executive recruiter Archives | Christopher Frederick

Tag: executive recruiter

What We Don’t Learn From Most Job Ads

Posted on February 2, 2015 by peter

Quick challenge: Try summarizing all of your professional responsibilities in 150 words. If you’re like most people with jobs that involve decision making and critical thinking, that would be tough to pull off in such a limited space. So why do we put so much stock in the similarly brief job descriptions of the advertising most companies use to recruit employees?

Despite advances in social networking and automation within large human resources departments, hiring for all but the most entry-level positions still remains more art than science. Looking back over three decades of recruiting, I know first-hand that employers and job seekers alike can benefit from a more thoughtful approach to hiring.

Employers: Don’t sell the job. Sell the company.

The pace of the recovery in housing, commercial property and the full breadth of real estate is finally picking up. Likewise, the competition for talent and the urgency in filling positions critical to growth continue to mount. Dangling a title, a compensation range and the boilerplate language from a years-old job description in front of a universe of potential candidates is no longer the most effective way to find qualified people. Companies must declare – transparently and with pride – what differentiates their organizations from their competitors. Too often, these are things hiring managers take for granted. Look at policies like leadership development programs, reimbursement for continuing education and similar benefits for high-potential employees. If something stands out compared to the rest of the industry, let candidates know it when advertising a position.

Also, don’t just recruit for the immediate opening. Look for people who can grow in their leadership over time, and make that potential for advancement clear when communicating with candidates. Driven people won’t just be interested in the current role, but also how it will lead to the next career challenge a few years down the road. Let potential employees know what that looks like. Additionally, give them a sense of the culture they’ll be growing within. Is the company young and changing fast, or established and expanding at a measured pace? How much risk are employees encouraged to take? Is the style of the company’s leaders one that drives hard for a unified vision or one focused on consensus and collaboration from the bottom up? Do people leave early on Friday afternoons when the weather is too good to resist, or are Saturdays a part of the workweek more often than not? These questions don’t have right or wrong answers. But there are right and wrong people to hire to fit the culture that each represents. Creating realistic expectations during recruitment also helps set the stage for beneficial relationships with new hires.

Job Seekers: Research pays off.

By the same token, job seekers shouldn’t assume that life at another company will be the same as it is at places where they’ve worked before. Even within identical market segments, professionals in various organizations interact differently, share different values and approach business in different ways. Generic ads for the same position at two companies might make their demands sound identical. Yet a workplace that touts its support for people with families will offer a different experience than a team that never skips the chance to trade war stories at the bar after a 12-hour workday. As such, job seekers should look beyond the traditional list of benefits and compensation and try to get a feel for what it’s really like to work there. Check what current employees say about their workplace online. Network with people at the company. Ask them, and those involved in the hiring process, to describe their work environment. Is it loud’ Silent’ Competitive’ Sociable’ What personality traits do people who get ahead typically share’ It’s important to gauge these things at companies you’re interested in working for, even if you’re currently employed. That way, if and when you need to, you can enter the job market with some of the most critical homework completed ahead of time.

After all, there’s more to any given job than will ever fit on a single sheet of paper. Employees make the best career decisions – and companies retain the best people – when they have a true understanding of both the role and the workplace.

Christopher Frederick has helped match the talents of executives with leading companies in real estate for three decades. We’ve also developed a better approach to recruiting that combines the power of a 300,000-strong professional network with the discretion and one-on-one touch of a professional recruiter. Want to see this unique process up close? Contact us for a free Join.me presentation and watch how we can create a powerful search customized to your unique needs.

Same Craft, Different Tools – How thinking digital transformed my business

Posted on August 28, 2014 by peter

When I began building a digital network of real estate professionals five years ago, I had no idea just how thoroughly it would transform my recruiting practice. That network is on track to reach 300,000 members at the end of 2014, and it’s allowed me to find and match some of the best people in the business with leading companies worthy of their talent. Along the way, I’ve taken note of a few themes in online recruitment that might prove useful to job seekers and hiring managers alike:

Reaching Far but Looking Close

There’s an old New Yorker cartoon with a picture of a golden retriever using a computer. It’s captioned, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” On many online forums for job candidates, no one really knows if you’re a vice president or what that actually means. I frequently encounter professional profiles that list work experience aligning with the professional qualifications I’m searching for. Yet on closer inspection, the descriptions of job titles are too vague to offer any clues into the critical competencies and knowledge demanded by a given position. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Be specific. Give examples. “Vice president” tells me a lot less than “vice president of sales and marketing for the Northeast region.” A closer look should reveal how many people you’ve managed, for how long, and the highlights of what that team achieved under your leadership. Even if 500 hiring managers view your profile, they won’t get in touch if they don’t find the information they need to make an informed hiring decision.

First Impressions Count

And this day and age, it’s impossible to know where that first impression might occur. It could be in person, on LinkedIn or even via the photos from a conference your company posted to its blog. At the very least, dress for the job you want in the picture you use for social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+. Likewise, be sure to proofread every public profile accessible to potential employers, and refrain from packing your email signature with dated logos and unnecessary text. Life isn’t a press conference, and no one expects job candidates to look 100 percent professional in every picture floating around on the Internet. But on career-specific websites, it’s important to devote as much attention to thoughtfulness and professionalism as you would meeting someone for the first time.

Success Story

Of course, none of this is to give the impression that digital tools haven’t revolutionized the process of connecting people to the companies where they can best reach their potential. Technology’s positive effects for job seekers are well-documented, but it’s also had tremendous benefits for the companies doing the hiring. At Christopher Frederick, I’ve been able to add seven people to my team in recent years as a direct result of my approach that combines one-on-one recruiting with the resources of our exclusive digital network. We’re often able to find qualified candidates in a matter of days, where a similar search would have taken weeks under our old approach. Most importantly, we’ve emerged from the recession filling more executive positions and satisfying more clients every year. Our experience proves that time invested in digital networking doesn’t just pay off for job seekers, it is also critical for companies competing for talent in today’s job market.

For more than 20 years, Christopher Frederick has helped match the skills of high-value executives with leading companies in real estate. Visit our website at www.chrisfred.com where you can find exclusive job listings for real estate professionals and read more about our one-of-a-kind approach to executive recruitment.

The Most Important Career Skills You Didn’t Study in College

Posted on July 2, 2014 by peter

A recent study exposed a huge gap in the expectations of employers and entry-level job candidates when it comes to the characteristics they value in the workplace. An overwhelming 93 percent of surveyed employers weigh so-called soft skills like problem solving more heavily than academic credentials, while a mere 16 percent of entry-level candidates considered soft skills important. Looking back on the executive positions I’ve filled over the years, I’ve noticed the critical role these professional attributes play in the careers of managers, as well.

Critical Thinking

This is a classic example of an extremely valuable skill set that’s rarely reflected in resume bullet points or job titles. Yet the higher up the job ladder you climb, the more an employer expects you to make competent decisions that affect the company. Leading real estate firms don’t just look for executives who can hire employees and ensure things get done on time. They need people with the capacity to reason their way through unexpected problems and opportunities. This makes it even more crucial to point out specific decisions you’ve made and problems you’ve solved in past jobs when courting potential employers.

Communication

A great idea is useless if people can’t quite wrap their heads around what you’re talking about. Companies don’t expect their leaders to be English scholars with half-finished novels in their desk drawers. But they do need people who can get their ideas across in a way that doesn’t seed confusion and misunderstandings. Practices that demonstrate this skill set can be as simple as giving a second read to emails, memos and presentations to be sure your intentions are clear and the text is free of basic errors. Respect language and seek continuous improvement in how you use it. This might seem rudimentary, but just consider how many times you’ve seen “excellent communication skills” required in a job description. Keep in mind that effective communication now goes beyond traditional inter-office messages. The ability to convey ideas succinctly through texting and social media has also become invaluable. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like may have changed the format of our communication in the last five years, but keep in mind that their effective use requires more writing than ever. Regardless of the medium, persuasive written communication will set you apart.

Humility

It’s not enough, though, to be a smooth talker. I don’t know how many construction-related positions I’ve filled where employers emphasized the ability to communicate well, not just with executives, but also with site foremen, subcontractors, tradesmen and municipal officials. Hiring managers know first hand that you can’t manage a large team unless you feel at ease with its members at all levels. That requires not just confidence, but a sense of humility as well.

Taking Stock and Giving Thanks – A Holiday Greeting from Chris Hingle

Posted on December 4, 2013December 4, 2013 by peter

As the holidays arrive and afford us the downtime to contemplate the last year, I’m struck by how much we have to be thankful for in the real estate industry. The economy remains fragile, yet we seem to have reached the end of the worst downturn the majority of us have ever experienced in our careers. We’ve worked long and hard to stay atop the housing market as it has rapidly evolved, and for many it’s finally paying off.

Just look at the numbers: October’s home sales were up 21.6 percent, year over year, despite rising interest rates. For the same month, the unemployment rate in the real estate sector fell below 6 percent. Unemployment in construction remains higher but continues to drop to levels not seen since 2008. All of this is driven by recovering home prices and double-digit increases in housing starts in markets across the country.

In my work as a recruiter, I’ve had the pleasure of working with both the industry’s existing leadership and its rising talent as homebuilders, commercial real estate firms and others restart their hiring. Engaging with these truly driven and knowledgeable professionals this year has left me absolutely confident they will capitalize on today’s growth and lead the industry to a sustainable, lucrative future. To all of you I’ve had the chance to correspond with this year, I wanted to say “thank you” for letting me be a part of your professional development.

Even as excited as I am about the prospects for 2014, the things I’m most grateful for this season are not professional but personal. This year, I’ve been privileged to watch my daughter enter college and to visit my own tight-knit classmates at The Citadel in South Carolina. I’ve had the chance to enjoy time with my family in Houston and New Orleans. I’ve also had the opportunity to deepen relationships with the outstanding professionals I’ve worked with over the years. The downturn drove home the fact that relationships are the most lasting, most important blessings that I’m thankful for each day. With better times on the horizon, that hasn’t changed.

I hope this finds you and your loved ones enjoying this season and looking forward to a prosperous 2014.

Happy Holidays,

Chris Hingle
Principal, Christopher Frederick Search Consultants

Hot Housing – Make the Most of Career Opportunities in the Recovering Residential Market

Posted on August 30, 2013July 12, 2017 by peter

Last year brought indisputable evidence of a recovery in housing, with the National Association of Homebuilders reporting a 28 percent year-over-year increase in housing starts in 2012. Even amid the volatility caused by rising interest rates this summer, the pace of construction remains robust, and expanding homebuilders are on the lookout for talent. Now is the time for professionals in the industry to assess their prospects and make the most of a rebounding market.

From my own work as a recruiter offering a unique digital approach to executive hiring, the high-demand positions I see at the moment are in purchasing and in land acquisition/development. If your career resides in these areas, think strategically and study the market carefully to find a position offering the most headroom and potential for expanded responsibility in your area of expertise. If your skills fall in a different area, fear not. The recovery is providing motivated professionals with a degree of flexibility as companies begin rebuilding their diminished ranks.

The housing downturn left many managers and their employees hesitant to leave their present positions, rightfully fearing that a move to advance their careers might leave them with no job at all if prospects worsened at a new company. Some of that caution persists, but today’s business environment should inspire confidence that careers can once again rise with the prospects of homebuilders. Career-focused individuals should also keep in mind that their years helping firms muddle through the downturn also have value in their own right in the eyes of employers looking for hard-working, innovative people.

Hiring managers, too, face a different landscape when recruiting executives. The decline in housing wasn’t gradual and neither is the recovery. The people who left the industry have not necessarily been replaced with younger talent in recent years, so many employers have become more flexible in the way they hire and develop their leaders. Companies must think deeper than job titles and years of experience. What leadership responsibilities and decision-making skills are revealed by a candidate’s work experience? How did he or she add value during the recession? Smart people are easy to train. Can you find the devotion and talent you’re looking for in someone from a different career track, or even from another industry? The talent is out there and hungry for a piece of the long-awaited growth in housing. Likewise, housing professionals should draw confidence from the work they’ve done in recent years – a confidence that inspires them to excel as things are finally looking up. The housing recovery will be yours to prosper from as well.

For more than 25 years, Christopher Frederick has helped match ambitious professionals with leadership positions at some of the most successful firms in real estate. To learn more about how we can enhance your next executive search using our extensive digital network, contact Chris Hingle at chingle@chrisfred.com. Or visit our website at www.chrisfred.com where you can find exclusive job listings for real estate executives.

Social Beyond Media: Add value to your network by developing relationships

Posted on April 1, 2013July 12, 2017 by peter

It’s no secret that most managers would rather hire from their networks than sort through strangers who reply to a want ad. Accordingly, candidates today direct much of their job-hunting effort to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to reconnect with any and all contacts who might pass along a promising lead.

Social media can prove remarkably effective for staying in touch with colleagues. But the ease of connecting online is no excuse to neglect the real-life relationships that often have the greatest consequence in shaping a career.

Face time trumps Facebook:

It takes seconds to ask for or accept a social media invite. Inviting someone to coffee or offering to buy lunch, on the other hand, involves a degree of gumption and effort that shows you are really serious about your professional relationship with that person and your industry. The same goes for approaching someone at a conference, mentoring, introducing yourself in a social setting or volunteering to help with leadership tasks within a professional organization. Face-to-face meetings and the conversations that result create associations outside the parameters of what’s usually discussed on social media, and someone’s real-life presence will always stick in a person’s mind more prominently than an online profile.

Don’t just look up:

Colleagues at or below your level of responsibility can sometimes prove just as valuable as the executives whom everyone in the building wants to know on a first-name basis. People at the department level know that department’s needs. They know who’s coming and who’s leaving and what the budget looks like for next year. Forming relationships with coworkers or potential coworkers through shared interests can create insight into the precise personnel needs of a company at a given moment. Such relationships needn’t be strictly professional, either. Join the company bowling league. Have margaritas after work. Look for coworkers at your kids’ sporting events and activities. Recreation and friendship can often lead to lasting, meaningful professional connections.

Don’t just talk about the job:

As former Silicon Valley recruiter and author Nick Corcodilos advises mid-career job seekers: Keep your focus on the needs of the person you’re meeting with. Offer to sit down with a manager at a company you’re interested in and talk about his or her challenges in areas where you have expertise. Offer advice and critical discussion to help that company run better, and do it outside the context of a formal job interview. If you can prove valuable to an organization before you’re even employed there, you’ll likely find yourself on the short list of candidates when a job opens up later.

Regardless of your current place on the career ladder, the value of a professional network comes not only from the number of people within it, but also from the quality of those relationships.

For more than 25 years, Christopher Frederick has helped executives and companies in real estate build relationships and place the best talent in some of the industry’s leading roles. To learn more about how we can enhance your next executive search using our extensive digital network of professionals, contact Chris Hingle at chingle@chrisfred.com. Or visit our website at www.chrisfred.com.