Closed Minds Lose Out / Open Minds Win Big.
As I’ve mentioned before, at the Barrett Group (TBG) we speak to tens of thousands of executives and managers each year. Many of them also fill out a survey. They share their thoughts on where they are in their careers. Their frustrations with their current situation. Where they would like to be professionally in the future. And the primary support they would like from us.
As in most businesses, we also have a sequence of steps. These are steps that prospects go through to become more and more acquainted with our services. At the second step in the process, we speak in detail about the issues addressed in their surveys. We discuss how we can prospectively help them. Some 50-60% of prospects at this stage earn between $100,000 and $200,000 per annum. About 45% of them are currently unemployed when they approach us. And of these about 60% have been unemployed for 1-3 months. While another 25% have been unemployed for more than 12 months.
Some are, of course, desperate to get back in the saddle and others are not.
About 50% of these prospects feel they are or were fairly compensated. And more than 70% say they have specific career plans. Not surprisingly, the lower-income group (<$100,000 per annum) feel worse about their current or former compensation (by about 15% points) than the better-compensated group.
The emotional needs of the prospects are also quite clear in our client base. It features a much higher share of dominant and extroverted individuals (High D and High I in DISC language) than the general population. Correspondingly, the prospects highlighted above fall into two groups that one might generally characterize as “victims” and “victors,” at least that seems to be the case based on the attitudes they project.
On the one hand, the victims cite statements highlighting their frustrations such as “my future earnings are limited.” Or, “at my age a career change is necessary.” Possibly, “I must get into a new industry.” And “I want a faster career track.”
The victors on the other hand are proactive and confident about managing their careers. They cite statements such as “decreasing probability of promotions.” Or, “employer management is changing” and “possible unemployment.” Possibly, “job lacks challenge.” And “I want independence.”
Naturally, the victims also stress the support they want from the Barrett Group. They are very clear to focus in particular on “establishing a realistic career plan,” “showing how my expertise can be transferred.” Also engineering “successful interviews and negotiations.” The victors generally project more confidence about their own abilities. They are more focused on access to “decision makers” and ascertaining an “effective job search campaign.”
Whether you come from a place of frustration or a place of confidence, our Clarity Program© (the first step in our career change process) offers an ideal solution for clarifying your career objectives before you begin the career change process. In any case, it is critical that you approach your career change with an open mind. We have thirty years of experience in this industry. No single executive could ever have that much experience in changing jobs.
So, simply put, the more open you are to the support we have to offer, the more you will benefit from it.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what one recent client had to say about our service:
The resources provided by TBG are invaluable – from resume drafting to business contacts/research, the tools cannot be underestimated. But, most importantly, the genuine service and support from my career coach, George Schulz, helped me land my new position. George’s unrelenting pushes and prods, coupled with motivational and encouraging words, were the biggest asset of the TBG program for me. Many thanks!
Kristina Brown, Senior Counsel at Brown, Moskowitz & Kallen
