What factors can become a concern for candidates considering making a move? As a continuation of the previous blog, I am going to jump into more concerns for candidates that have been shared with me, or I have heard about these from other recruiters in the industry (non-public finance).
A Typical Concern For Candidates Regarding Their Resume:
How Many Is Too Many?
One concern for candidates raised at times is, “I have too many moves already on my resume.” This candidly can be a valid concern. The important area to examine is: why did you move so much if that is the case? If there are logical reasons for the move, then this should not be as much of a concern as you may think. If the trend is that you have moved from one firm to another to consistently better yourself and you are not moving every two or three years, that can usually be explained away. If you were forced to move due to a family relocation and the firm did not have another opportunity for you to take, that also can be explained. If the firms that you were with were acquired and then your FINRA looks like there are a lot of firms, that can be justified too. The point is that there are various and legitimate reasons why you may have more firms listed on your resume than you would have liked. Let us be the judge if you are moving too much, because I will tell you flat out – we will!
Introspection Can Help This Concern For Candidates:
Is The Grass Greener On The Other Side?
Another concern for candidates could be that the grass may not be greener on the other side so to speak. Again, this is another legitimate concern for candidates. Here it requires a great deal of introspection on your part. “Due diligence” should be the key watch words before you should consider a move. What is required is for you, the proposed candidate, to ask yourself the tough questions. “Why do I want to make a move? Is the platform going to afford me more opportunities to expand my current clientele and the types of deals I can work on? Or is the new firm offering a greater geographic area for you to cover?” There must be compelling reasons for you to move forward. If you cannot identify those compelling reasons, then you should not make a move. But on the other hand, if you can see a clear path to a greater future with the new firm, then move forward. However, I advise to do it with eyes wide open and not glassy.
A Major Concern For Candidates Considering Making A Move:
Are You Simply Complacent?
Leaving what you do know for what you do not know can certainly be a major concern for candidates. This is like the first concern but has a different twist. Many candidates are concerned that at their old firm they know where everything is. They know who they must talk with to get the results they want. It’s familiar. Right down to the extensions and the automatic dials that you have programmed into your phone. With a new firm, everything is different, alive, new, lots of new challenges for you to overcome, new routines to learn, etc. Here’s the key point: if you are feeling that you are afraid of the challenge of a new company, then my friend you may be certainly demonstrating signs of serious complacency. If anything can hold you back from growing and moving ahead with your career, it’s complacency. Do you know how to beat complacency? Take on new challenges, stretch yourself and suddenly, the plateau that you have remained on for some years will be put behind you.
Don’t Remain Stagnant In Your Career,
Grow To The Next Level
I have a great question that I ask of my candidates when they have numerous years at the same firm. I ask, “Do you have ten years of experience, or do you have one or two years of experience either five or ten times?” Don’t just gloss over this question, there is a lot behind it. If the answer is the latter, then you have been complacent, or you are not being challenged enough to learn and develop to grow to the next level in your career. Do not let complacency hold you back, or a firm that is not pushing you to grow and take on more challenges. If this is an area that you are concerned with, let’s chat. Next week we will continue with more on the topic of concern for candidates and how to deal with them.
Conclusion
If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at [email protected]. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs, so you never miss one. You can find our listing in the “supplier and services” section of the Red Book under the title of “executive recruiting”.
About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all levels Public Finance Bankers, Healthcare Bankers, Municipal Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.