In this issue...

•Sorry for the Delay

• The Strategic Case for Changing Jobs

• The WOW Factor!

• ASM to Resume Regular Publication Schedule

Sorry for the delay

We at The Animal Science Monitor apologize for the late publication of this month’s issue.  The team here at ASM has been busy upgrading AnimalScienceJobs.com, as well as picking up some new recruiting clients.  Please visit www.AnimalScienceJobs.com to see the improved functionality of the site and increased number of exciting new opportunities that it offers.  Thank you for being a loyal reader of The ASM, and be sure to look for the next issue on September 12.

Dan & Don

There are many deeply personal reasons to change your employment situation.  However, from a purely strategic point of view, there are four good reasons to change jobs within the same (or similar) industry three times during your first 10 years of employment:

Reason #1: Changing jobs gives you a broader base of experience.  After about three years, you’ve learned most of what you’re going to know about how to do your job.  Therefore, over a 10-year period, you gain more experience from “three times 90 percent” than “one times 100 percent.”

Reason #2: A more varied background creates a greater demand for your skills.  Depth of experience means you’re more valuable to a larger number of employers.  You’re not only familiar with your current company’s product, service, procedures, quality programs, inventory system, and so forth, you bring with you the expertise you’ve gained from your prior employment with other companies.

Reason #3: A job change results in an accelerated promotion cycle.  Each time you make a change, you bump up a notch on the promotion ladder.  You jump, for example, from Project Engineer to Senior Project Engineer or National Sales Manager to Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Reason #4: More responsibility leads to greater earning power.  A promotion is usually accompanied by a salary increase.  And since you’re being promoted faster, your salary grows at a quicker pace, sort of like compounding the interest you’d earn on a certificate of deposit.

Many people view a job change as a way of promoting themselves to a better position.  And in most cases, I would agree.  However, you should always be sure your new job offers you the means to satisfy your values.  While there’s no denying the strategic virtues of selective job changing for the purpose of career leverage, you want to make sure the path you take will lead you where you really want to go.

For instance, there’s no reason to change jobs for more money if it’ll make you unhappy to the point of distraction.  In fact, I’ve found that money usually has no influence on a career decision unless it materially affects your lifestyle or self-identity.

To me, the “best” job is one in which your values are being satisfied most effectively.  If career growth and advancement are your primary goals and they’re represented by how much you earn, then the job that pays the most money is the “better” job.

If you have a question about this topic or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at brg@charterinternet.com

Recruiting a top-notch candidate is a lot like dating.  You want to find out all about him/her and you also want to present yourself in the best light possible.  You get excited when you first meet such a candidate, just like after a great first date.  The interview process is a lot like romance, too.  If all is going well, you want it to go smoothly and at just the right moment you want to ask for a commitment, hoping for an enthusiastic “Yes!”

In this issue of the ASM, I want to talk about the offer of employment.  I’m going to keep using the dating analogy, so maybe this article will make you smile while also imparting timely advice.

Recently, I heard a stand-up comic talk about how men often propose.  They get dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant, get a bottle of wine (or two), and hope that in the dim light of a romantic setting and after the glow of the wine has kicked in that he will have the courage to make the big offer.  By presenting her with a shining rock, he also hopes that she will be so caught up in the moment (and possibly the wine) that she will immediately and wholeheartedly commit to a lifetime together.

There are many similarities between this scenario and the job offer.  In today’s market, once you get to the point in the interview process where decisions are made, you need to act swiftly and boldly.

Going back to the restaurant analogy, does the man who proposed want to hear, “Well, that’s a very solid offer, but I’d like a couple of weeks to think about it, as I’m dating other guys,” or does he want her to say, “Wow!  Of course, I’ll spend the rest of my life with you!”?

The same is true in business.  You want to hear “Wow!”  So how do you get the “Wow! Factor”?  Unlike the proposal, I don’t encourage two bottles of wine, but I do recommend making an offer that is so attractive that the person can’t say no.  In our current employment market, when companies are determined to only hire great talent, great talent has choices, so you need to make an offer they can’t refuse.

By the way, you might also want to remember the shining rock, and by that I mean a signing bonus.  Just like the diamond engagement ring is meant to dazzle and seek a commitment, a good sign-on bonus can have the same impact.

Here are some important things to remember about extending an attractive offer:

• For a great candidate, go to the maximum salary possible.  Quibbling over ten thousand dollars for a great candidate is peanuts.  Do you want your competition to be able to hire this candidate?  Do you want the candidate to think about your offer or immediately say “YES!”?
  
  
• A signing bonus has an immediate, positive effect on the newly hired, yet only costs once.
  
  
• Move quickly once a decision has been made.  Just like in romance, there is a time to propose and a time when it’s just too late because the other person has moved on emotionally.
  
  
• Be decisive.  If you want to hire, make the offer.  People respect the ability of others to make a decision and are cautious about those who can’t.  We’ve all heard about commitment-phobia.
  
• Document your offer in writing so there are no misunderstandings later.

One last thing—when you “Wow!” a candidate, they are likely to accept.  If the candidate says, “That’s an attractive offer,” you didn’t “Wow!” them.

If you’d like more information about this topic, feel free to send me an email at dan@consearch.com.