The Art of “Dating” Companies

Time and time again, we’ve used the metaphor of dating to help our clients understand the many subtle nuances and complexities of the modern hiring process.  Simply put, your chances of finding the perfect fit with an employer right out of the gate, in your first interview, are about the same odds you’d have of going on a blind date and immediately finding your perfect romantic match.  In most cases, instead, it takes a number of interviews before a candidate finds an organization that they truly “fall in love with and want to marry.”  And complicating things further, of course, this feeling has to be mutual…

Taking this analogy one step further, there’s also the fact that companies and candidates, just like single folks out on a date, tend to start the relationship out on their best behavior.  In general, it takes time to truly get to know the other party, warts and all, and this can often lead to significant disillusionment as that charming guy or gal you remember dating turns out to have some annoying habits — or that “dream company” or “dream boss” you remember from the interview turns out to not live up to the hype.

While this pattern is probably just another inevitable fact of life, given the way all of us tend to sweep our vulnerabilities under the rug as we approach new relationships, every once in a blue moon a company and candidate find a way to bypass some of the artificiality and engage in a frank, meaningful dialogue around their authentic needs.  Consider this recent note I received from a client who recently landed an exciting new position in the retail marketing planning field:

“I like the job because I get to run the show.  I get the take the reins and put my marketing ideas to work, plus, I had an excellent connection with my boss during the interview process.  He is a deep thinker, with a big heart and lots of motivation.  I was honest and asked that he be prepared to provide a pat on the back when I earn it, which he obliged happily.  We will make a good team!”

While the dynamic this message illustrates is subtle, when I read it I was immediately struck by the deep level of trust, sharing, and candor that appears to have unfolded during the hiring conversation between these two parties.  The fact that the candidate, my client, divulged her need (which has been chronically unmet throughout her career) to feel acknowledged and appreciated for her efforts — and that her future boss respected this disclosure and agreed to support it — speaks volumes about the potential of this new relationship to succeed.  And my instincts tell me this “work marriage” will be a lasting one!

Question of the Month: April 2007

Question: “Is LinkedIn worth a damn?”

Ha ha — I couldn’t resist phrasing the question in such stark terms, since the above sentiment pretty much sums up the frequent line of questioning I get about this notorious social networking website and its usefulness in a modern job search campaign.  And while I’ll be elaborating further, the equally stark response is “yes” — and I’m willing to state unequivocally that searching for work these days without LinkedIn is tantamount to searching with one hand tied behind your back.

Having reviewed hundreds (perhaps thousands) of websites that relate to careers and the employment process, I would say that LinkedIn is one of the very few pieces of technology that actually “gets it right” and adds significant value to the job search process, as opposed to complicating it or making life more difficult for all involved.  I’ve had several clients tell me, in fact, that this website was the single MOST productive channel for job leads they utilized during the course of their search and that they were simply amazed that they hadn’t heard of it before — and that other people they know aren’t using it!

For those doubters out there, however, or those who may be unfamiliar with the site, let me share just a couple of key reasons why this tool is so uniquely powerful — and why its capabilities are almost impossible to duplicate through the more traditional “low-tech” networking alternatives…

1)  LinkedIn allows job hunters to “see” up to several layers out in terms of the networking process, greatly expanding their ability to locate useful contacts and referral sources.  In other words, while you certainly could contact everybody you know and ask them if they know anybody at XYZ Company, there’s absolutely no way using conventional methods to determine whether your current contacts “know somebody who knows somebody” at this same company, or other companies — which is an extremely useful feat you can accomplish in milliseconds using the LinkedIn system.

2)  LinkedIn allows you to search a real-time pool of company/contact data that is significantly fresher and more accurate than virtually all other sources of data out there, including old standbys such as Hoovers and Dun & Bradstreet.  What’s more, people don’t just list their current positions on the site, but usually also include details of their entire background.  So if you’re interested in identifying anybody in Seattle with “branding”, “web analytics”, or “CFO” in their job title — or anybody who used to work with you at previous organizations — this functionality makes these tasks a piece of cake.

3)  Lastly, and perhaps the most important and underappreciated aspect of the website, of all, is LinkedIn’s unsurpassed ability to allow you to do favors for other people.  What’s that, you say?  Are you telling me that lots of people are going to be bugging me for referrals and potential favors if I join this website?  Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying!  And this is critical, since the single most common hurdle job hunters face is their lack of an effective network and the fact that over the years, many professionals haven’t done enough favors for other people to allow them to “make withdrawals” now in the form of requesting help with their own unemployment challenge.

So if you’re one of these people, and have found yourself out of work and woefully short on allies, LinkedIn can be your saving grace, since it will provide you with a steady stream of chances to lend help, aid, and comfort to those around you — in order to earn the right to their assistance, in return, down the road.  Sound crazy?  Don’t knock it.  This is the stuff that great careers are made from…

Now granted, LinkedIn continues to add new bells and whistles constantly, and the above three benefits are just a small subset of what a true “power user” stands to gain from the site — but I’d still argue that none of the other features comes close to the significance of the three uses highlighted above.  Additionally, I hear many people expressing concerns that they will be pestered or overwhelmed by abusive networking requests if they add their profile to LinkedIn.  Such fears, however, strike me as completely groundless since you have total control of who you link to, at all times, as well as the types of requests people are allowed to forward along to you to begin with.  It’s a completely self-policing system in this respect.  Nobody can link to you without your permission and nobody can force you to grant a favor that you’re not comfortable performing.  So as long as you practice common sense, and avoid linking to hundreds of strangers at random, you shouldn’t find these occasional requests for help to be more than a minor inconvenience — and as stated above, if you’re looking at it this way to begin with, you need to ask yourself some tough questions about the fundamental nature of networking and why other people out there should ever bother paying attention to your requests, in return!

Networking Basics: Clarifying Your Needs

Last month, as many of you may recall, I ran a short article suggesting that many people were violating a “cardinal networking rule” by not following up with people consistently to check in and let them know the status of the leads, help, and referrals that they’d been offered.  Needless to say, this article apparently touched many a guilty conscience, since I got DOZENS of e-mails afterwards from clients who felt that I had written this article with them specifically in mind, chastising them for not following-up recently, which was kind of amusing — but honestly not my intent!

At any rate, as a “sequel” of sorts to this first networking observation, I wanted to point out another rule of thumb that I see constantly violated by job seekers — which involves asking people for contacts, or target company ideas, without giving them any useful clues as to the kinds of referrals that would actually be appropriate, relevant, or useful.  Not only does this hurt your own candidacy and “personal brand” by suggesting that you’re unfocused, and don’t know what you want, but it also may lead people to suspect that you’re somewhat lazy, since it suggests that you haven’t done any homework or deep thinking, yourself, to figure out what kinds of contacts/companies would be most relevant to your goals.

So if you’re actively in job transition, and haven’t had a lot of luck with the networking process, I’d suggest you retool your elevator pitch to include specific details about the exact types of companies that interest you and the types of individuals who might best add value to your search efforts.  In actual practice, this might sound something like:

– “I recently saw the movie An Inconvenient Truth and it’s really motivated me to try to align myself with companies that are energy-conscious and trying to develop more sustainable business practices.  I’d therefore love to talk with anybody you know who works in the green/sustainability field — as well as any companies in town you know of that might be working on sustainability and waste reduction initiatives.”

– “My primary goal would be to work in the Training or Organizational Development department of a large company, such as Nordstroms, Microsoft, or Starbucks, so I’m currently trying to connect with anybody in the area who works in an OD, Executive Coaching, or Training capacity — since these folks could probably tell me which local companies have established these kinds of internal departments.”

– “I love the thrill of the startup environment, so right now I’m seeking to locate and chat with any senior executives who are involved in a startup venture of some kind, as well as any service providers such as venture capitalists, private equity advisors, attorneys, or accountants who might support this sector closely and know what’s going on around town in terms of new companies getting funded/launched.”

It doesn’t matter how you phrase your request, exactly, but being able to offer these kinds of specific details will always generate more referrals and opportunities than simply throwing out a cattle-call for “contacts” or “leads” in general.  You can obviously change your focus over time, too, as your search unfolds and you get clearer about your career goals.  The bottom line, however, is that you’ve got to live by the immortal words offered up in the movie Jerry McGuire: “Help…me…to help…you!”

Can You Solve an Employer’s Problems? Prove It!

Without question, one of the most important concepts professionals today need to grasp, in order to maintain a strong level of marketability/employability, is the idea that what they are selling to employers is not their skills, experience, education, or past accomplishments — but the perception that they can solve future problems for employers in rapid, cost-effective fashion.

Seems simple, I know, but I’d have to say that the root cause of most job search failure is directly related to this principle and a failure to understand its implications.  The resumes that fall the flattest, for example, are those that concentrate entirely on past accomplishments and job duties instead of focused, future solutions.  Along similar lines, the interview candidates who struggle to land offers are those who wax at length about all the great things they did for their past organizations, but display little curiosity about the needs and challenges of their potential future employer.  Simply put, no hiring manager is going to pay you for the things you did for somebody else — and unless you can create a compelling vision of how you are going to make THEIR organization better/stronger/more profitable, they’ll hold on to their cash until they find the person (or piece of software, or temp worker, or vendor…) who can!

So identifying the specific problems you are capable of and passionate about solving for companies is the requisite first step to career success.  But let’s move beyond that aspect for a second and talk instead about the second hurdle one has to clear, which is proving that you are the best available solution to these problems — in an age where companies have thousands of other candidate resumes available at the click of a mouse.  How do you prove you’ve got what it takes?  How do you compel them to make you a job offer, versus holding out for somebody who is perhaps even more capable to come along?

The key to this, I believe, is to understand the primary types of “proof” that job hunters are able to offer to employers and to then make the best possible case you can by weaving together these elements:

– Skills:  You demonstrate that you possess certain specialized hard/soft skills required for success
– Experience:  You show you have a track record of solving similar problems, ideally in similar industries
– Education:  You possess certifications/degrees/training that are highly relevant to the role in question

Without question, the above three criteria are the ones that the job market APPEARS to be built upon (just study any published job description) and are the factors most conventionally asked for and accepted by employers as reliable “evidence” that the candidate has what it takes to get the job done.  If you therefore have a great deal of strength in these areas, relative to your career targets, you should end up doing pretty well out there in your search.  Those candidates who don’t have the perfect pedigree in these three areas, however, need to adjust their strategy and rely instead on a second set of viable “proof points” in order to demonstrate their problem-solving abilities:

– Passion:  You demonstrate your tremendous energy/enthusiasm for tackling the challenges in question
– Ideas:  You capture the employer’s imagination with fresh thinking, keen insights, and brilliant ideas
– Confidence: You project unwavering conviction about your ability to complete the tasks at hand
– Contacts:  You mention key relationships you’ve built that can help achieve the desired job results

Lastly, there’s one final element of proof that trumps all the above and explains why 70-80% of all hiring the marketplace is actually NOT based strictly on skills, experience, and resume considerations:

– Personal Referrals:  There is no more powerful way of convincing somebody you’re going to be a great hire than by having people you know, and whom the employer trusts, tell them about your capabilities and endorse you as a smart, responsible, hard-working employee.

This last element, luckily, is the great equalizer that prevents the job market from being a merciless meritocracy and from all of us being condemned to stick with a single rigid career path throughout our entire lives.  Networking is king and personal referrals/endorsements are still the most trusted and reliable form of evidence employers look for when making hiring decisions.  Just ask yourself: if you were going to hire a contractor to complete a $100,000 remodel on your house, would you hire the firm with the fanciest brochure and slickest website or would you lean, instead, toward the company a trusted friend keeps raving about that did a fantastic, professional, and affordable job on their remodeling project? The job market works the exact same way — and for the exact same reasons.  Use them to your advantage!

Question of the Month: December 2006

Question: “I sent out a resume to a lead and haven’t heard anything.  Should I follow up?”

Okay, I realize that the question above seems like something of a giant softball, and many of you can predict what I’m going to say in response, but I feel compelled to address this issue nonetheless — since the lack of appropriate follow-up continues to be a major Achilles Heel for many job seekers.

The short answer to the direct question above is, of course, almost always “yes” — unless an employer expressly forbids follow-up activity or you’re dealing with a blind lead where you have no way of identifying the company in question.  Aside from those instances, you always want to follow up your initial resume submission with a phone call several days later to try to push your candidacy forward.  In doing this, however, it’s important to understand that you’re not calling with any real hope of achieving breakthrough progress or even necessarily getting through to a live human being.  Don’t set the bar that high or you’ll be chronically disappointed.  What you’re attempting to do, instead, is create greater name recognition for yourself by leaving a short phone message that expresses your enthusiasm for the job and showcases your positive, helpful attitude.  Something along the lines of:

“Mr. Jones, this is Betsy Smith, and I was just putting in a quick call to restate my interest in the financial analyst position you have available and to make sure that you did, in fact, receive the resume I e-mailed to you on Tuesday.  On the surface, this opportunity looks like a tremendous fit with my background and current career goals, so I hope I have the chance to meet you for an interview in the near future to learn more about your needs in this position.  In the meantime, if you have any questions I can answer or you need me to provide any further information in support of my candidacy, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at (425) 827-3920.  Thanks for your time and have a great day!”

Again, a message like the one above may turn out to have zero impact on the overall hiring process, but it only takes a minute or two to deliver — and this time will turn out to be very well spent if you gain even a slight extra edge in landing an interview.  Essentially, you’re banking on the fact that most employers get inundated with resumes when they publish a job lead, and that even a tiny speck of conscious or unconscious name recognition goes a long way toward helping separate your document from the pile.  What’s more, some employers are immediately impressed by the rare candidate who has the courage and conviction to follow up, since there’s a good chance they are screening for qualities such as enthusiasm, proactivity, and persistence in terms of the ideal candidate they’re seeking to find.

So again, in the vast majority of cases, job seekers need to manage their pipeline of prospects carefully and follow up as rigorously with each lead as would a professional salesperson whose livelihood was depending on each sale.  Additionally, they need to be on the lookout for allowing negative assumptions to creep into their thinking or squelch their follow-up efforts.  Recently, I received a voice mail from a client that ended with: “Oh yeah, and I haven’t heard back from that other lead you passed along, so I’ll assume they’re not interested.”  You know what they say about assumptions, right?  This is a perfect case in point, and in my e-mail response, I stressed that “the lack of a response from a company doesn’t automatically mean they aren’t interested in you, since in many cases, they just get swamped or busy with other priorities.  So resist the temptation to think negatively!  Keep ‘bugging’ the employers in question until they give you a firm answer, one way or another, and let your competition be the ones who are scared away by the silence…”

In closing, periods of profound employer silence are now simply part and parcel of the modern job search process, and job seekers have to learn to adapt to this reality, rather than get intimidated by it.  Even once the interview process begins, and several encouraging meetings have taken place, it’s not uncommon for a company to suddenly “go dark” and give you the appearance that they’ve completely forgotten about you or left you at the altar.  In these cases, all you can do is try to maintain your sense of humor, follow-up periodically without placing blame, and keep yourself distracted with other productive lead-generation activities.  In most cases, the company will resurface again once their other priorities have subsided, and you’ll be glad you didn’t give up on the lead!

Book Review: Claiming Your Place At The Fire (Richard J. Leider & David A. Shapiro)

“Two-thirds of all the people who have ever lived past 65 are alive today.  Never before in history have so many people entered into this later stage of life so vital, so healthy, and so free.  And never before have so many had such a hunger for direction in how to live this stage of life in a purposeful way.”

The above quote, taken from the the last chapter of the book, effectively sums up its entire mission — to explore the new frontiers of growing up, and growing old, and to tackle the changing meaning of the word “retirement” for the Baby Boom generation and beyond.  Containing dozens of inspirational stories about “new elders” who have continued to passionately pursue career avenues well into the second half of their lives, the book ranges wildly, at times, between sociology textbook and self-help publication.  At the end of each chapter, as well, the authors encourage the reader to hold a “fireside chat”with their spouse — and possibly other loved ones — to discuss the authentic issues, questions, and decisions that relate to achieving fulfillment during one’s senior years.

Sound a bit too “new agey” for your tastes?  Admittedly, much of this book has that feel to it, and some may find it a little too existential or idealistic for their liking.  I must also confess, as well, that a certain amount of the the content was likely lost on me, since I’m not yet a member of the age demographic this publication is aimed at addressing.  Despite these factors, however, the book was still a crisp and insightful reading experience, and given that I’ve had several clients recommend it to me over the years, I felt that it deserved recognition — and fills an important niche on the career management bookshelf.

Amongst the passages, there are also some great quotes and insights related to the aging process, in general.  One of many citations that caught my eye was the statement that “only 25% of what we call aging is rooted in the actual biology of being older.  The other 75% is ’sociogenic’ and caused by the stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions that society and culture impose on older adults.”  How accurate this claim might be, scientifically, I can’t say.   But it’s an awfully thought-provoking concept!

The Greatest Weakness Question: How to Nail It

Ah, yes.  The infamous “what is your greatest weakness?” interview question.  Despite thousands of links on the Internet regarding interview preparation, and countless books on the subject, many people still botch this classic employer inquiry.  So we’ll restate the advice from our workbook, which is our belief that candidates should attempt to score lots of authenticity points on this question and provide a very thoughtful and honest answer.  Not sure what weakness to focus on?  Here’s the secret: Just take one of your greatest strengths, flip it around, and discuss how it could be (or has been) used against you and caused you workplace grief in the past.

Here are several representative examples of this technique in action:

– Are you extremely talented at building teams, increasing retention rates, and creating a trusting and empowered work atmosphere?  If so, then you more than likely have trusted too much, on occasion, and had employees abuse your good nature.  Explain how you’ve learned to guard against this tendency and have learned to be fair, but tough, to avoid getting taken advantage of by your subordinates.

– Are you highly analytical and good at seeing problems from all angles?  If so, we’d predict that you’ve been accused of being “resistant to change” or “too slow to make decisions” from time to time.  Talk about the times that this issue has caused friction during your career and how you’ve learned to apply your analytical skills more selectively, or to disengage them completely, when circumstances require it.

– Are you a perfectionist who pays tremendous attention to detail?  If so, we’d bet dollars to doughnuts there have been times when this tendency has slowed you down, alienated your co-workers, or placed you in a martyrship role working many extra unpaid hours.   Should this be the case, explain how you’ve learned to prioritize better and to evaluate when “good” might be “good enough” more effectively.

Once you’ve disclosed your own authentic weakness, and provided some context about how it has gotten in your way on a few occasions, don’t dilly-dally — move on to describe how you’ve learned to compensate for it and guard against it limiting your effectiveness in certain situations!

Insights from the Northwest Recruiters Association

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to attend a special meeting of the NW Recruiters Association focused around the topic of “closing difficult candidates” in a tight job market.  It was a fascinating discussion, especially since I was evaluating the dialogue from the other side of the fence as an advocate not of the employer, but of the individual job candidate.  And at the end of the session, I had written down a number of notes and observations that I thought might be helpful to pass along:

– Several recruiting managers commented that they look for extreme enthusiasm on behalf of the candidates they interview and want to see a “10 out of 10″ in terms of the candidate’s commitment to the position being discussed and the challenges it represents.  Anything less than 100% enthusiasm doesn’t cut it.  They want to know that you see the upside of the opportunity in question, understand what makes it special, and are willing to pursue it without reservations.

– Surprisingly, a majority of the recruiters in attendance also stated that they always make their best offer first and don’t negotiate salary with candidates, which they feel both shortens the hiring process as well as confirms the point above, which is their desire to see a person say “yes” to a job based on the caliber of the opportunity, not due to financial considerations.  In reality, however, we still find that the vast majority of executive positions come down to a healthy counteroffer exchange, so we’re not convinced that most recruiters and HR personnel truly stick to their guns on this issue, as claimed.

– The recruiting panel also mentioned a few intriguing questions that they pose to candidates these days, such as “How much money are you making now and how do you feel about it?” and “Who else would be involved in your decision to come work for us?”  Each of these questions is designed to try to ferret out the candidate’s true feelings about an opportunity and to “pre-close” them in order to avoid protracted negotiations or time-wasting.   One recruiter even said that she makes a point, after a long round of interviews, to ask candidates “Is there any question that you answered today that you wish you’d answered differently?” We liked that a lot — after all, to err is human!

Question of the Month: August 2006

“What’s the best way to answer those frustrating salary questions that employers ask right up front these days?”

This is a great, great, great, great question.  Why?  Because frankly, we think a lack of understanding about this single, simple issue leads a lot of candidates (hopefully, though, not too many of our clients) to instantly “gong” themselves out of the interview process and miss out on quality opportunities.

The reason for this?  To put it bluntly, it’s because we’re arrogant enough to maintain that almost every book, article, and published resource that candidates turn to for advice on the “salary question” facet of interviewing is just dead wrong.  While many career counselors and professional negotiation experts still maintain that a job hunter should never name their number first, or give any kind of meaningful answer to this question up front, we believe this strategy almost always dooms a candidate to failure.  In today’s world, where the hiring process has sped up exponentially — and recruiters and HR types are just as busy as the rest of us — inquiring about a candidate’s salary needs up front is a legitimate area of discussion and a critical step that allows these “screeners” to do their job, which is to avoid wasting anybody’s time (including yours) with multiple interviews when the financial expectations of both sides aren’t a match.

For many years, we’ve felt like a lone voice in the wilderness on this topic, but we’ve stuck by our guns consistently — and been heartened as of late to see articles popping up that support our viewpoint, like the outstanding “Your HR Guy” blog entry you’ll find here.

So now that we’ve tried to talk you out of the “I’m not comfortable discussing salary up front — can we address this issue later?” response, you’re probably wondering what we DO recommend that candidates say when this question inevitably comes up.  It’s actually pretty straightforward.  Start by acknowledging that this is a legitimate question to discuss and then give the interviewer a broad ball park, possibly even as big as $20-30K in range, that encompasses what you consider to be the “going rate” for the type of job you’re interviewing for — after you make allowances for all of the different variables (e.g. benefits, commute, bonus, upside potential, etc.) that could potentially factor into the total compensation package and scope of the opportunity.  If you don’t know what this number should be, do some research around it immediately.  Knowing “what you’re worth” in today’s market is as much your responsibility as the employer’s, and without this data under your belt, you’ll be a competitive disadvantage.

Secondly, once you’ve thrown out your “ball park” figure with appropriate disclaimers, move on to stress that salary is just one ingredient in the overall mix of things that you’re looking for in your next position, and that you’d like to be considered flexible in this area.  If possible, too, for the sake of credibility, you might even disclose some of the specific variables that you consider highly attractive and important in a job opportunity, such as paid tuition reimbursement or a commute of less than 30 minutes.

Finally, after you’ve stated your range and closely monitored their reaction, it’s time to check back and see how similar your idea of “fair market value” is to their own.  Just ask them a simple feedback question such as “Is this range similar to what you had in mind?” or “Are we in the same ball park?” and see how they respond.  If you’re relatively close, the conversation should move on to more important issues, such as whether you’re actually the right fit for the job.  If you and the hiring manager are clearly NOT of like mind on the salary issue, however, you can address the discrepancy right then and there by either continuing to stress your flexibility, or in some cases, by withdrawing your candidacy with a statement such as: “Gosh, are you really finding qualified candidates able to complete this level of work for that pay range?  If so, I’d hire them myself!  It’s probably therefore best that we not move forward, unless you’re able to offer any further flexibility on your end with regard to this issue…”

Again, after this initial sniff test around salary, many nuances enter into the negotiating process that are far too complex and situation-specific to address in a simple newsletter article.  But in terms of handling the opening salvo, when the employer first inquires about your salary needs, you’ll find that the basic three-step approach above will maximize your odds of overcoming this first tricky issue — and will set you up in the best possible way to negotiate a great package down the road, when you receive the offer!

Book Review: Blue Ocean Strategy (W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne)

While not a career management or job hunting book by any stretch of the imagination, Blue Ocean Strategy does relate to employment in a fairly significant way — it gives you a great sense of how to identify the employers most likely to “win the game” and be able to offer steady, rewarding work to you and other employees for a number of years to come.

Simply put, this book is about a quasi-revolutionary (depends who you talk to) concept in marketing that involves those companies that get tired of “playing by the rules” and seek instead to completely redefine their customer base and create a totally unique “blue ocean” market niche that enjoys little or no competition — instead of competing on the same old tired factors (e.g. price, quality, customer service) that lead to constant battles and eroding margins in the “red ocean” markets that are already saturated with tough competitors.  In this sense, the book is probably most appropriate for those senior executives and marketing specialists who will be directly responsible for identifying a company’s market strategy and charting its destiny.  And yet, even to a layperson such as myself, the concepts presented in this book are extremely intriguing and are brought to life in a very satisfying way through the presentation of dozens of specific examples like Cirque De Soleil, Yellowtail Wines, and Southwest Airlines — all of which represent companies that have pulled off highly profitable “blue ocean” transformations.

Again, an odd selection for our career book of the month, to be sure.  As the best business book we’ve  read in quite some time, however, we felt it would be appropriate to recommend this inspiring publication as a nod both to the marketing executives among our candidate base, as well as all the rest of us whose paychecks rely on the ability of our employers to innovate, adapt, and be profitable!