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TMI Executive Resources Advises Job Seekers on How to Prepare for a Job Search

TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, offers advice to job seekers on how to prepare for the job search.

Many executives who have been laid off or who are trying to affect a career change after a number of years are ill-prepared for the job search. More often than not, these job seekers will simply update their resume and begin their search.

Nowadays, the job search involves so much more. Job seekers need to effectively market themselves. TMI Executive Resources advises job seekers of the steps they need to take prior to launching themselves upon the marketplace:

· Perform a thorough, and honest, evaluation of your marketability. Ultimately, this step will save you time and effort because you won’t seek positions that are not right for you.

· Evaluate and, if necessary, update your skills. Enroll in a course. Attend seminars that are specific to the industry. Read up on the latest strategies/techniques in the industry.

· Assess your income potential. Do your research, know your worth and be prepared to talk salary.

· Focus your job search and figure out the direction that you will take. If you are not getting results over the course of your job search; know that you may have to re-focus your search and head in a new direction.

· Hone your interview techniques. Ask a trusted advisor or friend to role-play an interview and then critique your technique.

· Develop effective negotiating strategies.

· Update your resume.

John Hackett, the company’s executive vice president explained, “Most people seriously over estimate their knowledge of job changing. It’s imperative that job seekers take the appropriate steps prior to investing their time and energy in seeking a new career.”

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and WashingtonDC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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Would You Make a Good Entrepreneur? TMI Executive Resources Advises Potential Entrepreneurs

In a market where job security no longer exists, many executives have begun to consider the entrepreneurial option. TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), an outplacement and career consulting firm catering to thousands of clients around the globe, offers insight on what makes a good entrepreneur.

TMI Executive Resources outlines the specific characteristics of a good entrepreneur:

· A good entrepreneur must have the knowledge as well as the skills to “run their own show”.

· S/he must have the desire to become an entrepreneur, fully realizing the significant commitment of time and energy.

· It helps if s/he has previous experience leading or participating in ventures which have been sold, gone public, have been restructured or have simply grown too large.

· S/he must have a solid understanding of the financial risk and have assessed the financial resources needed.

· S/he has the ability to “see the big picture” and is capable of “getting things done”.

· S/he should have a tolerance for entrepreneurial risk.

· S/he must be able to organize, evaluate and leverage a broad network of resources.

“Many executives with successful track records in larger corporations realize that job security derived from the size and stability of the company no longer really exists. But, even more important than the drive to become an entrepreneur, is the importance of having specific characteristics of an entrepreneur,” explained Tom McNeil, the company’s president.

TMI Executive Resources is a successful entrepreneurial venture itself. The company helps folks through the entrepreneurial decision; reduces the personal, professional, and financial risk; and increases the likelihood of substantial entrepreneurial reward.

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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TMI Executive Resources Helps Job Seekers Understand Today’s Job Market

The layoffs in many major industries coupled with increasingly large numbers of post graduate and college-educated professionals entering the work force have significantly heightened the level of effort required to effect a career transition.

TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, strives to help job seekers better understand today’s job market by offering insight on two traditional (and unsuccessful) job seeking approaches.

Answering Advertisements

For most job seekers, classified advertisements seem to represent the largest single source of job opportunities available. The reality is quite different. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that only very small percentage (about 10 percent) of executive and professional positions are filled through advertisements in newspapers and other publications or on the Internet. Why? Newspaper advertising is extremely expensive. An average size ad in most local newspapers costs hundreds of dollars. A similar ad in the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal would cost thousands! Most employers would prefer to avoid these expenses. Given the turnover rate in most companies, the cost of advertising for every available opening would be prohibitive.

Why is responding to ads unproductive for most job seekers? Essentially, it is a numbers game. In many cases, “classifieds” will generate hundreds of responses, yet all but one candidate will be rejected. If there is one candidate who has a more “directly transferable experience base” than you, he/she will win.

Agencies and Search Firms

A major misconception exists in the minds of most job hunters regarding the role of employment agencies and executive search firms. In his book, Executive Search: Gateway to the Best Talent for Your Business, Charles Polachi sums it up this way: “We don’t find jobs for people, we find people for companies. People think I’m in the business of making their next job change; I’m not.” One of the largest executive search firms in the country states that in the late 1980’s and 1990’s the recruiting industry filled about 7 percent of all executive, managerial, and sales positions, which is a sharp drop from the nearly 13 percent in the 1970’s. Many companies have neither the personnel nor the time to acknowledge many of the unsolicited contacts. A job hunter should not ignore employment agencies or search firms, but should put the agency’s role in the proper perspective – which is helping companies find people.

According to TMI, most people do best in the employment markets by finding what are referred to as private openings, positions that are about to become available or positions that could be created. These types of opportunities may be found by using a strategy that combines networking, consulting, industry/professional associations, search firms and the Internet.

The rewards are great for the job hunter who can find these private openings because you practically eliminate the competition and get to interact most with decision makers. Very often you are instrumental in writing your new job description and you have much more leverage when negotiating a compensation package.

Tom McNeil, the company’s president explained, “Most people will take a traditional and ultimately frustrating approach to changing jobs or seeking entrepreneurial ventures. After preparing a resume, they will usually answer several advertisements, contact a few agencies and

recruiters, and ask their friends to ‘keep their eyes and ears open.’ Others will write directly to companies or ‘knock on doors’ and then wonder why nothing happened. Most people seriously over estimate their knowledge of job changing, and few subjects are more vital to a person’s livelihood and overall quality of life.”

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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TMI Executive Resources Helps Job Seekers Understand Today’s Job Market

More than twenty million Americans will attempt to find a new job or change their job, industry or career over the next year. Many more will attempt to start or buy a business. They will do so in the most competitive job market of this century.   The layoffs in many major industries coupled with increasingly large numbers of post graduate and college-educated professionals entering the work force have significantly heightened the level of effort required to effect a career transition.

TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, strives to help job seekers better understand today’s job market by offering insight on two traditional (and unsuccessful) job seeking approaches.

Answering Advertisements
For most job seekers, classified advertisements seem to represent the largest single source of job opportunities available. The reality is quite different.  The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that only very small percentage (about 10 percent) of executive and professional positions are filled through advertisements in newspapers and other publications or on the Internet. Why? Newspaper advertising is extremely expensive. An average size ad in most local newspapers costs hundreds of dollars. A similar ad in the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal would cost thousands!  Most employers would prefer to avoid these expenses. Given the turnover rate in most companies, the cost of advertising for every available opening would be prohibitive.

Why is responding to ads unproductive for most job seekers? Essentially, it is a numbers game. In many cases, “classifieds” will generate hundreds of responses, yet all but one candidate will be rejected. If there is one candidate who has a more “directly transferable experience base” than you, he/she will win.

Agencies and Search Firms
A major misconception exists in the minds of most job hunters regarding the role of employment agencies and executive search firms. In his book, Executive Search: Gateway to the Best Talent for Your Business, Charles Polachi sums it up this way: “We don’t find jobs for people, we find people for companies. People think I’m in the business of making their next job change; I’m not.” One of the largest executive search firms in the country states that in the late 1980’s and 1990’s the recruiting industry filled about 7 percent of all executive, managerial, and sales positions, which is a sharp drop from the nearly 13 percent in the 1970’s. Many companies have neither the personnel nor the time to acknowledge many of the unsolicited contacts. A job hunter should not ignore employment agencies or search firms, but should put the agency’s role in the proper perspective – which is helping companies find people.

According to TMI, most people do best in the employment markets by finding what are referred to as private openings, positions that are about to become available or positions that could be created.  These types of opportunities may be found by using a strategy that combines networking, consulting, industry/professional associations, search firms and the Internet.

The rewards are great for the job hunter who can find these private openings because you practically eliminate the competition and get to interact most with decision makers.  Very often you are instrumental in writing your new job description and you have much more leverage when negotiating a compensation package.

Tom McNeil, the company’s president explained, “Most people will take a traditional and ultimately frustrating approach to changing jobs or seeking entrepreneurial ventures. After preparing a resume, they will usually answer several advertisements, contact a few agencies and
recruiters, and ask their friends to ‘keep their eyes and ears open.’ Others will write directly to companies or ‘knock on doors’ and then wonder why nothing happened. Most people seriously over estimate their knowledge of job changing, and few subjects are more vital to a person’s livelihood and overall quality of life.”

About TMI
TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives.  Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast.  TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA.  The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC.  For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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TMI Executive Resources Shares Top 5 Career Changing Pitfalls

With the epic number of layoffs over the past year and a tough job market, many unemployed executives are faced with the challenge of reinventing themselves. TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, share their insight on potential career changing pitfalls.

In an article in the Harvard Business Review, “Beware the Pitfalls of Global Marketing,” the author began this way: “Shortcomings in a campaign, like over-standardization and poor follow-up, can fell a good product.” These shortcomings, which in many cases also handicap the job campaign, are thoroughly addressed by TMI Executive Resources.

The company’s team of expert consultants outlines the top five pitfalls that handicap the job campaign:

1. Insufficient Research. Formal research is not alien to marketing decision making, yet many a job search program has been kicked off without the benefit of a reality test. Job seekers need to determine answers to a number of key questions such as: How viable are my options? Which are most appropriate? Short-cutting this early step is likely to be costly sooner or later in one’s career.

2. Rigid Implementation. When a job search is burdened with too many conventional methods, inventiveness is lost. Objectivity, innovation and an individualized program consisting of a strong communications strategy (writing, personal presentation, negotiating) is necessary to stay updated and responsive to changing market conditions.

3. Poor Follow-up. Impressive meetings and splashy presentations to company heads are important “attention-getters” at the start of a campaign. But the momentum will be lost if these are not followed up by concrete steps to monitor progress, debate issues and solve problems as they occur. These post-launch activities can determine whether or not your efforts will be productive.

4. Narrow Vision. Narrow vision is a serious problem. In most cases only a single (non-objective) perspective is presented during the launch and beyond. Without a forum for debating issues and alternatives, and for developing solutions, decisions will be narrow and insular. This will inevitably hamper your marketing process. A key contributor to the problem is a job searcher’s insistence on a home-brewed recipe for self-positioning and self-marketing in an already crowded and competitive job market.

5. Over-Standardization. A standardized, off-the-shelf marketing approach taken to a job search can be dramatically limiting due to the current economic environment. Since the job market is dynamic and changing, flexibility should be built into your program’s implementation. Absence of flexibility becomes an obstacle to competitive advantage.

“TMI Executive Resources has developed an approach to help people avoid these pitfalls and find the right career opportunities at the right income. As career management experts we can bring great knowledge, convenience and speed to most people’s efforts,” explained Rick Story, Executive Vice President.

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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TMI Executive Resources Alerts Job Seekers of Top 10 Common Job Hunting Traps

TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, alerts job seekers of the top 10 most common job hunting mistakes:

1. Lack of Focus. This is probably the most damaging trap. Since most executive positions are found through networking, you should use your existing contacts to find useful new contacts. If you cannot explain where you want to go, it is very difficult for your contact to reach for his rolodex and make appropriate introductions.

2. No Plan/Wrong Plan. Finding a new position is very much like marketing a new product. Once you have identified product features and benefits and your unique value position and some research to identify potential markets, a structured approach using multiple sales channels works best. A search centered around advertisements, the Internet, search firms and direct mail is the usual fallback position and consistently leads to frustration and lack of success.

3. The 200 lb. Telephone. Searching via ads, letters, and the Web is frustrating, but doesn’t put you at risk emotionally. Making a phone call however creates an opportunity to be rejected. so it is easy to defer phone calls. However, some of these long shot phone calls may lead to golden opportunity. The best strategy here is to tenaciously follow every lead.

4. The Executive Ego. Some executives are happy to talk at length about their past successes, and presume the listener will identify their strengths. They miss the opportunity to listen carefully then sell to “customer” problems.

5. The “Honey-do” List. Concern about rejection makes it easy to substitute other things, preempting the job search.

6. The Entrepreneurial Venture. Many clients believe the best way to a new position is through starting or buying a company. An easy trap is to devote 100% of your time to finding a company or finding financing for a startup. Continue to devote your time to a traditional search.

7. Lack of Discipline. Everybody says a job search can be a full time job. In many ways this is true, but there is one big difference – structure. In a job search, you are 100% responsible for the discipline of the search and the quality of your output.

8. Consulting. A reasonably effective search strategy is to use consulting as a door opener. But, if it requires a full time commitment, takes you out of the search effort or doesn’t lead to new skills or new contacts, it should be evaluated very carefully.

9. Finishing the Search. Probably the worst mistake that you can make is stopping your networking and other career management initiatives when you find a new position. Career management is key. Keep up your network, stay marketable, keep in touch with search firms and stay active in industry/professional associations.

10. Doing It Alone. It is surprising how few people have established a support network and sounding board when there are so many resources available from industry/professional associations to colleges and universities to career consulting and outplacement firms.

“If you are in a job search you should carefully assess whether you have fallen into one or more of these traps. For those who have yet to begin their job search, you are now forewarned and forearmed,” explained John Hackett, the company’s executive vice president.

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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