Category Archives: Business

Business, Job Hunting, Quality

Job Posting Boards – Candidate Perspective

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Remember what your mother always told you? You get what you pay for……this advice is particularly applicable in the use of job boards.

All the so-called experts are expounding on how fantastic and easy it is to get a job through the internet, and they all have examples of friends who have successfully found a job that way. The big question is, do you want a job or a career?

Unfortunately, a lot of people are swayed by articles they read In newspapers, and believe everything they read. One must remember that newspapers are in business to make money, and not everything that is reported is fact, nor are a lot of the journalists particularly adept at research. They tend to give their opinions, however narrow, and that is where this is going.

We know one very nice gentleman who has now been unemployed for a year…why you ask? Certainly not due to his lack of technical skills, but unfortunately because he was naïve and posted his resume on half a dozen job boards. You ask, what is wrong with that?  Well, unfortunately, once you publicly post your resume online, anyone has the option of taking it and doing with it as they so desire, which means that if 5 personnel agencies take it and send it out to whomever they wish for whatever position they wish, you have no legal recourse. His problem? Several copies of his resume were sent to the same companies for all different positions at all levels of salary…..he looks like he is desperate and incompetent, although he neither the one who approved the submission of his resumes to these companies nor the positions for which he was submitted. Yes, that does defy reason, but, under the law, by placing his resume in public domain without limitation, this is the type of problem people encounter.

Resumes have a funny way of turning up on the desks of  people’s bosses, and the credibility of the individual is lost forever.

Another sad anecdote, someone had their resume turn up in the human resources department where they work, and are required to have Security Clearance as they deal with the military and federal government on sensitive issues. The human resources manager called the individual to her office, and repeatedly asked if the person was happy or looking for new employment, the individual repeatedly said no, he was happy. He was told ‘that is a pity’, when she called security who promptly cancelled his access codes, went through his desk, briefcase and coat, and escorted him to the door under armed guard. In seeking legal advice, he was asked how many times he was asked if he was happy or looking for a new job, when he answered over 5, he was then told that it was legal and he had no legal recourse against the agency who sent his resume unsolicited to his employer. He lost his job, he lost his clearance and was unemployed for a very long time.

Business, Quality

The Art of Re-Invention

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Did you ever wonder what happens to a rabidly self-promoting Senior Executive who never actually delivers the goods?

One local business woman, who must employ the services of an extraordinary PR person, has a resume which would humble most businessmen, and cause others to seriously question what exactly they are missing in their careers that they have not reached her level in the marketplace. Her resume shows her going from strength to strength, with the accompanying press to prove her prowess. She has created a buzz about herself internationally which is second to none. However, when one does two simple things, which is to look at the terms of engagement at every post, perform reference checks at a lower level in the organizations she has headed, two very clear images come forward. 

First, she has rarely stayed in any position for over 3 years, which means she has never truly had time to understand the corporation and put meaningful changes into place, and secondly, the staff below the level of Executive Vice President have rarely, if ever seen her actually walking around talking to anyone who works in these companies. When asked what changes she implemented or advantages to the company she brought forward, most of the individuals, all insisting on total confidentiality, stressed that the best thing she ever did was leave!!!

So, what is she really doing?

The simple answer, travelling the world in First Class at someone else’s expense, going to meetings, balls, board meetings, and building up a world class rolodex, bank account, and a press kit which is exemplary.

Further digging brought up the fact that she has been been repeatedly recruited for these corporations by the same executive recruiter. Her file is permanently open, when another prominent position appears, she wants to be apprised of it.

Now, you are seriously questioning the negative connotation of this article, she sounds like she has enjoyed an amazing career…

So, here some things to consider.

  1. The Executive Recruiter she is using is in serious conflict of interest – most corporations insist upon a non-complete clause in the contract, ie, if you are doing business with them, then you cannot poach their employees. 
  2. The companies for which she is employed have a responsibility towards their shareholders to provide value for money. If this individual is repeatedly travelling with an entourage First Class around the world to conferences and meetings, and is reputed to never actually speak with anyone on staff below Executive Vice President, how is it possible for her to actually  understand the issues before her? The only way one can really understand the issues within a company, are to walk the halls and to speak with everyone to understand what they feel are ways to improve. If one never speaks with any of the employees or walks around, it is virtually impossible to acquire this knowledge. 
  3.  She is earning well in into the six figures, and her expenses are in the same range. Clearly there has been no estimation of value for the money spent. If a company is looking to purchase capital equipment, then extensive cost benefit analysis are performed, numbers crunched repeatedly, and several levels of approvals are necessary. How is it then, that there is no evaluation of the senior executive?

Well, after a brilliant 30 year career, this person is now the top figurehead in the Art World, once again spending money like mad, travelling extensively around the world …..invited to the best tables and events and racking up bills left and right. 

There are several of these people around, I chose one who is a woman as I have known her for many years.  

My question is, when do the investors get value for their money? When is enough enough?

Business

Short term Gain – Long Term Pain

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Over the last few years we have been hearing repeatedly about the successes of ‘off-shoring’, which is the sending of low level work to third world countries who it is believed can perform the work equally successfully for a fraction of the money of local employees.

In the rush for short-term quarterly results, executives are forgetting the long term costs associated with their actions. They are seeking to show profits and their associated bonus cheques. Shareholders are pacified that their interests are being tended. Unfortunately, the long term results are devastating to the local economies.

By outsourcing to third world countries, their economies are growing exponentially at the same time as killing local markets. What is not mentioned, is that for every Head-office job lost, there are 5 local service jobs lost.

How is that possible you ask? Let me list the ways.

  • Restaurants 
  • Dry cleaners
  • Gas
  • Office Supplies
  • Office Space
  • Telephone services
  • Local merchants selling everything from cigarettes to candy bars

Are all affected.

The other issue which is not discussed, is that there is a difficulty with semantics.  So if a call-center is sent to China or India, the interpretation is not the same, and the client becomes frustrated and more likely to go to the competitor, who provides service locally.

Furthermore, no Senior Executive is going to admit to failure, so the disastrous stories are rampant, although we never do read about it in the press.

One local company in Software R & D for mobile phones off-shored to India because of a senior executive who wanted to bring jobs to the town where he  grew up.

Local software engineers with Bachelor and Master’s degrees, who knew the software, And speak both English and French lost their jobs, as it was deemed they were too expensive.With salaries in the low thousands, as opposed to nearly one hundred thousand dollars annually, and the associated overhead costs, it was sold to shareholders and executives as a cost effective choice.

A mere six months later, with deadlines not being met, and no end of software problems, the CEO was fired and the software engineers who had been let go were being contacted to return. The cost of this 6 month fiasco was in excess of $5 million ,not to mention angry clients. Had it not been that the Venture Capital partners were understanding, this company could have gone bankrupt.

This is but one of the many stories we hear in the Executive Suite.

Due Diligence please.