Read the Writing on the Wall

In this series of articles, we attempt to portray the circumstances that motivate career changers today.  So far we have addressed perceived ageism, required transitioning, and victims of technology.  Merger and acquisition, of course, is another great motivator. Read the writing on the wall.

Let’s consider Marcy who worked diligently, delivered results, earned a solid six figures, and fully expected to be promoted in her sales job at a SAAS company in San Francisco.  Then one day her boss called her into his office. In a rather uncomfortable fashion, he explained that the company was being acquired. Consequently, the sales team was going to go through a force-ranking exercise to choose only the best from the two sales forces.

While she tried to pay attention to the criteria on which the selection would be based, subconsciously she knew her best defense was to get out there and start looking.  “No one will take care of your interests like you,” she remembered her mother’s advice.

So she began to look at the job boards where she saw plenty of jobs advertised.  She began posting resumes and applying resolutely to ten or more jobs per week. 

As the days ticked by and the force-ranking exercise crawled closer, she began to feel more and more nervous about the lack of response to her resumes.  She received a few “thank you” emails but they seemed to be auto-responses with no way to find out who had actually sent them.

Then she started to look at recruiters specialized in SAAS firms and sales.  Here she had a few telephone interviews.  Everyone was pleasant in a superficial way, but the salary ranges were too low and she always seemed to be overqualified.

Quietly desperate, she widened her search and discovered the Barrett Group. 

After consultation with her senior career consultant she felt intrigued by the Clarity Program© we offer that looks not only at the candidate’s targeted role, geography, and compensation, but at the person behind it. 

Jointly with the client, we investigate personality and behavioral tendencies, current and desired life circumstances, and the client’s vision for where he or she would like to be five years from now.  

Marcy signed on and quickly gained insights into why she was being glass-ceilinged and, in fact, that she really wanted to work in a different role, industry and geography. 

She certainly would have agreed with another client, Megan Lovell…

“This was my first experience with the Clarity program and all the components of it. I needed quite a bit of clarification and he [the Clarity Coach, Vivek] was so patient and kind through it all. He also had great reading suggestions to deepen the knowledge I acquired from it. Although I have to take smaller steps to get to my ultimate goal, he worked extremely hard to help me understand why and formulate tangible goals to get there. I truly enjoyed every phone call I had with Vivek and feel more empowered to make the necessary changes. Thank you!“

Marcy decided to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. She quickly landed a sales leadership role in Pittsburgh, benefitting from a lower cost of living as part of her relocation. 

In other words, don’t wait for the axe to fall.  Read the writing on the wall and get going while the going’s good.  After all, it’s only your future happiness at stake!

Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group

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Don’t Just Grin and Bear It

Julia was a successful HR VP for more than a decade before she decided it was now or never as far as reproduction was concerned.  Her spouse was supportive, so they decided  ultimately to have two children.  She stayed home, raised them diligently until she could conscionably put them into daycare. She then dusted off her resume to return to her career track. “Don’t Just Grin and Bear It” takes a closer look at her situation.

First, rather a lot had changed in the meantime in the job market.  But more profoundly, she realized that she did not even know how to search for an adequate job any more. 

The public job boards listed many interesting jobs, but, being public, they are typically swamped with applications. As a result, several have to some extent adopted computerized screening of applicants’ resumes to ease the burden of picking through the most qualified.

Julia felt increasingly nervous as the days ticked past with little or no response to her resolute applications—usually five per day.

That is no surprise to us. 

Only about 15% of our clients actually land through the public job markets for exactly this reason.  Also, note that the competition for those jobs is fierce. That tends to make it an employers’ market with the resultant effect on compensation for those lucky enough to get through the screening.

Nevertheless, according to author Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, 74% of professional women do rejoin the workforce after taking time off to have families.  

USA Today (March 25, 2019) highlights another interesting trend: “The best job market in half a century has been a boon for older women going back to work, typically after raising kids for nearly 20 years, and for those staying in the workforce at more advanced ages.”

These women accomplish this feat in many ways, but, most of our clients —75% in fact—find their next opportunity through the unpublished market.

For example, one recent client could not seem to get a foot in the door with CEOs in her relevant target market.  We helped her leverage her social capital. She soon discovered that her next door neighbor was extremely well connected to CEOs in the U.S. because he actually made and sold executive desks to CEOs.  Needless to say, it did not take long for her to utilize this connection. She was soon interviewing and shortly thereafter, back in the saddle, so to speak.

Whether you are a returning mother or not, everyone looking for a job needs excellent moral as well as professional support. 

Here’s what one Clarity Program© client, Carol Knouse, hat to say about her Barrett Group experience:

“Working with the Barrett Group was a game changer for me. It had been years since I looked for a new position and my consultant really educated me with regard to changes in the recruiting industry along with the use of social media like LinkedIn. She kept me on track and I really learned how to market myself. Anyone looking for a job or career change owes it to themselves to work with TBG!”

Don’t let “the best job market in half a century” pass you by!  Get in there and find that perfect job now.  If you don’t know where to start, consider our Clarity Program©.

Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group

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An Algorithm Took My Job

That’s exactly what Joe told me the other day on the phone: “An algorithm took my job!”

Joe had been a successful stock analyst for more than 20 years on Wall Street, usually working from home, often trading late into the early morning hours and generating excellent returns.  He is an introvert by nature, so his social circle and professional network are not robust.  Maybe he wasn’t listening adequately to the march of technology.

So when his long term employer was acquired and the new managers announced they were hopping on the exchange traded funds bandwagon, Joe was out on the street—and totally unprepared.

As a career management firm active for more than three decades, we hear this story again and again. 

What about the ignition system and drive chain engineers suddenly rendered obsolete by automakers’ shift to electric vehicles?  The recruiter whose screening of resumes is now handled predominantly by AI?  Or the airline attendant made redundant by the check-in kiosk?

And it will continue.

As in many cases, the best defense is a good offense.  Start rethinking your career now before you have to and head for higher ground.  There are many pockets where people are still preferable to machines, and there probably always will be.

So where are they?

Actually, that’s the wrong question.  The first question is, how satisfied are you with your current career track?  Adding your voice to our Job Satisfaction Survey may help you answer this question. 

The second question is what occupation best fits your skills, experience, and preferences?  If you want or must change jobs, then why not look for one you will enjoy and that will compensate you appropriately? Our Clarity Program© helps executives reconsider how they can best utilize their personalities, their skills, and their experience to better fit their changing life circumstances and drive in a coherent long term direction—a personal strategic plan.  More than 400 executives have rated this program resoundingly “Excellent” so far. 

Here’s what one recent Clarity Program© client, Georgie Seitz, had to say:

“[My Clarity Coach] Julie was Tremendous… She’s a great motivator and so very easy to work with. I feel I got off to a really good start thanks to her motivation, and I’m really looking forward to the next steps. This part of the program was Excellent…”

Our Clarity Program© has helped people like Joe understand that their real skill is actually in pattern recognition—a highly transferable skill.  Joe went on to become a data analytics VP in a completely new industry. 

Now you might think that the new jobs are less valuable than the old ones, but again, the Economist’s research does not bear that out: “The incidence of “low pay”—workers who earn less than two-thirds of the median—has been falling for two decades.” (The Economist, May 25, 2019, Briefing: Labor markets.)

The old adage is “As long as there is life, there is hope…” so keep an open mind, and do not be afraid to reinvent yourself.

Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group

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Executives Are People, Too

In our line of work we talk to a lot of people every week. Many of them wonder why, if this economy is so fantastic, do they feel the need to change jobs?

As the Economist and many other sources report, the US economy is really doing very well with unemployment below 3.8% nationally, and most macroeconomic risks (other than trade) currently in retreat. This should actually encourage executives to look around and consider whether they are living the lives they really envisioned for themselves and their families.

It is a job-seekers’ market.

So why do so many executives feel helpless at the thought of taking that step? Or for that matter, why do they feel so uncomfortable in their current jobs to begin with?

Let us take the reasons one by one. Today, we’d like to focus on perceived ageism.

Consider this: David contacted us recently after more than 25 years working in merchandising in New York. He has created multiple collections in numerous merchandise categories, driven these assortments though product managers successfully to market using brick and mortar stores and web shops. He has had five or six longer engagements during his 25 year career.

Suddenly, the pipeline is empty. Where recruiters and entrepreneurs used to call him up and actively seek him out, now he hears over and over again the dreadful judgment, “Sorry, but you are overqualified…” as feedback on job interviews—if he hears back at all.

It’s depressing for him and he’s struggling to keep his head up… struggling to maintain his own self-respect. He’s not destitute, but he’s not able to retire either and while his kids have grown and moved on, he and his wife still must maintain their modest lifestyle and prepare for eventual retirement. He is quietly desperate… even if he won’t admit it.

Ageism is insidious and you may never really know if you are truly a victim, because few
potential employers will actually be candid these days due to the risk of a law suit, but David suspects it is the on-set of ageism.

Should he continue to send his resume again and again, applying for great-sounding jobs on various on-line job boards? What other options are there?

You Have Options!

Only about 15% of our clients now land new jobs through job boards, so it is certainly worth trying, but also not sufficient. In fact, it is advisable to try additional approaches and to hire a firm like the Barrett Group to assist you if you feel you have lost your way professionally.

As David admitted to me, “I haven’t looked for a job in twenty years and the market has really changed in the meantime.”

Most important is the question of targeting. If David continues to pursue the same career target over and over again, then the chances of his success actually diminish even as his courage and resolve dwindle, too.

We have an answer for this situation. Our Clarity Program© helps people like David to actively rethink their career targets. We take a holistic approach, considering the personality and behavior of the individual, his or her current life circumstances, and longer term career objectives into account to help people like David reinvent their approach.

One recent client, Trista Fawley, told us this about the Clarity Program©: 

“[My Clarity Coach] Scott was amazing and made me feel very comfortable. His insights and approach to breaking down the “big rocks” is an invaluable skill.
I know I am early in the process but my time working with Scott has already started paying off in the way I view myself and my abilities.”

Consider evaluating your own situation by completing our Satisfaction Survey.

We love to help people rethink their career objectives, too, via our Clarity Program©.

Let us know if we can help you.

Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group

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It has been my great honor to serve. I would like to thank the Barrett Group for their help in returning to civilian life. I hired The Barrett Group to assist with my post-military career. My career consultant was an effective resource for transitioning successfully to the civilian workforce.

Garry L. Parks, Board of Directors – Santa Elena Foundation

I have now been retired from the Service for over 10 years, and there is no way to repay the Barrett Group for what they have taught me:

– A language of mutual added value.

– The power of networking!

– How to open doors and bypass gate-keepers; question presumptions; and, how to become essential to any organization.

Jeffrey M. Dunn, President and CEO – SageGuild, LLC