J Patrick + Associates Blog

Whether achievements are listed on your resume or you are communicating accomplishments for a performance review on the job, truth-in-advertising is paramount.

A Walmart executive claimed to have an arts degree, but he did not. A dean at MIT with multiple university degrees turned out to have none. More recently, a story told about a wild helicopter ride taken by a Nightly News anchor in 2003 was grounded. These stories have two things in common—deception and discovery.

Your online reputation is a commodity

The reputation economy refers to an aggregation of networked data collected from sources all over the world. While you already know your mortgage, insurance rates, and business value rely on positive appraisal, your professional reputation does, too.

The day has arrived when your reputation affects whether you can share a car ride or connect on LinkedIn. ExecuNet reports that 90 percent of executive recruiters polled use online search engines during the vetting process. Employers do the same.

At the outset of your job search, take stock of your digital footprint including:

• Maintain an up-to-date, professionally written LinkedIn profile.
• Conduct your own social media search for personal references. Manage or remove negative remarks. Address unflattering comments or photographs posted by others.
• Boost your brand with social media posts about good works, community, and volunteer service

Unless your business demands otherwise, now and five years from now—keep your online presence, clean, honest and progressive.

Fact, fiction or omission?

Deception is relative. Only you know whether your resume is fact or fiction. Facts are fine, and omissions can be necessary, but there is no room for fiction.

There is plenty of disagreement about what constitutes a “lie.” During an executive employment search, most agree that intent to mislead constitutes lying.

Across industries, common mistakes made by job-hunters include:

• Embellished experience: Dates of employment, position attained, salary and job responsibilities are commonly altered by job seekers. Speak well of your skills and experience, but do not misrepresent your capabilities.
• Enhanced education: A background check quickly reveals whether you have the education you claim. The future is not built on a phony degree. Do not claim what you do not have.
• Fake the financials: Legal liability may follow mistakes made by CFO hires who fake financial expertise.

As a former executive recruiter, I have experienced job candidates who are not troubled by claiming an unearned degree or training certificate. While faking education and work experience is tempting, executive falsehoods do not end well. When discovered, a job is lost or not offered, and a reputation is ruined. Just ask David Tovar.

Online or on your resume, authenticity, honesty and professional self-marketing are the keys to navigating the fast-growing reputation economy.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

Ageism as a challenge gets thrown around a lot in the executive recruiting world. There is this false assumption that because you’re a certain age that you won’t get the job. The reality is there are plenty of companies who will hire you for your expertise regardless of your age if you can properly convey your value.

Yet many executives looking for work still cite ageism as their main challenge in landing the job. Pardon the bluntness, but perhaps “ageism” isn’t the real problem here. In fact, it’s very likely that perhaps you’re making some mistakes that portray you as dated, inflexible and victimized – characteristics that are unattractive at any age.

Use our tips to make sure you aren’t coming off this way in your job hunt.

Your resume is outdated.

Resume trends change all the time. What worked 15-20 years ago will not work today. Furthermore, if you’re still working with the resume your college’s career center taught you to write, and have just been adding your jobs as they happen, then you’re in for a very rude awakening. You wouldn’t wear a suit from 1995, so why would you use a resume format from the same era? The days of sending in paper resumes are gone. Objectives have also been thrown out with yesterday’s trash. Additionally, everything has gone digital so if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile or a way to participate in mobile recruiting then you’re going to struggle finding job.

The people you are contacting prefer corresponding via email—and you’re calling.

In the age of smart phones it’s a miracle if anyone uses a phone to actually talk on it anymore. The truth is several people loathe using the phone and prefer using email. It’s quick, easy, doesn’t really interrupt their day and doesn’t take nearly as much time. You may think it’s impersonal, but the reality is you can easily have the same conversation via email as you would on the phone. If you insist on calling (or worse, faxing) when your contacts clearly prefer email then you’re annoying them. It also shows you haven’t gotten with the times. That’s far worse than running the risk of being impersonal, which no one thinks of email anyway.

You don’t understand effective email communication.

The point of email and instant messaging is that it’s quick and to the point. If this is how a prospective employer operates for intercompany communications then you need to make sure you’re with the program. That means you must avoid sending confusing subject lines and emails that are the length of the Old Testament. MindTools has a great guide on how to properly write effective emails for business. Learning how to write catchy email taglines and first email lines is key to increasing the chances of your email getting read.

You make it hard for people to reach you.

Make sure your resume has a mobile number, email address and LinkedIn profile URL listing in the top section easily seen. Put some variation of your contact information in the summary section of your LinkedIn Profile, twitter bio and/or about.me pages. Google your name and see what options come up and see if it is easy to contact you when clicking on those links. Also, evaluate your email provider. Sometimes Verizon.net and aol.com email addresses can over filter emails and bounce emails being sent to you—even if you initially emailed the person. So ask friends to email you and see if messages bounce—and consider moving email to a more universal provider, such as Gmail.com.

You’re focused too much on the past during job interviews.

While it’s good to touch upon past accomplishments during job interviews you must remember to balance it out with some forward thinking conversation. For instance, don’t forget to mention how your skills can help the company with their current issues. You also need to talk about how you can contribute to company goals both now and in the future.

You’re too expensive.

This isn’t to say that companies are trying to get experience for cheap. It just means they have a budget to work with and not every position needs the expense associated with bringing on an experienced person. Think of it this way, you wouldn’t buy a BMW, if a Toyota suffices for what you need. Sometimes the executive role a company needs to fill doesn’t require so much accumulated experience and therefore isn’t worth the cost. This isn’t ageism, it’s just finances. With all of this outlined, know that I do believe ageism exists in hiring and can be a valid issue in preventing an appropriately qualified, within-the-budget executive getting hired. However, often, I see ageism is not the reason and one of the above reasons is the root of the issue. When someone cites the ageism cause without looking at what they can change or other valid business concerns, all they are doing is destroying their own mindset to get positive results from the search.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

Interviewing can be stressful – especially if it’s been awhile since you last did it. You prepare ahead of time by researching the company, the position, the contacts with whom you will interview and the challenges the company may be experiencing. You rehearse answers to expected interview questions outlining your accomplishments and the stories behind them. You are ready to knock them dead for your upcoming executive interview!

Even with research, preparation and rehearsal,some questions can take you off guard. My favorite recent example being, “If you were a part of a cheeseburger, which part would you be?” Best answer, in my opinion, “Umm,yeah – the cheese, of course!”

Silly questions aside, the question “Why should we hire you?” or “Why do you want this job?” will surface often and can put even the most prepared job seeker on edge. Expect it to come and prepare for it. It’s best not to have a generic answer.

But what makes a good answer? Here are three tips to keep in mind as you formulate your own response.

1. The answer is more about the “We” than the “Me”

Instead of focusing on what’s great about you, instead focus on what you see that is awesome between what you bring and what they offer together. Do you have a particular skill that would shine in their culture and bring about growth at the same time? Does the prospective employer have a situation before them to which you can uniquely contribute that makes benefits you both?

Is the company experiencing financial issues and you have a specific track record turning around distressed companies in their industry? Outline how fixing these types of scenarios is rewarding for you as a progressive Chief Financial Officer.

Answering in a way that promotes a winning scenario all around is the best strategy. If there’s a specific example of how you can advance the company, while advancing your own career, then absolutely share it!

2. It’s about your ability to solve problems they have

A smart answer focuses on solving existing problems the company is experiencing. Is the company experiencing high staff turnover? Demonstrate as a Director of HR the retention programs you have put in place that have reduced turnover. See that the organization’s main product line has plateaued in sales with its target market? Showcase how you reinvented the brand to invigorate sales and by how much for each instance you had success during your tenure as a EVP of Sales & Marketing.

Interviewers love to hear about a mutually beneficial solution or arrangement. Turnover is a real problem for some industries or companies and the better the likelihood that you both get something out of it (beyond trading work for pay), the better chances that you’ll stick around and they’ll want you to.

3. Your Passion Shines Through

If this is a position or field that you're passionate about, little rehearsing may be necessary for this questions, if you are speaking from your heart. There's little that trumps what intrinsically motivates you when it comes to an effective answer.

Demonstrating what motivates you deep down is of great interest to a company. A great company knows they can’t motivate people—top-notch employees come with motivation and great companies know how to supercharge and channel that already-there mojo. Sharing what made you interested in finance or what inspired you to get involved in the pharmaceutical industry can show a company how you come to them already fired up about the cause/product/service and all you need is the proverbial gas to fuel that passion. This information, combined with your earlier research about the company, will emphasize that your personalities and interests mesh well making you a great hire for them –so don’t be afraid to share why.

When answering the question, “Why should we hire you?” it’s best to focus on the company’s needs and how you can serve those need and provide an answer that is a win/win for you both. Don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm and let your passion for the position or industry emanate.

Above all else, take this question seriously and be prepared. This the time to showcase why you care about this position, what you have to offer the company and demonstrate that you want it.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

Dealing with multiple recruiting agencies

doesn’t always result in more high-quality

candidates. In fact, sometimes it can be an

inefficient way to attempt to fill highly

specialized roles. A global leader of

application delivery and application security

solutions for virtual and cloud data centers

began working with several recruitment

agencies in order to find a qualified, multifaceted professional that met their strict

and highly technical hiring demands. When the company needed to expand its Sales

Engineering team, it had several specialized requirements that made the position

challenging to fill. It had been nine months and the position had not been filled, even

though they were working with a variety of agencies.

Since the position required the candidate to have deep technical experience across

all facets of application delivery and application security solutions, as well as

virtualization, Private / Hybrid Cloud and Software-defined Networking (SDN), as

well as their numerous applications in a variety of verticals, it would take some

digging to right qualified candidates.

The candidate also needed solution-selling experience and hands-on experience

with the provider’s intricate products and solutions portfolio.  They had to provide an

initial presentation with customers and sales teams and perform the installation. The

company interviewed dozens of candidates suggested by its recruiting firms but

were unable to find a candidate that met all of the provider’s requirements.  After

nine months, the organization decided to explore another recruitment agency option.

That’s when J. Patrick & Associates (JP&A) became involved and executed multiple

candidate searches in the Chicago area.  The company identified Sales Engineers at

the security solutions provider’s direct competitors.  Then it turned to trusted industry

referrals to further its search.

JP&A cold-called and thoroughly screened dozens of qualified professionals by

using its database of over half a million candidates and a global Information Security

referral network. JP&A’s recruiters disqualified approximately 30 candidates for

every one that moved on to the next phase, the technical screen.  JP&A successfully

identified two qualified Sales Engineer candidates that met all of the client’s job

requirements within a 30-day period.  

The security solutions provider hired one of the Sales Engineer candidates, now a

consistent top performer several years running. Since then, the company has

retained J. Patrick & Associates as its primary recruiting firm. In the last year, J.

Patrick & Associates has successfully placed more than 10 professionals in eight

other positions with the organization and is currently working with the provider to fill

12 new Sales and Engineering positions. One solid recruiting firm with the right

experience and resources can be easier and more efficient than working with

multiple recruiters.

Sales Engineers are vital to your sales efforts, providing the technical glue that holds deals together. Quality Sales Engineers can be a challenge to find because competition is fierce for effective engineers. Many highly-qualified Sales Engineers are already busy being handsomely rewarded for their efforts and comfortable where they are. For that reason, it’s important to have a nimble recruitment process that’s focused on speed and quality, while being cost-effective.

After being acquired by a multinational technology and consulting corporation, a leading

endpoint security vendor needed additional Sales and Engineering staff to support the

release of its new suite of security software. This security software provides cybercrime

prevention against financial fraud and data breaches. Hundreds of millions of end-users

use this software to protect web applications, computers and mobile devices from cyber

threats and attacks. Finding the right salespeople and sales engineers, for a product

that serves such a huge market, required an equally huge commitment to rigorous, yet

efficient recruiting.

Initially, the Human Resources Department of its parent company worked with several

recruiting firms to fill several sales and Sales Engineering roles to satisfy its urgent

staffing needs. That worked to fill the Sales Division positions quickly, but due to the

complexity of its software, it was difficult to fill seven open Sales Engineering roles in

the one-month time they had set.

The right candidates needed to have a strong solution-selling ability and hands-on

installation experience with multiple facets of endpoint security technology. They

needed a conceptual understanding of how these technologies integrate with other

internal systems that their client’s may be using. In addition to their technical skills, they

would also have to possess strong presentation and sales skills, and interact

professionally with c-level executives and decision-makers. This mix of technical and

soft skills can be challenging to find. They needed a way to speed up the process and

still find solid candidates that met their criteria.

The endpoint security vendor enlisted the help of J. Patrick & Associates (JP&A) to help

recruit the additions to its Sales Engineering team. JP&A had the tools and resources to

help source qualified candidates in the company’s limited hiring timeframe. By using

data and number mining software and various social media platforms, JP&A used its

database of over 500,000 candidates and its Information Security referral network to

identify candidates for the initial job screening. It was highly specific as well as labor

and in regards to the time-intensive process. JP&A screened out between 100-200

applicants for every candidate that went on to the next phase of the interview process,

the technical aptitude assessment.

JP&A successfully managed the entire hiring process for the endpoint security vendor.

In filling four of its seven Sales Engineering positions in under three and a half months,

JP&A saved the endpoint security vendor significant time and investment in the

process.

By quickly finding high-quality candidates, JP&A earned the company’s trust and is the

company’s only outsourced recruiting firm, working with the parent company’s on

ongoing recruitment projects.

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When the U.S. economy crashed in 2007, much of corporate America went into a spending freeze.  The Information Technology, security, and audio/visual (A/V) industries were especially impacted.  Today, the IT and U.S. economy as a whole appear to be on the rebound with industry pundits suggesting consumer confidence is back, especially after a strong second quarter that has economists believing we will close 2014 on solid footing. In fact, the gross domestic product expanded at a higher than expected 4 percent annual rate after shrinking to just 2.1 percent in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which amounts to two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, grew by 2.5 percent, another sure sign that the U.S. economic picture is improving.

Security, A/V, and telecommunications services are just a few of the industry sectors that are beginning to capitalize on the increased flow of consumer dollars. Confidence and competitiveness are returning to the market as evidenced by the large number of mergers and acquisitions that have occurred during this year alone. Companies are expanding in new directions, and the smarter ones have or are acquiring firms with the additional expertise needed to grow in new areas. For example, Carousel Industries, which integrates and manages a wide range of technology solutions, unified its A/V and video conferencing services after acquiring OmniPresence, an A/V integrator. And all signs indicate that confidence will remain high in this sector for the foreseeable future.

Market improvement has caused business leaders to once again resume spending on research and development (R&D) of new products and services. Spending on industrial equipment is also on the rise, as businesses look to upgrade infrastructure and core networks while maintaining A/V and improve security.

More private sector companies are hiring IT professionals to oversee the purchase and installation of new projects and these critical upgrades. Companies are broadening their service offerings, switching from interconnects to PBX and changing the way they communicate with themselves and others – adding display and A/V equipment for sales, meetings, presentations, and collaborations while updating security, wireless local area networks (LANs), structured cabling and low voltage power.  As more organizations incorporate A/V into sales, the market has barely kept up with the demand for experts specializing in A/V installers, project managers and lead installers.

If you are an IT professional looking for work in the aforementioned sectors, J. Patrick & Associates wants to hear from you. With over 20 years of executive recruiting experience, J. Patrick & Associates has the resources to connect you with the right organization. Click here to contact a representative and get started in the recruiting process today.

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One pet peeve that really irritates a recruiter or potential employer is when a candidate shows even a little bit of executive arrogance. If you do come off as arrogant the chances of being hired decrease significantly. Simply put, people only hire people they like.

Chances are that you may not be conscious when you’re coming off as arrogant. In fact, you may not even think you are being arrogant, but it could very possibly be a different case from the recruiter’s perspective.

Below you’ll find four ways that you may be unknowingly sabotaging the job opportunitywith some executive arrogance.

Writing “see résumé” on applications.

One way in which you may be coming off as arrogant is if you write “see resume” on your application. Again, you may not think this is a big deal, however you have to keep in mind that there’s a reason that application exists – it’s to make the recruiter’s life easier.

The sole purpose of an application is to streamline the hiring process. It gives the recruiter a quick overview of what you’re about so they know where to start. If you write “see resume” you impede them from doing so and waste their time.

Acting as if you are above the hiring process.

Everyone, no matter how long they’ve had a career, has to go through the hiring process. This includes interviews, jumping hoops, background checks and anything else the company may deem necessary.

Similar to filling out their application, there is a reason these policies exist and you have to respect that.

You’ll want to avoid thinking that you’re above the rules or that people should already know who you are. The way they see it (and the way you should see it) is that you’re just another candidate like all the others. At the end of the day, you are all on the same playing field and at that moment in time the recruiter has more power than you do.

Being rude to receptionist.

Here’s the thing about being rude to a receptionist: they have more power than you may think. They may simultaneously be the gatekeeper and the spy.

In other words, they will be the ones who screen your calls later on when you try to follow up. Furthermore, you can bet their boss is asking them about how you behave before they even see you.

The same thing applies to any member of the staff. Always be polite and respectfulbecause you never know how much weight they have in making a hiring decision.

Having a “Let them eat cake!” attitude.

Marie Antoinette met her demise because she was completely out of touch with the French people. The same thing can happen to an executive.

You may be far removed from having to move up the steps of the career ladder, but that doesn’t mean you should forget what it’s like.

One way in which this may happen is during situational interview questions. For example, if you constantly interpret information to only reflect your own views rather than taking the entire company into account it may give off the impression that you think you’re always right.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

What It Takes to Be a Sales Engineer in Today’s Competitive Market

Part I

Sales Engineers are one of the most vital links between a company’s technical products and services and the clientele who purchase them.  For this reason, a Sales Engineer is more than just a typical marketer or salesman.  A Sales Engineer must have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering as well as advanced knowledge about underlying technological processes in the products they are selling.

The Sales Engineer’s function will become increasingly important during the next few years as a wide range of technologically sophisticated products hit the market. Therefore, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for these workers will grow an estimated nine percent from 2012 to 2022.  Sales Engineers are being widely used in the telecommunications, security and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sectors as they help communicate client needs and design requirements for individual projects.  But being a great Sales Engineer requires more than just technical wizardry. It requires a great deal of customer service skill, too

Due to the highly technical nature of the Sales Engineer position, many employers get hung up looking for candidates who are well-versed in technical jargon and sales knowledge, typically focusing on a candidate’s certifications, such as their education, resume and licensure.  As a result, many of the most important qualities that a Sales Engineer needs to serve as a primary liaison are overlooked.  Especially qualified candidates will also display a positive attitude, the ability to prioritize tasks, and a willingness to listen to customer needs.

As a leading technology recruiting firm with over 30 years of experience under its belt, J. Patrick & Associates understands that it takes a lot more than a fancy education and impressive resume to make it as a Sales Engineer in today’s competitive market.  Today’s successful Sales Engineers also display qualities like character, thirst and being a team player.  At J. Patrick & Associates, we traverse the wide gamut of candidates to find the Sales Engineer that is unique, ambitious and assimilates well within your corporate culture – in addition to maintaining the skill sets, education and licensure required by your company.

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