HowtoWintheWarforJobs_Ebook_Restricted_Free

How to Win the War for Jobs
Sports Stars Have Agents; Why Don't You?!
©Copyright by Up Executive Agents & Search Pty Ltd 2014. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher. No Patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of information contained herein.
Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author assumes no
responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use
of information contained herein.
Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and
informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author is not
engaged in rendering professional services in this book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice,
a competent professional should be consulted.
The author specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which
is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this
book.
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© Copyright 2014. Up Executive Agents & Search Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved | www.upexecutiveagents.com

Contents
Author’s Introduction................................................................................................................................................................7
Who Will Benefit From Reading This Controversial Job Hunting Battle Manual?................................................................9
Chapter 1 : Sponsorship Qualification Criteria & Application Details.................................................................................11
Chapter 2 : Understanding The Economic Climate (Area Of Operation).............................................................................14
Chapter 3 : Identifying Your Objective (Battle Objectives).................................................................................................16
Mission - Seek And Capture........................................................................................................................................................................................16
Understanding Enemy Candidates..........................................................................................................................................................................16
Speed, Maneuverability And Shock Force.............................................................................................................................................................18
Chapter 4 : What’s Holding You Back From Scoring A New Role? (Understanding Your Job Hunt Statistics & Ratios).19
Chapter 5 : People Who Influence Your Job Hunt Success (Battlefield Participants)........................................................25
Employers (End Users)..................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Recruiters (Distributors)...............................................................................................................................................................................................27
Human Resources...........................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Line Managers .................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Outgoing Staff Members.............................................................................................................................................................................................37
CEOs & Boards..................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
Founders & Business Owners.....................................................................................................................................................................................38
Referees..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Executive Agents............................................................................................................................................................................................................40
Career Management Firms .........................................................................................................................................................................................41
Career Transition (Outplacement) Firms................................................................................................................................................................42
Reading The Minds Of Interviewers.........................................................................................................................................................................44
Chapter 6 : Avoiding The Culling Process (Booby Traps) .....................................................................................................45
Understanding The Candidate Culling Process...................................................................................................................................................45
Common Traps To Avoid.............................................................................................................................................................................................51
The More Common Cull Questions..........................................................................................................................................................................54
Common Cull Statements – Red Flags ...................................................................................................................................................................57
Chapter 7 : Finding Opportunities (Targets Of Opportunity) ..............................................................................................60
Advertised Opportunities............................................................................................................................................................................................60
Hidden Opportunities...................................................................................................................................................................................................61
‘Yet To Be Created’ Opportunities............................................................................................................................................................................61
Finding Key People & Their Contact Details.........................................................................................................................................................69
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Chapter 8 : How To Supercharge Your Network Fast (Recruiting Field Assets).................................................................71
Networking With Recruiters .......................................................................................................................................................................................72
Networking With Employers ......................................................................................................................................................................................74
Networking Conversations .........................................................................................................................................................................................75
More Tips On Networking:..........................................................................................................................................................................................78
Chapter 9 : Differentiating Your Unique Value (Building Your Arsenal).............................................................................79
Unique Value Vs. Everyday Value .............................................................................................................................................................................80
Saleability..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................81
Marketability ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................83
Differentiating Your Value ..........................................................................................................................................................................................83
Your Unique Value Proposition.................................................................................................................................................................................92
Chapter 10 Creating The Perfect Leadership Resume (Preparing The Battle Orders).......................................................95
Resume Purpose.............................................................................................................................................................................................................95
Some Resume Confusion To Dispel.........................................................................................................................................................................96
Some Case Studies.........................................................................................................................................................................................................99
Resume Strategy For Overcoming Objections .................................................................................................................................................103
The Ultimate Leadership Resume .........................................................................................................................................................................107
Using Your Resume To Interview Like A Rock Star (Resume Critique And Checklist) ........................................................................109
Chapter 11: Building Your Online Brand (Mastering Propaganda)...................................................................................126
Building The Perfect Linkedin Profile...................................................................................................................................................................127
Social Media - Top Dos And Don’ts.......................................................................................................................................................................130
Chapter 12 : Understanding The Various Interviews.........................................................................................................131
‘Conversational Style Interview’.............................................................................................................................................................................131
Mastering The Group Interview .............................................................................................................................................................................136
Mastering The Panel Interview...............................................................................................................................................................................138
Chapter 13 : Launching Your Job Hunt (H - Hour) ..............................................................................................................143
Planning & Executing The Approach ...................................................................................................................................................................143
Lodging Job Applications The Smart Way – Jumping The Queue............................................................................................................145
Compiling Super Sexy Strategic Marketing Documents...............................................................................................................................149
Some Things To Consider In Approaching Recruiters ...................................................................................................................................154
Common Mistakes In Approach Letters..............................................................................................................................................................155
Sample Letter Of Introduction To Employers (Long Version).....................................................................................................................168
Chapter 14 : Preparing For The Interview (Battle Preparation).........................................................................................170
Strategizing The Interview.......................................................................................................................................................................................170
Anticipating Needs & Objections ..........................................................................................................................................................................172
Tips For A Successful Interview..............................................................................................................................................................................173
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Chapter 15 : Masterfully Overcoming Objections (Dodging Bullets)................................................................................182
Handling Rejections & Objections - The Counter Attack..............................................................................................................................182
Strategies In Handling Objections ........................................................................................................................................................................182
Some Common Objections & Corresponding Solutions ..............................................................................................................................186
Chapter 16 : Three Critical Questions To Ask In Interviews (Triangulation Questions)...................................................188
Chapter 17 : Adjusting Your Job Hunt Strategy Mid Interview (Re-Org) ..........................................................................190
Chapter 18 : Interview Strategic Summaries (Counter Attack)..........................................................................................192
A Pre Interview Strategic Summary (P.I.S.S.)......................................................................................................................................................192
Post Interview Strategic Summary........................................................................................................................................................................193
Sample Post Interview Strategic Summary Letter (To Employer)..............................................................................................................195
Chapter 19 : What To Do When Things Go Wrong (Battlefield Withdrawal) ....................................................................197
Life After Rejection......................................................................................................................................................................................................197
Battlefield Morale - How To Boost Your Confidence......................................................................................................................................199
Rejection Letters..........................................................................................................................................................................................................199
Responding To Rejection Letters From Recruiters..........................................................................................................................................200
Recruiter Rejection Letters Sample Response ..................................................................................................................................................201
Employer Rejection Letters Sample Response .................................................................................................................................................202
Chapter 20 : Interrogating Hr & Recruiters..........................................................................................................................203
How To Win The Interview Before You Interview............................................................................................................................................203
How To Get Recruiters To Tell You How To Interview With Their Client.................................................................................................204
Chapter 21 : Securing Buy-In For Your Candidature (Winning Hearts & Minds) ..............................................................206
Removing The Threat.................................................................................................................................................................................................206
Building Rapport - Three Ways...............................................................................................................................................................................207
Chapter 22 : Surprise Attacks By Saboteurs, Aggressive Stakeholders & Internal Candidates (Counter Terrorism) ...209
Avoiding Saboteurs (This Section Refers To Securing A Promotion) .......................................................................................................210
Internal Candidates & Unexpected Candidates...............................................................................................................................................210
Enemy Candidates ......................................................................................................................................................................................................211
Chapter 23 : How To Negotiate A Suitable Offer (Signing The Armistice) ........................................................................213
Closing The Deal - The Kill Shot..............................................................................................................................................................................213
When To Start Negotiating......................................................................................................................................................................................214
Handling The Salary Question................................................................................................................................................................................214
Avoid Alienating The Parties...................................................................................................................................................................................214
Chapter 24 : Anti-Competition Agreements (Minefield Clearance) ..................................................................................219
Chapter 25 : Reducing Risk – Theirs & Yours (Counter Intelligence) .................................................................................221
Reducing The Hirer’s Risk .........................................................................................................................................................................................221
Reducing Your Risk If The New Role Doesn’t Work Out ................................................................................................................................222
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Chapter 26 : Optimizing Confidentiality..............................................................................................................................224
Figure. The ‘Up Member’s Candidate Management Platform....................................................................................................................225
Appendix A : Logic Behind Interviewer’s Questions...........................................................................................................226
Appendix B : The Four Gears Of Selling ...............................................................................................................................238
Appendix C : Handling The Recruiter’s Initial Call…………………………………………………………………………………....246
Appendix D : Handling Interview Anxiety (Battle Nerves).................................................................................................261
Appendix E : Guide On Addressing Selection Criteria ........................................................................................................263
Appendix F : Psychological Warfare (Psyops) .....................................................................................................................270
Other Resources From The Author.......................................................................................................................................284
About The Author..................................................................................................................................................................285
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Author’s Introduction
Close to fifteen years ago, I was asked by a very good friend, a former mid ranking
military officer to help him set up a business to help defense force members secure roles
outside of the armed forces. Often these personnel were conservative and to some
extent ‘sheltered’; many had anxiety as to how they would ‘survive’ on ‘Civvy Street,’
quite different to what one would expect from people ‘trained to kill.’ Due to issues with
bridging the cultural gap and the lack of proper training given to defense personnel in
securing jobs these job seekers had their fair share of challenges. Their learning curve
was exponential and we identified a huge ‘need’ or ‘gap’ in the market.
No one provided real advice or active support to job seekers especially not for those
seeking leadership roles. Recruiters gave little help; Career Management and Career
Transition firms would charge candidates or employers thousands of dollars for services
that included basic advice only and no action to generate interviews or job offers.
Candidates couldn’t afford such fees and saw little benefits in paying whereas most
employers making their staff redundant cared little about the quality of help staff they
were making redundant would receive. Job seekers had to, and still need to, fend for
themselves. Being the only business to fulfill this ‘need’ our business has thrived.
Over the following fifteen years we have had the pleasure of meeting with thousands
of senior executives many of whom have become personal friends and some ‘honorary
members’ of our team. The knowledge and experience we have at our finger tips is
substantial as is the lessons these wonderful and inspiring people have taught us.
Due to the ever increasing demand on our business amidst growing global
unemployment, we have invested millions in developing our infrastructure and
creating what we believe is the world’s only online platform for managing the careers
and job search of our ‘stars.’ This platform gives us immense capabilities, speed and
reach’; it’s an essential tool in delivering our global service.
Compliments to some great business mentors and having learned from our own
mistakes and the woes of thousands of executives we have created and evolved scores
of strategies essential in securing senior executives leadership opportunities. Many of
these are documented in this manual.
With regard to success rates, these vary widely across industry, geography,
management level, candidate quality etc. We don’t ever claim to make it easy for people
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to secure a role; it’s a very tough market and there are simply not nearly enough roles
for everyone. Without the hype and marketing fluff; our claim is simply and honestly;
‘To make it substantially easier to secure a new leadership
role.’
Today we offer a service that is truly unique (a ‘blue ocean business’) without
competitors and with little comparison. If you are in the top ten percentile of candidates
in your profession and are interested in our firm providing further assistance to you, we
welcome your enquiry. To those that simply purchase this manual you will get immense
value from it.
All the best for winning the war for jobs.
Ben West
Sports Stars have Agents, why don’t you?!
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Who will benefit from reading this controversial job
hunting battle manual?
For those executives who are not familiar with Sun Tzu’s world famous book, ‘The Art of
War,’ he is arguably the most widely acclaimed military strategist and tactician of all
time; many feel he makes ‘Alexander the Great’ look like a strategic nincompoop. He is,
however the field commander most recognized for having truly evolved military
strategy and to have documented these strategies.
In the same flavor and considering that the ‘War for Talent’ has now largely been
replaced with the ‘War for Jobs’ we have created this manual, borrowing on many
military strategies. This manual will help you win the ‘War for Jobs’, a war which
depending on the length of the GFC may indeed be a long one.
If you are a job seeker in search of another strategic leadership role this manual will be
of immense value to you. Being a senior executive you are probably responsible not
only for strategy but also for leading a team of people. The strategies, logic and
examples contained in this manual are specifically tailored to differentiate firstly, your
growth centric and transformational leadership, secondly, your strategic expertise in
growing businesses and thirdly, your return on investment (ROI) to businesses.
These three points of value (Leadership, Strategic Growth Expertise and ROI) are
typically the core requirements of employers in handpicking their corporate leaders yet
often the poorest points of value communicated by executive job seekers both verbally
and in writing.
Candidates at the senior level from General Managers to Chairs exist in a job market
where there are too few roles and where the competition for these roles is much higher
than for middle management roles, for this reason senior executives need to better
hone their skills in securing jobs; skills relating to firstly, sourcing opportunities and
secondly, in differentiating themselves from the numerous other exceptional
competing candidates. As in Highlander (the movie) ‘There can only be one.’
This ‘battlefield job hunting’ manual will set the scene for you, removing much of the
‘fog of war’. It will give you greater situational awareness (battleground intelligence)
and a roadmap (battle plan) enabling you to better maneuver through foreign territory
(the selection process).
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You will learn how to avoid many common booby traps, how to identify and destroy
competing candidates as well as how to win the hearts and minds of interviewers and
stakeholders. Finally, you will learn how to command more money and better terms,
capturing and holding vital ground. Our Members typically receive three to seven times
more interviews using the strategies herein and with our support; the leadership value
they now communicate is crisp, clear and more noticeable.
We appreciate that some may find this manual controversial; we hope most will find it
highly engaging and more than slightly satirical.
For those readers who feel they are in the top 10% of their occupation and are genuinely
in search of another leadership role you may qualify for membership to our Executive
Agency. If we choose to sponsor you we will credit your account with up to $10,000 in
genuine job hunt support. We will generate interviews for you and may even place you
into your next role. Ours is a service very similar in nature to an Agent managing the
career of a sports star or a celebrity. Membership is by invitation only. Strict selection
criteria apply.
Enjoy
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Chapter 1 : Sponsorship Qualification Criteria &
Application Details
We offer various programs to candidates we choose to sponsor. If you read
www.upexecutiveagents.com/memberintroductionEA this will give you an overview;
programs can be tailored to meet individual requirements. Sponsorship means we
cover the costs of securing a Member a role. This is not a charge to members in any way.
We recoup our costs out of the placement fees paid to our firm via the employer who
hires our Member.
Again this is a program we cover entirely at our cost. Typically for senior executives our
team invest some 50 to 150 hours in sourcing and securing roles. Paying our staff $50
to $75 per hour, this usually represents a cost to our firm in the vicinity of $2,500 to
$10,000 per member. Some members we place very fast in which case we avoid much
of this cost.
To qualify for Up Sponsorship job seekers must be:
◉ Currently and genuinely in search of another strategic leadership opportunity,
◉ In the top ten percent of their profession (this will be determined at our discretion),
◉ At the leadership level in their careers meaning they are either responsible for
strategy and, or leading a team of people,
◉ Able to show a history of business achievement,
◉ Professional, honest and ethical,
◉ Able to supply a high quality strategic leadership resume that meets our strict
criteria or is financially able to have one compiled. We do NOT write resumes or cover
the cost of having a resume compiled. Upon request we can however outsource
resume compilation to our panel of external writers, a panel that we have trained
and quality assure. This amount is rebated in full on paid placement.
*For candidates that are having their employer sponsor them under our career transition or outplacement program, the above
criteria does not apply.
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Generally we do not ask for exclusivity in representing our members. Candidates may
only apply for sponsorship once every twelve months. Candidates offered sponsorship
must accept the offer within fourteen days or the available position is offered to the
next in line approved applicant.
Typically, once a member has been setup on our platform it takes our team five to ten
days to start generating interviews. Many of our candidates travel extensively on
business so require for convenience that some interviews be phone based initially prior
to then meeting potential hirers face to face.
Registration Instructions:
Readers can register their interest (‘Join Up’) via www.upsonar.com our candidate
management platform. Upon completing their profile they can submit their application
and ask our team to assess them for sponsored membership. Either we can sponsor
them (Up Sponsorship) or their employer can sponsor them. This is usually done in lieu
on their existing Outplacement or Career Transition Program (Contact us for further
details).
To register follow these three simple steps:
1. (If you haven’t already), go to www.upsonar.com/joinup and register, (using only
Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox). Select ' Up ' in response to the question "I am
being sponsored by an" (if you’re applying for Up sponsored membership) then
insert your sponsorship code which is 'U2SNR3' (case sensitive). Please then continue
to complete the registration page. Applicants wishing to be sponsored by their
employers need separate sponsorship codes issued separately.
2. Complete your online profile (see the 'Profile' tab once logged in). There is no need
to complete the Education and Employment Chronology section if this information
is already provided in a word resume provided to us. Spend no more than two to four
hours in completing your profile.
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3. Upon completing your profile to the best of your ability, click on the last tab in yellow
‘Profile Complete’ so our team can start assessing your application. Candidates are
advised usually within one to three business days if their application has been
accepted.
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Chapter 2 : Understanding the Economic Climate
(Area of Operation)
In preparing for battle, soldiers need to understand the situation, their enemy tactics
and capabilities as well their own.
In preparing for the job hunt in what may be the worst jobs market in one hundred years
candidates need to appreciate the changing dynamics of the battle they find
themselves drawn into. Very few people will tell you the global economy is really
improving. Even fewer will talk of a solution to the world’s economic woes. It may not
be headline news anymore because it’s old news but there’s no one yet claiming they
have a solution in sight to the GFC.
Like many governments, the US government has issues in servicing the interest on its
borrowings. In 2013 parts of the US government temporarily suspended some services
due to Congress not approving an increase in the debt limit to service the interest on
their borrowings. This problem is not going away.
The US and many other nations are effectively bankrupt; the US may be facing an
evolving cold war on two fronts (U.S.S.R and China) and possibly a lengthy war with
terrorists in the Middle East. Much of this increases business uncertainty. Even those
countries who have largely escaped the initial GFC blast wave are now facing the fall
out.
For example, Australia this year is apparently making more people redundant than any
other nation, partly because it has avoided laying people off for so long. Industries like
Resources, Infrastructure and Manufacturing are undergoing substantial upheavals.
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Amidst this many companies are finding reasons to shed their staff and many have
almost permanent hiring freezes in force except for hiring to replace key strategic staff
lost through retirement, death or underperformance.
This is your area of operation.
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Chapter 3 : Identifying Your Objective
(Battle Objectives)
This short chapter summarizes the common core obstacles in securing another
role; it puts the rest of this manual into better perspective. These obstacles and
their respective solutions are covered in detail in later chapters.
Mission - Seek and Capture
Today the core mission of most executives that are either unemployed or held captive
in a stagnant role is to;
Secure a new and challenging role, preferably with career
growth, financial rewards and job security.
Understanding Enemy Candidates
Most executives are ill prepared for the job hunt. Whilst years ago, many may have
enjoyed receiving more than one job offer this is now rarely the case. Often there can
be more than three hundred executives applying for the same senior role, many are
highly geared financially and may be forced to sell their residence in an unhealthy
property market, or be forced to take their kids out of private schools. Your competition
may thus be desperate and prepared to drop their salary whilst you’re trying to maintain
yours.
Three core problems facing most executive job seekers are:
1. Poor knowledge of competitors. Because they tend not to interview candidates at
their same management level from other notable companies, most executives
simply fail to appreciate the sheer volume and quality of their competitors. In the
GFC, it’s almost a case of being overrun by the enemy. Recruiter and HR often receive
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waves after waves of applicants. Many applicants run blindly into battle having done
surprisingly little preparation.
2. Little differentiation from competitors. When executives are interviewed, most
go out of their way to remind the interviewers why they are the same as most other
candidates, and for this reason fail to differentiate their strategic value. More on this
later.
3. Poor or non-existent strategy to overcome competitors. Whilst many executives
have ‘mastered’ the art of how to sell their company’s products or services to the
market, they neglect to sell themselves. Executives typically spend more time and
exhaust more brain calories in a day on the job than getting a job. Very few
candidates possess the strategies to identify then destroy their competitors.
When many senior executives speak in meetings they host for their subordinates, their
subordinates tend to shut up and listen because the boss is speaking. Many executives
thus feel they ‘present’ well because everyone tends to listen to them. This gives many
executives a false perception that they actually interview well, always having something
important and relevant to say; a grand mistake.
To interview well, means to differentiate your value better than others rather than
simply ‘talking for the greater share of the time’. Telling is not selling.
Any successful job hunt strategy is centered on two key inputs:
1. Research. An effective Research Strategy to identify either live roles or companies
and individuals that have needs and who upon meeting may create an opportunity
for them, and secondly
2. Differentiation. Being able to strategically differentiate their value; value
essentially being broken down into three core areas being firstly Leadership,
secondly Strategic Expertise in Growing Businesses and thirdly Return on
Investment (ROI).
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Speed, Maneuverability and Shock Force
Battles are won and lost often firstly, on a force’s speed to battle which creates an
element of surprise, a key strategic advantage in battle; secondly the ability to
maneuver troops and resources to overwhelm the enemy and thirdly, shock force or
firepower to overwhelm the enemy with extreme violence.
As this correlates to the war for jobs, a job seeker’s success depends upon:
◉ Speed in identifying opportunities. It’s no use finding a role when the employer
has already issued a contract of employment to another competitor,
◉ Maneuverability. Ability to handle objections and avoid the culling process, and
finally
◉ Impact or ‘shock force’. The ability to communicate overwhelming value, what
we call ‘Unique Value’.
Your objectives are thus:
To identify opportunities faster than all others, avoid the
culling, communicate unique value and take your
competitors out of action!
This may seem blatantly obvious but the overwhelming truth is very few candidates can:
◉ Correctly source opportunities,
◉ Anticipate and avoid the cull,
◉ Differentiate their strategic leadership value powerfully, and
◉ Identify then ‘destroy’ competitors.
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Chapter 4 : What’s Holding You Back from Scoring a
New Role?
(Understanding Your Job Hunt Statistics & Ratios)
This chapter will show you where in your ‘job hunt pipeline’ you may require help
or better strategies. Bare with us, this is a basic overview only.
For those candidates already involved in the war for jobs, it’s important you can
understand your battlefield statistics and ratios. Call it an ammo count or count of the
missing, wounded or killed (MIA, KIA). This involves doing a simplistic analysis of the
statistics and ratios that govern your success in generating interviews and job offers.
Consider a job hunt pipeline which has many sections to it. You put in effort and
strategy in one end and out the other end (less leakage) should flow job offers. Most
candidates have many leakages. Let’s break this down further by looking at the basic
problems. We discuss solutions later.
%
Lost
Time spent actively seeking another role 2 - 4
months
If you’re looking for a role for over two to four months this may indicate a research
issue, in that you’re probably not finding sufficient opportunities (advertised or hidden).
This time frame varies widely across roles, industries and geographies. Maybe you do
not have the time to dedicate to research.
Lesson. If you don’t have the time or ability to find roles, find someone who
does.
Number of applications lodged 8
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If you have lodged too few applications over the time you’ve been looking it also
indicates a research issue. Many candidates claim they’re being ‘selective’ in applying
for roles, however if you’re only finding five to ten percent of roles that suit you, this is
hardly being ‘selective’. It’s more being incapacitated. Some candidates claim they’re
putting their ‘toes in the water’. The translation is usually this, “I am not really
committed to getting another role now, so my research, preparation and how I
differentiate myself is poor.” Resulting from this poor effort they receive very little
interest and then stick their heads back in waiting for the GFC to pass not ever knowing
it was largely their poor effort that resulted in little success.
Lesson. Be totally committed or do not bother. Do not go into a battle half-
cocked.
Percent Lodged through online portals 80%
Typically most candidates lodge applications through online portals be it the employer’s
website, a recruiter website or more often a jobs website. Parking your application on
a server along with numerous other candidates’ applications usually results in a very
small percentage of your applications being noticed let alone actually being read
(usually less than five percent).
Lesson. DO NOT only apply through online portals.
Some naive candidates take recruiters and HR at their word when they say they
have a fair and comprehensive online application system. This is one of the
biggest lies in the industry; another lie being that recruiters are actually seeking the
best candidate for their clients.
Ratio of applications lodged ‘via recruiters ‘ vs. ‘direct to employers’. 70/30
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The percentage of applications lodged via recruitment firms online is usually much
higher than those lodged directly to employers online. The lower this ratio the better.
When candidates lodge an application to a recruiter often they run a higher risk of the
person they’re sending their application to, not being intellectually equipped or
motivated to understand their value, simply because most recruiters have never
performed the roles they’re interviewing for nor are they searching for the best
candidate but rather the most saleable.
Lesson. Avoid the middlemen; go direct to employers. Again, avoid online
portals if able.
Ratio of telephone call backs from those who received your
applications
<50%
If you’re receiving less than fifty percent of calls from people you have sent your
application to (assuming the role is a good match to you), this shows either the people
you have targeted are not noticing your application (stop sending it via an online portal
and dumping it on a server) or they see no unique value in speaking with you. In other
words your resume or application letter is probably very poor (this doesn’t mean your
experience relating to the role is poor). This may mean you’re perceived as being too
hard to ‘sell’ (if recipient is a recruiter) or you represent little ‘Unique Value’ (if the
recipient is an employer).
Lesson. Don’t go through online portals or dump applications on servers. Your
resume of application letter is poor.
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Ratio of face to face interviews generated from these telephone calls <90%
If less than ninety percent of people who call you in response to receiving your
application actually invite you in for an interview, this usually means something you’re
saying or not saying on the phone is convincing them you’re either ‘hard-to-sell’ or you
have little ‘unique value’. Think about it; they rang you because you captured their
interest, but haven’t progressed you, so what did you say that turned them off? How
did you screw the pooch?
Lesson. Learn how to better interview over the phone. Provide a better
resume with a more meaningful application letter.
Number of face to face interviews with recruiters to interviews
progressed with employers
<90%
If less than ninety percent of recruiters who interview you progress you to meet with
their client, this is often because you’re doing or not doing, saying or not saying
something which is convincing them you are not saleable; you have no unique value
offering in comparison to other applicants or your personality isn’t a good match with
the team. This is more the candidate’s fault rather than the interviewer’s. If you blame
your lack of success on yourself you remain in control and can fix the issues. If you blame
the recruiter or the HR representative you lose control as they’re unlikely to fix the
problem. It’s all about being accountable.
Lesson. Learn how to interview better with recruiters.
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Ratio of initial employer interviews to final employer interviews. <90%
If you’re not being progressed from an initial interview with an employer to a final
interview it is often because they perceive you as having no unique value. Sure, you
may be able to do the job; but this is no longer the issue. They are now wondering why
they should hire you as opposed to other candidates who can also do the job. You
probably also lack the strategy to identify and then destroy these other competing
candidates.
Lesson. Learn how to better communicate unique value and how to remove
other competing candidates from the selection process.
Ratio of Job offers to final employer interviews <80% >20%
If you’re not receiving job offers it’s either due to the above reasons or others like the
employer perceived you as being too expensive (in other words, for what you’re
charging they didn’t think you could return the value). You may have failed to answer
the single most important question at final interviews, being “Why do you represent
unique value?”
Lesson. Learn how to destroy competing candidates, negotiate better and
remove the employer’s risk.
*The above figures and ratios can vary widely. They are meant to illustrate concepts only.
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Common Story - Most executive job seekers lazily search a few big job
websites (which may show only five to ten percent of available roles). They will
then upon reading a very vague job advertisement in many cases poorly
written, click on the ‘Apply Now’ button (‘dumping’ their application on a back office
server only to be lost in the pile along with numerous other applications).
They will attach a vague and poorly compiled resume (being careful it’s not more than
three pages long) and a cover letter which also poorly differentiates their value. They
will then wait and see if they’re one of the lucky five percent or so of applications that
are actually read. They’re then hoping the reader who has probably never done the job
they’re applying for, to actually comprehend their value. The executive job seeker will
then make the mistake of thinking the recruiter is actually seeking value as opposed to
most just interviewing for saleability and personality (we cover this later). If they receive
a phone call to veto them before a possible face to face interview, they will be poorly
prepared for the phone call.
They will totally fail to do a reconnaissance of the opportunity over the phone, only to
drop everything and rush in for an interview should they be invited. At the interview,
having no rapport or trust prebuilt with the interviewer and having captured little
appreciation of the requirements or the role (or even qualifying if there is a role), they
will launch into some verbal barrage about how they’re the same as most other
candidates, yet ‘still amazingly different’. The recruiter who may appear to be
thoroughly engaged in what the candidate has to say (but who’s mind is adrift and
floating through the Bahamas with a spouse of their dreams) doesn’t interrupt the
candidate, who then eventually leaves the interview thinking the interviewer was
hanging on their every word and cannot possibly not shortlist them; a very green and
un-battle tested participant. We call these ‘new recruits’.
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Chapter 5 : People Who Influence Your Job Hunt
Success
(Battlefield Participants)
This chapter will help you better understand what drives decision makers and
people who influence the selection process as well as how to ‘get what you want
by giving them what they want’.
The job hunt is like a game of chess. Imagine you’re on a chessboard. You’re trying to
checkmate the King, the CEO for example, to secure a role. Instead this chessboard has
many more enemy pawns (competing candidates). To secure the role you need to
out-maneuver other candidates; you need to plan your initial and ongoing
strategy. To anticipate your opponents moves and to compile your own strategy you
need to understand ‘minds’ or rather what drives people of influence (other chess
pieces) and what ‘moves’ they are capable of. You need to understand their likely
behavior. You need to understand what they think of you and other candidates. Once
you know the answers to these questions you can best strategize the selection process.
Understanding the Players
Prior to interviewing, it is crucial you ‘set-up’ all interviews properly then once
interviews are progressing you will need to strategize these further as the situation
evolves. Interviewers generally only interview candidates who they think can do the job;
whether they’re recruiters, HR or Boards. Getting the job depends not only on how well
they think you can solve the business’s needs, but more importantly the extent to which
you satisfy the hirer’s personal needs which vary across interviewer types.
In strategizing interviews, firstly you’ll need to identify and understand the various types
of people who may influence the selection process and then the types of interviews.
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Interviewers are your ‘customers’ and like with any selling you need to understand your
customer’s needs and tailor how you present your solution to them (provide a relevant
and specific solution).
People that may influence the selection process range from:
A. Employers (End Users)
(Smart customers. They generally understand and know what they want. Sometimes you
have to show them what they ‘need’ to get what they ‘want’.)
Employers in general interview for ‘Unique Value’ not ‘everyday value’. The game has
changed largely because of the GFC. It’s no longer “Can you do this job?” but rather
“What’s so unique about you that we should hire you instead of other candidates that can
also do this job?” There’s no shortage of candidates that can do the job in this market.
The vast majority of candidates waste an employer’s time in an interview or by
detailing in their resume what the employer already assumes they do or have
done instead of focusing in on what’s unique about them.
Our team of Agents spend much of their time interviewing some of the world’s best
executives and time after time we can almost word for word predict what someone is
going to say in answer to the question “What would you say to a Board if they asked you
what is unique about you?”. Now to be realistic, saying you “Work hard, have international
experience, get results, are likeable, have an MBA, know how to grow businesses” or a range
of other words describing common attributes of most other candidates at your level
isn’t going to illustrate what’s unique about you. Go ahead, ask yourself this question
now and see how you stumble. How well do you now think you interview?
IMPORTANT Lesson. The trick here is how can you communicate your value
in a unique manner so that the perception of your value becomes much more
relevant or seems more ‘UNIQUE’.
Restricted content. See www.upexecutiveagents.com/battlemanual
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B. Recruiters (Distributors)
(‘Poorly informed’ customers – they often possess a lesser understanding of the role or
company)
Recruiters generally only interview people they know can do the role. Keeping in mind
the vast majority have never performed the role they’re interviewing for, they often
cannot tell the difference between a good or exceptional candidate; who they shortlist
is largely a gamble. Any honest recruiter will tell you this.
As distributors their needs are:
1. Saleability: To find highly saleable candidates (products); products they can move
fast; those that have preferably something unique about them and those who will
face minimum objections from their clients; and secondly
2. Personality Fit: To put forward a candidate which will ‘fit’ in with the personalities
of the team and importantly the personality of the person they may be about to
report into (commonly called ‘cultural fit’).
For a recruiter to recommend you to their client you will need to be better than other
candidates at satisfying the above two requirements. Obviously you need to be able to
convince the recruiter you can do the job as well; this is a given.
In some cases a good recruiter will be able to sway the employer into hiring you, but
often employers only use search firms to find candidates rather than to intimately assess
candidates. Convincing recruiters you’re the easiest product to sell will often persuade
them to go into bat for you over and above other candidates.
Before speaking with any recruiter or search consultant read Appendix C.
‘Handling the Recruiter’s Initial Call’. The process explained therein is crucial in
setting up interviews.
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Recruiters, whilst often a source of roles, are not the only source. Your Executive
Agent should be able to generate numerous interviews for you without involving
recruiters. Conducting a comprehensive job sourcing program will identify more
companies with needs and live roles than running the gauntlet with recruitment firms
and online job websites.
Recruitment is like many professions, there are good and bad recruiters.
Generally they are just a misunderstood beast. Candidates put too much faith in
them expecting them to have a comprehensive way of assessing their value.
When candidates find out this is not the case this creates disappointment. Do not put
them up on pedestals. Recruiters simply want easy candidates to sell not necessarily the
best candidates. To be successful with them you need to convince them you’re easier
to sell than others.
A very sad joke. Candidate Craig is interviewed by Rod, the recruiter. The
recruiter at the end of the interview tells Craig, “Unfortunately my client wants more
industry experience than you have. Is it OK if we stick you on our database and keep an eye
out for you?” Craig replies, “It’s OK“. Craig then asks Rod, what he thinks of his resume;
Rod replies “It’s OK”. Craig then asks Rod what he thought of his interview performance
to which Rod again says, “You did OK”.
Now Craig repeats this process with numerous other recruiters and before he knows it
he is drowning in unemployment and he has now drifted too far away from the shore
to swim back. Rod, the recruiter then sails by on his motor yacht and yells out to
candidate Craig who is now taking his final gasps for air, “Craig, is that you? Are you still
OK?!”
Moral of this story. Next time you meet a recruiter or HR and they tell you you’re ‘OK’,
they mean to say you’re just average and unfortunately average in the GFC means
you’re definitely ‘NOT OK’.
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If a recruiter doesn’t jump on the phone, introduce you to their network or try and
generate interviews for you, it’s because you’ve failed to interest them. In other words
you appear very average. Your resume and interview performance is not ‘OK’.
What’s been your experience so far?
Why do recruiters say this?
Many senior candidates become hiring managers who can potentially refer future
business to a recruiter. Now if a recruiter is honest with you and tells you that you
interview like a wet bag, most candidates won’t react well to the honesty. When the
recruiter then calls you 6 months later to meet for coffee (thinking that one of his
competitors may have placed you), you’re hardly likely to want to meet with them or
refer them business. Recruiters exist to get business not to get you a job and certainly
not to find the best candidates for their clients.
Many naïve candidates assume recruiters are interested in only the best candidates.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Doubt this?
A true story. This author once had lunch with the Managing Director of a
large global recruitment firm who wanted to buy his share in the business. The
author said to the MD he would not contemplate selling it because the MD
cared little for his own clients and even less for candidates.
The MD responded having taken the remark offensively objecting “Our whole business,
all of our systems, our vision and our whole reason for existing is to find the best candidates
for our clients”. The author responded by asking “When was the last time you interviewed
for a General Manager?” to which the MD replied “a month ago”.
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The author asked the MD how many applications had they received and did the best
candidate have the best resume? The MD replied saying around three hundred
candidates applied and the best candidate probably did not have the best resume. He
didn’t really know.
The author then asked how many applications the MD’s team actually read and how
many candidates did they actually interview. The MD responded, “Well we pulled down
off the server about five percent of applications, took out those who came from leading
brand names, interviewed ten and shortlisted three; typically what we do.”
The author replied, “That’s the point, if you were really passionate about finding the best
candidates wouldn’t you read more applications and interview more people than a mere
five percent?!” The MD responded sheepishly, “You’ve got me. We have limited resources
and are more concerned with just finding a few saleable candidates that can do the job
rather than the best.”
Recruiters are not interested in the best candidates!
Recruitment firms are distributors of candidates, not actual ‘users’. The same as
with normal distributors, they are more concerned with selling products fast
(filling roles fast) and thus interview for saleability (and personality) more so than
experience or skills.
Personality vs. Cultural Fit
Candidates are not really knocked back because of cultural fit, but rather ‘lack of
personality fit’. Doubt this? Then think about this.
If you speak with the CEO, Chair, Clerks and Customers of Citibank and ask them
to describe the culture some may say its ‘corrupt, retardant’ whereas others will
claim its ‘progressive, respectful, aggressive, focused, and laid back’ etc. How can
you be rejected on the basis of poor cultural fit if there is no one clear definition of the
culture? It’s impossible. Also you may have a conservative board who are seeking
aggressive more focused board members to bring about change clearly in
‘contradiction of the board’s culture’.
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The real reason many candidates are rejected by HR and recruiters is a lack of
personality, or to be frank the interviewer thinks their personality, in the worst case
‘sucks’. This may mean the candidate is perceived as being too conservative, lacking
ethics, too relaxed, anal (often the case with many academics now pursuing private
sector jobs), progressive, arrogant or too ‘aggressive’.
For example, a candidate may think of themselves as being ‘focused’ but to a
conservative recruiter or hiring manager the candidate may seem ‘aggressive’. The
interviewer may feel that some team members will not enjoy working with the
candidate and thus the candidate may be knocked back on grounds of ‘poor cultural fit’
because it’s more appropriate than telling a candidate “We’re rejecting you because of
your personality ; it is not well matched to the company”. Candidates tend to not respond
well to criticisms of their personality and will often quiz the interviewer “What exactly
about my personality do you seem to have issues with?!” Creating conflict generally isn’t
good for business.
We meet a few candidates who do not know ‘who they are’ and are confused as
to ‘who they want to be’. If your personality is fragile or is undergoing a period
of apocalyptic change do not advertise it.
I. Top Recruiter Tricks to Understand & Avoid
◉ We have the role exclusively (they often don’t)
◉ Our client is interested in you (often they are yet to speak with the client about you)
◉ We’ll stick you on our database and keep an eye out for you (as soon as you walk out
that door, we’ll forget you even exist. “When did you say we met?”, “This morning?”)
◉ Your resume and interview performance is OK. (If they’re not shortlisting you, this is
generally a lie).Did you represent well enough in writing and in person to have them
shortlist you or simply well enough for them to stick you on their databases with
thousands of others only to be ignored?
◉ Our client has rejected you (often the client hasn’t even seen your details. This avoids
the recruiter having to handle any candidate backlash)
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II. Testing Recruiters Interest & Loyalty
The simplest way to ascertain if a recruiter is genuinely interested in you is to have them
verbalize what they or their client really likes about you. If they 'umm' and 'err', and
cannot verbalize it, you’re in strife. You’ve failed to convince them. Alternatively, if they
wave their arms about and mention numerous reasons they probably are interested.
III. The Job Hunt from a Recruiter’s Perspective
Many candidates become extremely frustrated at recruiters or search consultants for a
whole range of reasons. Read the following and then with a greater understanding of
recruiters, you may like to cut them some slack or approach them from a more
understanding frame of mind. This should in turn reduce some if your own frustration.
Satire. I go to work day after day knowing that any day now, my employer
may go out of business, or my colleagues or I may be made redundant. We
work very hard to find assignments in the GFC but most companies aren’t
hiring. Our competition is strong and numerous and we all provide basically the same
service. It’s very hard to differentiate ourselves.
If after considerable work and some luck we score an assignment, we then work long
hours then filling it for a fraction of the fee we used to be able to charge.
We advertise a role and are inundated with hundreds of candidates from the son of the
local fish and chip shop owner, a two man business. The son thinks because he empties
the oil vats and closes the shop he is the Operations Director so he’s been applying for
the Senior Operations role we’ve been advertising for a multinational client. Or we
receive an application from a guy that should be retiring, (a nice old gentleman) - if we
shortlist him HR will criticize us for being stupid. We only make this mistake once.
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We get scores of candidates applying for roles they’re totally unsuited for or have no
chance of securing. Most think they’re the only candidate applying and that we’re
sitting in the office late at night waiting for their application.
Often we’ll receive applications from people totally unsuited for the role they’re
applying for. For example, applications for Finance Director roles from Financial
Controllers who have never been in the Finance Director’s chair. When we ask these
Financial Controllers why would we shortlist them when we have over fifty other
Finance Directors who have applied for the same role and who have over ten years
‘experience in the chair’, we get abused or receive vague assurances of how ‘different’
they are or requests to ‘just give them a chance’. If we were to shortlist a Financial
Controller for a Finance Director assignment our client would doubt our professionalism
and this would put future assignments at risk.
At the other end of the spectrum we may receive applications from senior executives,
some with Fort Knox egos who have never been unemployed in their life and are cocky
about securing another role.
They apply with poorly written, ambiguous and simply boring resumes, which we wade
through; some are polite enough to keep it to fewer than three pages so as not to
extend our pain unnecessarily. Many think they’ll shine when they interview, (that their
resume is just a tool to get in the door), then they still interview poorly.
We receive scores of calls from candidates wanting to know about the role before they
apply for it. We cannot return these calls because we simply have no time yet get abused
because apparently we have ‘poor follow-up’. The callers could be competitors for all
we know trying to find out who our clients are so they can market their own candidates
to them in competition to ours.
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Candidates will at times lie about their background, employment history, credentials or
other. After they bore you to tears, they’ll call you too often to find out if they’re being
shortlisted. We cannot answer because we have been waiting on a very slow and
indecisive HR Manager to give us feedback. Hurry up and wait is the term that comes
to mind. Often we then have the regretful task of informing interviewees they’re
unsuccessful. We’re constantly the bearer of bad news; we become in-sensitized.
Candidates then call us claiming they want honest feedback and when they get it will
often abuse you. You learn quickly not to waste your time giving feedback. Never tell a
candidate the client thought they weren’t smart enough or they interviewed like a wet
paper bag; just tell them they’re ‘not progressing because of poor cultural fit’. Most
candidates accept this, thinking our client must have a poor culture.
Some candidates will even obligate us to get them a role, not understanding that it’s
not our job. Some candidates will tell you your assignment is the only job they want;
your client is super keen on them, you then find out the reason why the candidate is
not returning your call is because they accepted a role elsewhere and we didn’t earn
sufficient respect for a simple email or text informing us of this.
The above sums up some of the challenges and frustrations many recruitment
professionals are forced to endure in the GFC. Most recruiters are hardworking honest
people who are passionate and caring. We hope this satire may persuade some
candidate to better empathize with them.
There are some exceptional recruiters out there but they are few and far
between. Do your research.
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C. Human Resources
(Semi–intelligent customers – they often possess an understanding of the company but not
always the role)
Different to recruiters and search consultants HR Interviewers aren’t usually commission
driven and they’re often more conservative and risk averse. Despite ‘selling the reasons
to join their company’ to a candidate, they’re generally not great sales people. Their
needs are to find someone with a personality fit (good ‘cultural fit’ as they say) and to
find someone with the required skill set. More importantly they also have a need to feel
important and ‘look good’ in front of their Line Managers and other staff they’re
employed to serve. Similar to politicians, they often forget this.
In interviews it’s important you show respect for their authority, compliment them as to
their ‘professionalism’ (preferably in front of their peers) and bond with them. Rarely will
a HR person recommend a candidate they do not like, as they will probably have to
report into them or at least deal with them regularly; this may not make them feel
terribly secure in their role or give them a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Thus it’s crucial you make HR like you so they support your candidacy and do not ‘hang
you’ on every short coming even if you are the company’s best candidate.
D. Line Managers
Line managers are similar to CEOs in choosing who they hire but often they are more
insecure. Different to CEOs, they are not so high up the mountain that they cannot be
easily replaced. If they hire someone that outshines them some peers may notice - a risk
is that maybe they will hire someone that exposes their mismanagement. Ideally they
will find someone they can look upon as a confidant, someone to fit the team, someone
with whom they will enjoy working with. The last point being the most important.
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Often HR and Line Managers will have the/their team meet with the potential
new team member for two quite different reasons, firstly to ensure team fit, and
secondly so they can part blame the team should the new team member be a
poor choice. Often the team will take the recruit to a bar in the first week to work
this out.
True story. We met a 6’8” South African CFO who had immigrated with his
family to evade the conflict in his homeland. No recruiter would touch him
because he looked intimidating, spoke with a Hitler Youth accent and had no
local knowledge (in his own words).
After three years lost walking in the wilderness he decided to start affiliate marketing
shampoo from home with his wife to pay the bills. His self-esteem was at an all-time low.
Fundamentally he was a grade ‘A’ candidate in that he was the previous CIO of one of
the top two brewery groups in the world, and then the CFO of one of South Africa’s
largest manufacturers.
Considering how dependent the finance function is on technology, he represented
unique value if communicated well, which he did after some intensive coaching. He was
in my office discussing how he had just been knocked off the perch at final interviews,
(the CEO had hired a personal friend from Asia - we had been strategizing intimately
how to place him; many other search firms were also showing their candidates).
The Chairman rang his cell and said the decision to hire the CFO was done without his
consultation. He asked the candidate if he was busy, the candidate answered “Notreally”
(understatement), to which the Chair replied, “Because you’re our new CFO!”
Later after a bottle of Grange later we staggered home. A few months later the
candidate revealed the current managers had been quite negligent and deceitful; his
new employer was independently verified as trading whilst insolvent. His peers
certainly did not appreciate him exposing their short comings.
Moral of this Story. Line managers do not always like to hire smart or inquisitive
team members.
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E. Outgoing Staff Members
If you’re interviewed as a replacement for an outgoing staff member (maybe someone
who is retiring, dying or accepting an opportunity elsewhere) expect one of two things.
Either they’ll be confident in handing the keys to the division over to you being proud
of their work, “No skeletons in my closet”, or they may be thinking, “I hope he doesn’t audit
the books” or “Find out how I secured that major contract in China”. They may be
concerned the new recruit will find evidence of their mismanagement and this may in
the worst case impede bonuses owing, share options or references should the outgoing
person be still hunting for a role.
F. CEOs & Boards
(Intelligentcustomers – they oftenhave a good understanding of the role and the company)
CEOs are generally very ambitious people. Their first priority, at times more important
than their own family and company profit is their own career progression. If given the
choice between hiring one of two candidates; one with a hundred percent skill-set who
they do not really have a personal connection with and the second, a candidate with a
seventy percent skill-set, who they have a very strong connection with; the second will
usually be hired. CEOs thus like to hire a candidate who:
1. They can imagine enjoying working with on a daily basis,
2. Can further their careers, won’t challenge their authority and help them look good
especially when it comes to company performance, and
3. Someone who can remove their ‘pain’. Pain generally refers to issues, problems,
frustrations and challenges which restrict them from achieving their vision and
business growth objectives.
Selling at this level is thus about ‘Visionary Selling’ which means in brief, “If you hire me
I will help you achieve your vision faster, easier with less cost than any other candidate”.
Typically its bigger picture; less about operations and more about strategy.
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G. Founders & Business Owners
Founders and Business Owner’s needs are similar to CEOs. In interviewing with Business
Owners (there are some large private companies out there with a single owner) one
thing is generally different to interviewing with a CEO; that is the candidate will impact
on the Business Owner’s wallet more directly because most Business Owners personally
fund their business and thus they are a lot more sensitive to fluctuations in revenue and
costs.
“Will hiring this candidate personally drain my income or will they ‘fatten my wallet’?”
Also, different to CEOs a Founder or Business Owner does not fear being ‘replaced’ as
may a CEO that is not the business owner or who does not have majority shareholdings.
This is the difference between ‘recruiting for talent’ and ‘recruiting for personal security’.
Founders, depending on their personal connection with the business may not
appreciate someone who is likely to sell it off into tiny parts. They may want to leave a
lasting legacy.
Thus when interviewing with Business Owners you need to place a greater emphasis
on:
1. How much money you will make them, and
2. What will you cost them - in other words their ROI
As Business Owners start businesses to make money not save money, emphasis how
much money you will make them; usually this will be substantially more than what you
will save them.
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H. Referees
Testing Your Referees
Usually when a company calls your references they are close to the end of their selection
process and are likely to make you an offer. Be careful as an unsatisfactory reference can
destroy your chances. Fuzzy Bear may not burn you but if they sell you like a cold fish
the interviewer may think they were not really impressed by you.
Aggressive Referees
If the references you’re giving are possibly hostile towards you, have a friend call them
prior to the recruiter or HR doing a reference check to do a ‘test reference check’ for you.
This will enable you to identify those people not to list as references in future.
Training Referees
Passive referees often need to be trained in how to best provide a reference. If for
example you’re being reference checked for a sales leadership role, call the person
about to give the reference beforehand and:
◉ Ask them for their approval in putting them on your list of references
◉ Inform them of the key responsibilities of the opportunity you’re being interviewed
for
◉ Ask them, bearing the above point in mind to keep their conversation as relevant to
these responsibilities as possible. For example, it may be no use talking about your
technical attributes if you’re going for a Sales Leadership Role or talking about your
management attributes if you’re going for a specialist role requiring no
management experience
◉ Ask them to walk you through some examples they may give the caller as to how
you performed with respect to various tasks or responsibilities
◉ If you’ve put in your Resume your ‘Unofficial Title’ which you feel is a more honest
title than your actual official title make sure they understand the reason for this (if
applicable)
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◉ Forewarn your references if there are any sensitive areas they’re to avoid, for
example any personality clashes you had with previous members of staff or
grievances you may have had.
Your Executive Agent will be able to test and train your referees for you if required.
I. Executive Agents
An Executive Agency (EA) performs a role similar to that of a manager or agent in
managing the career of a Sports Star or Celebrity. An EA is very different to a recruitment
agency, a search and selection firm, a career coach, career management or career
transition (outplacement provider).
In short ‘full service Executive Agencies’ holistically manage their candidate client’s
careers, providing intimate and extensive support on everything from job sourcing
(especially those in the hidden market), PR, networking, research, generating and
coordinating interviews, interview coaching and strategy, mentoring, negotiating for
and representation of their client.
The role of an Executive Agent can be very demanding. We’ve invested over $2.6 million
in creating and patenting a global research and management platform to give our
global team huge capabilities, without such tech savvy infrastructure our role would be
near impossible to do.
Often EAs work across many different time zones. They are expected to always have
their head in the game whenever a client should call them, even when their client is
drunk as a skunk in Vegas having just lost a few hundred thousand (you know who you
are!)
Before you hire or ask someone claiming to be an Executive Agent to help you ask them
if they provide the full service outlined above or are they rather just a recruitment firm
that does some light networking or spams you out to the market; there are many.
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J. Career Management Firms
Career Management firms are very different to Executive Agencies. They typically
provide very basic job hunting advice. They will often facilitate networking meetings.
Their catch cry is “We give people the skills to get a job!” This may be true if you’re a recent
university graduate and cannot read a bus timetable to get to an interview.
Most career management firms are largely ineffective for these core reasons:
◉ Flawed Business Model. Their business model is usually based on charging the
candidate up front, different from actually profiting from securing a placement fee
paid by an employer upon securing their client a role. They then optimize their profit
by underservicing the client to cut costs. Most promote ‘great’ networking functions.
When you go to these you will witness a surreal occurrence.
You will see Patrick Fitzgibbons walk up to Rohen Fitzpatrick, introduce himself
and ask Rohen if he can introduce him to anyone who may help him secure a
role. To which Rohen Fitzpatrick replies, “What a coincidence, that’s exactly what I was
about to ask you!” Almost all the others at the networking event will be walking around
in the chicken coop and following the same theatrics wondering who and when they
pop the big question, “Do you know of anyone who you could introduce me to?”
Almost as if it were a South Park cartoon, blank stares continue for a few seconds until
reality kicks in and other participants realize most of these people here are unemployed,
have little or no network and are here to see how you can get them a job which is the
exact opposite of what you wanted to hear.
Having said this you can make some good friends. So these networking functions often
turn into mere social events. It’s like ‘Big Broke Bear’ and ‘Long time Unemployed Bull’,
two Indian chiefs traveling many moons to a reservation council meeting only to smoke
the peace pipe rather than to discuss anything meaningful. We constantly ask
executives, did they get any value from these networking functions and most just
respond with “Well I did meet some nice people”.
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Generally people with good networks that can help you secure a role are working and
too busy to attend these types of networking functions. In fact most avoid them like the
plague knowing if they go, they’ll be jumped upon like seagulls to fish and chips.
◉ Poor Strategy. Secondly, career management firm’s strategies are so poorly
thought out they rarely work, and thus the reason why they take their money
upfront and do not generate interviews for their clients. We spend a lot of our time
consoling their victims. We call them ‘fix-it’ jobs because often they are so
disillusioned with finding work; it takes effort to get their confidence back up even
before we begin our work. Many have burned their network so thoroughly they
would give an Amway salesman a run for his money.
If their strategies were effective surely they would make more money from earning
placement fees paid by hiring employers than from charging exorbitant
membership fees to their clients.
◉ Basic Advice. Thirdly, most career management firms have basic training courses,
to few support staff and insufficient infrastructure to adequately help candidates.
One of our Members who headed up a large global career transition firm said if ever
a candidate squealed about wanting a resume done they would have the
receptionist do it in between telephone calls.
K. Career Transition (Outplacement) Firms
Career Transition firms are similar to Career Management firms except the employer
pays the membership fee for staff they’re making redundant. These firms also have a
flawed business model (as far as the job seeker is concerned) because they do not profit
from securing you a role rather only by selling a membership program to your employer.
They have no real financial motivation in securing candidates roles.
Their advice is very dangerous. Most career transition professionals will tell
candidates their resume is fine and they interview well. The candidate then goes
to market thinking they’re OK under false ‘illusions of grandeur’. They generate too few
interviews and are often flagged by recruiters as being very average candidates.
42

Sad Joke. Nick has just been told by HR he is being made redundant. Very upset
and about to jump in the elevator for the last time, HR yells out to him, “Nick,
beforeyoujumpinthatelevatorgointothemeetingroom;KevinfromABCCareerTransition
Services wants to talk to you”. So Nick shuffling his feet goes in to meet Kevin, shakes his
hand, sits down and asks him, “Why am I meeting with you Kevin?”
Kevin clears his throat, combs his castor oil covered hair back and replies, “Your
employer, (clearing his throat)…ex-employer has hired my firm to help you get a job!” Nick
then exclaims, “Wonderful! So are you going to source roles for me; especially in the hidden
market?”, “No” Kevin replies. Nick then asks, “Are you going to build my brand, write my
resumes, compile my marketing documents and rebuild my online profile?” Kevin,
beginning to sweat replies, “Ah…no”.
Nick now clutching at straws asks, “Are you going to market me, generate and coordinate
my interviews?” Kevin now squirming in his chair sheepishly says, “Err…no”. Now Nick is
getting frustrated and feels he has been the butt of a cruel joke by HR; he finally asks,
“Kevin, I suppose you are also not going to coach me for each and every interview, represent
me or negotiate my next package for me?”, Kevin is now looking at the door and
contemplating his escape; he replies softly “nooo”.
Nick stands up and asks finally, “Kevin, again. Why am I meeting you?” Kevin now half
chokingly on his sales pitch replies, “Because I am going to help you get a job?”
If your employer has hired a brainless consultant from a cartoon corporation
who is more motivated to tie his shoes in the morning than help you get a job,
you need to be insisting they substitute the zombie with a professional from an
Executive Agency. Do not take no for an answer. Your employer probably owes you this
much in reciprocation for your years of service.
43

L. Reading the Minds of Interviewers
There are three key questions, which we refer to as ‘triangulation questions’. You need
to ask interviewers these questions to identify where you are in their minds. Have they
‘bought’ you or do they have major concerns about you? More importantly how do they
think you stack up against other competing candidates?
In brief these are “Whatconcernsdotheyhaveofyou?”, “Whatdotheylikeaboutyou?” and
more importantly “What skills or experience do they like about other candidates that
they’re also wondering if you possess?” (We study these questions in more detail in
Chapter 16).
If you consider there is an abundance of candidates, and on this basis most interviewers
really only interview people they know can already do the job, (people do not like to
interview people they know cannot do the job when there are so many candidates), the
only real question is “What’s unique about you?” or “Why should they hire you over anyone
else?”
It’s no use finding out the answer to this question after they’ve made the decision not
to hire you. Very few companies will call and say, “Tom, we’ve decided not to hire you,
would you like to rebut our decision and try again?” It doesn’t happen this way. A decision
is usually final unless the successful candidate rejects the offer.
44

Chapter 6 : Avoiding the Culling Process
(Booby Traps)
This chapter will help you understand how the various decision makers cull, how
to avoid these and the various traps as well as some of the warning signs.
A. Understanding the Candidate Culling Process
‘Like cattle to slaughter’
Think of an abattoir where the cattle are unaware of their predicament. Line after line of
cattle follow each other to their sudden death. Now imagine a single file line of
candidates, all doing the same thing, all searching for advertised roles, all lodging
applications via that dreaded ‘Apply Now’ button, all receiving little or no response or
that dreaded rejection letter, all wondering yet again what they are doing wrong, totally
unaware of the rules of the game they’re playing and their part in it, all receiving
contradicting and confusing advice.
It’s kind of like being the last person in a long line of candidates seeking entry through
the interviewer’s door, a small entry in a brick wall one hundred meters high;
insurmountable. With each knock, a small window opens through the door of which an
unknown person tells them the wizard is busy and to go away.
Then one day a smarter candidate looks to either side of the line in front and realizes
the brick wall is only one meter wide. What do they do? They simply walk around the
brick wall thereby jumping the queue of all other candidates and bypassing this
previously thought insurmountable obstacle or difficult selection process. We call this
going through the side door or a ‘flanking maneuver’. This is in part how you can literally
jump the queue of candidates.
45

Most candidates think more ‘outside of the square’ in their
job than actually in getting a new job!
Point being, candidates need to be aware that most of the processes employers and
recruiters use in assessing them for employment are designed for no other reason than
to cull candidates, simply because the list of applicants is too long. Knowing the purpose
and process behind these culls and associated booby traps will benefit your job hunt
immensely.
How Recruiters Cull
As mentioned earlier in Chapter Five, recruiters, different to employers do not actually
use (hire) candidates. Recruiters are only distributors looking for easy candidates that
can do the job but then are ‘easy to sell’. They are looking for two attributes in particular
in a candidate that is ‘saleability’ and ‘personality’.
Looking at the recruiter cull from a simple viewpoint, it can be assumed that in most
cases recruiters only interview candidates they know can do the job. Why? Because
there are so many qualified candidates capable of doing the job in this market that
recruiters (and indeed HR) only interview those they know can do the job rather than to
see if you can do the job.
Their biggest question of candidates is not “Can you do this job?” but rather, “What’s so
unique about you that makes you one of the easiest candidates to sell to our
client?”(Experience and knowledge is useless if you cannot sell it).
46

The Job Advert Portal
Recruiters usually ask candidates to apply through an online portal usually on a jobs
website or through the portal on their own website. Contrary to what they tell
candidates and their clients they do not have a comprehensive or fair way of assessing
candidates at all. Most will simply pull down five to ten percent of applications sitting
on their servers (at times they will use keyword search programs, though rarely).
They will then cast their eyes over these resumes for less than a minute and select those
candidates that have recently worked with blue-chip or well-known brand named
companies in their client’s industry. They will then look at the candidate’s employment
stability, discounting those that are perceived to have been unemployed for too long
or jumped jobs too often. Many recruiters will often totally disregard reading cover
letters, knowing most cover letters are ambiguous and boring. They know most
candidates do not sell themselves well enough to over-compensate for having little
industry experience, not working with an industry leading name or having employment
instability.
‘Industry experience’ is the new fad word, ‘transferable
skills’ now plays second fiddle.
How HR Cull
Many line managers and candidates feel that HR are comparable to giving
administration people a loaded gun (trigger happy with little weapons training); many
employees see HR as being the company’s internal ‘security force’. More often than not
they are the CEO’s henchmen or the local constabulary for the organization. It is not the
author’s intent here to demean HR but rather to highlight two main types of HR. Some
HR are exceptional business people.
47

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