Been busy. That’s a good thing. Been traveling and speaking some. “Finally” broke into the East Coast by speaking at Fairleigh Dickinson University a couple of weeks ago. Did some media in NYC that I think might have legs. I’ll let you know about that a little bit later down the road.

In the meantime I have a new post I wanted to put up.
This post is aimed at stay-at-home moms that are trying to figure out how to get back into the world of work. Hope you approve.

Cheers!
rg

You might be thinking of Wonder Woman, the action-hero but in fact I’m talking about the real, day in/day out action-hero we call mom.

I got into the ‘job board’ business back in 1997. Not too long after that I was introduced to Salary.com as a result of hearing of their Mom’s Salary Wizard. BRILLIANT idea to calculate what a stay-at-home-Mom’s time is worth! BTW—you might want to note that ‘mom’ might not even have kids but is in fact caring for her own parents.

In my “The Real Secret to Finding a Job” book I devoted a chapter to the stay-at-home-mom which I call the professional mom. (Why are stay-at-home-moms not cool while stay-at-home-dads are?)

So Wonder Woman has, for whatever reason, decided that the time is right to get back into the workforce but she has no ‘experience.’ Really?!

1.       Start with the Salary.com “What’s a Mom’s Work Worth?” calculator.

Did I use the term BRILLIANT previously? This tool will get you thinking about all the stuff you do for everyone around you beyond the obvious. Don’t forget to include aspects of your life such as investment advisor and purchasing agent. It is quite likely you do that as well if you have input into insurance and retirement or future-college investments. I tend to think of the Professional Mom as the COO or even the CEO of the family business.

2.       Evaluate all that you have accomplished as a mom.

Take a long minute and dwell a on all that you have accomplished in terms of guiding your children through all those before, during and after school programs. How many of you ended up becoming a soccer or T-ball coach simply because no one else would step up to the plate? Do you think that might show initiative, a take charge, self-starter mentality? Do you realize how many employers are looking for you?!

3.       Consider how those accomplishments would look to an employer.

Too many job seekers in my estimation tend to neglect presenting their soft skills (time management, personal motivation, ability to communicate, attention to detail, etc.) during an interview focusing instead on their hard skills. An engineer who ‘does not play well with others’ can become a problem on the job. Of course you will necessarily need to speak to those essential hard skills required of you to get the job but don’t neglect all the people skills associated with the position you are pursuing.

4.       Determine the transferable skills that become apparent as a result of this exercise.

As you move along in your job search recognize that employers do not necessarily want employees who are capable of doing only one thing really well. They need people who can cross-train throughout a company—especially if you find yourself applying to smaller companies. An intelligent, motivated individual can become the glue that binds the different departments.

5.       Create your tongue-in-cheek resume.

Your resume, for all intents and purposes, will be similar to anyone else pursuing a like position (Objective Statement, Employment History, Education, etc.) with the exception that after you have posted any previous “real” employment history prior to working in the home you will want to then describe the time you have been a dedicated, Professional Mom with such terms as discussed in item # 1. You might even title the entry COO: The family and estate manager of the Peterson Family Business and then list your responsibilities somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Here’s the bottom line and the reason for this article. You have to be proud of what you have been doing for the last several years and not allow anyone—man or woman—to look down on you for your having made the choice to stay home.

6.       Launch your job search.

It’s now time to launch your job search. Remember that HR, hiring managers and business owners are people too. They will get it.  For the most part recruiters need to see that you have filled a gap in employment from your previous ‘real-world’ job and today. If after having posted your (home-based) work history on your resume you find that anyone does not see the professional humor in your presentation don’t be afraid to get (within reason) a little defensive. I’m of the opinion your interviewer had a mom too!

7.       Refuse to accept a job from anyone who does not ‘get it.’

If you are unfortunate enough to have handled the telephone pre-interview and made it to an in-person, on-site interview and the person your resume has been forwarded to does not get it—does not recognize the value you can bring to the organization—do not take a job if in fact it might be offered.

SUMMING UP

Of course you will have a probationary period on the job—all companies pretty much require a period of time during which all parties determine if they can all get along but you should have little problem with that. After all up till now you have professionally managed all the facets of a household; made sure all purchasing was done in a timely and efficient manner (the pantry is full); managed a budget and made sure all persons were where they were supposed to be and on time (your significant other and the kids); organized fund raising events and determined highest and best use of those dollars (your volunteer work). You are now taking that experience and moving it to a new environment that will benefit from all that experience.

So here is my ‘world-famous’ World Famous tactic. Try it. It works!
Cheers!
RG

“Can I Speak to the World Famous ______?” (Fill in the Blank)

In a previous post I promised to come back soon and talk about how to get past the gatekeeper. I now present for your consideration one of my most reliable tactics (which I continue to use on a daily basis.)

Early in my career I wanted a “position”—not just a job but a position. You know what I mean? I wanted a title. One day many years ago I came to the conclusion that I’m just a sales guy. A VERY good sales guy but ‘just’ a sales guy none the less. Nothing wrong with that. It served me well in my commercial real estate career (where coincidentally I did earn a title) and I came to the job search business as a result of my status as, you got it, the sales guy. I was the person who hit the phones and sold the first job board to the Houston, TX (USA) market. (Ask me sometime about how crazy successful I was during that period of time!)

So what has this got to do with you and your job search? Job search is sales and you have to compete with all those other equally talented candidates. One of the most difficult aspects of sales (and job search!) is the dreaded sales call AKA the cold call. Cold calls are tough to make but highly effective. Early in my career I determined that if the phone was not ringing it was because I had not made enough calls. My clients—your target companies or organizations—do not even know we exist until we reach out to them. It is our responsibility to make that first touch.

There are passive (i.e.: social media) and active (in-person) ways to connect with people you don’t currently know but want to.

So here is my secret. Just between you and me.  (Promise me you will try this at least once?)

Determine your target—the hiring manager, the company owner, the SVP, the CEO—it makes no difference. Ring up that person and when the gatekeeper, er, receptionist answers ask for “the World Famous _________(insert world-famous person’s name). It works every time. I have gotten truly world-famous (as in—you would recognize their names—famous) CEO’s on the line using this tactic.

Here’s what generally happens: the person who answers the phone is doing their job dealing with all the mundane things they have to deal with on a daily basis. But when I call I disrupt that mundanity with my ‘world-famous’ intro and get a smile on the other end of the line (yes, you can ‘hear’ a smile)—I know I have broken the ice. The hard part is done. After a short laugh the result I usually get is “well I don’t know if he/she is famous or not but (smiles)…who is calling please?”

From this point on you are on your own…but you’re smart. You read this RickGillis.com so I know you can handle it. Be prepared with a compelling reason for the person on the other end of the line to put your through to your desired contact.

In closing I would like you to know that I have shared this tactic with hundreds of people over the years and only know of one person who actually took it to heart and tried it. It worked. He emailed me the following day to tell me about his breakthroughs. Please feel free to respond to this posting and let me know how it works for you. If you have any break-the-ice techniques you would like to share please let me know. I am always up for a good sales, um, job search tactic!

As always, I wish you Good Job Hunting!

You can  read the entire article here: These Formatting Rules Will Get Your Resume Through The Screening System.
At the bottom of the page is a link to another BI/Careers article I was previously mentioned in (along with the world-famous QuintCareers.com) that discusses in further detail the necessity of adding keywords as a free-standing section of your resume.

Have a fun day Blog!

RG

My original title for this article was  “There Are No Rules to Job Search. There Is, However, Protocol” which I stand by. There are no rules–just common sense.

7 Common Sense Job Search Tips That Get Overlooked

If Your Job Search Has Stalled, It’s Time to Get Back to Basics

For years I have taught innovative job search tactics. I figure that, as long as you do not lie or misrepresent, anything goes in job search. As a former sales guy I learned to be very crafty and successful with my get-past-the-gatekeeper/get-to-the-buyer techniques.

There really are no rules when it comes to job search. I promote my one-page, short-form resume in order to ‘game’ resume filtering software. Other than that I propose that you should be as creative as possible in order to break through to the other side. Seeking a graphic artist position? Blow ‘em away with your graphic resume IF you can get it in their hands. Thinking about placing your resume in place of a label on a bottle of wine? It’s been done. Delivered successfully by courier. If you have the moxie—go for it! There are no rules to job search as long as you know and understand your target company’s culture.

There are, however, basic protocols to job search that can’t be denied regardless of the type of enterprise.

1. Courtesy. Basic courtesy counts in a discussion on protocol. Being on time. Being polite. Turning off the cell phone. Focusing all your attention on the business at hand are ways of expressing professional courtesy. This always includes treating the receptionist and any other support staff with the respect they have earned. You just might end up working with them. BTW, lots of jobs have never been offered never as a result of how staff was treated prior to interview.  One more point regarding basic courtesy: Thank You’s are always heard even if not directly acknowledged.
2. Professionalism. Remember that upon accepting the job you now represent that organization in public and even in private settings. How you act during the interview or any other events organized for candidates is a reflection of how the company can anticipate you will interact with clients in any setting. Professionalism includes not only the courtesy noted in #1 but also your appearance and demeanor.
3. Appearance. I don’t fault young people for showing up at an interview or networking opportunity not dressed to sell. Many years ago casual Fridays were invented which led to casual every days. As a result young people have grown up with parents who have been going to work in a form of business casual that sometimes doesn’t even meet that standard. My advice is to check out the work site prior to any appointment if you can and then dress just a little bit better than you need to. Make the impression. You can always dress ‘down’ later.
4. Honesty. I already mentioned no lies or misrepresentations in the opening to this piece but keep in mind that if any person in the ‘hiring chain’ detects even a glimpse of a misrepresentation everything you have said previously or say next is suspect. You aren’t getting the offer.
5. Preparation. One of the most professional of job search protocols that cannot be overlooked is preparation. Preparation for an interview is not difficult—it just takes some time to do it right. If you are not certain where to start, do a search on “job search interview questions.” There are all kinds of resources online to help. For you to arrive at an interview without a written list of questions is an indication of your lack of respect for the interviewer, the company and their time. I can’t overstate this how many times I have heard this from recruiters/hiring managers/business owners. Don’t think you can wing in on the spot. You can’t.
6. Optimism. A smile is a picture worth a thousand words. You can “hear” a smile on the phone. Radio personalities are taught to smile while on the air even though they may be alone in the booth. Smiles come through and they are gold in job search. The hard truth is that no one is going to hire your problems so leave them at the door. No matter how tough things might be in your life, it’s show time as soon as you cross over the curb into the parking lot or get off the train on your way to that first meet and greet.
7. No typos. Seriously, gremlins get into your documents rite, er, right after yu, um, upon completion.  Be safe. Have a trusted second pair of eyes review any document you submit during the job search process. This includes email you might write in support of a submission.

Yes, this is a simple list but there is value here. As they say, “the devil is in the details.” The old US Army slogan was “be all you can be.” During job search you have to be all that on the way in the door! You can do it. As always I wish you good job hunting!

I’m reprinting this article exactly as Andrea wrote it for her audience–the world of project management–but I want my readers to review it inserting their own person in the appropriate places (which are not too hard to figure out).

So with that said, here is

The Indisputable Value of Discipline

Andrea Nicholas, Managing Partner, OptimizePM.com

The late management thinker, Peter Drucker, argued “If diligence, persistence, and commitment are lacking, talent, ingenuity, and knowledge are of no avail.” Ask yourself, “Does my organization reward talent or execution?” The polarity of the question underscores the difference that exists between a promise, talent is not an asset in and of itself unless it is actually deployed, and an outcome.
Discipline is necessary. Companies abounding with ingenuity and no discipline quickly fall out of favor with financial backers, customers and employees. The recent past – the “dot bomb”- illustrated this fact all too well, with companies that failed to generate profits but had lots of vision and enthusiasm crashed and burned in large numbers. Persistence, however un-sexy it may appear, is the stuff that generates positive investor sentiment, client loyalty and attracts top talent. Commitment means your organization is serious about what it does, even if it doesn’t take itself too seriously, i.e., Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. No one would ever accuse Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream of being stuffy or lacking in innovation, quite the contrary actually, but it is a firm that has, and always has had, a diligence, a commitment to making the very best products in its category.
Discipline is one of the major tenets of project management. If you are running a PMO, it is your responsibility to: establish a methodology of disciplined delivery; deliver on a commitment to investing in others to grow and develop their project management abilities; and demonstrate persistence to collectively elevating project performance for your span of control. If you are a project manager, likewise, your commitment is delivering the project to the best of your abilities for your customer, to do so in a disciplined way and persevere when the unfortunate but unavoidable obstacles enter your project path.
So, the next time you see your organization’s leaders making decisions that serve to reward knowledge over commitment or ingenuity over diligence, remind them of the quote by the author, Roy L. Smith: “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.”

Thank you Andrea.

To this piece I would like to add the following quote from Calvin Coolidge (20th President of the US) that I use to close my full-day job search workshops. 

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated failures.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Persistence is borne of discipline is it not…?

The writer of the piece, Jeff Haden, has just become one of my favorites. He’s point blank and on target and no nonsense. What a concept! I hope job seekers take what he is saying below and apply it to their resumes! I mean, how many cliches can a single recruiter take? (And although the piece below was not written specifically for job seekers–it applies. Geez, does it apply!)

Well there you go Blog. Have a happy day! 
RG

Stop Using These 16 Terms To Describe Yourself

Jeff Haden is the author of more than 30 non-fiction books and a columnist for Inc and a contributor for BusinessInsider.com.

Picture this. You meet someone new. “What do you do?” she asks.
“I’m an architect,” you say.
“Oh, really?” she answers. “Have you designed any buildings I’ve seen?”
“Possibly,” you reply. “We did the new student center at the university…”
“Oh wow,” she says. “That’s a beautiful building…”

Without trying—without blowing your own horn—you’ve made a great impression.

Now picture this. You meet someone new. “What do you do?” he asks.

“I’m a passionate, innovative, dynamic provider of architectural services with a collaborative approach to creating and delivering outstanding world-class client and user experiences.”

All righty then.

Do you describe yourself differently—on your website, promotional materials, (resume,*) or especially on social media —than you do in person? Do you use cheesy clichés (*) and overblown superlatives and breathless adjectives? Do you write things about yourself you would never have the nerve to actually say?

Here are some words that are great when other people use them to describe you—but you should never use to describe yourself:

1. “Innovative.” Most companies claim to be innovative. Most people claim to be innovative. Most are, however, not. (I’m definitely not.) That’s okay, because innovation isn’t a requirement for success.

If you are innovative, don’t say it. Prove it. Describe the products you’ve developed. Describe the processes you’ve modified.

Give us something real so your innovation is unspoken but evident… which is always the best kind of evident to be.

2. “World-class.” Usain Bolt: world-class sprinter, Olympic medals to prove it. Lionel Messi: world-class soccer (I know, football) player, four Ballon d’Or trophies to prove it.

But what is a world-class professional or company? Who defines world-class? In your case, probably just you.

3. “Authority.” Like Margaret Thatcher said, “Power is like being a lady; if you have to say you are, you aren’t.” Show your expertise instead.

“Presented at TEDxEast ” or “Predicted 50 out of 50 states in 2012 election” indicates a level of authority. Unless you can prove it, “social media marketing authority” might simply mean you spend way too much time worrying about your Klout score.

4. “Results oriented.” Really? Some people actually focus on doing what they are paid to do? We had no idea.

5. “Global provider.” The majority of businesses can sell goods or services worldwide; the ones that can’t are fairly obvious.

Only use “global provider” if that capability is not assumed or obvious; otherwise you just sound like a small company trying to appear big.

6. “Motivated.” Check out Chris Rock’s response (not safe for work or the politically correct) to people who say they take care of their kids. Then substitute words like “motivated.”

Never take credit for things you are supposed to do—or supposed to be.

7. “Creative.” See particular words often enough and they no longer make an impact. “Creative” is one of them. (Use finding “creative” references in random LinkedIn profiles as a drinking game and everyone will lose—or win, depending on your perspective.)

“Creative” is just one example. Others include extensive, effective, proven, influential, team player… some of those terms may truly describe you, but since they are also being used to describe everyone they’ve lost their impact.

8. “Dynamic.” If you are “vigorously active and forceful,” um, stay away.

9. “Guru.” People who try to be clever for the sake of being clever are anything but. (Like in #8.) Don’t be a self-proclaimed ninja, sage, connoisseur, guerilla, wonk, egghead… it’s awesome when your customers affectionately describe you that way.

Refer to yourself that way and it’s obvious you’re trying way too hard to impress other people—or yourself.

10. “Curator.” Museums have curators. Libraries have curators. Tweeting links to stuff you find interesting doesn’t make you a curator… or an authority or a guru.

11. “Passionate.” I know many people disagree, but if you say you’re incredibly passionate about, oh, incorporating elegant design aesthetics into everyday objects, to me you sound over the top.

The same is true if you’re passionate about developing long-term customer solutions. Try the words focus, concentration, or specialization instead.

Or try “love,” as in, “I love incorporating an elegant design aesthetic in everyday objects.” For whatever reason, that works for me. Passion doesn’t. (But maybe that’s just me.)

12. “Unique.” Fingerprints are unique. Snowflakes are unique. You are unique—but your business probably isn’t. That’s fine, because customers don’t care about unique; they care about “better.”

Show you’re better than the competition and in the minds of your customers you will be unique.

13. “Incredibly…” Check out some random bios and you’ll find plenty of further-modified descriptors: “Incredibly passionate,” “profoundly insightful,” “extremely captivating…” isn’t it enough to be insightful or captivating? Do you have to be profoundly insightful?

If you must use over-the-top adjectives, spare us the further modification. Trust that we already get it.

14. “Serial entrepreneur.” A few people start multiple, successful, long-term businesses. They are successful serial entrepreneurs.

The rest of us start one business that fails or does okay, try something else, try something else, and keep on rinsing and repeating until we find a formula that works. Those people are entrepreneurs. Be proud if you’re “just” an entrepreneur. You should be.

15. “Strategist.” I sometimes help manufacturing plants improve productivity and quality. There are strategies I use to identify areas for improvement but I’m in no way a strategist. Strategists look at the present, envision something new, and develop approaches to make their vision a reality.

I don’t create something new; I apply my experience and a few proven methodologies to make improvements.

Very few people are strategists. Most “strategists” are actually coaches, specialists, or consultants who use what they know to help others. 99% of the time that’s what customers need – they don’t need or even want a strategist.

16. “Collaborative.” You won’t just decide what’s right for me and force me to buy it?

If your process is designed to take my input and feedback, tell me how that works. Describe the process. Don’t claim we’ll work together—describe how we’ll work together.

That’s my list—clearly subjective and definitely open to criticism.

*********

PS Here is a link to the original article in case you would like to add comment.
Thanks to Jeff for permission to re-post.

[*My insertion.]
[(*) My emphasis.]

I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around the value (or not) of the new Facebook Jobs app. I’ve been reviewing some white papers written for recruiters and I’m just not sure…yet.

Question #1
Don’t job seekers already have hundreds, if not thousands, of places to seek out jobs?

Besides the name boards (Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, SimplyHired, Dice, Vault, LinkUp, etc.), company boards, government boards, trades, local and community job boards — do we really need more places to post and/or locate jobs?

The only platform with absolute, proven value right now per the recruiting community is LinkedIn, which currently owns the space much as Monster did a decade ago. If this new Facebook app has the ability to filter candidates through, and to, true job matches, then I’m all for it. If, however, it’s just another company seeking to monetize its database then I don’t see the added value to the end user — recruiter or job seeker.

Question #2
What about all that personal stuff that appears on a person’s Facebook page?

There is plenty of stuff an employer might consider questionable or downright objectionable on Facebook. Most of the content which appears on a personal Facebook account page is posted by the owner. But then there are those uncontrollable postings that originate from “friends.” Remember Spring Break 2010 in Cabo? Really?! Did Alisa really need to put those pictures up? Or what about that video of Bill’s way-over-the-top win in that tequila shot contest?

We’ve all had our moments and these potentially good people who would make wonderful employees may be categorically eliminated from consideration. (Imagine what your CEO’s FB page might look like if Facebook had existed back in the day!)

LinkedIn vs. Facebook
A person’s LinkedIn profile is much more sacrosanct than their Facebook page. It stems from the mindset and origin of the platform which still maintains a strong B2B mentality. I have the ability to control what appears on my LI page, which is important since I seek to maintain propriety in my business dealings. This would particularly be the case were I job-seeking.

Facebook, on the other hand, started out as a college-only “who’s hot & who’s not” site which has evolved into an everything-for-everybody-and-every-interest-under-the-sun site. They might be too far past the tipping point to go back to job search.

Facebook is somewhat searchable (even without friending) and every recruiter out there “Googles” potential candidates. (That is another entire discussion but for the sake of this post just understand that it does happen–good, bad, right or wrong.) So if I’m directed to a job post from a friend do I have to do an…

Question #3
Do I perform a “Facebook-ectomy” and remove any potential postings that could impact my employability? Yeah, probably. But once something is posted online it’s always online, so what’s the point? Do you go out and un-friend your buddies and risk alienating your online friends? Maybe.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but I think Facebook is more the “guilty pleasure” as well as news and events tool than it is the conservative platform that employment necessarily requires.

But what if…
If this is the platform that can help the job seeker narrow his/her search down to the 5 to 10 suitable jobs (location, ability, access, etc.) much the way that recruiters are able to review hundreds of resumes to determine those 5 to 10 candidates who end up in the all-important in-person interview — then I’m all for it. That’s the model some brilliant Facebook engineer needs to present to the world.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It–NOT! 
ATTENTION: Job Search has not been suspended because it’s 12/21/12.

OK, now that I have made that clear let me get on w/today’s bizness. I’m re-posting another article that I think is smart and just makes a bunch of sense. A common problem women have is breaking through the glass ceiling. To address this concern President Obama signed into law the Lily Ledbetter Act in the first year of his presidency. Nevertheless too often the problem begins not with a woman’s legal status as an employee but by missing out in the very beginning of her career. 

My new LinkedIn friend (and highly accomplished woman!) Anna Runyan hosts the ClassyCareerGirl site.  With all that she has going on I have no idea how she does it but I would like my followers–especially women–to pop over and bookmark CCG.

With her permission I present a recent post on Salary Negotiations.

[Now isn't this a much better way to spend 12/21/12 than crawling underground?!]

Cheers!

RG

The Truth Behind My Own Salary Negotiation Experiences

Lou Adler is a master recruiter. So much so that he teaches professional staffing companies how to recruit! I follow Lou on LinkedIn and found his most recent post to be important–not just to recruiters but also to Job Seekers.

So with all due credit to Lou Adler & Adler Concepts I am re-posting this story. BTW Dear Blog, as a job seeker yourself you might want to follow Lou on LinkedIn as well. It’s always good to know all you can about the recruiting profession if you are in the hunt.

*******

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there

Since we promote people based on their performance, why don’t we hire them the same way?

Note to the reader: Let me be perfectly clear – I think the use of skills-infested job descriptions prevents companies from hiring the best people possible. Worse, they prevent good people with the so-called “wrong” mix of skills and experiences from getting the jobs they deserve. So if you’re doing the hiring or the one being hired, this story will give you some ideas on how to break free from the misguided and confining reliance on traditional job descriptions.

______________________________________

I was driving up First Street in San Jose the other day and drove past the building of a client from long ago. This was when I was a full-time recruiter and the client was a fast-growing Internet hardware company riding in Cisco’s wake. While Cisco is still around, the client and the recruiter are long gone, but the story is as relevant today as it was 15 years ago.

I was introduced to the president through the Chairman, whom I had worked with previously. He believed that our process of creating performance-based job descriptions might be useful for helping the company clarify the role of the new V.P. Marketing. The President was none too happy upon my arrival and within a few minutes was letting me have it with both barrels:

What do you know about Internet hardware?

How many VP Marketing positions have you placed in our industry?

Do you even know what you’re doing here?

Then I asked him to tell me a little about the job. This launched another barrage of expletives, and as best as I can remember, said something similar to the following:

I need a BSEE from a top university. In fact, the person should have an MSEE, too. In addition, the person should have at least 5-10 years in the industry plus an MBA from a top school like Stanford, Cal or Harvard, but not from UCLA (ouch, this hurt, since I got mine there in the John Wooden days.)

He ranted on like this for at least another 10 minutes, although it seemed like an hour, describing more “must haves.” Then he threw me another missile. Can you find someone just like this, and how many times have you found people in our industry just like this?” Of course, the answer was no and none, but before answering he burst in again with “I don’t even understand why John wanted me to meet with you.”

Then I calmly suggested that what he was describing was the description of a person, not the description of a job. This drew a momentary pause and with the temporary opening I asked,what’s the most important thing the person you’re hiring for this position needs to do in order for you and the Board to unanimously agree you’ve hired a great person? He hesitated at first, and repeated the list of requirements, but I pushed him again with the same question, suggesting he put the person description in the parking lot and first define on-the-job success.

The president hesitated again, and after a few minutes said something like, “well now that’s a really good question.” And then said,

The person in this role needs to put together a dynamic three-year product roadmap addressing all product opportunities we have in significant detail. As part of this the person must understand our industry trends, especially what Cisco is doing, and put us in a position to stop playing catch-up. We have about 80 engineers and we want to tap into their expertise, so this product map needs to address what we can develop most efficiently without a heavy investment in new people and new technologies unless absolutely necessary. A rough plan needs to be presented to the Board within 4-6 months.

He then described a few more typical VP Marketing performance objectives to add to the list.

I then asked, if I could find someone who could do this extremely well if they’ve done something reasonably similar in the past, would you at least talk to the person, even though they didn’t have all of the skills and background just described? The President looked at me as if I just landed from another planet, and calmly said, Of course, that’s what I just said.

The moral of this tale: focus on what people need to do, not what they need to have. That’s how you convert a job into a career.

Epilogue: we placed about six executives with this firm over the next two years until the Internet bubble exploded. Each search started by defining success as described and what the person needed to do. Not surprisingly, if you can prove the person has accomplished something comparable, you’ll discover that the person has the exact level of skills and experiences needed to be successful.

If you’re a person being interviewed for a job ask everyone you meet the same question: what does the person in this role need to actually do and accomplish in order to be considered successful?

Recruiters should ask the same question before starting every search.

And if you’re the hiring manager, you must know the answer before the question is even asked, at least if you want to hire someone who is actually competent and motivated to do what you need done.

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Lou Adler is the Amazon best-selling author of Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007) and the award-winning Nightingale-Conant audio program, Talent Rules! His new book, The Essential Guide for Hiring and Getting Hired, will be published in January 2013.