Having been a recruiter/coach for 20 years, I am shocked at the degree to which it is true in this recession. Fear is an emotional stumbling block common to most executives who are “stuck.” Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, networking, recruiting, resume + cover letter, solving problems | No Comments »

There are lots of books and courses available on how to use LinkedIn with the standard messages and tools. But those courses tend to produce users who think that if being listed in the software is good using it heavily without further thought is better. I disagree.

1. In the Twin Cities Metro there are 4K LinkedIn listings with “marketing communications” mentioned, 59K with “sales,” and 31K with “engineer.” 65% social media participants users use to stay in touch with friends, 47% use social media “for work” and but only 26-28% use it for “career search.” Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, hidden job market, networking, recruiting, resume + cover letter | 3 Comments »

Disclosure: O’Donnell Executive Strategies provides recruiting services as well as career strategy.

Here are important tips for a successful relationship with a recruiter, when you are the candidate.

• Interview the recruiting firm. A firm may cover many roles, such as Sales, Marketing, IT, Engineering, Senior Finance and Accounting, Training, Organizational Development, Human Resources. Individual recruiters have industry specialties like medical device, durable goods, etc… The recruiter needs to assess whether one of the recruiters in the group is likely to have jobs that fit you. Most great recruiters have hands on experience in the field they cover. For instance, I have 10+ years as a VP of Marketing and I recruit marketers and others. A good finance recruiter might have a CPA and experience in one of the Big 4 accounting firms. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: career strategy, networking, recruiting | No Comments »

The simple answer? Don’t do it.

• I have seen national studies that claimed about 70% of resumes have “mistruths” in them.
• Other studies state 25-50% of resumes have “embellishments” (an exaggeration but not lie.)

The most common lies:

• Length of employment gaps
• Titles
• Degrees completed
• Salary
• Reason for leaving
• Not mentioning a job from which you were fired
• Taking credit for an idea developed by the team
• When career started (age)
• Size of business or projects managed
• Rank as a sales person or total revenue you represented
• Claiming to be “Consulting” when you were billing zero hours

I could quote more studies, but the point is: Recruiters and Hiring Managers EXPECT there to be many lies in resumes and in the interviews we have with applicants so we look and listen for them. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, interviews, recruiting, resume + cover letter, salary | No Comments »