Candidates: In Your Hands

As we move forward into the new millennium, we come to realize that what was, is gone, and what lies ahead no one knows for sure. The future has a strange way of making a mockery of plans we made and playing havoc with those corporate strategies so carefully developed.

Relying on your own wit and intuitive thought; making the most of every working hour; knowing that you’ve given 100%, performing at the highest possible standard and with a professional attitude.  What is needed is positive thought-thought which allows you to make decisions that affect in a positive manner the very essence of your life. Your future is truly in your hands and if you think the world will make life easier tomorrow just because tomorrow is a new day, than you’re mistaken. Your current role and future career aspirations are being affected by corporate entities, which view the bottom line as their barometer for success. In most cases, these strategies set forth by your employers become an acceptable new hurdle in your daily activities and contain little regard for you, the individual employee, who must make new corporate directives a reality.

Timing is everything, and had you known when to buy and more important, when to sell, you probably would have also known when to move. With all the stories about those individuals who made a killing in the stock market over the last few years, how many do you actually know that held on to it? Call it greed or a belief that tomorrow is a new day and everything is better when you have a fresh start. It’s normal to believe that life is going to get better with time. This is a true statement, given the fact that you make the right moves, which requires some timing aspect to your decision.

Why wait for the worst day to make a positive decision? Why make the decision to consider new opportunities when you are at your weakest? These are mistakes we all make, basically because human nature prevents us from thinking the worst. Only the very few will consider job change after being promoted or given the largest increase in the group. Why is this?  What do these few individuals know that you don’t?   The answer is not that complicated. Keeping an open mind is not a mystery, but a business decision. To those professionals who excel in client facing positions or possess expertise in driving technology related services, I urge you to open your eyes and consider the market opportunities around you. To those individuals who have performed above and beyond their employer’s expectations only to be rated high, but rewarded low, it’s a big world out there and organizations in all industries are hungry for top talent. If added responsibility is what you have been given, but you seek additional authority, then look around you. Organizations seek those professionals who possess ability, passion and insight. Your value in the open market would surprise you. Not just monetarily, but from a position perspective as well.

Your career aspirations are probably being hindered due to current economic conditions-or that’s what you’ve been led to believe. For those individuals who have the ability to turn failing situations into winners, I implore you to keep an open mind.

Today, with the I.T. job market still growing and demand for new blood at an all time high, we must understand that no matter what economics dictate, the corporate world continues to search for outstanding people. With most companies today in a position to access cutting edge technology necessary to compete, the competitive market now realizes the need to become much more aggressive in their recruiting posture, given the limited supply of Superstar candidates. Hiring strategies are now geared to provide much more time in the recruiting and search process. Although the number of search assignments has been cut back significantly over the last year, there has been no lack of high-end search work in the specialty arenas, i.e., e-Commerce and Telecommunications. The search for outstanding players is constant and the average amount of time to fill critical need positions has gone from the three to six month cycle to the current nine months to a year. The landing of the best athlete candidate for the management ranks has drawn the attention of the “E Suite,” providing more scrutiny but faster tracks within organizations. Stellar performers are the current rage, and I will advise you that Average candidates will not be provided passage given the magnitude and responsibility, which goes hand in hand with these critical need opportunities.

To those professionals who have performed beyond their companies’ ability to reward and you know who you are, how many times have you ignored the recruiter’s call, or entered into a conversation regarding an opportunity knowing that your interest level was less than willing? How are you to consider an opportunity if one has not been offered? To evaluate what you have in relationship to what is available requires some work. I urge you to become open minded and proactive in your career development.  You lose nothing by investigating, and could gain everything if the situation turns out to be exactly what you have been envisioning, or better yet, provides more than you were expecting.  When a client is presented with a candidate that possesses those insightful qualities and clearly demonstrates a winning attitude, it is not unusual to find that they will overextend themselves to provide an opportunity. What is it that allows an organization to forgo their original job spec and take action in the development of an outstanding opportunity? One word used to describe this quality would be Passion.  A Passion for what you do, who you are and how you come across. Ask yourself, when was the last time you felt passionate about anything regarding your performance or delivery at work? So uncommon is this quality that many corporations have made it a premium factor in their requisitions. A corporate client will make every effort to attract those candidates that exude this characteristic. It’s what separates the candidates and allows organizations to move decisively in making hiring decisions.

At LAS, we provide you, the candidate, insight, or at the very least an opportunity to evaluate your options as a professional in this highly competitive market place. We provide the insight into the clandestine job market, which you have neither the time nor tools to stay on top of. At the very least, understand your value. Do you know your worth in the open market? Do you have a relationship with a world class recruiting organization that can provide market insight into exciting opportunities, which are often kept confidential?

Our clients consistently depend on us to seek out and provide the best candidates not from the field of available players but the best in the business, those individuals who have maintained a level of exceptional performance and are considered by most, untouchable. It is only through our track record of success, which has allowed us to sustain ongoing relationships with these organizations that provide our candidate base with an entrée into exciting opportunities, even in the tightest of job markets. Our clients have grown accustomed to our thorough process and aggressive attitude in the market. They welcome the ongoing introduction of highly regarded professionals. This proactive posture on behalf of our client base even when market conditions dictate otherwise has proven fruitful to everyone involved. 

For this reason alone, we believe that you, as the candidate, should focus on presenting the best possible picture. Preparing for the process should become your priority. Presenting the best you have to offer to the prospective client is your mission. This is not an exercise to fill in your free time, but a responsibility to yourself and family that depends on you being the very best you can be. Nothing will hurt your chances of being presented more than a carefree attitude. You are responsible for evaluating with some level of detail those elements in the opportunity, which are important to you.  Working exclusively within the management ranks, we assume that you, the candidate, have been around the block once or twice before, and therefore know your current situation and the items you would change if given the authority. You also know the questions needing to be asked, so those same problems can be eliminated before a commitment to join is made.   I will tell you, when a world class candidate is placed in front of a client who seeks a critical need individual within their organization, they will make every effort to accommodate. You must go into the process armed with as much information as possible about your prospective employer, industry segment and position in the market. Given the amount of available information on the Internet, coupled with our latest intel, you will come across as a serious candidate. You are obliged to go through the details regarding the prospective opportunity, questioning those aspects that seem to be intentionally sidestepped in the process. Sharing your thoughts on management style is not optional, but mandatory. Comparing notes on the firm’s culture and management direction can either turn you on or provide a wake up call. Your time should be dedicated toward the client and opportunity, not negotiating compensation or investigating a benefits package.

Only after the interview process is completed and an offer has been received, can one make a true evaluation regarding decisions to either accept or turn down an offer.  I would advise you to stay focused and maintain your game-face through the entire interview process. Prematurely cutting the interview process short removes your ability to have an impact on the situation at hand. Only when all the feedback has been gathered and an offer has been received will you be in a position to adequately access and execute. Adhere to this recommendation, and you not only provide LAS the leverage to negotiate a market credible package, but the added ability to collaborate with the client in working out those details which caused you some anxiety during the interview. This level of dedication on your behalf provides LAS the leverage to negotiate a more robust opportunity. At this level, it’s not just about compensation. 

We are committed to negotiating realistic compensation packages, reflecting true market value consistent with “World Class Professionals” in similar positions. Because we specialize in our market on a Global basis, we are uniquely qualified to provide insight into best of class, best of field scenarios. Because we provide this level of comparative analysis, our clients consistently deliver offers that demonstrate their assertiveness in the market and desire to succeed. Our self-imposed high standards in recruiting have created a new base line to which our clients have grown accustomed.

LAS is a strong willed organization, a firm that breathes conviction and passion in our service. With persistence in the market place, we have consistently provided to our client base the utmost level of stealthy service the search industry has to offer.

Establishing a relationship with the professionals at LAS will provide you with a win-win situation. You stay on top of only those opportunities that interest you allowing you to maintain anonymity while evaluating your options. Spend only the time necessary exploring an opportunity and not the entire market. LAS works diligently, to provide you, our candidate a level of preparedness, which seems to be lacking in the search industry today. We take pride in offering our one on one personal approach to managing all the details and issues surrounding the courting process.

Armed with the latest intelligence, you will find yourself dealing from strength during the interview process. Your presentation will come across as highly tuned and focused on one agenda, to secure an opportunity. Exuding a level of confidence, you will project strength and knowledge in the interview. You will provide the prospective employer a feeling of confidence that they are dealing with someone who takes their career as seriously as they do their business. Information is power, and you will possess it.

You have nothing to loose by keeping your options open. If the situation seems to possess everything you wished for, and the personal goals, which you have set are met, then make your move. Trust in your own vision as to where you want to be and forget about those days when the company has your career in mind when making those decisions which effect the employee. It’s not possible any longer. In most cases, the beast is too large and economic pressures dictate their decisions.

Approaching four decades of combined experience, the recruiting professionals at LAS have provided the IT Audit and Security community unparalleled guidance and insight into the best the market has to offer. With over twenty-three years of specialized search services, we have maintained a focus on our IT community and monitored the competitive market place, in turn providing a perceptive view eliminating the danger of over exposure on behalf of our clients. 

Our client relationships allow for direct access to those individuals responsible for the decision making process. An open exchange of information and insight into the future as it pertains to the firm’s plans for growth and new direction. We have taken it upon ourselves to understand our client’s culture, history, people and decision-making process to such an extent that we are often confused with being the client.

We understand the value of information, and consider our straightforward approach one key reason for the high level of success which both our candidates and client base have derived benefit from. We cherish our Candidate Contacts, and consider them our lifeline into the Global Markets. In many cases, these contacts represent our track record of accomplishment. By no means is every contact a prior or next placement. In many cases, they represent relationships that have flourished through the years by means of exchanging information, or providing career council and guidance.

As an LAS candidate, you will be provided the highest level of support, unlike any the search industry offers. As we now settle into the new millennium, we come to realize that the playing field has once again changed and the future is an unknown.

For those professionals at the top of their game, it is our goal to provide you the best this market has to offer. At LAS, we stand ready to prove it.

Yours Truly,

                                                                        Tom DeAngelo

President

LAS Executive Search, Inc.