Author: Harlan Friedman

Complacency can prevent you from making the next exciting and right move in your career.  Too many good bankers, bond counsels and those with public finance careers remain at their old firm for one reason. That one reason being they will not leave their old firm behind, even if it...

My intent with these weekly writings is to share with you real experiences that other candidates and hiring managers are dealing with on a regular basis. Today's discussion relates to a conversation that I recently had with a candidate who will most likely be making a move by the end...

“Is working with a recruiter going to affect my likelihood of getting hired?” This is a question I am asked often. I have also been asked, “Does working with a recruiter cost me any money?” Lastly, I have been asked, “Will working with a recruiter hurt my chances of getting...

The key ingredient to get hired these days as a producing banker or public finance attorney is your business plan.  What are you going to do to grow your practice? How will you generate significant revenue to your new employer? Under normal circumstances these are rather easy questions to answer....

As we continue to get our hands around COVID-19 as it relates to hiring, I want to discuss the compensation model and compensation in general. COVID-19 has caused a rise of angst throughout our entire community; however, it really has not caused a major disruption when it comes to compensation....

Due to this pandemic I have my intelligent daughter across the hall to me.  Not something I had ever contemplated upon her completion of business school at a top university, but I digress. I am still a proud father.  As I read an article the other morning, there was the...

Recently, we've looked at the questions you should ask yourself and questions for your potential employer. Let’s say that you’ve finally made the decision to make the move; and sooner rather than later, you realized, “I made a mistake!” Maybe the firm that you thought hired you is not the...

We have addressed the important questions you need to ask yourself in preparation for an initial interview in a previous blog.  Now I want to address the questions that you should be prepared to ask your prospective employer to determine if this is the right place for you. If you’ve...

After determining that there are definite positions in both public finance and the bond counsel world, we need to address the interview itself. Going a step further, let’s specifically look into the initial interview preparation. Most candidates that we have the pleasure of working with usually interview every five to...

We have previously discussed the new skills that you need to convey while you are being interviewed. Let’s now shift the focus from your external approach to your internal approach. We have all heard a great deal about mindset, and that you need to be in the proper mindset before...

Firms that are hiring are looking for these new set of skills. Do you have them? Are you ready to acquire them? As the country continues to re-open, I started thinking about how public finance professionals will have to evolve in order to thrive in this new environment.  As I...

The future of careers in public finance rely on video interviews. Can you get hired strictly by a video interview? This is a question I pondered, and the answer is yes. Recently, I had a candidate, who never had a face-to-face visit with the company or the hiring manager, get...

At one point I was going to write about the virus and how it is affecting the hiring markets, hiring managers, and candidates. Gears shifted, and I thought I should write about the markets in general and the effects on the hiring process. Then I considered just sitting back and...

Whether it’s a professional recruiter or someone that can represent your interests to both parties and manage the process, a third party in the recruitment process is instrumental. As mentioned in previous blogs, communication is key.  From tax exempt finance experts to entry level positions, you must be capable in...

Empathy is an interesting word. It’s not a word you’d think to use in reference to capital markets recruiting or anything else related to public finance. Should it be though? What exactly does it mean? By definition, it means “to feel what someone else is feeling or concerned about.” I...

Three years ago, I wrote a blog about answering the question, “Why do I need a recruiter?” The most popular response then was: “I don’t need a recruiter. I know everyone.” Do you know who says this? Both the client companies that we are privileged enough to represent and the...

First, may I wish each of you a very Happy and Healthy New Years! I apologize for missing the first blog of the year. While on vacation, I got that dreaded text saying, “Call home.”  My dad of 92, who is very healthy, was taken into the hospital because he...

In previous blogs, I have addressed the idea of "Radio Silence" or others may call it patience. Radio silence is the time that passes when you are waiting to see if a firm is going to want to move forward. But today, I want to address patience as to waiting...

I do not know about you, but a new decade is both nerve racking and exciting. In the world of getting hired, the game has changed drastically over the last decade or so. We are going to explore these changes. More importantly, what these changes mean to you, the candidate,...

Who is on your team? Sounds like a simple question, doesn’t it? However, there is a significant dialogue hidden in this question. Capital markets recruiters or any recruiters in the financial industry will recommend that you know your team. Knowing who is on your team is a critical element to...

Today I want to share, in my experience of executive recruitment and more, two of the most important things you can do after your interview has ended.  Both will be elaborated on in this blog.  Even when you read these two things, you may say, “I know that already.” But...

In a previous article discussing what was so special about $800,000, many of my readers enjoyed and commented on extensively.  I want to pick up on the main premise of that article, which was talking about the importance of a good business plan.  This is what I believe to be...

“A new focus to my 2015 blog,” was a slogan that was bantered about in the early stages of the PC wars. Managers were so afraid to make a purchasing recommendation, other than IBM, that they missed out on some great technological advances. More importantly, great deals on new innovative...

"STAY!" That’s right, you read it correctly: stay. A word that most finance recruiters do not use in their normal vocabulary. I am not saying I am the only recruiter that recommends this, but I truly believe that most finance recruiters do not recommend this option enough. Why? Recruiters are...

In previous blogs, I’ve talked about time killing deals. As a public finance and bond counsel recruiter, I want to address the very serious issue of background checks.  As we are in a fiduciary relationship with our issuers, whether we are public finance bankers or bond counsels, we can be...

Today's blog is going to be more instructional than most.  This is not meant as a catalyst for companies to let people go prematurely, but as a precautionary message to all job seekers with or without staffing and recruiting on their side.  There seems to be a growing trend that...

In a candidate-driven market, time can still kill deals. What do I mean by candidate-driven market? Simply that candidates have multiple options when choosing their next firm. I have seen more candidates change their mind about what firm they want to go to as time goes by. The firms that...

As a Capital Markets recruiter exclusively for almost ten years, I am asking you to read this blog carefully. Share it with your associates on both the Public Finance as well as the Bond Counsel business. As many of you know, I had stopped writing my blog on a regular...

We are continuing with our current theme: getting you a new position!  Today we talk about the interview. Everyone knows about the interview and the questions that are usually asked.  If you do not, you should Google popular interview questions and likely responses. I am not going to address that...

I do not pretend to be an expert in this field, but what follows below are consistent observations that hiring managers share with me when they view a candidate I am working with.  While some of these flaws are not correctable, others are. These apply both to Investment Banking Firms...

Most calls from a recruiter to a prospective candidate all end the same way, “I am happy and do not want to make a move.” My retort always being, “Would you be open to hearing about other opportunities?” And let’s not even think about you making a move as it...

First of all, congratulations for coming to a dramatic decision. The hardest part is now over! Once you have mentally come to the conclusion it’s time to move, this needs to become your predominant thought for 2019. You now need to determine if you are going to work with professional...

It appears that this year has definitely been one of transitions for many people throughout our industry; with firms opening offices and at the same time closing offices. Certain firms, as you are aware, have completely vacated the space, like Lebenthal. While others, such as Stifel, continue to acquire firms...

As we say goodbye to the month of January and I look at my forward calendar – I am amazed at the response to a very specific mailing we just concluded. This was mail to individuals who over the last five years have taken an interview. I expected about a...

If you have been working with an Executive Recruiter, the answer should be, “Great, when do I start?” The reason this is so simply answered is when you have representation, you should not be receiving an offer until two things have occurred: 1. You are ready to receive it and...

The title of this blog may sound almost too elementary, but there is a growing shift in attitude by a hiring firm or two that I want to address.  External third-party reference checking is out. Now I am sure I have your attention. The growing trend is that hiring firms...

Not everyone is good at interviewing. For some people, interviewing is a stressful situation. For others, it’s a walk in the park. No matter who you are, if you are serious about the firm that you are interviewing with there should be some butterflies in your stomach. But as a...