An Offer!

I received and accepted an offer from Construction Documentation Services yesterday to be their new VP of Sales and Marketing, though we are still negotiating the compensation and writing the job description. Because it is a young company with a small team, I have structured my deal with a 3 month trial to allow all parties a chance to opt-out with no hard feelings. Once we are all comfortable, we will complete negotiations on my package, including compensation and job description.

So, does the job meet the criteria that I set at the beginning of my search? Mostly.

Is it a great team? - I've known one of the founders for over 7 years and have grown to know his co-founder pretty well during the interview process. It's a smaller company than I had originally envisioned (I will be employee number 5) but I feel good about the core group and their philosophies and embrace the chance to create the branding and marketing strategies by building on the results that the founders have achieved thus far.

Is their product remarkable? - Absolutely. While the company name doesn't indicate this, and it will be changed shortly, they've found a completely revolutionary method for verifying construction on large projects.

Do they have a great story that needs telling? - By all means. There is no universally accepted method for large construction verification. CDS is the first and will set the standard.
When you think of large construction projects (think Safeco Field, for example) budget overruns come to mind. With CDS on the job, the developer, contractor and all related parties have a powerful tool at their disposal to control costs and complete jobs on time and on budget (like, say, Qwest Field - A CDS project.)

This job search has been a productive period of introspection for me. Now as I transition back to those in the working world, I'm excited about applying what I have learned as an entrepreneur and a career searcher and hope that it can make me an effective executive and happy person.

The Devil in the Details

Seth Godin does have a point in his blog post about hiring choices. Yes, it is possible to put too much emphasis on how a candidate executes his or her career search and interview sequence. This is especially true in technical positions when hiring managers turn a blind eye to candidates in T-shirts and flip flops. But I know that I have been burned few times after ignoring an interview gaffe or a poorly worded letter. More often than not, traits such as attention to detail, organization, effective communication, etc. provide a window into the work habits of a candidate. Poor performance in these areas can often overshadow the work experience, industry expertise or existing relationships that we crave in an ideal hire. In the end, the headaches can outweigh the benefits and make us wish we paid attention when the new guy showed up 5 minutes late to his interview.

Real Thoughts on Corporate Job Sites

I saw an interesting position on the Real Networks site yesterday. I spent the morning writing a solid cover letter and created a single PDF with my cover letter and resume for uploading to the site. Much to my chagrin, the site stripped out the cover letter and all of the formatting and then dropped the text from my resume into the resume field. Ugh.
Had all my work on the cover letter been wasted? I couldn't tell for sure, but it sure felt that way.

I always bristle at the uncertainty that surrounds corporate job sites. I didn't want to sit passively by, hoping that my credentials made their way to the hiring manager. So I went to my network and asked for help in getting an introduction to the appropriate person. I specified the job title in the e-mail to make it as easy as possible for those reading the request to act on it if they had the right connection. Sure enough, I made e-mail contact with the right person within a couple of hours. The news wasn't good, they'd already filled the job internally, but I made the connection and maybe it'll pay off down the road. Anyhow, at least he got to read my cover letter...

Perspective on Craigs List Ads

Guy Kawasaki provides terrific feedback from the perspective of a hiring manager who places a Craigs List ad. First, his observations confirm one of my long-held beliefs from my days as a hiring manager. You can learn a lot about a candidate's work habits by asking him/her to complete a simple exercise that simulates a functional duty of the position in question. Guy cites several instances of "laziness" that he witnessed when he asked candidates to provide samples of photos.

Second, Guy confirmed the impact of a well-written, thoughtful ad response. How can you prove yourself to be remarkable with a one-size-fits-all form letter or by not sending any cover letter at all? Your interview starts with the first keystroke. So get it right from the start.

Finally, and most applicable to my current situation, responses to Craigs list ads are of a high quality and come flooding in quickly. So, the shelf life of a job posting is short and leaving an attractive posting unaddressed for several days can be risky. As a result, I've adjusted my schedule to check and respond to online ads (especially Craigs List) more frequently throughout the week.

When to say less

I read an anonymous ad in Craig's list today that really left me scratching my head. After promising that its product would be the "next brand that has history breaking results and future growth opportunities" and a desire to break into "untraditional distribution networks," the company said it would only speak with those who had 5-years of industry specific experience.

What is wrong with this picture? If they really wanted to be remarkable, why would they hire from a pool of applicants that will be more than likely to do what they've done in the past?

I decided to role the dice for this one by putting my money where my mouth is. I applied without a cover letter. My e-mail was three lines long and it basically said "if you want to be different, then why are you looking inside your industry? If you want to stand out, I'd like to talk to you."

The First Pinup for my New Office

Thanks to my man Seth Godin for this one. Seth provides his usual breath of fresh air in pointing out the danger of "good enough" marketing. As soon as I get a job, I'll be posting his comments at eye level in my office. I'll make them flash if I can.

Adjusting the Focus

I've decided to drop "Industrial Technology" from my search description. I had thought that it was possible for me to get excited about this space based on my long history in this space, but no. As I research and prospect for opportunities I find myself much more interested in consumer products and green technology. It is here that I find the remarkable products with stories that need to be told.

A review of my current target list and their markets confirmed this for me:

Flexcar - Car-Share service
Sahale Snacks - Premium snack foods
Zoka Coffee - Premium Coffee Roaster and Cafe's
Highlands Coffee - Premium Coffee Roaster and Cafe's
Pioneer Organics - Organic/Sustainable Grocery Delivery
Imperium Renewables - Biofuels
Targeted Growth - Biofuel Feedstock
Clearwater Compliance - Water Purification
Halosource - Water Purification

Of course there are always exceptions and there are other companies with compelling stories to tell, as my recent discussions with Red Fin and CDS have shown. But when it comes to delivering a clear message to my network that will produce solid referrals, I'm sticking with Consumer Products and Green Technology.