Steven L. – 17% Salary Increase Over Last Job + $15,000 Bonus + Car + House Hunting Expenses

Another Barbara Limmer candidate placement report.  After several interviews for a couple of different VP level positions with different companies, Steven landed a great position where he will get to open a new market for an established company. Here is his story.

Steven had initial discussions with Jerry Strohman who helped him customize a program to meet his search needs. Steven was laid off due in part to executive turnover; the company needed to reduce expenses.  However, there were some issues raised in his last performance review that had to do with a potential retaliation, after what could be referred to as “whistle blowing.”

He had several challenges including,   a) his whole career had been in the real estate industry, which hasn’t exactly been a growth industry over the past three years, and b) after his recent job departure experience, his confidence was shaken. He loved what he did and wanted to continue doing it but he was concerned about the difficulty of getting an executive level job, given the decline in that industry.

We worked hard on his interviewing skills, his ability to sell himself and differentiate himself from the competition. Initially in our phone interview practice sessions, I noted that his voice was trailing off, and that he sounded like he lacked energy.  This was feedback that he never would have received from a “real” employer interview!  I suggested that he attend Toastmasters to improve his presentation and speaking skills, and we also determined that part of the problem was the headset he was using.  After more practice, he changed the whole way he was coming across, and began to sound much more confident, energetic, enthusiastic, and self-assured.

We also discussed making sure he was spending his time on the right job search activities and using the proper channels to gain interviews.  The interviews started coming and, at one point, he was simultaneously juggling interviews with three different companies.  I worked with him during his offer negotiations and helped him to “position” himself, even before he received the offers, so that he could mentally “collect” his justifications for increased compensation throughout the interview process.  He got the result he wanted—a Regional VP position for XXXX where he will open a brand new market for them.

Thank you to Mike Fox and Leslie Noyes for your outstanding work on his resume and SC&C WebFolio, and to Sherri Segari for your always professional, persistent and also kind outreach efforts to his target companies.  I know you all will join me in congratulating Steve!  Barbara Limmer