"Unemployed? Email Your Future Boss Directly, Not Me!" - 07/10/19 Edition
Stephen Says Column
Dear Stephen:
I am the chief information of- ficer of a medium-sized textiles jobber — the most senior execu- tive who works with informa- tion technology (the boss guy in computers) that supports enterprise goals. The company I work for sells textiles to resi- dential/decorator, hospitality and some contract customers. Our product is sold through our commercial reps or out of our decorator showrooms in to the trade buildings. The company was bought by a PE company several years ago and since then they have acquired and merged into several other textile lines. Now, my com- pany announced they are going
Chapter 11 (bust!). The assets have already been sold to an- other company, and the bottom line is, I am losing my job.
I called your company and a handful of other recruiting companies and agencies that serve the interiors industry. The results: USELESS! No one could help me find a job. What’s the deal with you guys? I thought there was a tough la- bor market, and I would find a job fast. So why can’t any of you help me? What do I do?
Best,
Fired and Tired
Dear Fired:
Are you kidding me? Big shot computer guy, and you think that you need my company or some employment agency to find you a job? You have the skill set everyone wants. Also, if you are the head guy in computers, use your knowledge of technolo- gy to create the best resume then get it out there.
Sadly, the interiors industry is not really a technology savvy industry, so expand your horizons because your skill set applies to any and every industry. If you really
need help, find a technology recruiter, not a furniture
headhunter.
However, recruiters should
just be one of many options
along with the use of the in-
ternet through employment
platforms such as LinkedIn
or Indeed to find your ideal
job.
If you are a CIO you must al-
ready understand that artifi-
cial intelligence reads most
resumes, so be sure you have
several different resumes
that include keywords rel-
evant to your skills so those
keywords are picked up by
AI.
It is amazing to me that
anyone out of work thinks
there is a service that
someone is paying to find
unemployed people a job.
Generally speaking (but not
always) recruiters like me
are paid to poach employed
people from one company
and bring them to our cli-
ent’s company. Once you are
unemployed, you are still
employable ... just not fee
worthy. Make sense? Com-
panies are not paying us a
fee to recruit someone who
is unemployed. They choose
to find those individuals
through LinkedIn or other
platforms like Indeed or
even theladders.com.
-----------------------------
THIS GOES FOR ALL OF YOU WHO MAY BE UNEMPLOYED AND LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB.
-----------------------------Your first call should not be
to recruiters but DIRECTLY
to the company you want
to work for. In your case, go
beyond the interiors indus-
try. Consider this your kick
in the butt, let that light bulb
in your head go off and tell
you that you need to be con-
tacting prospective employ-
ers directly. So, Mr. CIO, be
smart and savvy, send your
resume out directly, and you
will get a job — FAST!
This goes for all of you who
may be unemployed and looking for a new job.
Whatever your skill set or
experience — salespeople,
marketing, showroom man-
ager, president of a company
— most headhunters in this
industry are not employ-
ment agencies in the tradi-
tional sense of the word. We
cannot help you find a job
unless a company has agreed
to pay for an individual that
matches your experience.
When you are unemployed,
it does not mean a hiring
company thinks less of you
or reduces your chances of
being hired. However, what
does reduce your chances of
being hired is a price tag on
your head. So I encourage
people who are unemployed
to scope out manufacturers’
websites and visit the em-
ployment section of those
websites. Even when there is
not an opening listed for
your experience, download
your resume to that com-
pany’s site so you are in their
database. That is where
most companies go first
when they have an opening.
They look to their exist-
ing base of candidates that
came to them for free and
where there is no fee associ-
ated with the hire. It’s just
common sense. Follow this
advice, and you will find you
next job, I guarantee it.
Stephen
You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenviscusi. Like Stephen on Facebook and follow him on LinkedIn.
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