General Review

Multiple changes in the industry, shifts in the market, and transitions within the compensation structure at his company, forced Darrell to consider ‘outplacement’ as a means by which to alter his career path.   Most of his background had been in business development, community partnerships, and fund raising.

The RL Stevens program helped him to see that his skills went beyond the ‘finance pieces’ and extended to the research, analysis, forecasting, and development side of individual businesses, not just large commercial projects.  As a matter of fact, the assessment tools helped him to see that there was a strong entrepreneurial element in his character that was going totally ‘untapped’.  His RL Stevens consultant helped him to see and understand where his skills fit in the marketplace.

The resume was developed to address these possibilities, as were custom opportunities.  The networking strategies simply re-enforced the fine tuned skills he had developed in his previous situations.  Darrell was shown multiple published and unpublished opportunities to pursue and given a wide variety of market intelligence.  Using multiple levels of his marketing strategy, discussions began between Darrell and a hiring officer regarding business development, consulting, strategic planning, and vision casting.  Shortly thereafter, Darrell was offered a position.

“This is it!  It’s the best of all the worlds.  I get to continue in business development.  I get to tap into the consulting and marketing aspects.  I will have a great deal of entrepreneurial freedom and flexibility.  I will not be focused on commission based selling, but can focus on strong business relationships… and in the process, will be making great contacts with CEO/Presidents of companies around the state.  This may be the perfect position, or the most unbelievable ‘bridge job’ any of your clients have ever taken.  In either case, I’m counting on you guys to continue helping me shape this growth path.”

Previous
Title:  Financial Planner
Salary:  $60,000
Industry:  Financial Services

Current
Title:  Senior Consultant
Salary:  $100,000
Industry:  Business Analysis/Consulting

Position Search:  2 Weeks
Interviews:  2
Job Offers:  1
Salary Increase:  67% ($40,000)

General Review

Most of the time, the RL Stevens success stories are told through the eyes of the consultant.  In this case it is best told through the quotes of the client, in conversation with the consultant and the new employer.

Jeff:  “I came to RL Stevens for four reasons, (1) I need my resume to stand out in the crowd, (2) I need access to contacts and business leads that I can’t acquire on my own, (3) I believe you can help me expedite this process quicker than I can accomplish the transition on my own, (4) I want someone to help me optimize my negotiating position.”

Company Pres:  “We’ve been thinking about adding a marketing/operations strategist for over a year.  We own 20 different businesses; your resume caught my eye.  Don’t know how you found me, but I’m glad you made the contact.  Your task will be to take three of them in particular (approximately $21M) and help us grow the product and the market share.”

Jeff:  “This contact came directly through the ‘targeted resume placement’ you assigned me to do the first day of the month.  (Jeff was given key decision makers to contact through the research provided by RL Stevens as well as unpublished approaches to use in his targeted resume placement strategy.)  He contacted me within 4 days.  I spent the next few weeks writing a proposal (per your tutorial on the proposal approach) about what I would do with this portion of the company.”

Jeff:  “The offer is interesting, especially when you put it against my wish list from our meeting.  It’s 15 minutes from my house.  $52K base, 15% equity, bonus structure, and a minimum of $50K in compensation for special market analysis project.  And remember the request for a company car?   They gave me $250 car allowance for expenses and a vehicle from the ‘owner’s collections’.   That’s right!  He collects cars… he has 82 of them.  My company car is a fully restored 1967 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce.   J”

Jeff:  “This has been truly amazing.   It’s perfect for right now.   It’s diverse, it’s unique, and I won’t get bored.  Could last forever, could last a few years…. Either way, I’ve got you guys on my side.”

Previous
Title:  SVP / Controller
Salary:  $90,000
Industry:  Utility Services

Current
Title:  VP / Chief Operations Officer
Salary:  $130,000
Industry:  Diversified Business Strategies

Position Search:  4 days from launch
Interviews:  1
Job Offers:  1
Salary Increase:  45% ($40,000)

General Review

Nathan had succeeded in many different careers throughout his life, including luxury boat sales, lobbyist, president of a web hosting company and Navy Seal.  The common thread that ran throughout was a determination to be the best at whatever he chose to undertake.  A recent change in his family situation necessitated a move to a city where he could be closer to family.  Having lived literally all over the world, he was now ready to put down some roots.

In a small Midwest City, 6 figure incomes are not around every corner, and if you’re not part of the “old boy network” it becomes even more difficult.  Nathan’s consultant put together a resume that targeted him well, and could be utilized either through the Internet or more traditional methods. Recruiters were also accessed, and targeted through a direct mail campaign.  With that ‘out of the way”, the focus was put on the networking that Nathan would have to do to land his dream job.  He knew a lot of people, but wasn’t quite sure how to approach them.  After a two-hour training session, with sufficient role-playing, Nathan was ready for networking.

Nathan was also given decision maker names and unadvertised opportunities to pursue.  His RL Stevens consultant provided extensive background research on these companies, which Nathan could easily use to get in the door.  Using the new techniques and strategies provided along with his marketing plan, Nathan was able to secure informational interviews at such companies as Procter & Gamble, BroadWing and Synchrony.

The position he accepted included a $10,000 raise, a partial equity stake and the opportunity to watch his kids grow up in the town of his birth.  Not bad for a two week local search.  Nathan was thrilled to have his perfect job in a location close to family and get an increased salary, something he had many doubts about.

Previous
Title:  President
Salary:  $100,000+
Industry:  Web Hosting   

Current
Title:  Chief Executive Officer
Salary:  $110,000+
Industry:  Internet Service Provider

Position Search:  2 Weeks
Interviews:  6
Job Offers:  2
Salary Increase:  10% ($10,000)

General Review

“Wow, this is fun!  I’m not sure who is enjoying this more, me or my wife.  These exercises are so rewarding… they’ve revealed things about my skills and experiences that I had simply forgotten.  I have the confidence to pursue the types of positions that I always FELT I was capable of handling.”

These were the words of our client Randy, in the middle of our third consultation meeting.  These were strong comments from a client whose initial concerns were that he felt pigeon-holed, lacking options, and frustrated that he had allowed himself to stay with the same organization for 21 years.

A number of initial contacts had come to fruition in the midst of our pre-launch training process.  We modified the resume and pursued one of them very heavily.  The initial interview went very well.  Randy was told that he was the number one candidate and invited for a weekend-long ‘recruitment visit’ with his wife.  The offer came at the end of that second visit.

Counter negotiations were implemented with the RL Stevens staff, to help him maximize his earnings potential.  Randy was able to move from a long-standing traditional multi-physician practice to a cutting edge smaller practice committed to growth, expansion, and specialty niche services.

“It’s amazing to me, that a smaller group can have revenues and potential that outweigh a group with 10 times as many personnel.   This is going to be a lot of fun… and I’ve got you on my side for another 4.5 years, if I feel another transition is necessary.”

Previous
Title:  Administrator
Salary:  $90,000
Industry:  Healthcare Administration
    
Current
Title:  Chief Administrative Officer
Salary:  $125,000
Industry:  Group Practice Admin

Position Search:  2.5 Weeks
Interviews:  1
Job Offers:  1
Salary Increase:  40% ($35,000)