The Captivators

Executive-level layoffs today present radically different challenges from even a few years ago. With the U.S. jobs market gutting several layers of leadership, the market has shifted and few senior leaders are fully prepared to navigate a modern job search. Many executives have been promoted or poached for years (or even decades), often without conducting an active job search. Because of the scale of layoffs and hiring slowdowns, those who are now displaced often find best pr

Hiring processes are becoming more prolonged due to crowded applicant pools and increased risk due to market disruption. So how can you stay top of mind when the hiring process stretches for months? — PEOPLE — Keep in mind that you often need internal buy-in from more than one person. It is appropriate to speak with peers and those to whom you would report. In matrixed companies, this will mean more people. If the hiring process is very open and transparent, you can often

Understanding the state of the market can help you position yourself as top candidate when navigating a competitive job search. Pre-Pandemic Before the pandemic, many hiring authorities were looking for disruption. In a time of rapid development, high demand, and consumers hungry for innovation, many organizations were following the mantra, “If it’s not broken, break it!” Every company was in a frantic race to launch and release FIRST. First to market meant a great deal when

Layoffs are uncomfortable. It’s one thing to plan an exit strategy and job search. Quite another to have it thrust upon you. Layoffs add another layer of confusion and emotional processing — Did I do something wrong? Should I have left earlier? Should I completely change course? Amid the overwhelm, it can be hard to know what to do next. With decades of experience in outplacement and as a job search strategist, I’ve seen my share of layoffs. I’ll share what I’ve seen wo

Sometimes it’s hard to network through our friends and family because the stakes seem higher. I met the world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. I was calm, cool, and collected when we shook hands and chatted after his concert at Ravinia. He told me I had nice hands (as a cellist, it was not uncommon for other players to comment on the length of my fingers as an asset) and encouraged me to keep playing. He was incredibly gracious and even joyful. I met Stephen King at a play in Chicago

Many job seekers have built networks in the past, but as your career evolves and the industry landscape changes, so do your networking...

High contributors/long-time employees will rock an organization with news of an exit and need to take extra precautions before resigning....