First Round Career Advisory Services - Tips for Coaching Technology Professionals

Top 20 Cloud Vendors

2011-07-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

This list from March highlights the companies CRN thinks are the top companies in the cloud space. With literally thousands of "cloud" related or companies claiming to have a cloud offering, how they chose is anyones guess!!

http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/cloud/229400539/the-top-20-cloud-software-

The Fight For Top Talent

2011-06-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Fight For Top Talent

This article was originally in the Wall Street Journal and it is a sure indication that the technology sector is once again leading the way in regards to hiring. For companies willing to settle for “pretty good”, they have many to choose from. For those looking for the best, it will always be a challenge. Names have been changed **

The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley may be higher than the 9% national average, but that’s not making it any easier for some young technology start-ups looking to hire engineers.
Jim Jones, the co-founder and chief executive of San Francisco software start-up Cloud2.0 Inc., calls the competition for top talent “a war.” His company, which this year raised $10 million in Series A funding and plans to spend 80% of its new capital on salaries, mostly for engineers.
“I go home and watch the news and the talk about the economic condition of this country, and it’s a totally different world when you’re trying to recruit top people in tech,” he says. “Basically, we have zero unemployment.”
There are several reasons why Cloud2.0 hiring job is difficult. Salaries in the Bay Area are high $75,000 for an engineer just out of school, up to $150,000 for someone with the right experience, while the median salaries for software engineers nationally can range from $51,000 for entry level to $101,000 for an experienced, senior-level programmer, according to Salary.com Inc.
Top engineers in the Bay Area have a lot of choices. Google boosted salaries for its rank and file last month in order to keep its top talent away from Facebook and other start-ups, and tech companies have been offering more equity to top engineers.
But even though the salaries have to be market-rate at Cloud2.0 Inc. that won’t be the deciding factor for most candidates. They want their work to be important enough that it makes a difference at the company, and they want to have fun. They also find that having engineers working together in a group makes them much more productive.

Time to Look for Work?

2011-04-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

The job market is hot. In the past three months it has gone from pretty good to great. Many of our clients have multiple openings and unlike last year, have a true sense of urgency to actually hire people. Candidates we speak with are getting called by multiple recruiters, another good sign. So it is safe to say the tech job market is back? Time will tell, but it is no doubt heading in the right direction. So is it a good time for you to start looking? That’s a tough question to answer. Obviously, if you are not happy in your current situation or you don’t have a current situation, it’s a great time. There are a few simple questions to ask yourself to help you decide if it's time to clean up your resume.

1. How long have you been in your current position? If you have recently started a job (under 6 months), I would think long and hard about making a move. It is difficult to judge whether you are in the right position after such a short time. You went to this company for a reason and you should give yourself time to settle in before pulling the plug. On the other hand, if the company is running out of money, the product is not ready, the turnover is high and the future looks bleak, it probably is a good time. Why prolong the inevitable? It also depends on what your resume looks like. If you have numerous moves over the past five years, another change will most likely hurt in the long run and diminish your market value.

2. How long have you been in your current position? No, not a typo! Staying at a company for 5 years can be great, 10 years and you could be pushing it. I see many people at the same company (usually a big one) for many years. This is not necessarily bad, but if you do have aspirations to go join an early stage company, it will not be easy. Most hot startups only want to hire those with previous startup experience. They typically are concerned when people spend long periods of time at one big company. Additionally, long stints without promotions and pay increases decrease your market value. You need to show progression to add to your over all value and if this means leaving for a better title, more pay or greater responsibility, you should start looking.

3. Are you making money? Since most of the people reading this are in sales or have a sales related job, money is always a driving factor when looking at potential job moves. If you have been making the same money for a long period of time, you may have hit your earning potential at your current company. Time to look. Recently, I have seen a number of people increase their overall compensation by as much as 25%. Yes, the market is paying well for top talent. Assuming you are an “A player”, you are back in the drivers seat (or at least the front seat). Use that leverage. There is no harm in looking.

4. Are you burnt out? Let’s face it, long hours, high quotas and the constant pressure to perform gets old. It is rare to find an individual who doesn’t experience some level of burnout. It’s ever more prevalent if you have had the same job for a number of years and are not challenged anymore. It is amazing how a change can help. A new boss, new office, new products to sell, new responsibilities, etc. Most of us crave some level of change in our lives and have a need to grow and be challenged. The cost of staying at a job you no longer enjoy or at least find somewhat interesting, is high. Again, if you have been moving every couple of years to avoid this “burnout” you probably have a bigger issue to deal with. This is something you want to think about prior to making any moves.

If you are looking, let us know, we are always looking for great talent. We can be reached at info@firstound.net or call us at : 949.675.0000 ext 101

2011- Hot Markets

2011-01-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Each year experts talk about which markets are hot in the technology space. If you are in search mode, it’s probably wise to pay attention to these trends. You may not agree with all of them, but there are many that are hard to dispute. As recruiters, our success depends on knowing what markets are growing and subsequently what companies are hiring. We have seen a huge upswing in the overall market the past six months. The momentum shifted in early fall and has really picked up the last six weeks. Every indication points to a strong year for our sector. We have clients hiring in cloud computing, security related services, enterprise software, storage and networking.
If you are approaching some of these “hot” companies, you want to make sure you do it correctly. Just sending a resume is a waste of time if done incorrectly. There are many articles on our blog that can help you achieve better results. So which markets are growing?
Below is a quick summary of markets that seem to be getting the most buzz. While buzz is nice, it certainly doesn’t equate to a great place to work. Don’t get caught up in the hype and make sure you are doing your homework before making a commitment to join one of these “hot” companies. No one is going to argue that cloud computing is here to stay, but by next year at this time, many of the companies you see today will be gone. Good luck.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing gets talked about as much as any market I have seen in the past 15 years. Every expert agrees this is a market that is here to stay and one that will no doubt change the way services are offered. Every large and small vendor has a cloud strategy, or at least wants you to believe this . The VC’s are putting a ton of money into this sector. This is all good news. The issue as with any exploding market is figuring out which companies will be here in the next five years or even the next three. My advice is to look at who is running the company, who funded them, how many actual customers they have and what makes them unique. If you want to look at startups for your next job, this is a good place to start.

Storage

I remember when Data Domain first hit the market and the whole dedup explosion took place. People were making a lot of money. Startups were popping up everywhere. The people who went to work for these companies in the early days had the chance to really do well. This market has matured quite a bit but overall continues to grow and produces tons of very interesting startups. There seems to be many ways to handle the same problems and the key as always is finding the companies that offer a blend of solid solutions and fair pricing. Besides the leaders we are all familiar with, you can find hundreds of startups with unique offerings that could potentially be big hits.

Data analytics

The more data we create, the more important the ability to quickly decipher this data becomes. Companies that make this process faster and easier are growing rapidly. They have a huge market to sell into and tons of upside potential. Many of our clients are in this space and are doing well. Again, picking which companies will be here in 3 years is never easy. Having great products is a good start. Like any company that is still early stage (many of these are), you need to look at the management team, the number of paying customers, who funded them and how much money they received. This will certainly help you eliminate some of the risk if you do decide this is a market you want to work in.

Security related technologies

Let’s face it, security sells and will continue to sell. It is a must have, not a nice to have. From the early days when the first firewalls came out to the more sophisticated products and services we see in today’s market, the options are endless. We find more startups in and around this space than any other. The VC’s also invest heavily in this arena. With that said, it is also one of the most competitive and picking winners is not an easy endeavor

Good luck in 2011.

Does This Job Choice Make Sense?

2010-12-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio- First Round Search

In a job market like we are in , finding the ideal job is very difficult. When you think about it, is it ever easy to find the perfect job? Over the last couple of years I see people more willing to take jobs that they are clearly overqualified for. I am often asked if these types of moves can hurt someone’s career in the long run. There is no simple answer to the question and every situation is unique. I do know one of the toughest things to explain to a potential employer is why you have not worked in a six months or a year.

I was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on this topic over a year ago and while the market has picked up, it is still a tough job market. Knowing what the potential downside can be when accepting certain jobs is something you do need to consider. You also should be clear on the risks associated with long periods of unemployment.

Below are questions I was asked for the article and my responses. I think they can be helpful to those looking at jobs they feel they are overqualified for.

As a candidate with over-qualified credentials, how do you convince a potential employer that you won’t leave when the economy brightens?

"A smart employer will see this current market and realize they can now get quality talent at a discount and accept the fact that they may only get a year or two out of this person. You can say anything you want and spin it anyway you want but the people doing the hiring recognize what’s happening in the market. You are better off being honest and talking about the things you clearly bring to the company and how you will immediately make an impact."

What’s the downside of accepting a job you are overqualified for?

"This is a difficult question to answer. Going from a VP of a major corporation to a sales person at unheard of 2^nd tier company may not be a wise move. Ideally you want to stay in the same industry even if it means going down a notch or two in salary and title. This will be explainable down the road given the current market conditions. It’s easier to explain why you took a job you were overqualified for, than to explain why you were unemployed for two years."

In this economy are most people taking jobs that require significantly less experience than they possess?

"In this market, almost everyone is willing to take a job they are overqualified for. People need to make money and have limited choices. Look at the unemployment statistics. You have to be willing to take jobs you are overqualified for. I saw a similar situation in Silicon Valley in 2002. Forget the past. The alternative is to potentially be unemployed for a long time. No matter what the market is like, it’s always easier to find a job when you have a job."

With so many impressive candidates in the market, how can you deal with rejection if you’re not chosen?

"You need to be slightly detached from the results while still remaining passionate about the day-to-day activities needed to find work. The people I see landing jobs in this market do more then just network, visit job boards or meet with recruiters; they proactively find new companies to market themselves to–both inside and outside of their present industry. They are unafraid to pick up the phone and call a potential employer, and they excel at presenting themselves. "

5 Mistakes Most Hiring Managers Make

2010-12-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

By- Nick D'Ambrosio-First Round Search

Successful companies typically have a combination of talented people and great products. What many people fail to realize is just how important the talent portion of the equation is. While hiring the wrong person at IBM is not good, hiring the wrong person at a 10 person startup can be a disaster.

Over the years I have been involved in hundreds of placements with startup companies and most find the process difficult. Below are the most common mistakes I see and how to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Hiring Based on Past Performance

Don’t get me wrong. I think someone who has a successful past is worth considering. I just see some managers hire based on this quality alone. Selling $10M in software at IBM is great but hardly indicative of how this person will do at a small company with no brand recognition.

Solution

Drill down on the skills that have lead to this person’s success and ask yourself if those skills are what you are looking for. Will they transfer to a company like yours?

Mistake 2: Hire from the Competition

Hiring the right person from a competitor can be a smart move. However, many companies make the mistake of hiring an “average performer” simply because they come from the competition. You are better off getting a superstar with less industry knowledge than an average performer with industry knowledge.

Solution

Make sure you drill down on this person’s ability to perform the job you are hiring them for. Take out the fact that they know the industry and ask yourself if you would still hire them. Industry knowledge is worthless if the person is lazy!

Mistake 3: Rushing the Hiring Process

Let’s face it, going through hundreds of resumes, dealing with recruiters and interviewing people all day can be taxing. Hiring the wrong person, however, can be a NIGHTMARE!

Solution

Give yourself a reasonable amount of time for the interview process and make sure you meet at least 3-5 qualified candidates before making a decision. In this market there is plenty of talent, and you need to take advantage of this.

Mistake 4: Not Selling the Job

You have a great company story and assume everyone will want to work for you. WRONG. Even in a down market, the really good people (the type you need to hire) are being pursued by companies with equally interesting stories.

Solution

Make sure the people involved in the interview process realize the importance of “selling the job”. I cannot tell you how many times my clients have failed to sell the candidate they wanted and lost them to their competition.

Mistake 5: Looking for the Perfect Person

With the abundance of talent in today’s market, I see companies interviewing for 3-6 months before making a hire. They are searching for the PERFECT person and striving to eliminate the risk of a bad hire. Remember, no matter how thorough you are while interviewing, you won't know if you hired the right person until they have been with the company for many months.

Solution

Find a middle ground between rushing and taking too much time. Spend more time interviewing for key positions and less time on the entry level ones. If you find someone that has 80% of what you need, HIRE them and move on.

What Motivates You?

2010-11-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Most people are motivated by a number of things. Money, prestige, autonomy, power, success (however defined), fear of failure, recognition, helping others, etc. Knowing what motivates you and those around you (if you are a parent, knowing this can sure make life a lot easier) is very important.

Even experts in this field struggle to come to firm conclusions. This is obviously a complex subject. Having some understanding of this can help both individuals and companies as they seek to reach their respective goals. Those running a business or managing people successfully do know how to motivate their people. They are the minority. Most simply don’t know and assume that by paying people more, they will produce more. WRONG. Look at those people you work with. Do you think they are being properly motivated and performing at their highest level? Do you feel you are maximizing your potential?

I have seen many compensation plans over the past 15 years and in most cases companies that pay more will have an easier time attracting top talent. This however, is really the easy part. What is interesting and something most people who design these compensation plans fail to realize is the second part of the equation, the more important part.

This solid compensation package convinced them to join the team, but will it keep them on the team? Will it push them to be overachievers? Once people have obtained the material things that drive them to work hard in the first place, will they continue to produce at this high level having obtained these “things”? The short answer is no. Money will reach a point of diminishing return much quicker than most realize.

Few companies understand how to consistently motivate their employees, keep them motivated and help them reach their true potential. Again, look around your office, are your peers capable of more? They may be working very hard, but are they reaching their full potential? Are you?

This video does an amazing job of explaining the above. It is not only well done, it will most likely change the way you look at what really drives you and those around you. Enjoy, Nick

100,000 Unfilled Tech Jobs

2010-10-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

You cannot open a paper or turn on the news without hearing about the importance of job creation. What is often overlooked and rarely discussed is the amount of actual job openings that fail to get filled.

We are buried with senior level searches, the busiest we have been in years. Others in our field are saying the same thing. I recently had my assistant spend 2 hours on the Internet to see how many job openings she could find. She looked through the top job boards, sites like TheLadders, VC sites, and the sites of many of the largest technology companies in the country (Intel, Cisco, IBM etc). How many job openings do you think she found?

A. 5000

B. 15,000

C. 35,000

D. OTHER

The answer is D.
In two hours she uncovered close to 100,000 posted job openings. They covered most every level and title you could imagine. Granted some may have been filled and the boards may not have been updated, but there are surely countless job openings that are not posted on the sites we checked. The bottom line….. There are many more job openings than most people realize. While it seems logical this would be seen as good news, why doesn’t it feel good?

There could be 1,000,000 high paying jobs in your backyard but unless you land these jobs, who cares. If you have been looking for work you know how difficult it is to land decent interviews, let alone secure job offers. You also know how frustrating it is to go through the interview process and only to never hear back from the hiring company. It happens all too often. With a market loaded with unemployed, very qualified technology professionals on one end and companies with openings on the other, what’s the problem? Why are these jobs remaining unfilled? There are many reasons, some caused by the hiring companies (jobs being put on hold, fear about the economy, lack of urgency, seeking a “perfect candidate” etc) and some caused by YOU. Most job seekers I work with simply do not find enough of these open positions to land a job. They tend to find the jobs that hundreds of others are also finding (job postings). Talk about competition. Just getting your resume read is a small victory. So what can you do?

My advice and the advice I have given for many years is this: TRY A NEW APPROACH.
I talk to very talented people every day. Companies would be lucky to have them on their team. And yet, they remain unemployed, struggling to secure interviews. Unless they improve their skills as it pertains to finding a job, they will most likely continue to struggle. A couple of things that can immediately help you improve your results:

1. Stop spending the majority of your time applying to online job posts. Your chances of landing these jobs is slim, it wastes valuable time and in the end, kills your confidence.

2. Read the following two articles and try apply these methods for 30 days. You have nothing to lose.

How to Approach Hiring Managers
http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html
How to Find More Quality Job Openings
http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/09/finding-more-quality-job-openings.html

Need more proof that the market is filled with job openings. Read the following article from the Wall Street Journal which is well written and gives very good insight into this issue. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703927504575540491410169152.html?mod=WSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_4

Posted by Nick D'Ambrosio

Discussing Career Setbacks

2010-09-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

This article is from the Wall Street Journal and discusses the best ways to handle questions regarding career setbacks. With the current market most people are finding themselves talking about why all the time off, job hops, etc.

In anticipation of being asked to explain a sticky situation in a job interview, such as a gap of employment on a resume or an arrest, a wise strategy is to prepare and practice a strong response in advance.
For employment gaps, be honest about what happened. Don’t dwell on it. Offer a brief explanation for your absence with confidence and then try to move the discussion forward. For example, you might say, “I am now ready to re-enter the work force. I am excited about this new direction in my life, and that’s why I’m happy to be speaking with you.”
Keep in mind that employers simply want to be assured that your past won’t be of any harm to their business. They also want to know that you’re ready to work again, so briefly mention the steps you’ve taken to get ready for this next career move. Give s short synopsis of what you did to get yourself psychologically and emotionally ready to rejoin the workforce.
As far as explaining the gap on your resume, you can list your experience up until the date you left the workforce and then explain briefly in a cover letter why you have been unemployed since then. Or, say on your resume that you took a sabbatical to cope with a personal matter.
But what if you have bigger troubles than a gap on your resume, such as a prior legal conviction or arrest? Candidates with this question sometimes decide to tempt fate and not mention their convictions in hopes that an employer a) won’t conduct a detailed background check or b) if it does, the crime won’t show up.
If you don’t disclose a misdemeanor and the company learns about it before hiring you, interviewers may question whether you have been completely forthcoming about other things. Employers often consider dishonesty worse than a past conviction. Trying to hide your past may give the impression that you can’t be trusted. You can minimize the potential fallout by disclosing the information yourself. But wait for the right time. Many executive candidates don’t get to the application and reference-checking stage until the company is ready to or has made

Can You Sell?

2010-09-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

I would estimate that 75%-85 % of the people who receive our monthly newsletter spend a good part of their days selling. The rest have jobs that don’t require them to sell each day but they probably sell more than they realize. Let’s face it, selling is part of all our lives, inside and outside the workplace. And while some make a living from it, we can all benefit from being better at it. Look around your company or office, find the top producers and ask yourself, “What do they do differently?” I have interviewed thousands of people over the last 15+ years and the best sales people all possess a few fundamental characteristics. So whether you are trying to get a raise, motivate your team, get a project funded or land a job, improving your sales skills will improve your results. What traits are found in most all top performers?

While there are undoubtedly dozens of different characteristics that can lead to being successful in sales, I highlighted 4 that all successful sales people possess.

Great Listeners- Average sales people do a lot of talking. Walk onto most car lots and watch what happens. You get approached (quickly), get hit with a few basic questions and are shown your dream car. Wow, that was easy! Problem is, it’s typically not the car of your dreams. Great sales people spend a majority of their time asking questions and listening to your answers. They tend to be good at both. They ask questions to determine what you are trying to achieve or if there are problems they can help you solve. They fight the urge to sell until they are convinced they have something that you will find beneficial, something that will solve your problem. If they don’t have what you need, they won’t pretend they do. The ability to ask good questions and uncover what you really are trying to accomplish (whether you realize it or not) is one of the most important skills that all great sales people possess.

Win- Win Approach- How many times have you had a sales person tell you he couldn’t help you but knew someone who probably could? I know this has happened to me and I am always impressed. Great sales people don’t sell to people who won’t benefit from what they are selling. They have no problem walking away from deals that don’t make sense. This win-win attitude and willingness to walk away from a potential deal is not always easy. It certainly may not be the approach expected from management or where a company's mantra is: HIT QUOTA OR FIND ANOTHER JOB! But time and time again it is those who adhere to this "sales philosophy " that produce the best results. They are proud of their profession and know that in order to win long-term, you need to focus on the big picture. These are the people that also have better long term relationships with their clients and enjoy residual business year after year. They have earned this level of respect by simply thinking of their customers’ best interest, not theirs.

They Are Passionate- There is something contagious about being around passionate people. It makes us feel good, we like them more, we want to buy from them and refer them to our friends. Being passionate about what you do is another key to long term success. Without this passion, you often come across like a robot… just doing a job. As the old saying goes "people buy from people". We all have felt this passion at one point in our careers and hopefully still do. It makes the day fly by and we actually look forward to going to work. In a tough economy, remaining passionate about your job is challenging. We are being bombarded with negative news, are being forced to work twice as hard for less money and are dealing with prospects that are more reluctant to buy. And while we all face the same challenges, top producers find a way to stay positive and outsell those around them. We all spend a majority of our time working and if the passion you once had is gone, your overall results are most likely going to suffer. It is rare to find a top producer who lacks passion.

They Work Hard and Smart- Being a top producer requires hard work. Anyone that tells you differently is lying. Yes, there are occasional deals that may fall into your lap but consistent producers consistently work hard. They also are very good at managing their time and spend most of their days doing things that will help them reach their goals. (they always set goals) Contrary to the stigma sales people sometimes have, they spend a lot more time in front of customers and setting appointments, than playing golf or doing lunch. They also work smart. They know what they need to do to meet their goals and won’t waste time on tasks that keep them from reaching them. They are very good at knowing which prospects may actually buy something and which ones are wasting their time. They don't pack their pipeline with phantom accounts! They may not seem to be working hard but don’t be fooled, there are no short cuts to long term success. Working hard gets you in the game… Working hard and smart helps you win.

If you are considering a career coach, choose wisely. Make sure they know the industry, understand your goals and have a long track record of success. Speak to people they have worked with. We have helped hundreds of technology professionals reach their career potential, let us help you. To learn more about our our career coaching program, contact us at : 949.675.0000 ext. 101

More Interviews, More Jobs

2010-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Most every job seeker I speak with says landing interviews is the toughest part of their job search. Most are not sure why and this leads to a very high level of frustration. The most common reason people struggle to land interviews has to do with their approach. The methods used are not only ineffective; they waste a ton of time. To land more interviews, you need to do things differently. Below are the most common mistakes people make and ways to avoid them.

1. Applying To Online Posts- For every post you see, 100’s of resumes are being submitted. The sheer number of resumes makes it next to impossible to get yours read. I recently posted an ad for a part time office manager and in less then 1 hour received 125 resumes! Unless you know the person you are sending your resume to, don’t spend much time blindly submitting resumes, especially if it is going to places like careers@abccompany.com or hr@ibm.com. People in HR are not only completely overworked, they are asked to screen resumes across such a wide array of positions, few would recognize the perfect resume if it did end up on their desk.

Solution- If you see a post and can figure out the company, do research, find the person that is actually hiring and reach out to them. Will you rock the boat and potentially blow your chances at this company, maybe. Will you get more interviews using this approach? When done correctly, YES. It is a risk worth taking. If it doesn’t work you can always go back to what you have been doing in the past.

2. Sending Long Cover Letters or Emails – I cannot tell you how many people send their resumes to us hoping we can place them. In a market like this its hundreds a month. And while we are always looking for new talent, most seem to blasting their resumes without putting in much thought. They write a full page detailing every accomplishment over the last decade. I assume they take this same approach when reaching out to hiring managers. BAD MOVE . No one has the time to read these long emails. Keep it short and to the point. Your initial goal is not to land a job, it is to start dialogue and land an interview.

Solution- Your initial contact via email should be less then 100 words and should always end with a question. And don’t send your resume until asked. Skeptical? Good. Reach out to twenty potential hiring managers with an email like the one below and let me know what happens.
Read: How to Approach Hiring Managers- http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html

Subject: Oracle Professional (try several )

Tom,
I wanted to make a brief introduction. For the past 10+ years I have successfully (sold, implemented, managed, designed etc.) large (networks, software, wireless, etc) for Oracle. (if you can site large accounts you have worked with or one or two significant accomplisments to get their attention,use them) I am beginning to look at new career options and believe my experience would add value to ABC Software.
Do you have 15 minutes to discuss your hiring plans?
Regards,
Contact Info.

3. Not Reaching Out to Enough Companies- Here is the bottom line. Working your network is a must but you are probably beginning to see that networking is hardly the “silver bullet”. Recruiters are helpful (after all I am one) but place a very small percentage of people in the overall scheme of things. Applying to online posts is by far the least effective way to land an interview, unless you want to sell insurance or work for Avon. So if these are the things you do in an attempt to land more interviews, it may be time to try a new approach.

Solution- Reach out to at least 50 NEWLY found hiring managers a week. Yes it is a NUMBERS game to some degree. However, unless you are approaching them correctly, huge numbers will still yield poor results. Once you understand how to build a list of companies who are potentially hiring, start sending out 10-15 emails a day. Use an email similar to the one I outlined above. The hardest part will be to find enough companies and contacts to approach. To build a large list of companies that you probably have not heard of that could be hiring, read the following.
Read: Find More Quality Job Openings- http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/09/finding-more-quality-job-openings.html

The bottom line is that finding a job is difficult. However, by understanding and implementing a better strategy, your results will improve. It is no different than hitting a golf ball, one flaw in your setup can keep you from reaching your potential. Same thing when it comes to exercising and getting fit. You can work out really hard but if you’re eating pizza and drinking beer all week your results will suffer.

How long have you been looking for work? Has it been over 90 days? Contact us today and take advantage of our free, "What Needs To Change" call. We will give you 3 tips that will improve your search results.
Contact us today at : 949.675.0000 ext. 101

Are You Good at Finding a Job?

2010-06-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

As a recruiter, I spend a good deal of time speaking to people who are looking for work. In this economy, our phones ring often. Most people are calling to see if our clients are hiring. In an ideal world we would have the “perfect” job for these candidates. In reality, we rarely have openings for people who are calling us.
I always ask these people how long they have been looking and what they are doing to find work. Most are doing what worked in the past. Contact recruiters, go to online job sites, post on job boards and network. Unfortunately, these activities are not working well in today’s market. Why? In a tight market, people need to do much more then they did in the past. They also need to realize that being pretty good at finding a job is rarely good enough. Can a career coach actually make a difference?

In most cases, I would say “absolutely.” The market has changed and unless you are an expert at the job search process, you will probably struggle to find work. Working with someone who has been in the trenches and knows what works and what doesn’t, can be a tremendous advantage. While the Internet is loaded with expert advice, has it really made a difference in your ability to find a job? The below questions are designed to help you understand how/why a career expert can help you as you enter the job market.

1. What does your background look like? This is a huge factor to consider. If you have a solid track record, show logical career moves, have skills that are in demand and still cannot find work, you need a different approach. Why? Because even in this market, “A players” who know how to find jobs, are finding jobs. A career expert can help identify what you are doing right and what you need to change. On the flip side, if you have job hopped, switched industries and have skills that are not in demand, you have probably seen how difficult it is to find work. A good career coach can help you to overcome some of these obstacles and assist you as you compete with people who have stronger backgrounds. While someone with a perfect background needs to be good at finding a job, you need to be GREAT.

2. How long have you been looking? When people first become unemployed they typically have the energy and enthusiasm needed to hit the job market hard. After months of close calls but no job offers, two things start to happen. First, the most positive of people tend to lose that “spark” and energy they started out with. Second, and something that can be quite damaging, they begin to lose market value. While I don’t agree with their reasoning, most hiring managers want to hire people who are presently employed and shy away from those who have spent months without a job. You and I can argue why this is unfair (believe me, I am on your side) but in the end, it’s tough to change their way of thinking. Why wait months to enlist the help of a professional? I have yet to speak with anyone who is doing EVERYTHING correctly as they seek new employment.

3. What have you been doing to find work? This is a key question to ask. I talk to people every day who have achieved tremendous success throughout their careers. Yet, they seem to struggle the most when it comes to finding a job. I often hear, “I never had to look for a job, jobs always found me.” As I already mentioned, part of the problem is that people continue to employ the same tactics that worked in the "good old days". They call a few recruiters, network and post on job boards. These activities should be part of your overall search strategy, but rarely generate the number of interviews needed to find quality jobs. Unless you change this approach, you will continue to struggle. A good career coach can help design a complete search strategy that will yield much better results. To have success, you not only need a search strategy, you need to be able to quickly identify what is working and when needed , adjust your tactics accordingly.

Excellent source for new startups-6/10

2010-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Under the Radar http://www.undertheradarblog.com/ is a great blog that lists many early stage companies that you probably have not heard of. All potentially looking for talent. We all know how important timing is and by approaching companies BEFORE they officially start to hire, you can often win jobs without competing with a ton of other candidates. I have seen this approach work very well.

Once you do find companies that you find interesting, visit my post on how best to approach hiring managers http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html
. My coaching clients are averaging close to a 30% response rate when they use this method. I have yet to see any other approach method come close to ours. Try it and see.

Take advantage of our complimentary, job market evaluation call. One minor flaw in your search approach is enough to keep even the best talent from reaching their career goals. Contact an expert today at: 949.675.0000 ext 101

VC's busiest quarter in recent memory-5/10

2010-05-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Great news on the VC front as reported in the Mercury News. Record breaking numbers!!! It may be too early to say we're back, but we are heading in the right direction. Nick

After two downbeat years for the venture capital industry, April Fools' Day brought some good news.
Venture capitalists had their busiest quarter in recent memory, with nine venture-backed companies going public and a record-breaking 111 companies changing hands in mergers and acquisitions according to a report released Thursday by Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association.
The momentum was decidedly upward. Sunnyvale-based Meru Networks' Wall Street debut Wednesday won positive reviews from investors that again seem eager for initial public stock offerings. Eight of the nine companies that debuted during the quarter were trading on Wednesday at or above their offer prices.
Meanwhile, the average value of 31 disclosed venture-based M&A deals was $180.2 million — 21 percent higher than the average transaction value for all disclosed deals in 2009, according to the report.

In the quarter's largest deal, Ethicon acquired Menlo Park-based Acclarent, a developer of surgical devices, for $785 million.
The 111 M&A deals — including 81 in the information technology sector — were the most since such record-keeping began in 1975. The activity reflected a shopping spree in which companies that thrived despite the recession were able to acquire technology from financially weakened companies.
IPOs and M&A deals are known as "exits" in industry parlance, because they allow venture firms
to convert their equity stakes into cash to provide returns to limited partner investors, realize their own profits and raise new funds based on previous success. Such exits were few and far between in 2008 and 2009 amid a recession exacerbated by the financial industry crisis.
"The exit activity "... has engendered a cautious optimism within the venture capital industry," National Venture Capital Association President Mark Heesen said in a news release. The IPO volume, he said is "not nearly enough to declare a recovery," but the interest of investors and the number of companies in registration for IPOs are encouraging signs.
The whopping number of M&A deals "is also encouraging as the quality of these transactions appear to have held strong," Heesen added. "It is premature to suggest we have permanently turned the corner, but that corner is in sight and within reach."

f you are considering a career coach, choose wisely. Make sure they know the industry, understand your goals and have a track record of success. Speak to people they have worked with. While there are plenty of free resources to help you become better at developing your career, the right career coach can make a huge impact on your overall results. To learn more about our our career coaching program, contact us at : 949.675.0000 ext. 101

Summer slow down?

2010-05-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am often asked if summer is a good time to find a job. It depends on a few variables which I have outlined below.

1. Have you just started looking?
If so, you may find that the overall interview process is somewhat longer this time of year due to vacation schedules. Normally it takes 4-6 weeks to secure an offer once you enter the interview process. In the summer you can easily add a couple of weeks to that time frame . While this can be frustrating, I always advise people to continue to look for new opportunities even if you think you may have found the perfect job. You can spend 2 months waiting on an offer that may never arrive.

2. It depends on your background?
While most indicators continue to show a weak job market, technology companies continue to grow. As a search firm, 90% of the people we place have 8+ years of experience in sales/ sales management, presales and consulting services. Our clients are looking for talent in all of those areas. With that said, if you have this type of background, this summer should be a very good time to look for work.
If you are looking for new opportunities and work in the above areas, we would be happy to review your resume. Send it to: futurejobs@firstround.net.
You can also visit our job board to see a more detailed list of our current open positions.

3. What are you doing to find work?
We spend a good deal of time talking to companies that are potentially looking to add talent to their organizations. We also send out a minimum of 200 emails to hiring managers’ each month. While this may seem like a small “sampling”, it typically gives us a good idea of where the job market is heading. If you are trying to find new work and are calling recruiters, networking and posting on job boards you may come to the conclusion that the job market is slow. It’s not. You need to recognize that the market has changed dramatically and while the above activities are a good start, they are not enough to really create multiple career options.

Take advantage of our complimentary, job market evaluation call. One minor flaw in your search approach is enough to keep even the best talent from reaching their career goals. Contact an expert today at: 949.675.0000 ext 101

Huge Hiring Boom

2010-04-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Over the past couple of months we have seen a huge increase in hiring activity. All of our clients have multiple job openings and are aggressively seeking talent. We are also hearing from job seekers that they are getting a lot more recruiter calls. This is shaping up to be a great year for those seeking new employment and I am confident we will continue to see steady growth throughout the year.
While this hiring boom is great for everyone, it is still a buyers market – more job seekers than job openings. To ensure that you are benefiting from this increase in hiring, you will need to be proactive during your job search and find some of these companies on your own.
If you are willing to put in the extra effort, the rewards can be great. The other big advantage to finding companies on your own (not through job boards or recruiters) is that you typically will not be competing with tons of other job seekers for these positions. Since most people know how to find the big companies in their respective “markets”, I am going to focus on helping you find early stage companies, the ones you probably have not heard of. Three great ways to locate these companies:

1. Try visiting the sites of the top 5 VC’s in the US. Once on the sites you can look through hundreds of the companies they represent. Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Matrix Partners, Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins.
2. Another excellent list of startups to watch can be found on the Information Week site. They list their top 50 startups to watch. http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/saas/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=PMMC1PUSZQ1IMQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=216600068#
3. Not only are cloud computing companies getting alot of buzz, they are doing a ton of hiring. This article talks about the companies to watch. http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/features/article.php/12297_3835941_2/85-Cloud-Computing-Vendors-Shaping-the-Emerging-Cloud.htm

Once you have identified companies to approach, communicate with them using a method we developed . This approach can increase your response rate significantly. Read: “The best ways to approach hiring managers”.

Job Openings

2010-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Fall 2010

New Posts- October- 2010

San Jose and Los Angeles

Our client leads the industry in providing comprehensive network solutions that help the world’s leading organizations transition smoothly to a virtualized world. They facilitate strategic business objectives such as consolidation, network convergence, virtualization, and cloud computing. Their solutions are used in over 90 percent of Global 1000 data centers as well as in enterprise LANs and the largest service provider networks.

Job Title- Regional Sales Manager (2 positions- San Jose/Los Angeles)

Compensation range- Base 120k on target 240k

Responsibilities- Sell and manage key Fortune 500 accounts in an assigned territory.

Background- The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years experience selling large enterprise customers in the assigned territory while working with a storage/networking manufacturer. Knowledge of enterprise LAN/WAN technology solutions and a broad understanding of SAN infrastructure and the enterprise storage market.

For more information, please submit your resume to: jbaker@firstround.net

San Jose Area-

Our client is a leading provider of two factor authentication solutions. They are public, profitable and have revenues in the 100M range. They have shown consistent year over year growth and are poised to continue this growth in the

. They have relationships with many of the largest computer vendors in the

and are looking to fill several key positions in the bay area.

Job Title- Manager of Strategic Alliances

Compensation range- Base 130k-150k on target 225k

Responsibilities- Manage and grow OEM relationships with the largest vendors in the Western US.

Background- The ideal person will have 8 + years of experience managing OEM relationships in the security software space. Management experience is preferred.

For more information, please submit your resume to nickd@firstround.net

Job Title- Channel Sales Executive- San Jose

Compensation range- OTE of 150k

Responsibilities- To execute the companies channel development strategy within a defined territory to insure quarterly and yearly quotas are reached. The Sales Executive will focus on expanding the company’s indirect sales among channel partners and prospects.

Background- The ideal person will have 8 years of experience working with VAR’s in the Western US, preferably for a security vendor.

For more information, please submit your resume to nickd@firstround.net

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Western US

Our client is a leading provider of cloud solutions to Fortune 1000 Enterprises. There differentiated approach involves leveraging best-in-class technologies and partners to integrate application migration, monitoring, high availability and disaster recovery capabilities into a centrally administered framework. The company currently does over $50M in WW revenues and will be expanding rapidly.

Job Title- Solutions Architect

Compensation Range- Base 150K OTE 200k +

Responsibilities- This position will assume the responsibility for driving all related Professional Services technical activities regarding Cloud solutions, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). The candidate will be responsible for providing deep technical expertise during new sales opportunities involving clients’ customers and partners.

For more information, please submit your resume to robd@firstround.net

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Western US-

Our client is the leading provider of integrated risk management solutions for global companies. Their solutions enable the world’s largest companies to identify and manage key business risks across the enterprise.

Positions- Regional Sales Manager - Western US (2)

Responsibilities- A Regional Sales Manager’s (RSM) primary responsibility is to drive new business opportunities with major corporations. You will be responsible for selling the complete range of world-leading application software products and services

Compensation- Base 115k OTE 225k
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Central Region

Chicago Area

Our client is the first company to commercialize Dispersed Storage systems, enabling their customers to confidently and cost-effectively store and distribute limitless amounts of data in public and private cloud infrastructures. This award-winning Dispersed Storage technology solves the security, reliability, scalability and longevity problems of traditional storage methods based on RAID and replication.

Job Title- VP of NA Sales

Compensation range- Base 150k-190k on target 350k+

Responsibilities- Mentor/evangelize key internal and external stakeholder groups in the business development and sales strategy to insure strategy is globally understood and executed.

Background- The ideal person will have a minimum 10 years experience in identifying, securing and selling products in the storage industry or a new technology start up venture. A minimum 7 years management experience coaching, developing and leading a sales management and/or business development team. For more information , please submit your resume to jnapoli@firstround.net.

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Chicago Area

Job Title- VP of Customer Solutions

Compensation range- Base 150k-175k on target 350k+

Responsibilities- Build a world class customer solutions team that is focused on building customer loyalty by serving as technical trusted advisor; partners effectively with others in the account to ensure proactive risk management and ensure problem resolution to create customer satisfaction.

Background- Senior level position focused on pre and post sales engineering and partners with the sales team as the technical expert from pursuit of sale to implementation and support. A minimum 15 years experience in a technology oriented company, preferably storage. Minimum 5 years project/program management. Ability to handle a fast paced environment and continuously re-prioritize while maintaining a constant focus on closing deals.

For more information , please submit your resume to jnapoli@firstround.net.

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Chicago-
Our client is one of the largest providers of data center management software and services. They are founded by former executives of Business Objects/SAP. They are looking to add a Regional Sales Manager based in Chicago to help expand the region. The ideal person has to have a minimum of 8+ years of success selling data center and/or enterprise software.

Job Title- Regional Sales Manager
Compensation range: Base 120k on target 240k + equity
If you would like to learn more please submit your resume to: jobs2@firstround.net
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Pre-Sales

Chicago
Our client is a VC-backed start-up in the BI/DW/DB Analytics space that is building out their Pre-Sales team, looking for a Chicago based Pre-Sales Engineer with extensive experience as a hands-on yet sales-driven SE. SQL and Unix experience required.
Job Title- Presales Engineer
Compensation range: Base-120k /OTE 180k plus pre-public equity.

If you would like to learn more please submit your resume to: jnapoli@firstround.net

If you would like to submit your resume for future openings please submit to: futurejobs@firstround.net
NOTE- WE WILL NEVER SHARE OR SUBMIT YOUR RESUME TO ANYONE WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION

Are You Ready For A Startup?

2010-03-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is an article that I wrote back in December but felt it was worth posting again. It was recently picked up by an online site for startups called Startupnation.com. Joining a startup is always somewhat risky, but if you think about it, so is joining IBM. If you do not have experience working with an early stage company, this article talks about questions to ask before making the move.
http://www.startupnation.com/articles/9580/1/startup-readiness-assess-5-questions.htm

Take advantage of our complimentary, job market evaluation call. One minor flaw in your search approach is enough to keep even the best talent from reaching their career goals. Contact an expert today at: 949.675.0000 ext 101

Five Reasons People Remain Unemployed

2010-03-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

For over 15 years I have been working with job seekers and hiring managers in the technology space. While a tight job market doesn’t make finding a job any easier, I believe 95% of all job seekers struggle to find work based on one of the five reasons explained in this article. By understanding what is hindering their search success, they can adjust their approach, implement new tactics and achieve greater results.

1. They have job skills that are not in demand. If you are one of many who spent your life working in an industry that has fallen on hard times, you know how difficult it is to find work. Imagine how difficult it is for those with backgrounds in real estate, mortgage banking, home building, auto manufacturing etc. In many ways it is not different in technology. Having a background in a market that is shrinking, adds another layer of challenges as you seek new work. While certain job skills are transferable, hiring managers’ in tight markets want the complete package. They want people with industry knowledge and job related skills. They want someone who will contribute DAY ONE! Having experience in enterprise software, cloud computing, networking, wireless or internet related technologies gives you more market value than someone who has been selling components or mainframes for most of their careers.

2. They have below average backgrounds. In our industry, these people are referred to as “job hoppers”. They have shown short term success but fail to show any long term stability. They always chased the next big thing, spending 1-2 years before seeking greener pastures. In good times these people do fine, however, in today’s market, the gaps in their resumes are the kiss of death. The problems these individuals faced in their past cannot be changed. This is a hard pill to swallow, especially when reminded of their poor choices by every employer they approach. Everyday I speak with these people explain in detail why they made certain moves. As much as I sympathize with them, it is the hiring manager they need to get on their side.

3. They are geographically undesirable. Many people have great backgrounds but live in second tier markets. I have coached very talented people who happen to live in these areas. This plays a huge role in their ability to create career options. Last year, I coached an absolute A+ individual in South Carolina. In any major market he would have seen incredible results. While he did eventually land a job, he had far less options than those living in major markets. So while it’s nice to have hundreds of affordable golf courses in your area, unless you are in the golf business, finding a good job may not be easy.

4. They let their egos get in the way of their success. I talk to a lot of people who just lost their jobs. They are adamant about staying at the level they were at when they were laid off. Their attitudes change drastically after 3-4 months of unsuccessful job hunting. I am not saying a former VP at IBM should take a job at a local bank. I am saying that people need to forget their past titles and be open to taking positions a notch or two down in the pecking order. Remember, the longer you are unemployed the harder it will be to find work. Explaining why you took a job you were overqualified for is easier than explaining why you haven’t worked in two years.

5. People lack the skills needed to find and compete for “good jobs”. Across the board, this is the top reason 99% of all job seekers fail to find work. Every day, I see brilliant people with amazing backgrounds struggle to find meaningful work. They seemingly have it all and yet cannot secure interviews, let alone job offers. A great background and resume has significantly less to do with future career success than most people believe. Success almost always comes down to being an expert at what I call “Five Steps to Search Success.” Unless you excel at all of them you will struggle. Most experts will have you believe the “silver bullet” is called networking. I strongly disagree. How many interviews have you landed using your network? How many offers? If you are like most people I speak with, the answer is not many. So what are the 5 Steps? I will explain in detail in our next newsletter

FRS is proud to welcome its newest team member, Rob Davies. For the second time in his career, Rob has joined First Round Search as a Managing Director. Rob brings over 15 years of search experience and industry knowledge and will be heading up the Consulting and Outsourcing Division for First Round.
Prior to joining First Round, Rob founded Bayside Search and over a six year period, helped them become a recognized leader in the IT consulting and outsourcing services arena. Rob's leadership took Bayside from a small niche player to a nationally recognized firm who had the exclusive search contract with one of the top 5 worldwide leaders in the IT consulting industry. His direct involvement led to over 200 Senior Level placements across the

and International Markets. Bayside was only one of a very small group of search firms to achieve exclusivity in the markets they served, successfully competing with Korn Ferry, CT Partners and other recognized industry leaders.

Entrepeneur of the Year Finalist

2010-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Nick D'Ambrosio, founder of First Round Search is a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in Orange County. His reaction reads,

"Not to sound like an actor at the Academy Awards, but without Joe Napoli and Jess Baker there would be no First Round Search. I have been around this industry for many years and can say without a doubt, Joe and Jess are two of the best."

To view entire article :

http://www.firstround.net/downloads/OCBJ-EIE_Guide.pdf

The Perfect Resume

2010-02-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

What does the perfect resume look like? Having reviewed thousands over the years I am often asked this question. My answer is always the same, there is no perfect resume. You may have a perfect background for a particular job opening, but this has little to do with your actual resume.
Ask any women to describe the perfect purse. I doubt she will without first asking you a few questions.(what outfit, what occasion,day or night etc.)Same holds true for a resume. You can only create a solid resume if you know more about the job you are applying for.

Below are 5 tips to help create a great resume.

1. Resumes need to be written to land interviews, not jobs. Your ability to interview well will help secure offers, step one is getting the interview. Include enough information to gain interest and prompt the person reading it to invite you in for a meeting. If you can accomplish this, you have a good resume.

2. Keep it simple and easy to read. Most managers receive hundreds of resumes for every job opening. They don’t have time to read through 5 page resumes. You don’t need a long summary statement that repeats itself in the body of the resume.

3. Make sure the first page does a great job detailing why you should be invited in for a meeting. If you fail to quickly make a first good impression,the rest of the resume goes unread.

4. Once you write your resume, go through and eliminate 30% of what you wrote. From summary statements to accomplishments, cut it down. People want results that solve their problems, everything else is filler.

5.Write your resume for each job you apply for. This requires more work but remember this: Generic Cover Letter + Generic Resume = DELETE!

To view a simple resume that works view :
http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2010/01/simple-resume.html

Mistakes Hiring Managers Make- Startupnation.com

2010-01-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

This recent article highlights many of the mistakes we see hiring managers make as they grow their teams. Startupnation.com is an excellent site that offers valuable insight into all manners related to early stage companies. To view the article visit:
http://www.startupnation.com/articles/9550/1/hiring-mistakes-5-common.htm

A Simple Resume That Works

2010-01-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

I see hundreds of resumes each month and while some are good, most need work. If you are a sales person , ask yourself what a VP of Sales (assuming this is the contact person) will want to see. Most people include elaborate summary statements, mission statements, summary of qualifications and detailed information about the technology they sell... OVERLOAD (I even know what EMC sells). What they fail to do is clearly highlight RESULTS. If you take out the "filler", your results will stand out!

When a hiring manager is faced with a stack of 100+ resumes, what is he really looking for? The below 2 samples have proven effective over the last ten years. They are simple to read , show RESULTS and also highlight the big name accounts most every company is trying to sell to.
.

Vertical Market Sales Sample

Summary: Dynamic sales leader with a 13+ year history of exceeding profit and growth targets. Strategic thinker with record of identifying and capitalizing on opportunities, developing winning solutions aligned with client needs, and negotiating multimillion dollar, multiyear contracts.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ABC Software - Regional Sales Executive- Media Entertainment 2006 to Present

Responsible for building a media and entertainment market. Developed a successful partner program, designed and implemented a complete SaaS offering and leveraged a direct sales model. This combination of approaches resulted in the acquisition of over 100 targeted accounts in less then 18 months and a revenue growth from $15M in 2006 to over $75M in 2009. (500% increase)

Sales Accomplishments:

2009- Sold $19.5M- 148% of quota

Account wins include: Disney Corp, Sony Studios, ABC, ESPN, Parks and Resorts, DIMG

* Presidents Club Award Winner

* Ranked #2 in the

(out of over 150 reps)

* Top ranked Rep in the Western US

* Sold largest deal in company history with ABC Studios - $7.5M- 4 year contract

2008 – Sold $13M- 125% of quota

Account wins include: Disney Corp, CTB Studio, ABC, ESPN, CTA Entertainment, Warner Bros

* Presidents Club Award Winner

* Ranked #3 in the US (out of over 150 reps)

* Top ranked Rep in the Western US

2007 -Sold over $11M - 187% of quota

Account wins include: Yahoo, Paramount, Fox, DIRECTV, MTV, Fox Sports, ABC TV

* Presidents Club Award Winner

* Number 1 Rep in the US (out of over 300 reps)

* Sold largest deal of the year (Fox- $4.5M)

2006 -Sold over $9M- 150% of quota

Account wins include: Sony Pictures, ABC Studios, Fox Entertainment, CBC Sports

* Presidents Club Award Winner

* Number 4 Rep in the US (out of over 300 reps)

* Top producing new hire

* Rookie of the Year (out of over 100 reps)

EDUCATION:

Seton Hall College- West Orange NJ, MI Bachelor of Arts Degree

Major: Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting.

SALES TRAINING:

ABC Software Solutions Sales Training

Franklin Covey, Helping Clients Succeed, Microsoft’s preferred sales training class

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Lotus Notes email, Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Freelance, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange, Seibel, BRIO, Congas, Social Software, Sales force

Sample 2 - Basic Format
SUMMARY
(Your summary should change depending on the position you are applying for)

An accomplished sales executive with a proven track record for consistently overachieving quota. Experience selling into most vertical markets, including : media/entertainment, healthcare, banking, technology and manufacturing.

EXPERIENCE

ABC Networks – Regional Sales Manager, 2005-present

Responsible for selling networking products to major accounts in California.

2008 Quota Achieved- 133%
Sold over $3M (MySpace, Sony Mobil, Disney)
• Presidents Club Winner

2007 Quota Achieved- 155%
Sold over $3M (ABC Inc. , CBS, NBC))
• Presidents Club Winner

2006 Quota Achieved- 125%
Sold over $2.4M (Pardee Homes, Thomas Guides, Idealabs, Wells Fargo)
• Presidents Club Winner

2005 Quota Achieved -175%
Sold over $3.8M (Smashbox Studios, Fox Sports Net, Universal Studios)
• Presidents Club Winner

CCC Communications – Account Manager, 2001-2004

Responsible for selling complete line of hosting services to new business in the Western US.

2004 Quota Achieved- 205%
Sold over $4M (Disney/ABC, Taco Bell, ESPN, Universal Studios)
• Winners Circle

2003 Quota Achieved- 235%
Sold over $4M (Countrywide , AMD, Kaiser Permanente, Sony Pictures, Disney)
• Winners Circle

2002 Quota Achieved- 180%
Sold over $3.8M (Philips, Thomas Guide, Washington Mutual)
• Winners Circle

2001 Quota Achieved- 205%

Sold over $4.8M (TTC Inc., Johnson Controls, UBC Bank)
• Winners Circle

EDUCATION

University of California -B.A. Computer Sciences 1999

Having a well written resume is essential to a successful search. However, unless it is being read by the person making the hiring decision, it is has no value. Read " How to Approach Hiring Managers" and learn the best way to approach hiring managers. ( http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html) .
To learn more about how our one on one coaching can help you achieve career success, call and speak to one of our Career Experts. 949.675.0000 ext . 101

4 Ways to Win More Jobs

2010-01-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Wouldn’t it be great if you received a job offer after every interview? What if you could convert 25% more interviews into job offers? We all know people with average skills and amazing jobs. How do they do it? One thing I guarantee, they interview well.
While a solid background is always an advantage, it does not guarantee career success. Great backgrounds open doors, great interview skills generate offers! Here are a few keys to help you become an expert at interviewing.

• What is the job? - While this may seem like common sense, few people really know EXACTLY what a hiring manager is looking for. If you find a job through a recruiter, make sure they share with you everything they can about the position. Why is it open? What types of people has this company hired in the past? If you found it through another source, go to Linkedin and look up the company and the backgrounds of their employees. Know what the perfect person looks like…. before you interview.

• Why Hire You? - Have you gone on an interview and been asked, “ Why should I hire you?” Even if that question wasn’t asked, it was on the hiring managers’ mind. Make sure you have a brief “why hire me” story that you can confidently recite on the fly. If you’re not 100% confident in your ability to SELL your background, don’t expect many offers.

• What really matters? - Before you spend 10- minutes talking about how you sold or implemented or saved a company xxx, make sure these amazing feats matter to the person you are meeting. While selling the most routers in all of Texas is great, it may not matter to the VP of Sales at Oracle.

• How to close an interview- We talk to our candidates after they’ve interviewed. Most think they did well. Few know exactly where they stand . If you know you have made it through to the next step, find out what that step is. Ask as many questions as you can about the person you will be meeting and try to set up the appointment immediately. If you did not make the cut, ask why. Perhaps you can resell why you are the right person for the job. If not, you can at least try to gain insight into what you did well and what areas you can improve upon. Your interview skills will improve if you know exactly where you need improvement. While the goal of every interview should be to secure the job, you also need to use these meetings as a way to improve your skills in this area.
All things equal it’s the person that interviews best that lands the job. Improve this set of skills and watch your interview to offer ratio increase substantially.

Take advantage of our complimentary, job market evaluation call. One minor flaw in your search approach is enough to keep even the best talent from reaching their career goals. Contact an expert today at: 949.675.0000 ext 101

Why Outplacement Firms Fail- Wall Street Journal

2009-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

This article from the Wall Street Journal clearly explains the difficulty large outplacement firms face in today's market. As the unemployment rate skyrockets these firms are stretched thin and prove that the one size fits all approach does not work. Recruiters and Career Advisors seem to get bad press in many of the articles I read. What people seem to forget is that there are experts in all business sectors, however , finding these experts can sometimes be a difficult process.
Read the full article below

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125069793645343423.html

Top Cloud Computing Companies

2009-12-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Cloud Computing is certainly a very hot topic and it seems everyone from Oracle to the smallest startup is claiming to be in the space . Gartner estimates that the Cloud Computing market will reach $25.07 billion by 2013. This is up from an estimated $11 billion in 2009. Talk about a growth industry.
Here is a list of companies to watch.

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/features/article.php/12297_3835941_1/85-Cloud-Computing-Vendors-Shaping-the-Emerging-Cloud.htm

2010- Job Market Forecast

2009-12-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Ok, so I am not an economist and quite frankly not a real numbers guy either. But I do spend a good deal of my time talking to job seekers and hiring managers each week. While not the most scientific way to gauge the job market, the insight gained through these conversations provides data I doubt you will find in those “other reports”. As far as the technology job market goes, here is what my indicators are telling me.

2009- A Tough Summer

No doubt about it, the summer was a tough time to be looking for a job. I believe it was either the bottom or very close to it. We had a good start to 2009 but as summer started the jobs begin disappearing. As recruiters we spend a lot of time reaching out to potential hiring managers. During the months of June, July and August we approached approximately 500 potential hiring managers. Very few were in the mood to talk, the first sign things were not good. The companies that did seem to be hiring were so picky that the job openings they did have had been open for many months. We also would be running ads on job boards for the few positions we were trying to fill and getting an average of 200 resumes per posting. In a normal market the number is closer to 70. While these numbers might not be enough to tell the whole story, it certainly was enough information to know the job market was BAD.

2009- A Good Fall

After Labor Day we saw things starting to change. Hiring managers were returning our calls and emails. Many had had multiple job openings. We also were talking to job candidates who were telling us about other job openings they were hearing about. Things were looking up. We could be seeing a real recovery. Believe it or not this type of “street data” has always been a very good indicator of how the job market was doing, good or bad.
As I write this, it’s the first week of December and we are busy! The trend we saw from the fall is continuing. Companies are hiring and many are talking about aggressive hiring plans for the first quarter of 2010.

2010- Looking Strong

So what does all this mean? 2010 is going to start off good and get better as the year progresses. Granted there are still a ton of unemployed people that need to get hired before the media will say things are looking better, but trust me on this, things are looking better. As always every region is different and certain backgrounds are in higher demand than others. A proven sales or presales professional in New York or San Jose with a networking, storage or enterprise software background is going to be hearing about more jobs than a programmer in Ohio. But that is typically the case in any market.

Is A Startup Right for You?

2009-12-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

While most everyone dreams of finding the next Google, few people understand what it means to go from an industry leader to a startup.
We have placed hundreds of people at early stage companies and find those who do the most homework upfront , typically have the best luck picking winners. In this economy, startups provide an even greater challenge and are not for everyone. Before making a move ask yourself:

1. Has my ten years at Oracle (industry leader) really prepared me for this next venture?
2. Am I the type of person who wants to work in an environment with little infrastructure?
3. Do I have the stomach to handle the inherent stress that comes with an early stage company?
4. Can I survive making less money for a year or two?
5. Have I considered what this move will mean to my overall market value?

During the interview-
The savviest job seekers tend to excel at the interview process and have a higher degree of success picking winning companies. They know how to interview the company prior to joining. In a sense they are turning the tables and getting the company to sell them on why they should take the job.

You need to ask tough questions without coming across as too skeptical. If a hiring manager senses you are being too skeptical, they will probably assume you’re not right for the job and move to someone else. Here are some basic questions you should be asking:

1. Why is there an opening? (turnover or new head-count)
2. What is the burn rate and how much cash does the company have?
3. Who are their paying customers? There is a big difference between a paying customer and a beta customer. If possible get revenue numbers.
4. What are the biggest challenges the company faces ?
5. Who are the biggest competitors?
6. How big is the market? Having a great story and cool technology is exciting but if the market is small or yet to develop you need to know this.
7. If you are interviewing for a sales role, find out if they have existing reps that are making good money? Ask to speak with them.

Even if you do a great job during the interview process, you never really know if you’ve picked a winner until you have been at the company for many months and sometimes even years.
With the startup market finally showing signs of life again, you will most likely be hearing about new “deals” in the months ahead. Do your homework, interview the company and you just might find the next Google! Good luck.

Wall Street Journal- Land jobs at companies that are not hiring

2009-10-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2009

To Land a Job, Contact Companies that Aren’t Hiring

Alina Dizik of the Wall Street Journal asks Nick D'Ambrosio his thoughts on how to approach companies that may not be hiring.

Posted by Alina Dizi

"With so many other applicants, going through human resources or a recruiter to land a position isn’t always the best way to get hired." says Nick D’Ambrosio, founder of California-based search and career coaching firm First Round Search. Instead, Mr. D’Ambrosio tells job seekers that “the goal is not to land a job — it is to get a dialogue started and to beat the competition by getting in touch with their potential managers directly to start a relationship."

You’re both a recruiter and career coach, have you noticed a shift in the ways some job seekers land new positions?

"Over the last couple of years it’s been difficult to reach certain clients — many are saying they have openings but are not using recruiters right now. With that said we teach our candidates how to locate these companies and how to properly secure interview with them. I have coaching clients who are increasing the number of interviews they are securing by 5x using our methods. Even if companies are not currently hiring, they still will look at top talent for the future. As a job seeker you need to always plant seeds for future openings."

How can someone find more open positions?

"Identify at least 100 potential companies who would recognize your market value. The mistake we often see made is people think 20-30 companies is a sufficient enough number of companies to approach. In this market it is not. So if you’re working for Cisco Systems, you would build a list of companies that are in and around the same ’space’ and approach them. You would want to include smaller networking companies, storage companies and startups. The key is finding companies that are somewhat off the radar and not being inundated with hundreds of resumes."

Once you’ve identified the companies, what can you do next?

"Know who you would work for, such as a VP of Sales, and send them a short, email that quickly lets them know you are someone they should talk to. Most people take the wrong approach and their resume never gets read. Submitting your resume to posted jobs is a tough way to get an interview. Remember that a good hiring manager is always recruiting even when there aren’t jobs. Statistically speaking we find a properly written email sent to the appropriate person is ten times more likely to generate a response."

What should you say in your phone call or email, and is it a good idea to attach a resume?

"Don’t attach your resume. And what you say depends on your background. If I went to Yale and Wharton I would mention it, because you have to quickly convey some value to this person. In the subject line write whatever gets their attention, but obviously you can’t misrepresent yourself. I like to mention a competitor; if I’m contacting someone at Goldman Sachs, the subject line could say ‘top talent at Morgan Stanley.’ Or if you are at IBM and you mention Oracle, the email gets opened. Sometimes, it’s not necessarily the company you’re coming from; it’s what you’ve done there. The email has to be a short paragraph and somewhat conversational, you definitely don’t want it to look too formal or too stock. "

Will going the less traditional route hurt your chances with some managers who say you should go through human resources?

"That’s a touchy subject, if you go around the HR person you can alienate yourself as a potential hire. But if you do go through traditional methods of HR you are probably not going to get in anyway. As long as you’re not over-the-top aggressive you stand very little to lose."

Why are so many companies reluctant to list jobs, especially with recruiters?

"Part of it is the cost, it’s typically 25% of the base salary and most of these people are earning $150,000-$200,000 so fees can add up. They think we’ll just post an ad and we’ll do it ourselves. As far as creating new jobs that aren’t posted, companies won’t necessarily get approval for an opening but if the right person approaches them they are likely to respond. "

Finding Jobs Through VC's

2009-10-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

One often overlooked source for finding potential job openings is VC sites. Below are the top technology VC’s. Visit these sites and view the companies they have funded (client portfolio). Many will actually have internal job boards with job openings not found anywhere else.
Before posting your resume for a particular opening, read our blog: How to approach hiring managers.

http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html

Try our approach and watch your response rate increase dramatically. Our coaching clients see up to a 10x increase in the number of interviews they secure by following this advice. Keep us posted on your progress.
Good luck!

Nick

1.    Draper Fisher Jurvetson
2.    Matrix Partners
3.    Accel Partners
4.    Sequoia Capital
5.    Kleiner Perkins
6.    Benchmark Capital
7.    Atlas Venture
8.    Greylock
9.    Charles River
10.  Polaris Venture Partners
11. Austin Venture
12. Hummer Windblad
13. Menlo Ventures
14. Interwest Ventures
15. New Enterprise Associates
16. Intel Capital
17. Bay Partners
18. Foundation Capital
19. Goldman Sachs Capital
20. Bessemer Venture Partners
21. U.S. Venture Partners

How to Approach Hiring Managers

2009-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

By Nick D'Ambrosio

With so much conflicting information regarding how to find more quality job openings it is very difficult to know exactly what works and what doesn’t. For over a decade we have been fine tuning our methods and are confident we have a proven method for securing more interviews.

For this approach to be truly effective you must begin with a large list of potential companies. These companies also must be in an area where your skills and experience are valued. No approach will get good results if your targeting the wrong audience. Assuming you have done your homework and have identified the right types of companies to approach, its time to start communicating.

Who do I approach?

Blindly sending cover letters and resumes to job postings or search firms is not a good use of your time. In this market, you need to use a better approach if you expect to create quality career opportunities.

Once you have your list (we recommend 100 companies) you need to find the person you should be approaching. Who would you report to? While finding this persons name can be difficult when targeting large organizations, it is not difficult if you focus on smaller ones. Assume the VP of Sales is the person doing the hiring. You can typically find their name by visiting the company website or by using one of the many business networking sites like LinkIn, Plaxo etc. You can also try calling the main office and asking for the persons name. Again, this can be tough if you are targeting large organizations but works well when calling on smaller companies.

Once you have the persons name, you need to find their email address. It will typically be one of five possible formats. If you know the company uses "@abccompany.com" and the VP of Sales is Robert Smith try the following:

rsmith@abccompany.com, robertsmith@abccompany.com, r_smith@abccompany.com, Robert.smith@abccompany.com

While this approach may not seem refined, it works.

How do I approach this person?

Our experience has proven the best way to get a hiring manager to respond to you is to use email. In fact over 90% of hiring managers we polled said they prefer a short e-mail over a phone call. No one wants to listen to a long voice mail, write down a number and play phone tag with a stranger.

The subject line will determine if your email gets read or deleted. Be creative and ask yourself what would prompt you to open an email if you were looking for talent. If you were the hiring manager for a startup storage company, would you open an email with this subject line?

Subject: Top EMC Talent

MOST HIRING MANAGERS DO!

The body of the email must quickly convey why this person should respond to you. You are not the only person who is trying to get their attention. To achieve this you need to quickly let them know you have relevant experience that can help them achieve their goals. Your goal is to simply start dialogue with this person, not get an job offer. Too many people write long winded cover letters and emails that never get read. Your email should look like this.

Subject line: Top EMC Talent
Jim,
I am beginning a career search and wanted to make a brief introduction. For the past 10years I have successfully sold storage solutions in the NY/NJ area. I have consistently averaged 150% of my sales quota and am ranked in the top 5% of our national sales team at EMC. I would like to discuss your hiring plans. Do you have 15 minutes for a discussion?

Regards,

Tim Jones
212.555.1212

This email clearly gives the person reading it a reason to respond. Smart hiring managers will respond even if they do not currently have an opening. One other major factor in getting a good response is always ending your dialogue with a question. People feel compelled to respond.
If you do have a solid background, have targeted the correct person and are following the guidelines above, you will see the number of interviews you land increase dramatically.

Let us know how it works, good luck on your search.

Take advantage of our complimentary, job market evaluation call. One minor flaw in your search approach is enough to keep even the best talent from reaching their career goals. Contact an expert today at: 949.675.0000 ext 101

Wall Street Journal- Back into the interiew process

2009-09-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

September 18, 2009

Advice: After Years with an Employer, Jumping Back Into the Interview Process

Alina Dizik of the Wall Street Journal asks Nick D'Ambrosio to offer his adivce on how to do well on the interview process after a long layoff.

If you’ve kept the same job for many years, it’s important to brush up on the interview process. Just going in with your resume with little or no practical interviewing practice is a fatal mistake, says Nick D’Ambrosio, president of First Round Search, a California-based search and career development firm. A candidate may have a better background but they often lose a job to someone who is better at interviewing. Take the time to properly research the company, make sure to understand any industry trends, and learn about the competition, he says.

Here, Mr. D’Ambrosio shares ways on how to prepare for an interview after spending years with one employer:

If you haven’t gone on interviews in a long time, what’s the first thing you
should do to prepare?

It is imperative for people to know their strengths and how they can present these strengths to hiring managers. They need to learn how to tell a “why hire me” story until it sounds natural, and not canned. Once you have a solid story, you can use it in every situation with slight variations. This is a huge advantage and something you can always fall back on during the interview. People who have not interviewed in years simply don’t realize they need to have a compelling story to tell.

Why are mock interviews useful?

Assuming these are done correctly they allow you to practice and can provide immediate feedback. This feedback is very difficult to get on real interviews. You can continue to practice but unless you know what you need to work on you will not improve.

What are some common mistakes interviewees who recently haven’t been through the interviewing process tend to make?

When asked the question ‘Tell me about yourself?’ people talk too much about things that are irrelevant. Remember what the company is looking for when answering this question. [Others] act as if they are lucky to have the interview, showing a lack of confidence. [Some] people make too many assumptions throughout the interview process. They need to ask more questions to further define what the ‘ideal’ candidate looks like. Then they can properly sell why they are the right person for the job.

How should an interviewer deal with questions that are no longer applicable to their level of experience?

Politely. I know people in HR sometimes get a bad rap for asking generic questions. In their defense, they usually are just following policy. If your first meeting is with someone in HR, this is the most important person in the process. Being respectful can get you to the next step.

What are some other key things interviewers can do to brush up or keep in mind after not having interviewed for a while?

Take the time to prepare for each interview. This is the one thing you really have control over and I think that people who don’t interview or have not interviewed in a long time do not realize how competitive this market is. Many feel they have such a strong background that they will get any job they go for. This is a false assumption. [Also], interview often and take notes after each interview. Again, if someone has not interviewed in three years they cannot know how much the process has changed or the importance of interviewing well. They also are more likely to underestimate the importance of going on interviews as a way to practice this skill.

Finding More Quality Job Openings

2009-09-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

By Nick D’Ambrosio

Almost every job seeker we speak with does the same things as they enter the job market. They call recruiters, post on job boards and tap their network. Most are frustrated by the results. While these tactics need to be done as part of your overall search strategy, by themselves they typically produce weak results.

What else can you do? We teach our clients how to significantly increase the number of interviews they secure by adding one additional tactic to the methods described above. They learn how to build a list of 100+ potential hiring companies that they won’t find through traditional methods. By doing this, they have doubled and even tripled the number of interviews they secured.

To see the best possible results you need to target companies where your skills will be seen as valuable. While the old saying, “it’s a numbers game” may be true, you waste valuable time blindly sending resumes to companies who don’t hire people with your particular set of skills.

Assuming your background is in storage, take an industry leader (we use EMC for our example) and do the following:

1. Visit their partner page and you will find many “storage related" vendors. This is a great starting point. Do this with other large storage vendors ( NetApp, Hitachi Data, Sun etc.) While not all of the partners you view will be appropriate, many will. This should result in at least 40+ targets.

2. Pick an industry trade show, go online and view the exhibitor list. You can view 100’s of potential targets by using this method. Visit the following link and look you will find many companies to put on our list. VMworld @ http://www.vmworld.com/registration.jspa

3. Look for companies that may not be directly in storage but would hire someone with skills in storage (i.e. disaster recovery, cloud computing, virtualization and networking). You can find these types of companies by typing in key words like “cloud computing” and visiting industry publications. The key is to understand which skills are transferable and find companies who will recognize this.

4.Are you interested in early stage companies? Venture Capital firms list the companies they have invested in. Many show actual job openings within these companies. See the top VC’s in the technology space.

While the above will require effort on your part, it is a great way to separate yourself from the thousands of others who are waiting for companies to find them. Try this approach over the next sixty days and let us know what happens. We are confident you will be impressed with the results.

What Next?

Once you have built your list, it’s time to learn the most effective ways to approach these companies. To read more visit our blog and read “The best ways to approach hiring managers”. http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html

Wall Street Journal features advice from Nick D'Ambrosio

2008-12-15T13:06:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2008

You’re Overqualified: Should You Take the Job?

Alina Dizik of the Wall Street Journal asks Nick D'Ambrosio to offer his adivce on the potential pitfalls of taking a job you are overqualified for.

Posted by Alina Dizik

With increasing unemployment numbers, it’s becoming harder for almost everyone to find a new position that’s also a great fit. This week, Nick D’Ambrosio, president of First Round Search/FirstHired, a search and career development firm, talks about whether it’s better to take a job you’re overqualified for.

As a candidate with over-qualified credentials, how do you convince a potential employer that you won’t leave when the economy brightens?

"A smart employer will see this current market and realize they can now get quality talent at a discount and accept the fact that they may only get a year or two out of this person. You can say anything you want and spin it anyway you want but the people doing the hiring recognize what’s happening in the market. You are better off being honest and talking about the things you clearly bring to the company and how you will immediately make an impact."

What’s the downside of accepting a job you are overqualified for?

"This is a difficult question to answer. Going from a VP of a major corporation to a sales person at Target may not be a wise move. Ideally you want to stay in the same industry even if it means going down a notch or two in salary and title. This will be explainable down the road given the current market conditions. It’s easier to explain why you took a job you were overqualified for, than to explain why you were unemployed for two years."

In this economy are most people taking jobs that require significantly less experience than they possess?

"In this market, almost everyone is willing to take a job they are overqualified for. People need to make money and have limited choices. Look at the unemployment statistics. You have to be willing to take jobs you are overqualified for. I saw a similar situation in Silicon Valley in 2002. Forget the past. The alternative is to potentially be unemployed for a long time. No matter what the market is like, it’s always easier to find a job when you have a job."

With so many impressive candidates in the market, how can you deal with rejection if you’re not chosen?

"You need to be slightly detached from the results while still remaining passionate about the day-to-day activities needed to find work. The people I see landing jobs in this market do more then just network, visit job boards or meet with recruiters; they proactively find new companies to market themselves to–both inside and outside of their present industry. They are unafraid to pick up the phone and call a potential employer, and they excel at presenting themselves. "