From the Desk of the Headhunter:
I’ve decided to share job/career insights from my business contacts and mentors. Enjoy—and learn!

1. Always aim beyond what you think you can achieve. Everybody says they want to be good, but so what. Give me someone who wants to be great and is willing to make every sacrifice in the book to get there.
2. Never compete locally, compete with the world’s best.
3. Don’t seek praise. Instead, seek criticism.
4. Always try to work with people who are the best.
—Gary Prouk, president of The Sebastian Consultancy

Understanding the answers to questions like, What are your strengths? What are you motivated by? What do you value? is the foundation upon which the success of your career search rests. Many job seekers think they should write their resume first, but there’s no sense creating what is essentially your marketing brochure if you don’t know what you’re marketing, and the only way to know this is by doing a comprehensive self-assessment.
—Barbara Kofman, principal of CareerTrails

All people working are in transition at this very moment; they just may not be aware of it. The only thing to be decided is, when will they leave where they are, and how they will go? This should be a liberating thought. Now, what to do about it?
—Bob Lank, managing director of FirstHCM

There is limited room in the workplace for emotions. Decisions based on business needs are typically not personal. Professional behavior will always be in vogue. Taking an objective view makes you look well grounded.
—Diane Graves, human resources manager at Young & Rubicam

When searching for a job, it’s easy to get captivated by the allure of “sexy” industries. Working at a professional services firm gives me the opportunity to be challenged, to grow and to be creative. Not the sexiest, but certainly the most satisfying.
—Teresa D’Alessandro, account manager at Deloitte

Above all, be honest with yourself and with others. No one has ever been fired for honesty!
—Margaret Arnold, senior vice-president of human resources and operations, and managing partner at Leo Burnett Company

Sometimes people get tunnel vision with respect to whatever they are doing. Keep as broad a perspective as possible. One of our favourite sayings at Virgin is, “Screw it, let’s do it.” Sometimes you have to bypass the analysis to make a fast decision and take a leap of faith—especially when you are the challenger brand or business in the category.
—Peter Furnish, director of channel marketing and corporate alliances at Virgin Mobile

When you are planning a career move and are part of a dual-career couple, be sure to fully discuss career aspirations and deal-breakers, such as geographic location, percent of travel, family/friends support network and impact on the other person’s career, to ensure alignment before you seriously pursue a job opportunity.
—Wendy Puckett, director of human resources at Diageo

When interviewing a job applicant, ask yourself:
1. Is it clear that this individual has the creative sensibility to recognize what an idea is and to build on the idea?
2. Do they create positive envy amongst their peers?
3. Do clients crave to have them on their business?
4. Regarding collaboration, do they talk we, not me?
5. Do they have the ability to anticipate problems and
the skill to navigate around the bumps?
6. They might talk well, but do they listen better?
—Gerry Frascione, president and CEO of BBDO Canada