MyRetailCareer

What March Madness has Taught me This Year

We have a small March Madness pool in the Ivy Exec office.  Alex, our VP of Business Development on the Professional’s side set it up on ESPN and the 5 of us participating have been having a little inter-office rivalry and fun.

Lesson 1 – It’s good to get a team of people involved in something outside the “mission”. 

We’re a small group, we work closely together and we’re focused on making Ivy Exec the best place for top-tier executives. Sometimes it’s good for a team, or a portion of a team to get involved in a distraction.  Unlike forced “team-building” activities (I’ve done trust falls, zip-wires and weekend “sojourns”), this was a “who’s in” activity.  We’ve had fun poking fun at each other’s picks and the “up’s and down’s” and become a better team because of it.

Lesson 2 – Even those who don’t join get involved.

Elena, who founded Ivy Exec, is not a “sports” person yet and not in the pool.  That said, she keeps asking about it, She’s pretty interested in how it works, who is leading and why we bother.  Some of Elena’s greatest attributes from where I sit, include her inquisitiveness and desire to learn.  I don’t doubt for a minute that Elena will be in next year’s pool.  BTW, one of my role models, Steve Jobs, has the same two characteristics.

Lesson 3 – You can go from Goat to Great in a single leap.

Paul has been at the bottom of the pool since its inception.  Paul is our VP of Business Development and his arduous task is to go forth and do battle on the sales front, telling companies who Ivy Exec is and how we can make life better for them.  Being in sales, Paul is used to having to walk both ways to school, uphill, in 12 feet of snow.  Paul also has UCONN to win, no one else has a seat at the table.

Alex, being a Duke MBA chose (surprise) DUKE.  I also chose DUKE for a single reason to be disclosed later.  Meredith, who leads today and also leads our Marketing and Personal Development team, chose TEXAS (hey, it’s where she’s from).  Greg, who works in our Professional team, chose MICHIGAN (but he has VCU in the finals, go figure?).

Drumroll – Why I chose DUKE

Duke is a team that most of America loves to hate,  I lived just outside of Chapel Hill and Durham, NC for 2 years and the BB rivalry was, to be polite, intense.  I’ve met and spent time with 2 legendary coaches from the area, Coach Dean and Coach Krzyzewski.

Coach K once said that he was successful and noticed by “putting the spotlight as brightly as possible on his players” and that “occasionally some of the light reflects on him.”

Ivy Exec puts the spotlight on top-talent much in the same way, thus my choice.

I didn’t pick BUTLER to go all the way but I do have them in the final 4 where they might face UCONN.  So sorry Paul, love ya, but you’re going down if they meet.  I also have KENTUCKY and Meredith has UNC (can anyone say OJ Simpson?) so we have a battle coming up as well.

Regards,

 

PS we need a few good Fantasy Baseball people to get going, Opening Day is just around the corner.

Changing Careers and the Recruiter

I get quite a few calls and emails from good people who want to change careers.  I feel bad because I usually can’t help them the way they expect.  See, most people expect a recruiter to help them find a job.

I’m sorry folks, but that isn’t what a recruiter does.  A recruiter finds qualified individuals for specific clients who have requested assistance.  Companies pay the recruiter.  So if the recruiter want’s to eat, they need to find exactly what the company is looking for.  Not a great person with an excellent background that “could” do the job.

Let’s say, you have 5 years of marketing  experience then returned to school and have emerged with a well-earned MBA.  Somewhere along the path, you’ve decided you want to pursue a career in luxury retail as a buyer.  Even though, luxury retail buyers are my sweet spot in recruiting, I’m not going to be much assistance to you.

Your skills are certainly transferable you’ll tell me and I’ll agree plus now having your MBA puts you ahead of the pack.  Here’s the rub; my clients, 99% of the time, want someone who “is presently doing the job” they are looking to fill.

Does that mean you have no chance in achieving your career dream?  No, of course not, but it does mean you need a well-thought-out strategy and I’ll help you with that in the next two posts.

Working Well With a Recruiter

One of the great things emerging from my new position with Ivy Exec is being back in the “thick of Things.”  This will allow me to write about current events and happenings in the talent acquisition market and for you to benefit from first hand, live from the field reporting.

Last week I sent out an email to about 1000 members of Ivy Exec that had Retail as a key word in their profile.  My intent was to introduce myself and I received a number of replies, thanks  and well wishes. One person replied that their background was more in another area and I let them know that I had forwarded their resume to another Ivy Exec recruiter that worked in that area.

This week, I receive another email from that person, wondering why the other recruiter had not gotten in touch with them and could they have that person’s contact information.

It’s important to understand how a 3rd party recruiter (head hunter) works.  Knowing how we work, can increase your value and improve your odds of being contacted for that perfect career enhancing opportunity.  More to come…

More About Ivy Exec, Continued

I wrote about the benefits and value that Ivy Exec offers for job seekers in More About Ivy Exec.  Today, let’s delve into what we offer for Companies. 

How about access to 70K+, hand selected, top-of-their class, elite, global business professionals (that’s a mouthful)?  95% of which hold graduate degrees, 85% MBA’s, 78% passive and 42% diversity.  A database that more than doubled in 2010,is  currently adding over 1000 new members a week (and  accelerating), and could reach 150K before the end of the year. 

Add to that Power Post job postings with packages for every recruiting budget.  A robust Database Search offering allowing you to see top business professionals.Plus Assisted Search, performed by professionals who are experts in locating and engaging high performing, passive talent.  Staffed by a team of experts who represent your company with the highest level of professionalism and enthusiasm.

If you’re a talent acquisition specialist in a business environment, I invite you to visit Ivy Exec and visit the Employers Pages.

More About Ivy Exec

I promised to tell you more about Ivy Exec and I thought I‘d start with the benefits for an individual.  At Ivy Exec, we prescreen every person who requests to join.  Yes, you may not be accepted.  On average, we accept about 1/3 of all applicants.

What does that mean to you? 

If you are accepted, you are in a much smaller pool of highly qualified talent.  It’s easier for the companies that use our services to find you.  You also receive personalized attention, early notification of top quality, career enhancing openings and access to career development tools specifically developed for the disconcerting professional.  Over 75% of our members are employed, passively choosing to learn about select openings.

If you aren’t accepted, it’s not the end of the world.  Since we review your application and your resume, I suggest you take a close look at your resume.  Surprisingly, many highly qualified candidates resumes just don’t get the job done. Unless your profession is Resume Writer, I highly suggest you get some professional resume help and here at Ivy Exec we can do just that.

If your employment history is only a couple of years long, you simply might not have enough experience .if your employment history is spotty or jumpy, I suggest you find your path and stick with it for an appropriate length of time.  Consulting a professional career coach, most offer a free initial consultation ,might be a good idea.  If you are in retail/fashion/luxury world, have applied and not been accepted, shoot me an email at [email protected] and set up a time to talk.

If you have more questions, visit Ivy Exec and take a look around.  Use the promo code RETAIL2010 for a free 3 month premium membership.

Change is Good

You might have noticed that I haven’t written here since before the Holidays.  I’ve had some changes occurring and these have kept me pretty busy.  In between Christmas and New Year’s I was offered an opportunity to join Ivy Exec and I jumped at it.

Ivy Exec is a web-based recruiting company that combines next generation technology with white glove executive recruiting to better service the needs of high caliber professionals and industry leading organizations.  I’ll be developing the retail segment of Ivy Exec.

You might wonder why I have made this change.  I’m impressed with the business model and I’m overwhelmed with the talent at Ivy Exec.  The chance to work in such a creative and forward thinking organization with wonderful people was too good to pass up.

So what will I be doing?  I’ll be providing some of the best talent acquisition solutions to top-tier companies who value employees with outstanding educational and career achievements.  I’ll be working with great people with exceptional backgrounds who are passive in their job search but know to keep an ear open to opportunities.

What does that mean to MyRetailCareer?  Ivy Exec provides some of the same career services I did at MRC so I’ll be able to direct new customers to seasoned career guides and if you are in retail, I’ll still only be a phone or email away.  For my existing clients, you will continue to get my full service and support.

I’ll continue to write here, but my topics might change as I become more engaged in talent acquisition.  Think about it, what could be better than to get real life stories (the names of course will be changed to protect the innocent) straight from the retail recruitment front?

I will also continue to develop the Manhattan Retail Club.  Now that I’m in NYC 5 days a week, I can much more easily organize events.  I intend to continue to build the MRC into the premier networking group in the capital of fashion, NYC. It’s open for career minded retail, fashion and wholesale professionals at all levels.

I encourage you to keep reading, I’ll spend the week explaining more about what Ivy Exec does and how you might benefit.

It’s the Week Before Christmas, Let’s Make a Difference!

This morning, while surfing the internet news, I came across an CNN article that said 1 in 7 Americans are relying on Food Stamps.  I’m pretty sure that number is up for debate but I can tell you one thing, 1 in any amount of Americans having to rely on Food Stamps is an abysmal shame and failure.

We’re taught that our career is measured by our worth and too many have substituted salary for worth.  Unfortunately, too many have discarded the words value and quality and decency along the way.  It’s not what you make that defines you at death.

I’ve been reading a book by Jonathan Bloom, American Wasteland.  Chris Elam posted a nice article in October about the author and everyone in America should read it.

Food: Why We Waste So Much

Think about it…If you cut your expenses 10%, you’ve given yourself a 10% raise.  If you help another less fortunate, you have demonstrated compassion.  I think you’ll feel better about your own situation. 

Living in an agricultural area in NW New Jersey, I’m particularly impressed with a Sacramento, CA group called Senior Gleaners.    Check out their story and commit to making a difference. Buy local when you can, don’t patronize businesses that encourage waste and over-consumption.  Get involved.  Ask your local grocer what they do to minimize food waste.  Keep asking.  Put it on the bottom of your resume…..

It’s the Week Before Christmas, Let’s Take a Rest

OK, I’m busy if you haven’t noticed.  So, I’m going to do all of us that cook the Holiday meal a favor and share a tool on how to plan the day.

I’m cooking Christmas Day dinner.  In-Laws will be here at 4 PM and with any luck, a fine dinner will be on the table at 5 PM, leaving plenty of time after to open presents.

This tool I’m going to use to schedule my day, can be used for other things, like project management (good skill to brush up on).  Thanks again to my friends over at Lifehacker.com.  You do have to register but a personal account is free.

Tom's Planner Dinner Chart Plans Out Your Day for Holiday Cooking

So, my dinner is starting with 3 apps (no not for your iPhone). 

Celery root & crab meat remoulade served in small boston lettuce cups.

Dates stuffed with Pt. Reyes raw milk blue cheese and wrapped with bacon (you cook them ahead of time and serve at room temp).

Smoked salmon with the stuff.

Then on to…

Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Prime Rib

Creamy Hash Brown Gratin (I’m aiming for something in between mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and roasted potatoes).

Smothered Green Beans.

Roasted Root Vegetables.

Schoolhouse Carrots ( a special for Cat, coming home from her first term at college).

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

Brioche Rolls (more butter than the state of Vermont).\

Desert is TBD.

No holding back here, I have a 4 bone Prime Rib air drying in the bottom of the fridge, multiple pounds of butter, quarts of heavy cream, 2 lbs. of bacon.  Homemade mayo for the remoulade, fresh horseradish cream and a lot of cheese.  The spinach salad and the roasted root vegetables are good for you the rest is just plain good…..

Day 13, The Holidays and the Job Search

I know there are a million, maybe a billion people out there that will tell you to keep your professional profiles (LinkedIn like) as far apart from your personal profiles, (Facebook like) but I think the horse is out of the barn.  Since I’m an early adopter, I’m not really concerned that the line has blurred.

Just a hint, the line of demarcation between your personal and professional life isn’t going to suddenly become the Berlin Wall again.  Think of it as a grey mist, which will eventually lift.

Bear in mind that this writing isn’t political, but Ronnie makes a great speech!

For the brave, those with chutzpah, creative and innovate types, jump all over this. Yes, I know it’s in French, which I happen to adore.  Google will translate it for you anyways.  Facebook’s new features are being jumped all over and if you don’t make a statement, well c’est la vie. 

My thanks to Mashable for pointing me in this direction, here is their awesome article.

10 Creative Uses of the New Facebook Profile

Yes, it takes some skill and some work but I’ll have it figured out by the weekend and if I can do it, so can you.

Consider it a gift to yourself this holiday season. 

Day 12, The Holidays and the Job Search

Sunday, in between games, jump over to newsweek.com and build your own career tree from your LinkedIn profile.  

I find that sometimes a visual view of the old black and white can provide a new prospective on things.  Have fun.