What’s so special about $800,000? It appears that whether you're a bond counsel, public finance banker or even a series 7 financial wealth advisor; the requested amount of business the firm wants or expects you to move is $800,000. It does not matter if it's a bulge bracket, a super-regional,...
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Should You Stay Or Should You Go?
"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...
How To Handle Background Checks
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...
The Walls Have Eyes – With Or Without Staffing and Recruiting
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...
Can Time Kill ALL Deals: What To Know About The Candidate-Driven Market
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...
Is The Business Fun Anymore?
One of the most prevalent questions I receive from both the Public Finance Bankers, Institutional Sales and Bond Counsels is, “Is it time to look outside of our industry?” Followed by, “Can I go to the buy side?” Or if more appropriate to your particular expertise, “Can I go...
A Word To Those In Bond Counsel & Public Finance
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...
Keep Your Head In The Game Even After Your Interview Ends
Your interview is completed, and you asked your closing two or three questions. What’s next? The first thing you do when you leave the interview is relocate to a place where you can sit and think about the interview. While thinking about the interview, start to write down notes of...
Finish Your Interview With Hiring Managers On The Right Foot
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...
Your Resume Format Could Score You An Interview
Is there a way of changing the mindset of a hiring manager when he views your resume, and he sees some of the issues we broached in last week’s blog? The answer is yes, and it all comes down to the resume format you choose. There are various formats to...
How Hiring Managers View A Resume
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...
You Don’t Have To Move!
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...
The Future of the Public Finance Industry
Every day I am asked the same question, “What do you see as the future for our industry?” My answer is always the same, “We are not seeing a consolidation of the industry, we are seeing a changing of the seats.” In my opinion, that in a nutshell, is what...
The Next Step: Letter of Resignation
Last week’s post got over 6,000 views, why is that? The obvious reason is that the post hit home with so many of you. Now that we have determined you should not quit without having a new position, what is the best way to resign? There are two thoughts: one...
“I’ve decided to move… without executive recruiting”
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...
You Can Say Too Little – It’s Time To Build Rapport
Even though they don’t admit it, the inability to build rapport is the number one cause why someone is not going to be offered a position. Our world of Public Finance and Investment Banking is so small that you will be working very closely with the managers and/or practice chairs...
Baby Steps – Don’t JUST Move To Another Company
Making any sort of change in one’s life is always painful. Whether it’s painful leaving the past behind, or it’s the pain of predicting the future. Nowhere is it more painful than when someone is deciding on a change in their economic future. Well, maybe “painful” is not the right...
It’s not just about the better compensation package!
This week I want to share a story with you about a candidate that has been seeking our advice about his transition plans. He is currently employed, but not as happy as he would like to be. His main complaints are that he is not getting paid what he’s worth,...
Investment Banking Recruiters Got You Down?
Preconceived notions, self-fulfilling prophecies, whatever you may want to call it, is the antithesis of open-mindedness. Either way, it may be holding you back from your next great opportunity. As Investment Bankers, and yes I include myself in that group, we are very aware of what our competition may be...
Counter Offers – Be Prepared
Open Letter to “All Hiring Managers and Candidates” A new Trend is emerging… As most of my regular readers know, I only write when I have something to say, and today more than ever there is a new trend that is increasing every day, the Counter Offer. Now I may...
Talk To Someone About Your Compensation Package
The title might sound innocuous: “Who do I talk to?” and “Why do I need to talk to them?” The reason is that misconceptions are tangential to bonus season. With the payment of bonuses comes the inevitable thought – “I am not getting paid what I am worth”, or “I...
What are these hiring practices? It’s been months.
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...
Financial Firms – Do I Really Need A Recruiter?
The topic may sound a little strange, but with the wake of what has been happening in our marketplace over the last couple of months, this is a question that is continuing to come up. Let me be more specific: employees of financial firms that have changed their public finance...
Are there any JOBS out there for bankers & more?
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...
An Offer With No Executive Recruiter, What Now?
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...
Opportunities For Public Finance Bankers & More
January is now upon us, and as we reflect back on Public Finance in 2017, we saw lots of changes; which caused upheaval in the bond markets, as well as in the hiring of professional Bankers and Bond Counsels. UBS re-entering the market place certainly was the talk of the...
Your Reputation – The Hiring Firm Wants To Know.
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...
“I’m Not Good At Interviewing …”
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...
You Can Say Too Much
The next couple of blogs are going to be less philosophical and much more pragmatic. Starting with today’s, it seems that people are taking the interview process much less serious than it is. I am seeing and hearing feedback from hiring managers that candidates are either not as prepared as...
Preparing to Resign? Been There, Done That!
An open letter to every candidate that ever thought about making a move in his or her career and preparing to resign: I know I just did it after almost eight years with the same firm. So if you read my Linked In announcement yesterday you are aware that I...
When the recruiter calls …
Well it happened again. This time it was one of the major bracket firms, who just walked in and let a group of bankers go, with no advance warning. So what do you do when the recruiter calls? The answer is simple: take the call! They would not be calling...
Don’t ever quit till you have a new job!
Today I am going to get away from helping you get a new position, but to address a growing phenomenon. People are leaving their current position before getting a signed job offer for a new firm, or taking time off before looking for a new position. I cannot be clearer...
Garden Leave: What does this mean to you in relationship to getting an offer and starting a new position?
In essence, if you are subject to a garden leave provision, your current employer can prevent you from starting a new position until the term of the garden leave has run its toll.
Open Letter to All Public Finance Professionals
“Career Suicide”, an over-used term I have heard in the past; it generally means that you have either made too many changes and/or joined multiple firms in your career, or you started and left a firm within a short period of time.
Counter Offers – Be Prepared
So if you are the “star,” you are very much in control for now. But if you are the one wanting to make a move, be prepared for your home team not to give up without a fight.