the pieces and move forward to the next encounter.

4. You’re a victim if you let your friends make excuses for you. You’re a professional if you ask your friends to practice with you so you can do better the next time.

5. You’re a victim if you get angry and just give up. You’re a professional if you understand why you would be angry. And then get over it ands move on toward your goal.

Finding a job is never easy. There are plenty of bumps in the road that can discourage you. On the other hand, there are wonderful strategies and techniques that can get you past the bumps and turn you into a job search professional.

Sample of Companies

The following are some of the companies that our clients have joined.

AstraZeneca
Bank of America
Best Buy
Boeing
Ceridian
Digital Fuel Technologies
Ernest & Julio Gallo
Ford Motor Company
Galaxy Systems
Guardian Life Insurance
IBM
Marriott
Mattel
North American Manufacturing Company
Pfizer
Ricoh
Tektronix

Industry Depth

The types of industries that FES has helped create contacts for span a wide range. Some common industries include:

•  Computer Services
•  Business Services
•  Manufacturing
•  Financial Services
•  Telecommunications
•  Engineering Services
•  Software Engineering
•  Retail/Wholesale
•  Communications
•  Pharmaceutical
•  Health Services

Job Titles

The types of positions that FES has helped its clients attain range from entry-level through executive-level. Some common titles include:
•  Executive-Level Manager
•  Mid-Level Manager
•  General Management
•  President/Vice-President
•  Information Services Manager
•  Operations
•  Account Manager/Executive
•  Sales Manager
•  Marketing
•  CEO/CFO/COO
•  Software Engineer/Programmer

Communication and Telephone Skills

The telephone is a fundamental “productivity tool” in networking and in your search for work. It is your ally for contacting people you have identified as being instrumental in your search. The following guidelines may be useful in fine-tuning your over-the-phone skills.

Guidelines for Telephone Effectiveness

• Practice. Rehearse your scripts with friends or family members. Practice in front of a mirror or into a tape recorder.
• Be prepared. Have everything you need with you before calling.
• Stand up when you phone. Standing up gives you better breath support and helps your vocal pitch, quality and tone. It also gives you a psychological lift.
• Relax. Take several deep breaths to relax yourself before you dial. You will sound more upbeat and energetic.
• Pitch. Many people have a higher pitch to their voice if they are nervous. Be aware and try to lower your pitch.
• Volume. Try taping yourself or calling your own answering machine and listening to be sure you are neither too loud nor too soft.
• Slow down. Because you may want to get the phone call over with and your anxiety level reduced, you may naturally speak quickly. Be aware of this and try to slow down.
• Try not to leave a message. By leaving a message to return a call, you are giving the other person the power not to call you back. Keep trying to initiate the call yourself. Only after several tries (at normal and off-peak hours) should you leave a message.
• Polish up your listening skills. Stay attentive and interested. Ask questions of the other person, and listen to the response.
• Keep it short. When you promise to talk or meet for a specific length of time, respect the other person’s agenda.
• Remember your goal. Your goal is to get a face-to-face meeting with the other party. At that time, you should obtain other referrals and leads. Don’t have unrealistic expectations for what can be accomplished on the phone. If you can’t get a face-to-face meeting don’t throw in the towel; set a telephone appointment.
• Try to avoid being interviewed on the phone. This could diminish your chance to make a personal impression and to be at your best. You could be rejected before you get your foot in the door. On the other hand, distance may require it and many first screenings are done by telephone, so you must always be prepared to put your best foot forward.
• VISIT WWW.FLORIDAEXECUTIVESEARCH.COM

1. Plan for the search. For every level deeper you move on the degree of change scale, the longer it takes to find a position. It is recommended that you examine your financial requirements carefully and make some realistic decisions. You may want to consider an interim position or part-time work to bridge to your new career.

2. Network, network, network. The odds are that a successful career change will happen because of a referral or contact. Meet everyone you can, any way you can, in your chosen field. An excellent way to meet people is to attend an industry convention or trade show. You may also want to join a professional group in your target field or industry. Start by checking out their local meetings.

3. Learn the language. Every field has its own culture and language. Inventory what you have to sell, align it with the industry needs and translate it into the industry lingo. Learn about the cultural norms and adjust your image and behavior so that you will be perceived as “fitting in”.

4. Optimism versus realism. Keep a healthy balance between these two elements. Many people are searching for their “dream work” — many even find it — yet it must be weighed in a realistic context. It may take time to get to the compensation level you desire, so be flexible when looking to change careers. It is often best approached in incremental steps.

5. Search firms and ads are not reliable resources. Except for entry level positions, companies usually run ads to recruit prospects who have specific experience. Career changers need not apply. This is also true of search firms, who are paid to find highly experienced people.

6. VISIT WWW.FLORIDAEXECUTIVESEARCH.COM

Author: Don Monteith

Have you changed? Your job started out being what you wanted, but today it’s different. Maybe you thought of it as a jumping place to a better job in the future, but you’ve been here 5 plus years.

Satisfaction and fulfillment is your goal, not being in a “make do” position for an extended period!

It’s a fact that your dream job is waiting on you, so don’t continue in a miserable job, boring or simply unsatisfying, even questionable for basic survival. Your time is NOW to get out!

When people think of dream jobs, all too often, they think of the jobs that they thought about when they were children.

As a child, you probably thought about being a doctor or a lawyer, a nurse, even an astronaut when you finished college. Truth is very few of us kept the goal in mind for those jobs and gave up; in other words, you felt you were settling.

The problem is, many of those people carried the disappointment they felt from learning that they couldn’t do the jobs that they wanted as children into their adult lives.

Very few people follow through with their childhood dreams, but the fact is, those childhood dreams probably wouldn’t have made you happy anyway.

Your needs and beliefs about a good job when you were a child will be far different from your needs as an adult, and you’ll find that if you consider your needs as an adult, you’ll have a much better chance of finding your real dream job.

Think about what makes you happy, and what you need in terms of job security, monetary pay and challenges.

The first step in searching for your dream job is actually realizing that the one you’re in right now is not going to make you happy.

Have you been waiting on a promotion or raise that never comes, or do you feel that your efforts are wasted on a routine basis?

Perhaps you feel that they don’t appreciate you, or you silently think that you are so much better than this. All of these feelings are valid; the important thing to realize is that they are feelings that should be acted upon.

When you take a look at the feelings of discontent that you have amassed about your job, realize that you spend a quarter of your life at work. Your life is simply too short to feel like that for a fourth of it!

More people find their dream jobs than you might think; For a fact, it’s imperative to make your time count as you search.

Author: Richard Clocher

They’re called jobs. Unfortunately most of us have to have them, and they don’t always turn out to be exactly what we wanted. Hmm, what can we do about this little dilemma? Well, it’s not like we can write-off jobs altogether. That wouldn’t be a prudent move considering we need them to earn capital. I guess all there is to do is try and try again. Search here and there until you find that career that’s truly ideal for you. Or at least one that you can stand enough to deal with for 40 hours a week. On the bright side, this process has been simplified. We currently live in a world where the traditional job classified section of the newspaper is forgotten. Now it’s all about job search engines found online. So if you’re not jacked into the Internet, it’s time.

After college I thought it would be difficult to find any jobs whatsoever. You see, at that time I lived in Mass., and all I ever heard from anyone was that the job market was atrocious and dismal. I wondered how I would ever find any place of employment. But, things weren’t so bleak. I hopped on the web and began to discover job search engines. These two sites can work wonders. If you’ve not tried job search engines yet, this is how it goes. You can simply select your area of expertise/education. Then you can narrow it down to a specific region or try a nationwide search. If you’re only interested in electrical engineering positions found in North Carolina, no problem. Another cool aspect of job search engines is that you can punch in your actual degree. This will present you with some results as well.

Author: Randy Place

Your job search campaign is conducted like any other project - by breaking it down into steps. So all you need to know is what step you’re on. Then decide the next logical step to take.

To conduct your job finding campaign is as easy as a, b, c. That’s because all you need to do is -

a) Know what step you’re on

b) Activate it

c) Ask yourself what’s my next step.

Let’s take an example. Suppose you’re on an interview step of your job finding campaign. We discussed “learn how to interview” in yesterday’s post. You can break down your interview into steps like this -

1. Obtain a job description for this job from the company or recruiter

2. Determine how your skills match those job specifications

3. Plan your approach to the interview

4.Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

5. Plan wardrobe (interview outfit)

6. Get directions to interview site; dry run the day or weekend prior it if necessary

So if you’ve just been invited to interview, determine what step you’re on. The answer is the first step of getting a job description. Then activate the step by asking the prospective employer or recruiter for the job specs. Now ask yourself, “What’s my next step?” The answer is to work at matching your skills and achievements to the specifications listed in the job description.

You need to do this with all parts of your job hunt. Determine the step you’re on. Activate it. And move on to the next step. That’s how to conduct a job search. After you land, use the same process with all of your projects and activities.