A VERY GOOD NETWORKING QUESTION...

Dear Gordon,

I find some aspects of the letter writing/network approach difficult to accomplish – in particular, writing to a specific functional manager. 

I have searched company web sites and looked for articles, but I rarely ever find the names of personnel. For some very large public companies, there may be an investor site where they post annual reports, but that often does not help to find the right person at the right location. For some, I may find a name of a top executive at the corporate office, but not one name for the remote site where I am interested in working. 

So, how can one find out exactly who the managers are at the desired location in the organization? 

Appreciate any suggestions.

There are a number of resources other than the web for getting names of key management people at companies in the US.

I would start with a trip to your local library. Almost every library, and certainly those associated with colleges or universities, has a research section. There will be a number of directories there, as well as investors information about companies, the business they are in, their size, and the key management people.

There is no one source that will give you everything you might be looking for, but there are some resources that can give you most of what you might need.

I have found success using the State Industrial Directories These are indexes of companies with locations in each state, be they headquarters or plants or sales offices. Each is indexed by company name, location, and SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) Code. Also each company listing includes the phone number, street address, and the names of the key managers located at that office or plant.

Also, there is a website, ReferenceUSA (www.referenceusa.com), that lists all the companies in the US by SIC Code, number of employees, location, etc. This reference also lists key personnel at each location.

Ask the Research Librarian at your local library for assistance with these, and for ideas on other directories that can give you similar information.

Another approach, which is a bit more time consuming, but effective, is to call each company you are interested in sending a letter to and ask the receptionist who the VP of Marketing is, or who the Director of Operations is, or the name of the Plant Manager…or even the President.

Once you have one name, all it takes is a few more questions, asked of the person you get through to, to get additional names in the organization.

Networking can be a bit like detective work. But the results multiply themselves with time, and it is surprising sometimes how quickly you can generate a list of contacts useful in your job search.

THE BEST RESUME IS A SNAPSHOT OF YOU - Part 2

I have seen a number of resumes over the years with a wide variety of formats used to detail one’s business or career history.  I have found that there are things that can or should be included to give a clear, concise picture of who you have worked for, what your duties were, and what you accomplished during your tenure.

Along with the name of each company and its location, include the dates of your employment.  This does not have to be month and year.  Noting the year your started and the year you left (i.e. 1999 – 2009) is sufficient.  But you do need to include your dates of employment.

As far at the location is concerned, list the headquarters location for the company, not the location where you worked.  List the location of the plant, sales office or other facility where you worked as part of your description of the jobs you held with that company.  This is detailed below.

Be sure you also include a brief description of the company and its business.  You need to assume that the reader has not heard of the company and knows nothing about what its business is.  For example:

CERTAINTEED CORPORATION, Insulation Products Group, Valley Forge, PA             1994 to 2009

CertainTeed Corporation, Insulation Products Group, is the leading manufacturer of fiberglass insulation products for commercial and residential applications, with annual sales of more than $107.6 million in HVAC and Industrial Insulation products.

This not only helps familiarize the reader with the companies that you worked for, but can serve to enhance the reader’s view of your career, including having added knowledge of your expertise in a certain market or with certain products.  It should not be more than 1 or 2 sentences long.

List each one of the positions you held with a company, and the accomplishments you made with each.  Include the dates that you held that position.  Also if your job was at a location away from headquarters, list the location where you worked; the plant or sales office, for instance.  Again the dates only need to be years…you do not need to include the months.

As I have said before, you need to include the accomplishments you made while you held each position.  These should be only one or two sentences long, and should include data or statistics that make the accomplishment measureable.

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT INCLUDE IN YOUR RESUME:

My advice is that you do not include any salary information on your resume.  Your past history is of no consequence in an employer’s decision about what salary to offer you.  And it takes away from your ability to negotiate.  The only salary that is pertinent is what you are currently making or what you made in your last position.  And that should be a discussion during the very last stages of the interview process…unless the prospective employer brings it up first.

Also, do not include the reason you left.  That is a subject that will be taken up in the interview.  You do not want anyone to misinterpret what you write, and a discussion of the reason gives you an opportunity to explain any details or special circumstances.  Also, and perhaps most important, you do not want to needlessly give the reader an excuse not to consider your candidacy.

Now here is an example of a resume entry describing the tenure with a company:

CERTAINTEED CORPORATION, Insulation Products Group, Valley Forge, PA             1994 to 2009

CertainTeed Corporation, Insulation Products Group, is the leading manufacturer of fiberglass insulation products for commercial and residential applications, with annual sales of more than $107.6 million in HVAC and Industrial Insulation products.

Product Marketing Manager, Industrial and Commercial Products 2000 – 2009
Supervised all aspects of business management associated with insulation products for industrial and commercial markets, with annual sales of more than $32.8 million.

Spearheaded the development and directed that successful market introduction of two new commercial insulation products, realized a combined sales level of $257,000 during the first 4 months after market introduction.

Directed the development of a sound absorbent blanket for use in the construction of multiplex theaters, and spearheaded the establishment of this as the leading edge product in the $6.3 million market.

Product Manager, HVAC Products 1994 – 2000
Supervised all aspects of business management associated with Duct Liner and Standard Duct Wrap for commercial markets, with annual sales of more than $56.2 million.

Supervised the activities of a product quality council for Duct Liner which successfully improved the quality of the product while decreasing the cost by more than 4.5%, and reducing the customer complaint frequency to less than 0.1%.

Managed the development of an innovative packaging system for Standard Duct Wrap, which saved the company more than $450,000 in operating costs, and reduced customer labor costs by 83% and warehousing costs by 46%.

I will discuss other aspects and recommendations for your resume in an upcoming post.

If you have any questions, please let me know at execmgmt.search@gmail.com

THE BEST RESUME IS A SNAPSHOT OF YOU - Part 1

There are many views about what makes a good resume…what is the best format…what should be included…what does not belong in a resume.

As one who has been involved in executive recruiting for more than 7 years, I have admittedly singular views on what makes for an effective resume.

A RESUME IS A PICTURE OF YOU.

First, always remember that someone will need to read your resume. It makes no sense to write “The Great American Novel”. The most effective resume is a snapshot of your career, your skills and your achievements.

The best resumes are 1 or 2 pages long, and certainly no more than 3 pages. Your resume should include the details of no more than 10 years…the last 10 years…of your career. Everything earlier can be summarized in a general description, at the end of your career chronology.

Here is an example of how that can be phrased:

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE 

From 1979 to 1994, held a variety of positions ranging from Sales Representative to Market Manager, with progressively increasing levels of responsibility in a variety of industries. These included specialty chemicals, polymers, coatings, and adhesives, serving a number of markets such as pharmaceuticals, plastics compounding and fabrication, metals finishing, graphics, and chemical process industries.

You need to realize, too, that a recruiter or HR manager, who is reviewing dozens of resumes, will not spend more than a few minutes review a resume. You need to catch their eye with short phrases and bullet points. Any way to catch the eye of a recruiter or HR professional scanning your resume quickly will be effective in getting them to pay attention to your background and experience.

This will increase the likelihood that they will see you as the best candidate for the position they are trying to fill.

WHAT MAKES A WELL WRITTEN, EFFECTIVE RESUME?

A well-written resume is one that catches the reader’s eye. At a glance, the reader sees what you want him/ her to see most, and what will make the reader want to know more about you.

This is accomplished with short paragraphs, bullet points, and an outline form that allows a reader to quickly see who you worked for and what you accomplished. Once they know this, they can dig deeper. There are key words that can be used in writing a resume that convey what you did and how you did it concisely and with emphasis that catches the reader’s attention. I will go into that in a later post.

For now, here is what I look for in a good resume.

At the top of the first page, put your name and contact information. Be sure that you put your full legal name at the top of your resume, not a nickname or slang. A potential employer does not need to know that you are called “Joey” by your close friends. He does need to know your name as it appears on your driver’s license.

Include your full address and all your phone numbers. Include both a home number and a cell phone number, and identify which is which. Also include your e-mail address…one you will be using for your job search to receive e-mails from recruiters or potential employers. (I suggest that you get a dedicated e-mail address that you will use only for this purpose.)

Next, below your name, state your objective. Here is where you tell the prospective employer what kind of a position you are looking for. Such as:

OBJECTIVE 

A Sales and/or Marketing Management position in which my skills in planning and forecasting, as well as new product and market development, pricing and financial management can be applied. A position that will benefit from the my comprehensive experience as a goal-oriented manager who has driven the development and implementation of programs that resulted in meeting or exceeding objectives for improvement in market share and profitability.

Then include a brief summary of your skills and background, a description of your professional self, so-to-speak, in a following paragraph.

Here is an example:

SUMMARY 

Executive with 26 years of sales and marketing experience. Strong leadership, communication and negotiating skills, and a successful record of increasing growth and profitability. Cross-functional experience in:

• Strategic analysis and planning

• Market analysis and planning

• Market development

• Product development

• Pricing strategy and planning

• Financial Management

• Forecasting

• Team Building

• Cost management

• Leadership and coaching

You may want to follow the summary with a section that describes 4-5 of your key accomplishments during your career. It is best if these relate as closely as possible to the job or position you are interested in with the prospective employer.

These should be brief one sentence statements. They should include statistical or measureable results, as well.

For example:

Led an effort to reduce costs, driving an increase in gross profit for the product by $103,964, a 28.8% increase compared to the previous year.

or

Drove the implementation of significant product improvements, which led to an increase in sales of $8.9 million, or 35.2%. During the same period, profits grew $4.2 million, a 68.2% increase.

Next in your resume will come your employment history. I will go into the details of the best way to compose this part of your resume in my next post.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, let me know at execmgmt.search@gmail.com.

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT SENDING NETWORKING LETTERS?

Concern was expressed that the networking approach I wrote about in the last post, and the letters I suggested be used, might be seen as "an act of desperation", and overplay your hand in seeking a new career opportunity.

Based on my own personal experience, using letters like these in my own networking efforts, those I’ve sent the letters to have been far from insulted.  As a matter of fact, managers are often pleased and flattered that you, the candidate, think enough of them to ask them to play a role in your search effort.

More often than not, managers are very willing to share their thoughts and their views on their industry.  After all, your approach puts them in the role of expert, and they are impressed that you feel that their opinions and point-of-view are critical to the success of your search for a new job or career change.

They do, of course, realize that you are seeking a new job, and I can assure you (because it has happened to me) that if they have a position they think you will fill, they will bring up the subject.  If not, many are aware of openings that other companies in their industry might have.  That gets you another referral, and another opportunity to expand your network.

Let me assure you, the majority of managers getting your introductory letter will not feel that you are desperate.

This approach is well known in industry, and gives you an opportunity to meet key managers face-to-face and/ or talk with them on the phone.  Not only is this an opportunity to gather information that will help your search, but the manager also gets the chance to get to know a skilled professional that he might appreciate knowing for a current or future opening at his company.   

A possible win-win situation, I think.

NETWORKING LETTERS YOU CAN USE IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Networking is an important and vital tool for a successful search for a new job or career change. It is vital to tap the hidden job market and vital in finding employment in the industries or kind of position you are seeking.

Letters are the most effective way to make initial contact with those who will be helpful in your search for a new job or change in your career. It is important that your networking letters introduce you and ask for the chance to discuss market trends or opportunities in an industry that interests you. 

However, the function of a networking letter is not to ask for a job…it is to make a contact…to introduce yourself to new people, to experts and those who may be most helpful in your finding a new job or career. It can also be a way to reconnect with colleagues from prior companies you worked for, and with contacts at companies with whom you have known during your career.

Following are 2 examples of networking letters:

The first is one that you can use to introduce yourself to someone you have not met: 

Mr. Neville Boardman

Vice President of Marketing

Heliotrope Chemical Company

378 Hightop Road

Silver River, Indiana 44000

Dear Mr. Boardman,

I was referred to you by Ms. Jocelyn Helmsberger from Mahtava Specialty Chemicals in Hunnicut, Vermont. She mentioned you as a recognized authority on trends in the chemical industry, and chemical marketing. She suggested that I contact you.

I am seeking an opportunity in the chemical industry, in which I can apply my 20 years experience in marketing and business development. I have a record, in my career, of success in marketing positions of increasing responsibility with leading companies in the chemical industry. In addition, at Bullock Specialty Chemicals, I have led the development of a new surfactant product line and its successful commercialization in the personal care market.

Mr. Boardman, I do not expect you to know of any opportunities. I would like a brief meeting to discuss the chemical industry as well as current and future trends. Your advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. 

In anticipation of having the opportunity to meet with you, I will call you the first part of the week to possibly arrange a convenient time to meet.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Sincerely,

Robert Wasserman

The second is one that you can use to contact a former colleague or reintroduce yourself to industry contact from your past: 

Mr. Troy Blair

Director of Marketing

Surri Resins Company 

674 Harriman Industrial

Pine Village, Oregon 98000

Dear Troy,

You might recall that you and I worked to together at Kelvin Chemical Company between 1999 and 2005. During that time you worked together to develop market opportunities for new products and technologies, and I remember being impressed with you market knowledge and management skills.

Since that time, I understand that your career has continued its growth and success, and that you are now the Director of Marketing at Suuri Resins. 

I appreciated the opportunity to work with you, and the value of your insights and suggestions, including the discussions we had about the professional and career opportunities both of us looked forward to at the time.

I also remember you telling me that you would always be happy to answer questions. As a former colleague, I have kept up with your current contact information. I will call your secretary in a few days to arrange a meeting at your convenience. I look forward to meeting you again and gaining your insight for my career path.

Sincerely,

Mary Smith

Choose that template that fits best with the contact you are making.

As always, if you have any questions, let me know at execmgmt.search@gmail.com

NETWORKING BY DIRECTLY CONTACTING COMPANIES

One of the most effective networking activities you can engage in, as part of your search for a new job or career, is to contact companies directly.  Since most of the available jobs are in what’s known as “the hidden job market”, it is important that you make your background and skills known to as many companies as possible.

Remember, however, that you want to do this in a targeted way.  Before you start writing letters to companies you need to know 3 things:

What companies (industries) do you want to work for?

Who do you want to write the letter to?

What will your letter contain?

Be sure when you start this process that you have decided which companies or industry you will be targeting for your job search.  You can get an idea of the variety and number of industries in the US by consulting the Directory of the Standard Industrial Classification System (http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/sicsearch.html) .  The 4-6 digit codes will be helpful in identifying and contacting candidate companies listed in the State Industrial Directories (see previous blog post).

SEND YOUR LETTER TO A FUNCTIONAL MANAGER

You do not want to send your letter to Human Resources, and you do not want to write a letter asking if the company has any jobs available or to be considered for employment.  You should send your letter to the functional manager who will know what the personnel needs of his business or department are.  If you are looking for a sales job, write to the sales manager.  If you are looking for a job in production, write to the Director of Operations.

Believe it or not, employment by a company, large or small, is based on making contacts rather than asking for a job up front. 

Networking with letters of introduction is much more effective than going door-to-door with your resume and asking if the company is hiring.  For one thing, one of the jobs of a receptionist is to keep people he/ she thinks are not important or of interest to the management at bay.  Same thing is true of an executive’s secretary.

So your letter needs to be a request for a meeting, and it needs to be addressed not to HR, but to the executive himself (or herself).  Address the letter to them personally.  Do not be afraid to put “Personal” on the envelope. 

In the letter, describe your goal, which is to seek a new job or career.  Ask the executive for the opportunity to sit down with them and ask them for advice about the job market, about their industry, or advice on how best to conduct your search.  Tell them, as well, that you would like to talk to them about what opportunities there might be in their industry for someone with your background, skills and experience. 

Do not ask for a job in your letter.  If there is an opportunity with the executive’s company, he will tell you during your meeting.  You can bring it up during your meeting, as well, in a casual way.

BE SURE YOU ARE WRITING TO THE PROPER PERSON(S)

No one knows better than corporate executives what the personnel needs of the company are.  They actually know more about that than Human Resources.  The President, Director of Operations, VP of Marketing, Director of Purchasing, or VP of Finance will know what jobs exist or what openings are anticipated in the near future.  The functional managers also know others in the industry you could talk to, and can give you recommendations and introductions. These are the people you write to.

If you are looking for a Marketing job, write to the VP of Marketing for example.  Writing to the President is effective because he will forward your letter to a functional manager that he thinks might have an interest in your background.

IT IS CRITICAL TO FOLLOW UP

About 7 days after you have sent your letter, follow up on the phone with those you wrote letters to.  You will be surprised how many will remember your letter and will talk with you.  Ask for an appointment to sit down with them and get their views and perspectives.  Be sure that you tell them that you expect only 10 – 15 minutes of their time.  Even so, you will be pleased at how many will actually spend more time with you.

Remember, executives enjoy sharing their knowledge, and they appreciate your feeling that their input is important to the success of your search for a new job or career.

Once you have had 5-6 of these meetings, you contact list will have grown even larger, and therefore the chances of you landing your next job or career will increase geometrically.

In the next post we will discuss the writing of the contact letters that you will send to key executives in your targeted companies.

If you have any questions, be sure to contact me at execmgmt.search@gmail.com

YOUR NETWORK IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK

Once you have completed your resume, and have decided what kind of job of career you are going to look for, you need to advertise the fact that you are available to hire.  You also need to let prospective employers know what you have unique talents that will be of value to them.  This is the true value of your own personal network…an effective, personalized tool to let others know that you are looking for employment.

Many of you who are looking for a job these days are probably not aware of just how rich a network you have to assist you in finding your next job or assist you in changing your career.

If you think about it, your own network consists of some or all of the following:

• Family
• Friends
• Co-workers at your current or former job
• Contacts at previous employers
• Contacts at competitors of your company
• Customers
• Your neighbors
• Fellow members of community organizations (such as Lions Club, Optimists Club, Rotary Club, etc.)

And  you can expand your network by joining networking clubs, signing on to networking websites (like Linked IN, or Gray Hair Management), or attending meet and greets organized by church, Chamber of Commerce or other private and government organizations.

One good approach to expanding your contact list is to ask each of the people on your initial list (your friends, family, coworkers, etc.) 3 questions.

• Do you know of any companies that are hiring?
• Have you heard of any companies who might be hiring?
• Can you give me 4-5 names of people you know that might help me in my job search?

This will give you a big list of additional contacts you can make.  Be sure to get the name, company, title, and phone number for each contact you are given.

My suggestion then, is to write each of these contacts a letter of introduction.  The letter is a way of letting the new contact know that you are looking for a new position or career, and a brief description of your skills and background.  You should also let the new contact know who it was who referred you to him/ her.  Ask them if you can make an appointment to meet them.

Do not ask networking contacts for a job.

Don’t ask for a job in your first contact letter.  Ask them for an appointment to meet with them to discuss what suggestions they have that would help you in your search.  What you want is information…nothing more.  Have no fear, though, this networking will eventually lead to that one, two or three contacts who will say something like, “You know, we’ve been looking for someone with your background!”

And then, your discussion of working for that company begins, and if you are interested in a position with that company…that is the time to express an interest in a job with them.

So develop your network.  It will take time, but it will be time well spent.  I will talk in a later post about the best letters for introducing yourself to networking contacts.

If you have any questions, or suggestions, let me know.