WHAT TO DO ‘TIL THE HEADHUNTER CALLS

Daniel J. Burns

Ask yourself: "Will I be ready for a change if I get a call from someone about my dream job?" Here are some strategies to think about as you prepare for that phone call.

IS YOUR RESUME UP TO DATE?

Obviously this isn’t the first time you looked at an opportunity to improve your work situation. If you have been in the workplace for seven to ten years – the magic numbers that always seem to appear in the classified ads – you may have held two or three different and more responsible positions during that period. Because you are a good and loyal worker, you have also had both a “bump-up” in responsibility and several corresponding raises. But you let your resume slide, didn’t you? Well, it’s time to put together a professional product that both summarizes your skills and achievements, and sells your talents to the next highest bidder. Let’s face it: Bill Gates and Lee Iacocca can get by without a resume. But folks like us need one and should always have a current one on hand.

But, you say: “I haven’t put a resume together since college. Where do I start?”

I suppose the easy answer is to advise that you pop on over to your nearest bookstore and walk into that airplane hangar of a room where they have all those books on job seeking stored. Or you can google (hey, it’s a verb) the generic term “job seeking” and sit back while the thousands of related websites flash by. Or you can look up “job counselor” in your local Yellow Pages and pay some pointy-headed guy to do it for you. Whatever it is you decide, DO IT NOW! Without a current resume, you are just another fish in yesterday’s sushi line. Don’t put it off any longer; update your resume as soon as you can.

DO A SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Look back over each professional position you have had since college and pick out the highlights of your responsibilities. How did you perform in these roles and how did your performance translate into quantifiable results at the bottom line? This doesn’t necessarily mean that you had to have raised large sums of monies or even saved the organization large sums of monies. Perhaps you created a new way of doing some old things, expanded staff resources or created a new database for tracking information. Whatever your accomplishments, relate them to the health and welfare of the organization and describe them in terms of achievements.

Don’t be shy about taking credit for the things you did. As long as you are honest and careful in your descriptions of what you accomplished, you deserve to toot your own horn. As one of my college professors used to say: “Toot not thine own horn, and the same shall ne’er be tooted.”

Don’t become redundant in your use of the word “I.” It’s okay to speak in the first person on occasion, but in resume terms you also want to look collaborative. Give credit where credit is due to others and stress team play. If you can, be specific about how your efforts saved the organization money, reduced overhead, improved productivity, or raised funds in support of the organization. Talk in the “active” as opposed to the “passive” voice.

As you move from one position to the next in your resume, provide a brief description of each employer in order to help your audience focus on your responsibilities and capabilities. Also give thought to those things that serve to make you who and what you are, such as your educational background, volunteer experiences, and civic involvements.

Your job coach – if you have one – (and if you don’t, your mom) may recommend that you insert a “career summary” at the top of your resume. Not a bad idea! In your summary, emphasize qualities that are relevant to the position you are seeking and that might not otherwise be obvious to the reader of your resume.

It’s also not a bad idea to ask for a trial run on your resume before you actually send it anywhere or use it in response to the headhunter who just looked up your phone number in the White Pages. Ask someone who knows your background and something about your aspirations to take a look at it. Don’t be offended if they pick it apart. Use their suggestions and criticisms to your own advantage; and, if that means going back to the bookstore for more advice, do it! Ask if they see any typos or grammatical errors that your own set of eyes didn’t pick up on the three-thousandth re-read. But remember: in the final analysis, it’s your resume, your calling card. You are the one who has to be comfortable with how it portrays you on paper.

Once satisfied, keep your resume handy. Stored in your personal documents file on your own computer, it will always be readily available for updating as needed. I am not necessarily a big fan of spending a ton of money on pre-printed resumes. With the easy availability of computer printing, I advise folks to load the printer with a higher quality of bond paper and crank out fifteen or twenty copies at a time. You’ll be making other changes to the resume depending on what qualifications the opportunity calls for. So if you prefer, you can avoid professional printing and do it yourself.

If you are transmitting your resume via e-mail, it is best to check the rubrics on how that is done so that your otherwise highly crafted resume doesn’t come out looking like gobbledygook at the other end. It is always best to confirm that your recipient did get the electronically transmitted copy, or follow it up with a hardcopy. If you use snail mail, consider sending it the day before you transmit the electronic copy so that your document arrives just about the same time as your e-mail.

ANTICIPATE THE INTERVIEW

I used to recommend that folks go to their neighborhood library and read articles on how to take a job interview. Today I recommend that you do this sort of thing at your computer. You’ll get the most up-to-date information by relying upon the Internet to provide tips on interviewing technique. Visit executive search firm websites - there are many good ones. In some instances, you can leave an e-mail address and they’ll update you with interesting information from time-to-time. There are many excellent articles written by experts in their fields on how to prepare for – and how to take – a job interview. Take advantage of what resources you can before taking the job interview. What you are likely to find is that most of this advice is pretty similar. In the world of job seeking, there’s not a whole lot new under the sun.

HAVE A LIST OF PREPARED QUESTIONS

Okay! You received the call and you are taken somewhat off-guard. What do you do? Don’t be afraid to ask. Why is the headhunter calling you? Where did he/she get your name? Why does he/she think you have the right qualifications for the opportunity? What can he/she tell you about the organization? Does the headhunter have a position spec and will he/she send it to you? These are all good threshold questions and are good to ask as early on in the mating dance as possible.

When called by a headhunter, the best thing to do first is listen well. If asked whether you are interested in hearing more about the opportunity, say yes. Even if it’s not right for you, you might know someone whose name you could pass along; this is an excellent way to get the headhunter to call you back again. If you like what you hear on first report, be prepared to give a brief synopsis of your qualifications. Others may say that you should report both strengths and weaknesses. I say, leave the weaknesses aside for the moment. If the interview proceeds to a face-to-face opportunity, you may never have to discuss your weaknesses. Don’t spend time telling the person who called reasons why he/she doesn’t want to consider you.

Develop a “two-minute drill” and be ready to go into it without sounding rehearsed. Don’t be afraid to state your salary requirements either. Better to find out early what the position will pay than to waste time only to be disappointed later. Ask yourself: “Why should the organization hire me?” If you can’t come up with a logical sounding answer while rehearsing, then you’ll have trouble coming off sounding credible when the call arrives.

It is a given that the person who calls you will want to know why you would consider leaving your present situation. Take it on faith; this question is always approached on the threshold of a recruiting interview. At all costs, say nothing bad about your current employer. Best to say something like: “I am very happy here. I work for a great organization and am able to make a major contribution to the success of our enterprise. But I am the ‘number two’ here and at this time in my career, I would like the chance for greater responsibility. Aside from that, you called me. I’m not out looking, but I am intrigued by what you have told me about this opportunity and by your interest in me. I’d be pleased to talk more if we can do so confidentially and in person. Do you have a position specification and will you send it to me?” As mentioned above, it is important to get the position spec as early into your conversation with the recruiter as possible. If the recruiter doesn’t have a spec, chances are he/she doesn’t have a bona fide search assignment either.

Ask some preliminary questions about the job and its responsibilities. If you can, find out if it’s to replace an incumbent or if it’s a new position. If a replacement, why did the other person leave? Continue to press the recruiter for an in-person meeting or ask to call him or her back after you review the position description you requested.

SET THE SCENE BEFORE THE FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEW

If you can, it’s always good to do a “dry-run” before the actual event. Sit down with another friend or fellow professional in your line of work. Set up a role-playing scenario. If you can, videotape yourself. If you keep tugging at your hair or wiping your nose, better that you see how others see you before the interviewer does. Give it several tries until you feel comfortable with how you look and how you present yourself. Having an opportunity to do more than practice in front of the hallway mirror will do wonders for your confidence and should make the interviewing experience a bit less stressful.

After the interview has concluded, wait a day or so and then send the interviewer a handwritten note of thanks. It always pays to be gracious even if you don’t get the nod for the opportunity. Being kind and gracious may be just the ticket to getting another call from the same recruiter in a future search assignment.

And by all means, keep a positive mental attitude.