Eric, the son of the firm’s founder Bill Handler, works closely with leading companies in financial services, technology and manufacturing industries assisting them with their management talent needs.  He also is the firm’s lead consultant in the financial services industry and has several leading banks as clients.  “We are delighted that Eric has earned the status of Partner of Handler & Associates.  Eric has leveraged his 10 years experience in the executive search business with Handler.com and Handler & Associates to become one of our top search consultants, and we look forward to his valuable contributions to the firm and our clients in the years ahead” stated Allen Tansil, Managing Partner of Handler & Associates.

Eric’s work experiences prior to the executive search include industry work in the finance, technology and manufacturing sectors including a venture capital start-up where he assisted in raising a $30 million fund.  He also helped establish a new business process re-engineering function for a leading Georgia-based corporation.

Handler & Associates is a 32 year old retained executive search firm with headquarters in Atlanta, GA.  Handler & Associates conducts retained searches for senior level and mid level management positions primarily in manufacturing, distribution/logistics, financial services, telecom/technology, and business services industries.  Handler & Associates is also a member of the World Search Alliance, a collaboration of national and international search firms, extending our reach to candidates both domestically and abroad.

Situation: Our client, a $1.8 billion wholesale distributor, had been experiencing an erosion of their gross profit margins over a three-year period.  At the time, pricing decisions were made jointly between corporate and the field sales team.  They were using a “meet competition” strategy, but it was not consistent geographically.

Action: Our client realized they needed to change how pricing decisions were made.  Together, we developed the job specification for a new position, a Director of Strategic Pricing.  We were retained to fill this important new role with someone who could learn the business quickly and make a swift impact by stopping gross profit erosion.

Results: We were able to recruit an outstanding candidate who had been leading the pricing initiative at a fortune 50 company.  In his first full year with our client, he not only stopped the gross profit erosion but he was able to generate an additional $6 million in gross profit through his new fact-based pricing efforts.  He also has developed an activity based costing model, which includes miles driven to customer, frequency of orders, products purchased, products returned, etc., to measure their profitability with each customer.  Additionally, the Director of Strategic Pricing has developed a pricing tool for our client’s customers’ use to maximize their pricing and profitability as well.  This new pricing tool has added an average of 100 basis points of profitability for the client’s customers who have adopted the tool.  The pricing tool has been so successful that our client has been leveraging it to attain new customers.

For more Handler & Associates’ Candidate Success Stories, click additional stories.

Employer relocation support programs usually comprise three main components:

-First, direct costs involved in the physical relocation/move process, i.e., physical move of household goods, house hunting trips, temporary living expenses, etc.  These are almost always paid for by the employer through a variety of reimbursement procedures.

-Second, the financial burden of selling and buying homes, i.e., real estate sales commissions, closing costs and miscellaneous costs of financing the new home.  These type of costs are commonly covered by the employer, but not always, and are often subject to direct negotiation between the employer and prospective new hire.

-Third, Direct or indirect purchase of the prospective employees’ current home if the employee is not able to sell it independently within a reasonable period of time and market price.

Most employers would very much prefer to stay out of the real estate business – especially in today’s economy.  They usually only get involved in home purchase programs when market conditions make it absolutely necessary in order for the best prospective employees to accept a new position.

Many people have to pass on job opportunities in other cities because of the probability of taking a loss on the sale of their homes.  They are therefore forced to look for financial assistance and support from a prospective employer in order to at least break even.    At the same time, the employers may have  limited funds to invest in relocation programs and may fear being stuck “holding the bag,” so to speak.

Regrettably, these are tough times for employees and employers alike!

Recently I received a very well written and well thought out analysis from a friend at CornerCap Investments in the article “Who Caused our Financial Meltdown.” The analysis is clear and concise, yet easy to understand, and I am sharing it with friends of Handler & Associates:

The financial problems that we face are so complicated that very few people really understand what has happened. Certainly, there is some confusion about who caused it. We believe that many different groups contributed to the problem, and there is plenty of blame to spread around.

The problem started, benignly enough, in 1999 when well-intentioned people in the government passed a law that encouraged banks to extend home mortgages to people who could not afford a mortgage under normal banking terms. Who could possibly be against promoting home ownership? Owning a home is part of the “American Dream.” But, like all such actions that distort the economic laws of supply and demand, this one had unintended consequences. Over time, lots of people figured out how to make a buck from the situation.

-Banks and mortgage companies began to make more loans that were profitable, and nobody really worried about the risk of being able to pay back the money. It was obvious that home prices were going to go up, so everyone would be a winner.
-Then the banks figured out that they didn’t have to hold these mortgages; they could create packages of mortgages, slice them up in many different forms, and sell them to other people. So it no longer mattered whether the loan would be paid back to the bank – that was now somebody else’s problem.
-To ensure the comfort of those “sombodys,” the banks engaged the “independent” rating agencies to analyze and rate these loan packages. These rating agencies pleased the selling bankers and misled the loan buyers by giving their seal of approval with inappropriately high quality ratings.
-The “somebodys” were people and institutions worldwide that bought these loan packages or CDOs (Collateralized Debt Obligations). CDOs grew to trillions of dollars, yet few people noticed and fewer cared.

This labyrinth was built on the belief that residential housing prices would increase forever. Then, in 2007, the housing market peaked and prices started to decline. As liquidity dried up and people wanted their money, they could not get it. Banks, brokers, and hedge funds sparked a financial liquidity crisis worldwide.

Who is responsible? Our government leaders who promoted the idea, often to support their banking friends; the banks who couldn’t resist making the loans; the investment banks that packaged the loans and, at the end, were stuck with so many themselves that it brought them down as well; the rating agencies who chose current income over their independence; the buyers of the loans who didn’t take time to do their own analysis for what they were buying; and not least, all the people who bought homes that a little common sense would have told them they couldn’t afford. “Greed” drove all these different groups to the brink of financial ruin.

Post Script. The stimulus package – depending on which party you believe – is something that we neither live with nor without. People are disappointed that Washington hasn’t shown more bipartisan cooperation. It probably doesn’t make any difference. It seemed both mean and meaningless as we watched the recent congressional hearings on the financial crisis. The bankers were summoned to Capital Hill and raked over the coals by our elected officials who really care about one thing: a chance to posture for the television camera. The bankers didn’t come off much better – they were sorry about destroying their companies; sorry they took so much pay; and sorry the people are displeased with them. Most of all, they were sorry to be there. The whole thing looked like a battle of wits between unarmed opponents.

One place to start is to evaluate what factors you’re considering when you decide to fill an open position?  No doubt there is a cost to the business if a “real” position goes unfilled, but each business is unique when you consider the different business impacts of an unfilled position.

Here are some considerations your leadership team should be talking about when deciding to fill an open position:

Lost Productivity – Is the position related to production and operations?  Are decisions being delayed because management no longer exist at that level and subordinates don’t have the proper authority or leadership?

Team Morale – Is the culture of the business being changed due to the vacancy?  A team disruption can be dramatic if extended beyond reasonable expectations.  An unreasonable workload will cause employees to become overworked and discouraged impacting quality and efficiencies in the workplace.

Employee Morale – Are employees talking more about negative aspects of what’s happening with the business and inefficiencies than how to help the customer?  High performers and leaders become overworked and frustrated because they are the ones to pick up the slack of the vacancy.  More work at the same pay are the ingredients for a frustrated workforce and may increase employee turnover.

Management Time – Is your executive leadership team having to become more involved in lower level tasks and less involved in strategic implementation and innovation?  Answering ‘yes’ to this question could lead you on the short term track to nowhere.

Customer – Are your customers complaining about customer service or product/service problems?  Customer facing vacancies that aren’t resolved quickly with a permanent solution creates instability, confusion and concern among your best customers.

Ability to Compete – Is an open position negatively affecting your ability to compete in the market?  Vacancies in a key position may send a negative message to the market and affect a company’s ability to secure new business.

For you quant jocks out there, most companies put the value of an employee at 3 to 5 times the cost of their salary.  For example, a VP of Operations making a total compensation of $225,000 annually has an assumed value to the company ranging from $675,000 to $1,125,000.  Therefore, the average cost of lost productivity is equal to about $17,307 per week or $75,000 per month.  Either way you look at it, not filling a vacant position or not creating a new position based on a market need can have a significant negative impact on the long-term viability of the business.  So take it from a search consultant…hire, hire, hire. 

On the other hand, there are candidates who tip the scale from one extreme to the other.  There are countless articles on what job seekers should do to “ace” an interview, and usually there is a nugget or two that address individuals who lack confidence.  But what about those who are on the opposite end of the confidence spectrum?  Well, here are a few thoughts to address the highly qualified and capable, but overly confident job seeker.

Relax & Be Yourself - Interviews are information gathering sessions, where not only the tactile job experience is evaluated, but also one’s overall demeanor and personality.   So, do the initial research and preparation for the interview and, once you’re there, remember to be yourself.

Sometimes, the overconfident candidate will embellish their experience or have an information dump on the interviewer.  This can work against the candidate as there is a fine line between wanting to share as much relevant detail as possible and coming across as being forceful in one’s presentation style.  It’s important to be share useful information.  Just be sure to be honest and do it in a way that is natural for you.

Don’t Be Presumptuous – Present your best self, but temper it with humility.  A confident candidate can assume he is the best person for the job, have a great interview, and ultimately land the job.  The overconfident candidate can assume the same thing, but a seemingly arrogant tone and attitude will overshadow the interviewers impression and could cause the candidate to be eliminated.

Sometimes the best candidates don’t have all of the skills on paper, but they get hired because they are personable and have great chemistry with the decision makers.  Because cultural fit plays such a big part in hiring decisions it is very easy to discount any candidate who comes across as audacious.

Possess Quiet Confidence – Let the Results & References Speak for You – What do Lebron James, Tiger Woods, and Peyton Manning have in common besides being some of the greatest athletes in our time?  Their accomplishments speak for them.

Having a strong resume that illustrates job stability/tenure, promotions, and specific accomplishments help get the job seeker the interview.  Having solid interviewing skills along with praise from peers, subordinates and superiors is what will help get the job.  If you have the track record and a good reputation among colleagues, it will be evident in the reference checking process and work to your advantage.

In summary, how the job seeker is perceived can determine his or her demise in the interviewing process.  Some very accomplished and capable individuals can give the wrong impression if they allow overconfidence to guide their interactions and responses.  Therefore, remember to be natural, never be presumptuous, and that sometimes it’s okay to let others do the talking.

 What most people seem to be saying and thinking is, “how can I achieve a better balance between the ever increasing demands of my work-life and my need and desire for more time devoted to family, personal/physical wellbeing, recreation, and spiritual life?”

 What we seem to be looking or hoping for, especially “Generation Y’ers,” is a high-paying job with a 30 to 40 hour (maximum) workweek that allows for a flexible schedule and ample time for life’s other pursuits.  Anyone think this is at all realistic?  Well, maybe.  But it’s usually not likely…

 This age-old dilemma is not a new phenomenon.  The solution is still the same: effective planning, organization, and time management.  If we are to achieve balance in our lives we have to systematically plan for it and follow through, much like developing a personal set of business goals for oneself.  Here are a few keys to accomplishing this:

•  First, define what the desirable balance is for you.  What is your goal?  Set specific priorities.  
• Second, develop a plan of action.  Schedule in activities that help you put the plan into action, and stick to the plan.
•  Third, if necessary, be held accountable by someone other than yourself. 
• Last, don’t feel guilty about your decision to take time out for your personal priorities.  You may find that taking the time necessary for yourself, your family, etc. will be the very thing that catapults you to the next level in becoming more effective in your career.

 Nothing really new, is it? 

 The next time, you feel overwhelmed by this dilemma, take a deep breath and ask yourself, “Who am I going to put in charge of my life – others or myself?”

Here are some tips that you will hopefully find useful in networking more effectively:

· Prepare for the networking meeting as if preparing for a sales meeting. This means that one should do some preliminary research to gain more knowledge of the person with whom he/she is networking, including –professional background, current job, and companies that are similar to his/her company.

· Establish goals for your networking meeting based on the information above. These goals can be an introduction to other key decision makers at the company where the person with whom you are networking is currently employed, etc.

· Help people help you. I find that most people want to help jobseekers, but many times they are not sure how to. If one has prepared for the networking meeting he/she should know the companies and people that the networking contact knows. Tell them about companies that are potential targets for your job search, and ask if they have contacts at those companies or at similar companies in the industry.

· If you know the names or titles of people you would like to meet, ask if the person with whom you are networking if he/she knows them. Be specific with the type of networking help you need to insure that your meetings are as productive as possible.

· Don’t overburden anyone by asking for too many introductions, even if they appear willing to give more names. By limiting the number of introductions to two or three, you will most likely get introduced to people with whom your networking friend has the strongest relationships. It also leaves the door open to contact your friend later for additional networking help.

· Always, always ask how you can help your networking contact and promptly follow through. Networking should mutually provide value to one another.

]]> http://retainedsearch.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/networking-that-gets-results/feed/ 0 Allen Tansil http://retainedsearch.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/the-search-processbewaredont-skip-a-step/ http://retainedsearch.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/the-search-processbewaredont-skip-a-step/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:08:47 +0000 Eric Handler http://retainedsearch.wordpress.com/?p=15 ]]> These are my thoughts on what I believe are important steps  in the search process.  For many, there is always the temptation to skip a step or two hoping it will speed up the process, but beware…skipping a step will most likely come back to bite you.  Short cutting or removing one of these steps from the process puts you and your organization at risk of placing the wrong person in the wrong position and that is guaranteed to spell trouble for the stakeholders of the business…beware…don’t do it!

So here’s what the general search process looks like.  We’ve boiled it down to essentially 6 steps that contain a lot of moving parts.

1. Need Analysis
2. Develop Research & Recruitment Strategy
3. Source Prospective Candidates
4. Screen & Interview
5. Conduct Reference Checks
6. Offer/Negotiation/Acceptance

Let’s break down the first step “Need Analysis”.  I think this is THE MOST IMPORTANT step in the entire process because if you mess this one up you’re going to have to start all over again.  I interpret this stage as fact gathering, lots of questioning and developing a strong understanding of the position and impact that role has on the business.  This stage is a great time to begin to really engage your team on the project ahead (i.e. needs are being identified so let’s begin the preparation).

A complete need analysis is done in about 1 week and helps to gain an understanding of the company’s culture, the scope of the position and its impact.  We typically meet with our clients in person to go through a “A Position Profile Checklist” which is a detailed survey that covers primary areas such as title, reporting relationships, company description, location, impact of role, key functions, experience and education requirements, as well as other areas that are specific to the role.  (If you’re interested in what this looks like, just let me know and I’d be happy to share it with you.)

• Who attends the needs analysis meeting? Answer: Anyone who will be part of the hiring decision, especially the CEO or President.  If you need to have multiple meetings to make this happen it is worth the time and effort.

In summary, the needs analysis begins with a face-to-face meeting with the client and ends with the development of a formal, agreed upon, written Position Profile/Description.