3 Open Book
Get ready to be known - closely, intimately, minutely. That's the
news from Bill Coleman, senior vice president at Salary.com. When
companies hire today, they want no surprises. Background checks,
credit checks, detailed reference checks - all are happening with a
new vigor.
"Some companies are being paranoid about whom they hire," says
Coleman. Others are just methodical. Either way, expect to be
dissected before you get an offer.
4 Just Right
Don't hang up when a recruiter mentions a company you've never
heard of. Not too big and not too small, midsize companies and even
privately owned businesses are suddenly highly desirable among job
seekers, says Bruce Bailey, an executive with RSM McGladrey, an HR
consulting firm that specializes in the middle market. With
increased regulatory scrutiny of Fortune 500 companies, coupled
with the merger
fever that has gripped megacorporations, smaller
businesses are looking like safe harbors.
5 Take My Spouse - Please
Spousal relocation benefits are a reality in the era of two-income
families, says Chris Lewis, a partner in the private equity firm
Riordan, Lewis & Haden. When wooing a senior executive for a
client company, his firm often will help a trailing spouse secure
employment. But see the next point.
6 Or Take The Virtual Me
With working spouses, kids who don't want to change schools, and
e-mail,
cell phones, and easy air transportation, our sense of
where we need to do our work is triggering a massive shift, says
A.T. Kearney Executive Search vice president Lauren E. Smith: "Many
executives are saying they will take the job but won't
relocate."
Who says a Tucson-based executive can't hold a job in Los Angeles?
"Telecommuting is becoming a trend," says Smith. "You'd be
surprised how many senior executives now live thousands of miles
from their jobs."