Is Executive Career Management Worth It?

You have come to a defining point in your job search process. Is professional assistance your next step?

A defining point in your executive career search

You rewrote your resume, created a cover letter, posted both to job sites, attended a couple of career fairs, contacted some recruiters, and started networking. You went on two first interviews, neither of which developed into anything further. It’s now been two months and you realize that you are no further ahead than when you began your job search.

You have come to a defining point in your search process. You could be starting to lose confidence in yourself. You may begin to doubt that your efforts will lead you anywhere. You are at that point where you truly are not sure what else you can do that can produce results.

How long it takes to find a new job as an executive

You are actually in good company since very few candidates find jobs that quickly. The national average for finding your next position is about six months, according to US Department of Labor statistics. It could take as little as four to six weeks, or as long as ten to twelve months, or longer. Several factors determine your time to placement:

• Degrees, licenses, certifications
• Current state of employment
• Age
• Level of experience
• Current and required salary
• Position and level you are seeking
• Location
• Industry
• Your resume
• Your interviewing skills
• Scope of networking effort
• Extent of career transition

As an example, a thirty-five year-old employed Bookkeeper with an Associates degree earning $34,000 is seeking a lateral move. This Bookkeeper has a decent resume, interviews fairly well and has done some networking. Approximate time to placement: four to six weeks.

A fifty-six year-old downsized Controller who was earning $85,000 is seeking a CFO slot and looking for $125,000. This person has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, but is not a CPA and does not have an MBA. This person has a resume that needs some help, does not communicate as effectively as others in the same category, and has done some networking. Approximate time to placement: ten to twelve months.

You may want to use these two examples to interpolate your average time to placement. If your search is taking longer, you’ll want to reassess your approach and make some needed changes. What are some steps you can take?

Can executive career mangement services help?

It is doubtful that doing more of the same will improve your situation. Different results may require you to do different things.

An Executive Career Marketing and Management specialist may tell you to seek professional help. They would say that they can help you reduce the length of time to placement by using their professional services. They would help you write a professional resume and cover letter, show you different job sites and how to post your resume there, and give you a listing of recruiters.

They would then teach you how to network, and coach you on how to have successful interviews. They would also show you how to do your own research on companies and industries. They would teach you the fine art of salary negotiations and guide you toward accepting the best negotiated offer. Sounds good, right?

Do the services of an ExecutiveCareer Management and Marketing Specialist achieve stated results? Will they reduce your time to placement, help you find your job or career of choice, and help you receive a better compensation package – and at what price?

How Executive Career management works

Most Executive Career Marketing and Management companies cater to executives with an earnings capacity of $75,000 and higher, and their promotional efforts imply that they do most of the work for you. All you basically need to do is show up for the interviews and accept one of the many resulting offers that will come flying in. This is hardly what takes place.

When you sign up as a client and begin the process, you quickly realize that you are doing most of the work. That would be okay since that was what you were doing in the first place, only now you are paying for it. Many of these firms are under investigation for misleading their clients. That is not to say that all Career Marketing firms mislead or limit the extent of their support. Some are doing good work for their clients.

Is Executive Career management worth it?

Can you achieve reduced time to placement in your chosen field and receive a better compensation package? The Executive Career Management and Marketing firms that are truly there to support and guide you can help you achieve some of these goals. But results are inconsistent. As with anything else, so much depends upon you, your goals, your attitude, and other factors. Only you can determine if this approach is right for you.

So what is the price tag? Executive Career Marketing and Management firms provide their professional support at fees ranging from $4,000 to $15,000. The kicker is that these firms demand payment upfront. This is the reason they choose clients with an earnings capacity of $75,000 and higher. For most people, the fee is unaffordable.

The point here is buyer beware.