This year has forced us to witness the negative impact of the recession on an enormous amount of people from individual contributors to senior executives in both the US and Mexico.  Most every industry and functional group has been hammered with the terrible news of layoffs, downsizings, rightsizings and operational shut downs.

Despite the news of escalating unemployment rates, we have continued to get search engagements from client companies; albeit at a much reduced rate over 2007 and 2008 – we have continued to make placements and we are continuing to observe companies making critical hires even amidst the recession.  As 2009 is drawing to a close we are also seeing a slight uptick in new companies making contact with us and making plans to begin hiring and selection processes for the new year.

We are seeing some encouraging signs.  We are cautiously optimistic that some of the opportunities that will arise in the first half of 2010 will hopefully absorb a significant number of the unemployed back into all levels of the workforce.  This of course would be a great next step in improving both the U.S. and Mexican economies.

The problem we see is that many people at all levels both employed and unemployed are still not properly prepared for what is emerging as a very different job market.  This is especially true in Mexico.  We are still encountering many candidates that are lacking a good, solid job search strategy. We know because we have seen an inordinate amount of these people in the past 18 months and most of them are still in shock after reality had affected them in the form of a pink slip (lay-off).

We have received thousands of resumes from technical and staff personnel, Managers, Directors, VP’s and C- level executives in Mexico and very few of those send their information with a specific plan in place that would allow us to understand how we can assist them in their job search.

The overwhelming number of unemployed (or those in danger of being unemployed) that send us their resumes work in the Maquiladora industry or are coming from major construction companies.  We have also received a significant number of candidates coming from Mexican national manufacturers, financial services, retail, oil and gas, consumer products, alternative energy and many others that have been forced to downsize.  This ultimately translates into increased competition for the new positions that will be coming online in 2010.

Our recommendation to job seekers in 2010 is that before you engage in the exercise of sending the same resume everywhere for all kinds of positions available in the market, it would be better to spend some time in finding out who you are, what you do best and what you want to do with your life.  If you haven’t taken the time to create a life and career plan, there is no better time than while you are unemployed.

You need to know what your technical competencies, experience, education and skills mean in terms of current market conditions.  Forget what market conditions told you five years ago.  This is 2010 and things are changing faster than ever which means you need to be conscious of what your “value-add” or “unique selling proposition (USP)” is.  If you don’t know what your value is to an organization or what you do better than others, then you aren’t going to be able to sell it or yourself effectively.

Most career professionals have several sources of information at their disposal to learn more about their value-add.  If you have significant work history, then you can always review your past performance evaluations. These are usually filled with tremendous amounts of data points and more importantly the opinions of “your most important client” – your boss.  Your boss’ opinions will reflect his/her opinions on your qualifications along with your strengths and weaknesses.

Another good source of information would be getting a feedback on how you are perceived as a professional by your current or previous peers and subordinates.

If you have ever taken an accredited personality assessment such as a Myers-Briggs (MBTI) or DISC, then you can refer to the results of that assessment to refresh yourself with what your strengths are.  If you have never taken such an assessment, now may be the time to invest in taking one.  You just want to ensure that you are taking an accredited assessment and not something that an amateur industrial psychologist has devised as “their own assessment”.  There are many accredited assessments on the market and many that cost as little as $150 to get at the kind of information that many professionals are simply not conscious of.

With your “value-add” information in hand, your next step is to research and narrow down your market niche very precisely.  You need to decide what kinds of companies, industry sectors, functions and titles that could benefit from your expertise and qualifications.  Select those tracks that you know you will have the most impact and get the most career satisfaction from and eliminate those that look less promising or interesting.

The next criteria you need to use to define this decision is to look for “employability”.  You need to look for those companies that are in a better position to offer you the opportunity to acquire skill sets that can leverage your profile and provide you with growth opportunities or will allow you to develop more marketable skills and experience for other companies in the job market.

Once you are conscious of your “value add” and you have identified and narrowed down your market niche and are certain to obtain “employability” out of those companies you will be applying for, your next step is to brand yourself and prepare a sales and marketing strategy for your profile.

The first step in branding yourself is to ensure that you have all the information needed to prepare one or more resumes to present to your target companies.  Start preparing those resumes to match the needs of those companies on your list that have vacant positions.  It is important to understand that it is not the same to try to sell your profile to someone that isn’t currently hiring versus someone that is currently actively looking for talent.

You need to make sure that your resume has a “Summary of Qualifications” highlighting your unique value proposition; followed by a chronological outline of your Professional Experience.  Briefly describe the companies you have worked for with special care to highlight your achievements while working there.  No hiring manager wants to see a resume that reads like a job description.  They want to know what you accomplished while you were in the role. 

It should go without saying that you should ensure that all you have in your resume is true and you should be fully prepared to prove it.  That being said, we have seen an increase in outright exaggerations and lies on resumes during this economic downturn due to the increased pressure facing many of the unemployed.

The next step is to make sure that your resume functions as a support document in your job search. Your resume should never lead your job search, it simply opens the door for you to the hiring manager.  In today’s economy, you can easily supplement your resume and begin a long term personal branding strategy by creating your own website. 

We are encouraging many professionals to purchase a domain name using their name (example - http://www.fernandoespinosa.com/).  Domain names are very inexpensive now. 

If you are fortunate enough to have a friend or family member that is a web designer then you most definitely cannot afford to go into 2010 without making this small investment toward building your professional brand.
Utilizing a personal website in a strategic manner alongside LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is a topic that is more complex and detailed than this article will allow.  Feel free to make contact with me for more information on this topic or stay tuned for a future article on this topic.

The items and exercises I’ve mentioned are just a small piece of the many options at your disposal to promote “Your Brand” and enable potential employers to understand what your value proposition is.  In today’s rapidly changing talent market, recruiting and executive search consultants and employers expect to be able to find you within professional networks such as LinkedIn and if you have additional supplemental information on your own professionally created website connected to your LinkedIn profile, then you have gained even greater brand awareness of yourself. 

The Internet continues to produce even more excellent search tools for recruiters and employers.  Don’t you want to stand out and get noticed – even if you aren’t in the job market?  Don’t you want the employer whose looking 12 months into the future to see who you are?  It’s your brand and it’s your life, we encourage you to make the most of it!

We wish everyone the utmost in health, happiness and career success in 2010!!!

Fernando Espinosa is an Executive Recruiter in Qualifind, Inc. and is Mexico’s only member of the prestigious Pinnacle Society.  He can be reached at (619) 421-7134 or  fespinosa@quali-find.com  for questions and comments.

Qualifind, Inc. provides professional and executive search services for specific disciplines and industries throughout the U.S. and Mexico. We are a U.S. based firm with our corporate offices in San Diego, California. We have branch offices and recruiting staff in the U.S. (i.e Chicago, Austin) and Mexico (i.e. Monterrey,  Mexico City).

As a member of a LinkedIn group, I saw a member from Mexico inviting fellow group members to describe what led them to decide to work outside of the country and if the right opportunities existed to return to Mexico – would they? And if so, under what circumstances?

The answers were very interesting:  Some very passionate while others were personal, and some anecdotal, but at the end all of them were very authentic and offered some interesting conclusions.  I conducted an informal survey of my own and found many of my results to be very comparable to those in the LinkedIn group.  I would like to share the results of this informal survey as follows:

1.  We know that most all the people that have left Mexico to go to work overseas in the “developed world” did it in search of better career opportunities and upper mobility and they were able to find those career opportunities overseas.  These same people are now integrated to those countries economic systems, culture and various social dynamics and in the majority of cases, I found that most of them still miss Mexico or some aspects about the Mexican culture in a great way.

2.  Most people that responded agreed that high tech industries in Mexico such as biotech, software or banking related industries still do not offer enough good quality career opportunities to give them optimal upward mobility.

3.  I found that many of those surveyed believe that some jobs in Mexico related to supply chain and accounting and finance disciplines offer significant opportunities for career development.

4.  People that left Mexican maquiladoras or manufacturing companies in Mexico to work at divisional or corporate headquarters locations in the manufacturing industry have mixed stories.  (My survey group in Mexico came from mid-level professionals and senior executives within aerospace, automotive, medical devices, metal mechanical, plastics and food / beverage industries.)  Some of them continue to do very well in their host country and some of them have had to return to Mexico for a variety of reasons (visa expiration, end of assignment, etc.) and in most of these cases they are looking for a job when they return to Mexico.

I am very interested in expanding this topic and getting more opinions from others.  Only 25 people participated in the survey I refer to above.  We can all get a bigger picture of the local trend by asking similar questions to all the people we know regardless if you are Mexican or not.  Please send me your comments to the following questions:

If you are a native of Mexico, or another nation, have you lived outside of your country?  If so, please let me know what your host country was and for how long?
How would you describe your experience?

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the “most satisfied”; how would you rate your experience in the host country?

If you missed your home country or your home culture, please explain what aspects you missed and what the timeline was in your experience?

Fernando Espinosa is an Executive Recruiter in Qualifind, Inc. and is Mexico’s only member of the prestigious Pinnacle Society.  You can share your responses with Fernando by e-mail at:  fespinosa@quali-find.com

Qualifind, Inc. provides professional and executive search services for specific disciplines and industries throughout the U.S. and Mexico. We are a U.S. based firm with our corporate offices in San Diego, California. We have branch offices and recruiting staff in the U.S. (i.e Chicago, Austin) and Mexico (i.e. Monterrey,  Mexico City).

By Fernando Espinosa.

Let’s assume your employment interview went well, and there’s sincere and mutual interest on both sides. You now need to decide two things: first, whether the new position is right for you; and if so, what sort of offer you’d be willing to accept. To help in the decision-making process, take the following test as a way to compare the two positions.   Position Compensation Guide Directions: Compare the new job with what you already have.  

Old job	New job	Element under consideration
		Position title
		Supervisory responsibility
		Project authority
		Decision-making autonomy
		Freedom to implement ideas
		Ability to affect change
		Promotion potential
		Challenge of tasks
		Ability to meet expectations
		Access to professional development
		Professional growth potential
		Company/industry growth
		Company/industry stability
		Starting salary, benefits, perks
		Future compensation
		Commuting distance
		Travel requirements
		Work environment
		Rapport with co-workers
		Rapport with management
		Comfort with corporate culture
		Other considerations (specify)
		Total score: New job vs. old job

Fernando Espinosa is an Executive Recruiter in Qualifind, Inc. and is Mexico’s only member of the prestigious Pinnacle Society.  You can share your responses with Fernando by e-mail at:  fespinosa@quali-find.comQualifind, Inc. provides professional and executive search services for specific disciplines and industries throughout the U.S. and Mexico. We are a U.S. based firm with our corporate offices in San Diego, California. We have branch offices and recruiting staff in the U.S. (i.e Chicago, Austin) and Mexico (i.e. Monterrey,  Mexico City). Share my article on Facebook

The laws of business dictate that your employer run the organization efficiently and profitably. An employer must make decisions that concern the overall health and welfare of the organization, not individual interests. You as a professional should also view your career as an entity or organization that needs to be run efficiently and profitably. You have to view yourself as an enterprise within a vast market of employers that need your services.

From this premise, we believe there are many deeply personal reasons to change your employment situation. We recommend that such change be made with much thought, study and introspection. From a purely strategic point of view, there are four good reasons to change jobs within the same (or similar) industry three times during your first ten years of employment:

 Reason #1:

Changing jobs gives you a broader base of experience: After about three years, you’ve learned most of what you’re going to know about how to do your job. Therefore, over a ten year period, you gain more experience from “three times 90 percent” than “one times 100 percent.”

Reason #2:

A more varied background creates a greater demand for your skills: Depth of experience means you’re more valuable to a larger number of employers. You’re not only familiar with your current company’s product, service, procedures, quality programs, inventory system, and so forth; you bring with you the expertise you’ve gained from your prior employment with other companies.

Reason #3:

A job change results in an accelerated promotion cycle: Each time you make a change, you bump up a notch on the promotion ladder. You jump, for example, from project engineer to senior project engineer; or national sales manager to vice president of sales and marketing.

Reason #4:

More responsibility leads to greater earning power: A promotion is usually accompanied by a salary increase. And since you’re being promoted faster, your salary grows at a quicker pace.

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 Many people view a job change as a way of promoting themselves to a better position. And in most cases, we would agree. However, you should always be sure your new job offers you the means to satisfy your values and career goals. While there’s no denying the strategic virtues of selective job changing for the purpose of career leverage, you want to make sure the path you take will lead you where you really want to go.

For instance, there’s no reason to change jobs for more money if it’ll make you unhappy to the point of distraction. In fact, we have found that money usually has no influence on a career decision unless it materially affects your lifestyle or self-identity.

We believe that the “best” job is one in which your values and goals are being satisfied most effectively. If career growth and advancement are your primary goals, and they’re represented by how much you earn, then the job that pays the most money is the “better” job.
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It Pays to Diversify

If you were an investor, would you dump your life savings—every single dollar—into a single stock? Most likely not; it is far too risky to put all your eggs in one investment basket. 

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And yet, you’d be surprised how many people manage their careers with a single-stock mindset. They toil away, year after year, investing their talents in a narrow field of interest.

Until recently, this approach made a lot of sense. Conventional wisdom dictates that if you do one thing really well, you’ll never be out of a job.

But times have changed, and so have strategies. While it’s still true that a solid career is built on a foundation of position-specific expertise, it’s become increasingly important to maintain a balanced portfolio of knowledge and experience.

When employers look for talent, they typically settle for people with the proficiency to perform certain tasks. But what they really want—especially in today’s hyper-competitive market—is an adaptable professional, one whose broad-based set of skills crosses over into a variety of disciplines and provides he or she with a long runway of growth ahead of them.

Want proof? Poke your head into any meeting room where blue chip performers are present. You’re likely to hear a sales manager exploring the potential of XML technology; or an engineer debating the virtues of a strategic alliance; or a CFO pondering the benefits of a co-branding marketing opportunity.

As organizations flatten, more is expected from each individual contributor. This means that versatility is not only fashionable, it’s become a key ingredient in modern-day career progression.

We are not suggesting that you spread yourself so thin as to master nothing at all. But in order to reach top-percentile blue chip status in today’s rugged job market, you’ll need an expanded arsenal of skills to deploy.

To round out your resume, look for areas of weakness (or “blind spots”), and try to develop them into strengths. For example, if you’re a design engineer and you want to improve your company’s product or advance its market position, here are some issues to consider:

By gaining knowledge in areas that were formerly considered the domain of “somebody else,” you’ll increase your overall market value. The more you can offer a multiple spectrum of knowledge—rather than a single color of skill—the less likely you will inadvertently paint yourself into a corner.

Fernando Espinosa is a Mexico Executive Recruiter in Qualifind, Inc. and is Mexico’s only member of the prestigious Pinnacle Society.  He can be reached at (619) 421-7134 or  fespinosa@quali-find.com  for questions and comments.

Qualifind, Inc. provides professional and executive search services for specific disciplines and industries throughout the U.S. and Mexico. We are a U.S. based firm with our corporate offices in San Diego, California. We have branch offices and recruiting staff in the U.S. (i.e Chicago, Austin) and Mexico (i.e. Monterrey,  Mexico City).