Betty Wong Talks About Her Mullin & Associates Experience

Krishna Nadella on Mullin & Associates

Krishna Nadella talks about his great experience with Mullin & Associates and how he utilized everything that Mullin offered in order to have a successful job hunt.

Watch Marlo Scott, Mullin alum and owner of Sweet Revenge, talk about her transition experiences

From corporate America to the world of entrepreneurship, Marlo Scott has certainly made a name for herself and gotten her "sweet revenge."

For Our HR Candidates: Top Recruiters

If you're searching for a position in Human Resources, here's the list of the top HR recruiters from New York City's top executive search firms:

COMPANY	First Name	Last Name	Title
Michael Page International Inc.	Kulwinder	Verma	Director
Solomon-Page Group	Danielle	Burns	Recruiter
Forum Group	Mary	Vileno-Murray	Account Executive, Human Resources
Distinctive Personnel	Jean-Paul	Renard	President
Heidrick & Struggles International Inc.	Timothy B.	Boerkoel	Partner
Glocap Search LLC	Shari	Neufeld	Senior Vice President
Execu|Search Group	Gary	Grossman	President
Korn/Ferry International	Hal	Johnson	Chairman, Human Resources
Korn/Ferry International	Linda	Hyman	Senior Vice President, Global HR
CTPartners	Daniel	Kaplan	Partner
Koren Rogers Executive Search	Michael B.	Koren	President & CEO
Egon Zehnder	Manuel	de Miranda	US Human Resources Practice Leader
Eileen Finn & Associates	Eileen	Finn	Principal
Spencer Stuart	Tom	Scanlan
Spencer Stuart	Claudia Lacy	Kelly	Global Practice Leader
Response Companies	Janette	McLaughlin
Russell Reynolds Associates	James	Bagley	Global Leader, Corporate Officers

Book of the Week: In Transition

From the Harvard Business School Club of New York's Career Management Seminar comes In Transition by Mary Lindley Burton and Richard A. Wedemeyer. Printed in 1991, this book is still relevant even 20 years later, as the tips, tricks and advice offered in it are still useful to job-hunters today.

The book focuses on how to:

• Locate, evaluate, and obtain the most satisfying job possible
• Understand what you really want out of your career
• Access all your options, including a new job in the same field, a new career direction, or enhancement of your effectiveness in your current situation
• Apply the business skills you already possess to your job search
• Integrate your personal and professional life

One of the key points mentioned in this book- and a hugely important piece of information to remember today- is that a self-marketing campaign is key to achieving success in your job hunt. The authors write that: "you are the product. Your values, priorities, skills, experience, even your high and low tolerances represent a combination some prospective buyer will find very attractive." What the book doesn't mention is that a key to self-marketing in 2011 is the use of social media outlets including LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogspot, and even Facebook in order to effectively market yourself. At Mullin, we've begun to offer weekly webinars on various aspects of social media, as well as a day where clients can come in and meet with a social media consultant, who will help them to build their online self-marketing campaign.

Feel like you're too busy to sit down and read the entire book? A personal favorite part of this book is that the final chapter outlines everything covered in the book, so even if you don't have time to read the entire thing, skimming through the last chapter can provide invaluable insight into your job hunt. 

Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, writes that In Transition is, "the very best book I know on the subject of career change and, in fact, one of the best books I know on the subject of adult life in general."

Buy it here.

Candidate of the Week: Srini Srinivasan

Mullin and Associates is proud to announce our new Candidate of the Week video interviews! This week, we feature Srini Srinivasan.

Keith Mullin, CEO of Mullin and Associates, says of Srini: "I would say Srini is best at Global Front Office trading and Sales Systems, Fixed Income, Equities and Derivatives. Srini builds trust and works collaboratively with all levels within the organization and brings a real can do attitude to his work."

Book of the Week: Valuing People

As executives, you've probably heard the slogan, "People are our greatest asset" (or something to that effect).  However, this needs to be more than just a slogan if companies are going to grow and thrive.  This week, our book is Valuing People: How Human Capital Can Be Your Strongest Asset by Lisa Aldisert, President of Pharos Alliance, LLC. 

Technology and the way work is done has changed in leaps and bounds in the past century, and no longer does human labor need to mean physical labor.  Rather, a large percentage of jobs in the United States are knowledge-based, meaning employees are employed on the basis of their value to the company as thinkers, not just workers.  Because of this, a shift in how the worker is viewed becomes necessary.  Aldisert believes that in order for a company to progress in the 21st century, then the company- and its executives- needs to move away from the balance sheet and realize the business potential of its intangible assets- its people, and the knowledge that those people hold.  Aldisert speaks from years of experience in the strategic business growth and leadership development, and in her work, she has realized that for a company to profit, it needs to turns the traditional view of employees as a business cost on its head and start looking at employees as assets, not drains on company funds.  She explores the long-hidden realities of valuing human capital as the most dynamic force behind a company’s cash flow growth and increase productivity. 


As one reviews, David Near (Business Excellence Director, Polyurethanes Business, Dow Jones Chemical Company) states: "In today's knowledge and information based economy, effectively managing and leveraging all yur knowledge (intangible) assets is unquestionably the most significant contributing factor to the long-term gorwth and health of any company.  In this book, Lisa effectively substantiates that human capital (your people) is indeed the primary generator of these high value knowledge assets."

Visit Lisa's website at http://www.lisaaldisert.com to find more executive tips and tricks.  Even if you haven't found that executive position yet, she offers great advice that can change your outlook on your job hunt and make you a more dynamic potential hire! (Her most recent post on April 22 is all about renewal, so if you're in the market and searching, then her musings can provide some invaluable advice.)

Buy Valuing People here

The New Job Hunting Norm

Skype.  Online.  Face to face.  What to say and to whom?  How do I even find the right person to speak with at a company I think would be a good fit? Networking: all my associates are sick of it.

These are questions all job seekers are facing in what has been and may continue to be the most difficult job market in the past 30 years.  Especially for those of you who have already been out of work and looking for a period of greater than six months.

Just a short three years ago, the market was hot, recruiters were calling and companies were hiring great talent even if it meant there was a learning curve.  Not today.  One must be a subject matter expert, have direct experience in the industry in which you are seeking work, demonstrate a track record of success and have all the intangibles to be a fit with the new culture.  Anyone of these missing or perceived less than ideal and the company thinks the right person is next.  Even if this means taking longer to fill the job.

A recent example was a senior staff executive from the consumer goods industry trying to make a transition into a leadership role in a entirely different industry.  This professional progressed all the way through the process to the final two only to be rejected because he lacked industry expertise.  Which was clearly evident day one.

Job seekers who do best are those who can explain how their role added to company profitability, reduced cost or helped manage risk. 

-Keith Mullin, CEO of Mullin & Associates

Book of the Week: What Color Is Your Parachute?

Our book of the week is What Color Is Your Parachute? 2011: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard N. Bolles. First printed in 1970, and updated as the times (and the methods of job hunting) have changed, this book is the quintessential classic for job-hunters everywhere.  It begins by asking you what you're doing in your job search: are you planning to do a traditional job hunt or a life-changing job hunt?  Both, he explains, have pros and cons.  The traditional job hunt comes when you simply lose your job or need to leave for a certain reason, but still want to work in essentially the same job.  A life-changing job hunt, on the other hand, is when you reevaluate your life goals and realize that you would be happier in a different line of work completely.

From what job hunting methods work the best, to how to create a more effective resume, to how to discover your dream job, if you're looking for a job (or even thinking about starting to look for a job), then this book is the perfect starting point.

Once you get an interview, the book provides great tips on how to excel at interviewing, and if you're offered the job, there's even a section on salary negotiation.  And for those of you in the market for life-changing jobs, Bolles spends a lot of the book talking about how to soul search and figure out what it is that you really want to do, and then, how to do it.  The book, originally written over 40 years ago and updated regularly (the newest version is 2011) does still have some excellent 70's-esque illustrations and writing styles (including some flowcharts!), which make it a fun read, despite the length and the seriousness of the subject matter.

Keith Mullin, the CEO of Mullin and Associates, highly recommends this book to all of his candidates as a great way to show them an overview of the job-hunting process.  If you're thinking about switching careers, or find yourself looking for a new job, What Color Is Your Parachute? is a wonderful starting point.

See some of Richard Bolles's job hunting tips in this video:

Visit http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/ for more advice, tips, tricks and great places to go on the web to work on your job hunt!

Speaking of job hunting, a big congratulations to the 70 Mullin & Associates candidates who were reemployed in the first quarter! The average length of search was 16 weeks with an average salary of $150,885.00. Our candidates landed in a wide variety of companies that include JPMorgan Chase, Estee Lauder and Yahoo! to name a few.

Wall Street Journal Today: What Companies Want in an Executive

Today's Wall Street Journal features a great story on the hottest executives today. As time permits, you may find this of great interest as the article says what Companies want and what is most marketable is your ability to partner and collaborate with peers, bosses and subordinates while adding profitability or growth or improving process.

Full article here

Book of the Week: Never Eat Alone

“Your network is your net worth. This book shows you how to add to your personal bottom line with better networking and bigger relationships…Buy this book!” – Tim Sanders, author of Love Is The Kill App
 
In the Digital Age we live in now, networking has never been easier.  However, it's also easier to forget the personal touch that makes networking effective.  If you have 4000 connections on LinkedIn, that's great, but if you don't actually know any of them or haven't really communicated with them, are you really "connected" to them at all?

If you're not a networker by nature- and most of us aren't- then this book is for you.  Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi is one of the most helpful books you'll ever read.

He speaks from experience, as a man who wanted to run companies, run for office, touch people's lives, and generally get to know everyone and anyone around him.  That's his secret: network by helping others, and it will, in turn, help you.  "I learned that real networking was about finding ways to make other people more successful. It was about working hard to give more than you get."  The people that you help will want to help you later, so it benefits you to help them now.

The book is chock-full of advice and Ferrazzi's own personal stories about his life and how he ascended to where he is today: Ferrazzi launched his career as the youngest Chief Marketing Officer in the Fortune 500 at Deloitte Consulting, and was later the CMO at Starwood Hotels, and now is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in professional relationship development. 

One of the most fascinating parts about reading his book is the apparent sincerity behind his networking: Ferrazzi clearly loves what he does.  He credits his success to actually enjoying what he's doing, whether it's meeting people at conferences or hosting small dinner parties at his house (and yes, he offers some great advice on throwing a dinner party in an informal and inexpensive way!)  This isn't a networking book that just suggests meeting as many people as possible- it's a book on how to be the kind of person that people will flock to, and how to get there with an optimistic attitude.  He means the book title literally- he firmly believes that mealtime- like every other time of day- is prime time for getting together with people, for business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. 

He doesn't, however, reject any of the digital advances in networking.  Ferrazzi is an avid fan of Twitter, and email is one of his preferred methods of communication, so he certainly doesn't believe that you need to see someone in person or speak to them on the phone to be effective.  Rather, he stresses making a personal connection rather than sending form emails to people on LinkedIn.  Meet at a conference?  Email with a follow up question about a discussion you had, or mention a shared hobby that you had discussed.  Networking, he believes, fails when it's done insincerely.

Some of his most valuable advice?

• Don't keep score: It's never simply about getting what you want. It's about getting what you want and making sure that the people who are important to you get what they want, too.
• "Ping" constantly: The Ins and Outs of reaching out to those in your circle of contacts all the time--not just when you need something. (My personal favorite bit of advice is when he suggests that, if you're pressed for time but want to let someone know you're thinking of them, you call them when you're almost certain to get their voicemail, thereby leaving them a reminder that you care, without taking up much time.)
• Never eat alone: The dynamics of status are the same whether you're working at a corporation or attending a society event-- "invisibility" is a fate worse than failure. (He offers great, practical tips for networking effectively at large conferences- hint: tossing business cards at everyone that comes within 5 feet of you is likely going to be ineffective.)

Watch a video of Keith Ferrazzi speaking on how to get started with networking.

 

Book description: Do you want to get ahead in life? Climb the ladder to personal success? The secret, master networker Keith Ferrazzi claims, is in reaching out to other people. As Ferrazzi discovered early in life, what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships--so that everyone wins. In "Never Eat Alone," Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps--and inner mindset--he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates in his address book, people he has helped and who have helped him.

Buy it here.
More on Keith Ferrazzi here.

Mullin Alum Marlo in Chase Commercial

Mullin alum Marlo Scott of NYC cupcake fame (she owns Sweet Revenge, the go to place for beer and cupcakes in the city) is featured in a Chase banking commercial for their small business card, Ink. 


"I was doing the corporate grind like everyone else, but to be successful I knew I had to be different." -Marlo Scott

It's great to see an entrepreneur be successful doing what she loves to do!

Book of the Week: The Three Laws of Performance

 According to Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan, the Three Laws of Performance are as follows:

1.  How people perform correlates to how situations occur to them

2.  How a situation occurs arises in language

3.  Future-based language transforms how situations occur to people

Sound confusing?  At first glance, it appears to be leadership/business buzzwords mixed together to create an idea that, while it may be effective on paper, can never be translated into action.  However, that surface assumption is absolutely incorrect.  Instead, the book is chock full of insightful ways of looking at how our language predisposes us to certain actions, how we can target actions that we want to see happen in the future by re-structuring the way we define ourselves and our future, and finally, how to be an effective leader by changing the way that you use language.

Language doesn't necessarily mean how you speak or gestures that you make.  The authors explain that the book is about how "conversations" between individuals are what make corporations run, and as such, we need to look at how these conversations are being framed.

If a company's workers are all under the impression- or using the language- of believing that the company is going to fail, production will decrease, employees will remain unmotivated, and their predictions will eventually become a reality.  But what if the language changed?  By reestablishing a new vision of the future of that company, suddenly, the actual future of the company can changed. 

A few great excerpts:

On leaders: "Leaders listen for a future that inspires them... Their power comes not from their personalities but from the future that is their mandate, their guide, and their reason for being."

On life: "Aristotle said every play has three acts: a beginning, a middle, and an end.  The first act of the play called My Life or My Company is your past.  The second act is the present.  The third act is your future."

On self-discovery: "If you want to transform who you are- how you occur too yourself- then you need to create a crisis of identity, one in which the only way out is transformation."

This book is based on transformation of our psyche: change your perception, and it will change your life.  What makes people do what they do is how a situation "occurs" to them, so if we change the way that situation "occurs" through using positive future-based language in a meaningful way (motivational speeches with no backbone don't count), then we can transform that future. The authors are quick to remind their readers that without action to back up the words, language won't change anything.  But changing the phrasing in order to transform to create a more positive future, now that's something!

Find out more

Buy it here

"This book filled with insights, real-life encounters and experiences shows us how we may do the work of transformation. Steve and Dave have written an inspiring, practical book, applicable in the corporate, labour, political, and civil society sectors, that will assist all who seek to rewrite the future of our world." -Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate, Former General Secretary, South African Council of Churches

Radio Interview with Marlo Scott, Mullin Alum and Entrepreneur magazine covergirl!

Excerpt from Marlo's interview on 101.9: "The owner of the firm, Keith Mullin, ended up mentoring me, because I wasn't doing a job search, I was working on a business plan...and a year and a half later, ended up introducing me to a good friend of his, who is a set designer for Martha, and he'd been telling her about my adventure, and she had me drop off cupcakes the first week in January of this year... a week later, the show aired and I couldn't have been happier."

Mullin Alum lands cover of Entrepreneur magazine!

Marlo Scott has struck gold with her cupcake bakery/bar, Sweet Revenge in NYC.  After losing her job a few years ago, Marlo rethought her career path, and with the help of Mullin and Associates, she made a business plan and started Sweet Revenge!  Now, her business is flourishing (they've recently launched a line of apparel!) and she's the new covergirl for the April issue of Entrepreneur magazine!

Read the article here.

Check out her website here.

Congratulations, Marlo!

Articles of the Week

NY Post: Hurry up and wait for a job

By Keith Mullin

Mullin and Associates CEO Keith Mullin's article on the importance of social media in the job hunt.

The message is:
* Be prepared to brief your contacts, friends and colleagues well in advance of actually interviewing/networking.
* Have a great written, verbal and online resume showing results on the job. Results matter.
* Pick companies you think you can work for and develop a rationale as to why you think so.
* Be humble and assertive. These qualities are not contradictory when used in the proper setting. Employers want stars who do not act like stars.
* Be prepared for a long haul. The process will take longer than you think.

Read it here

Harvard Business Review: Where will you be in 5 years?

By Amy Gallo

An article urging introspection when it comes to what you want to be and where you want to be.

"Most people have been asked that perennial, and somewhat annoying, question: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Of course it is asked most often in a job interview, but it may also come up in a conversation at a networking event or a cocktail party. Knowing and communicating your career goals is challenging for even the most ambitious and focused person. Can you really know what job you'll be doing, or even want to be doing, in five years?"

"'Remember the goal is to find the right job, not just a job. You don't want to get it just because you were a good interviewee,' says Weintraub."

Read it here

CEO Keith Mullin speaks about showing off potential in an interview

Excerpt from Keith Mullin's Interview

Most people when they’re looking for a position, whether that be internally or externally, what they fail to do is articulate what the results of their last role has been.  And they fail to articulate those results against three key measurements.  The idea is: how have you increased revenue or sales for the organization you’re part of, how have you helped manage cost, or reduce cost associated with the department or your particular job, or the third element, depending upon your organization, is how have you helped them manage risk.  So when we look at someone’s skill set, and we ask people to look at their own skill set, what we’re really asking is, “tell me where you had an impact, not only in terms of leadership and collaboration but how is that measured in the success.  How did you know at the end of the day you did a good job?  If you look forward three, six, nine months, how do you know you had an impact on the organization?”

Book of the Week: Don't Retire, Rewire

“What is retirement?  A liberation from mandatory duties.” –Jimmy Carter

Retirement looming in your future?  Feel like you’re ready to take that step out of the workforce that you’ve been a part of for 40-50 years?  Perhaps you’re being pushed into retiring early, or maybe you’re just ready to enjoy your “Golden Years.”  Whatever the reason, retirement is still a scary thought for most of us.  If you’re feeling unsure about what your future after working holds, take a look at “Don’t Retire, Rewire: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work that Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, or Fills Your Pocket” by Jeri Sedlar.   She understands that for some, retirement is not the happiest time of a person’s life: for example, Ken, a 63 year old recent retiree, is quoted as saying “I thought the stress of work would kill me, now I’m afraid retirement will.”

Sedlar tells us that retirement need not be boring, without work, or entirely based on leisure.  Rather, it is an exciting new chapter in our lives where we can really take a look inside ourselves and ask “what do I really want to do?”  It’s a chance to take risks, learn new skills, do things we’ve wanted to do for years (skydiving lessons, anyone?)

She begins the book by saying that “traditional retirement isn’t for everyone,” and he’s right.  Some people may thrive on a leisurely retirement of golf, Florida, and time in front of the television, but for some people, that seems empty and unfulfilling.  To each his own, but if you’re one of those people who can’t imagine life without work, this book offers excellent suggestions about how to find meaning in life after work.  She explains his theory best in the title for section 1 of the book: “Retiring is a going from and rewiring is a going to.” 

Sedlar suggests the following exercise: imagine your funeral.  Are you happy with who would attend, what the eulogy would consist of, how you would be remembered?  If you’re not, retirement is the chance to turn yourself into the person that you want to be remembered as.  Remember:  “When you retire, your energy doesn’t stop flowing.”  Rather, this is a chance for a new start, and it’s a great chance to become the person you want to be.  One of the people quoted in the book, Dick (age 56), puts it eloquently when he says:  “When I retire, I’ll have the time to rediscover myself. I used to be a nice person.”

One of the key things Sedlar addresses is our intrinsic motivation.  What makes you want to wake up in the morning?  What makes you excited about the day?  Is it competition in the workplace, feeling like you’ve helped change someone’s life, achieved a personal best?  This is because of our “drivers.”  She says “Drivers are personal motivators that we use as a selection tool to choose how to match up our deepest needs with the world around us… Drivers are what make you tick as a human being because they go deep inside you, to your brain, heart and ego.  We all have drivers.”

“Don’t Retire, Rewire” is a great read for anyone unsure of what the future holds.  Even if you aren’t ready to retire, but feel like you need a shift in your work life, this book can help you put into words and actions exactly what it is that you want to do with your life.  After all, work shouldn’t be all about… work.  Al, a former executive, puts it most succinctly when he says: “I’m going to clown school to become a clown.  That’s love, not work.”

So check out “Don’t Retire, Rewire” today!

Sedlar’s List of Top 10 Pointers from People Who Have Rewired

1.     Have a plan

2.     Plan to evolve

3.     Test-market ideas

4.     Dare to discard

5.     Recognize goals can change

6.     Learn from others

7.     Don’t look to others for direction  or approval

8.     Think of freedom as a good thing

9.     Think of too much freedom as a bad thing

10.  Don’t overcommit

“Finding your dreams, interests and discoveries is about leaving the practical world behind and powering up your imagination.  We believe that if you imagine it, it can happen.”

Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Retire-REWIRE-Jeri-Sedlar/dp/1592576893

Read Sedlar’s Blog: http://dontretirerewire.blogspot.com/

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."        -Author Ayn Rand

At Mullin, a big part of what we do is ask our clients "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  This might seem like a silly question when it's being asked of a 45 year old rather than a 4 year old, but think about it: if you had to answer that question right now, what would the answer be?

If it's exactly what you're doing right now, then well done!  But if it isn't, then take this opportunity to think about how you can go from where you are now to where you want to be.

At Mullin & Associates/Lincolnshire International, our goal is to maximize value by providing services that lead in people, process, and technology. We are recognized as the premier global provider of individual outplacement solutions which focus on the individual and offer progressive winning strategies. Our unique Career Pathing service provides professional-level candidates with up to 18-months counseling support once they have landed new positions.

In business since 1980, Mullin & Associates/Lincolnshire International has a superior reputation for providing individual personal service. We are able to do this because our career consultants have significant business experience, have personally experienced outplacement, and dedicate appropriate time to each candidate because of the manageable candidate/consultant ratio. As an example, with our Quality Assurance Program we require consultants to maintain a consultant/candidate ratio of 20:1, the lowest in the outplacement industry.

We are confident that our professionals have the talents, skills, capacity, and innovation, as well as the overall management experience, to successfully and effectively provide the highest standard of outplacement for departing employees anywhere in the world.

Whether you're already a client at Mullin or are considering utilizing our services, know that we are here to help you decide what you want to be "when you grow up," and will do everything possible to make sure that you get there.

"To be successful, you must manage your career by thinking about your own needs and also the needs of the organization, and contribute in ways that satisfy both." -Vijay Sathe, "Manage Your Career: 10 Keys to Survival and Success When Interviewing and on the Job" 

Social Medial: the Grand Experiment

At Mullin, we pride ourselves in being on the cutting edge of technology and ways of reaching and communicating with people, and today that means developing social media.  In coming weeks, we'll be highlighting not only what we do and what's happening at Mullin, but also valuable job tips and suggestions from the experts who know best.  And of course, your comments and feedback are invaluable to us.

Mullin is entering the world of social media! Follow us for updates, news, and valuable information on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter:

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