You are not alone (even if it feels that way)

Looking for a new job can be a very lonely experience. You may often feel like you are alone in your quest..

• It can be demotivating–submitting so many resumes to on-line job boards and receiving either a rejection or no response at all.
• Or reaching out to recruiters who may be open to talking (or not) but can only help if they have a relevant vacancy.
• Friends and acquaintances may listen sympathetically (or not).
• Unless you know what you’re doing, you will also waste an enormous amount of time networking without a plan.

All that makes for a rather lonely existence.

At the Barrett Group, we meet thousands of executives every year. Each one has a unique story to tell. If you listen closely, as we always do, you will start to hear common themes. These themes aggregate into similar stories or personas. The stories describe individuals at different stages of their careers and therefore at different stages in their searches.

Simply put, some executives seek a new position out of necessity. Others seek it because they would like to enjoy what they do and are looking for more pleasure in their work. Another key dimension has to do with urgency. Some executives are already unemployed while others only fear being made redundant. These executives are typically in a hurry to find the next position. On the other end of the spectrum of risk are those executives who are not at risk (or at least do not see themselves at risk). These latter managers are typically not in a hurry, choosing to prioritize “fit” over speed. Let us then call these two axis a) Perceived Workplace Risk, and b) Reason to Work.

This graphic describes not only these two axis, but also some of the more common personas we encounter.

Our senior career consultants meet weekly at the Barrett Group.

At therse meetings we discuss executives who have chosen to become clients. We can generally recognize them as one of the personas depicted above.

Please do not take the specific positioning on the axis as immutable. Of course, that varies by individual. However, in general, clients fall into these broad personas. And that is fine with us, because for the Barrett Group, there are no cookie-cutter solutions. Every client begins his or her program with a completely personal Clarity Program©. This is the career “Targeting” stage that helps the client and the Barrett Group understand the individual’s unique personality. We also learn any current life circumstances, and aspirations over the next five years or so.

Here’s how one recent Clarity Client explained the impact of the Clarity Program©:

“The Clarity program has compelled me to conduct a more formal audit of my past present and future career path, helping my articulate what actually are my goals, drivers and aspirations for the remainder of my career and how this influences both my personal, family and professional life. I have instinctively progressed, but this exercise has helped me tremendously in understanding what environment I work best in, how I react to situations and where I gain my most energy and satisfaction.”
Glen Spurrier, January 2021

So, as I say, you may feel alone, but you are not.

There are many people like you facing similar challenges. And many of these executives have chosen to engage the Barrett Group because after 30 years, we know we can help virtually anyone find that dream job as long as the client is willing to take the career change program seriously and do the required work.

Yes, the employment market may be more or less difficult—for example in the middle of a pandemic—but we focus on the “unpublished market” where there are always opportunities if you know how and where to look. In fact, 75% of our clients land through this unpublished market, leveraging their social capital in a strategic way to find those hidden treasures—the highly compensated, unpublished executive opportunities that feature little competition and generally higher compensation. We also work in the published market and recruiter market, of course, though together these represent only 25% of all opportunities.

The Barrett Group clients, are never truly alone, of course.

They have a six-member Barrett Group team to lean on as they navigate the employment markets, improve their interviewing skills, and negotiate better compensation packages.

Here’s what two recently landed clients had to say about their Barrett Group experiences:

“A lot of the perspectives that George [her Barrett Group career consultant] shared with me were game changing… He saw things through a completely different lens – I looked at the face value of things and he read between the lines.”
Mara, December 2020

“In so many ways The Barrett Group helped me. If I had not hired them, I might still be looking for a job today – or I’d have settled for something at much lower pay,” said Russell. “It was money well spent – and, in the end, I recovered my investment.”
Russell, December 2020

So, when you feel alone in your job search and you need a friend, consider the Barrett Group. Every year we help hundreds of executives clarify their career objectives and then land the positions of their choice. Why not you?

Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group

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