Tag: Employment

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[Secrets from the HR Underworld] The Job Title Scam

Do job titles matter?

And if so, what should you do to make sure you get the one that’s right for the role you’re seeking?

In an ideal world, a job title or “role” – words that are sometimes but not always synonymous – would connote scope of the person’s job and level of responsibility. Externally it give you  a sense of who you’re dealing/working with, and internally signals relative position and responsibility in an organizational hierarchy for those who put importance on those sorts of things things. … Read the rest

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One (More) Headhunter “Secret”: “See Me”

An Ifugao warrior with some of his trophies; I...

There are “secrets” in the executive search trade that anyone who hopes to be headhunted (or hire a headhunter to fill an opening) should know.

A set of 10 tips are here; another 7 more are here.

Here’s an 18th tip: what you do in the search process can stick with you for a lifetime.

While the world is incredibly small – Wendy Yanowitch’s saying that “The world is made up of (just) six people and lots of mirrors” is pretty true- what you do in the search process or even what you do outside of the search process can find a home in any record a search firm keeps.… Read the rest

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A Reader Asks: Don’t Take the Counter Offer?

Dear Back West:shutterstock_133096196

“What if you interviewed for multiple jobs, accepted one and 3 weeks later got a second offer for a bigger company with more $. 

You told your new boss–he did not offer more money and I did not ask (hinted)–but asked about longer term. 

The boss was a bit stoic only repeating his intentions when hired.  I really like the job I am at, the other is more $ and work from home, but feel compelled to stay. … Read the rest

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Job Hunting? Avoid that Job Title (Unless It’s a Really Good One)

The prospective client I met yesterday had a great set of skills, and an accomplished career.

CEO

The problem? Their type of job – and many of the ones like it – were going away as the industry contracted.

If you hang your hat on your job title, there’s not much left to hold on to when that type of job goes away, either due to technological change (think data entry specialists) or an industry consolidates and you’re trying to move to another sector where your skills are transferable..… Read the rest

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What’s the Secret to Being the “Right Candidate for the Job?”

Ivy League logo

It can be tough being a candidate, whether it be for a job or even one of those roles of a more public political variety.

Even if you’re seen as a slam dunk pick  (think Hillary Clinton as the “inevitable choice” during the 2008 presidential campaign), things derail. The same is true of job candidates.

A client recently was being wooed by a firm until he thought they’d gone frosty on him; his hunch was that they’d decided he was really a “generalist” in background when they’d figured out they really wanted a “specialist.… Read the rest

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The Perfect First “Real” Job?

Skills Like This

Is there a perfect first “real” job?

Probably not. But there are some real stinkers to avoid if you have the choice.

And I’m not talking about summer jobs, volunteer work, and or that paid – or unpaid internship – that might be out there. All of them, IMHO, are important.

But for serious importance it’s hard to match that first fulltime real job.… Read the rest