Don’t Be Too Busy Working To Think About Making A Move

Are you too busy with business to consider making a move as a senior banker and bond counsels? That's the time that you should be conversing about your options. Here's what to know.

Last week we looked at the junior banker and analyst and how they went about communicating with a recruiter about their current circumstances. The essence of the article was that for one reason or another they did not want to be honest with the recruiter and/or themselves. As we look at the senior banker and bond counsels, there is another trend that is occurring that should be addressed. Simply asking, “Are you busy working this year on deals that you do not think about having conversations revolving around a potential move?” Just remember if you are feeling this way, so are your competitors and colleagues.

Best Time To Make A Move For Senior Banker And Bond Counsels

Do you know when the best time to make a move is? It’s when you are at the top of the game. It’s when your revenue projections and actual billings are at the highest. That is when a new firm is going to be most interested in you. When everything is going right in your career, that is when you are the most attractive to a new firm. What is the reality of this time in your career? You end up being incredibly busy with your deals that you may not be seeing the political climate in your firm around you as a senior banker and bond counsels. If you only look at the revenue, you’re bringing in right now as the determining factor if you’re happy or not; that could be a serious mistake down the road. If you are sensing any sort of discomfort with management, your platform, or anything else, don’t let it get masked by the revenues that you’re bringing in. 

When Senior Banker And Bond Counsels Should Start Conversing With A Recruiter About Other Opportunities

Another reason why you might want to entertain having conversations right now is that your competitors have the same philosophy that you have. They too are not having these conversations. If you would opt to have the conversations, new opportunities would be afforded to you that you may not know about or have even thought about. In our cottage industry of public finance, public finance senior bankers and bond counsels are in great demand throughout the United States. However, if you’re not willing to have these conversations, you’re not able to address these new opportunities. I’m not trying to convey that “if you’re happy you should have these conversations just for the sake of having these conversations.” Actually, the converse is true: if you’re happy, you should stay where you are. But if the revenues are causing you to be happy and other things are of an irritant nature, then now is the time to have these conversations.

Opportunistic Hiring & The Benefits With Transitioning

With the average transition package taking well over three months to come to fruition, you will have plenty of time to determine if making a move is the right thing for you. Also, many firms are willing to buy out your potential bonus to have you start this year. We are working with numerous candidates that are opting to have their contract in place, knowing that they will not make a move until 2022 with the firms that we represent. That is not an issue. As I have reiterated throughout these blogs, the philosophy of H. Friedman Search is that we do opportunistic hiring throughout the year. This generally means that my firms that I’m fortunate to represent are more than willing to wait for either bonus checks to be paid, garden leave to be met or any other condition you as a senior banker and bond counsels believe is important. Don’t let this time now because you’re so busy prevent you from at least having initial conversations.

Moving Current Or Creating Teams To Move

Lastly, if you have any desire to move as a team, now is also the best time. Every one of our clients has specifically asked us to not just bring individuals to their attention but to also bring any sort of teams that we can create. Briefly, a team does not have to be the people you’re working with currently. It can be individuals that either you know of or have worked with in the past and have a desire to work with them again. Take advantage of the lull in the hiring market. As senior bankers and bond counsels or any professional in the public finance industry, start conversations which can (and will) yield you exciting new opportunities for the remainder of this year and going forward.

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.