Leadership Careers

Is Talking Politics at Work the New Norm?

by the gatekeepers June 12, 2017

according to the gatekeepers℠… Find out what you need to know for your career… Can a difference in political opinions matter enough to derail an important business deal? A client of mine says yes. He relayed to me a conversation with his partner that happened the day after the US presidential election: He said, “Good day to wear black. I’m in mourning for our democracy too.” She said, “He’s just like Ronald Reagan. We all need to give him a chance.” […]

Interviewing in the Wild West: A Story

by Janice Waterman March 2, 2016

I had been waiting – and waiting – and waiting – outside of the CEO’s office at Overture Studios. When I first arrived for the interview, I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Thirty years old at the time, I had a shot at the Chief Human Resources Officer job and had been presented by Steve, one of the top entertainment retained executive search consultants in the U.S. The week before, I met […]

The Most Important Interview Question

by Waterman Hurst Team January 5, 2016

“Why are you looking?” will be one of the first and most important interview/networking questions you will be asked when you decide to make a leadership job move. Stakeholders carefully scrutinize your answer to this question for multiple reasons: Interviewers and other stakeholders want to hear an authentic response and most know that responses to this question are often manufactured. If your response or style doesn’t ring true, all your other responses may be called […]

Should You Accept a “Bigger” Job?

by Janice Waterman March 17, 2015

Don joined a $120M company as President of an autonomous subsidiary. The subsidiary lacked energy and focus, and their market was saturated with competitors. Don did what he does best – he led his new team to define a strategy and plan for an adjacent market. Within 12 months, he had grown the business from a $15M to a $30M annual run rate. Since Don had worked miracles at the subsidiary, the CEO wanted him […]

The “Must Haves” of a Country to Country Job Search (even if your target is home)

by Janice Waterman October 6, 2014

Three years ago, I was approached by a member of my advisory board who wanted me to manage his friend’s job search in the U.S. His friend was an expatriate CEO who had worked in Europe for almost two decades. “Dan wants his kids to know their grandparents and their home country before they graduate from high school, but he doesn’t know the first thing about searching for a senior position in the U.S.” I knew Dan’s job search was going to be difficult, but I was concerned that it may […]

Protect Your Chance to say “Yes” or “No”

by Janice Waterman September 11, 2014

It started out as an exceptional day-both personally and professionally. I was golfing with my youngest son, and it was a beautiful outside. Between buckets, I read an email from an EVP HR informing me that one of my clients had a real shot at a “bull’s-eye” job. The EVP of HR had met my client and wasn’t sure of the fit. Regardless, she had committed to running his details by the Chairman. That morning, she let me know that the Chairman liked his background and wanted to interview him in San […]

The Most Annoying C-level Interview Mistakes (as told by the Gatekeepers)

by Janice Waterman May 30, 2014

Recently, we asked more than forty executive search partners and heads of human resources/talent the following question: “What is the most annoying C-level interview mistake?” We received some very amusing stories and anecdotes, but four answers clearly topped the charts. Starting with the most popular answer: 1) The candidate has not done basic homework. “They don’t know my background, the role, the company…” “C-level candidates that show up unprepared come off as arrogant or disrespectful of […]

Procrastination can be fatal to your career

by Janice Waterman March 1, 2014

Bill went through the motions during his leadership meetings or when speaking with analysts. Most weekends, he left the office on Thursday evening and headed to his home In Connecticut. He thought about making a move but couldn’t get himself started. Meanwhile, the company he was supposed to be leading was drifting with lackluster results. Chase was in a state of shock; he was fired with no warning. Over a year before, he had been alerted by his boss that a member of […]

C-Level Career Crisis: Who can you trust?

by Janice Waterman January 31, 2014

Greg was nervous. Earlier in the year, he accepted a CEO position within a new industry, and he had moved his family across the country to take the job. The political environment within his new company was hostile; his honeymoon lasted two weeks – by the third week, most members of the Board and the C-suite were back to pushing their own agendas and openly criticizing others. Greg took on the task of establishing a new culture. Bloggers had him pegged for replacement. Greg’s COO, Mark, clearly wanted Greg’s […]

Do You Need to Change Your Job Search Strategy?

by Janice Waterman December 12, 2013

Dan was about to “resettle” in a job he no longer wanted. He had been searching for six months with no offers. Conducting a job search while working was especially difficult for Dan, due to his 16 years of company loyalty. Dan felt that the search could be detrimental to his career if his CEO found out, but he gave us three more months to get results. If not, Dan was going to double down his effort in his present job, hoping […]

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