Dear SafetyXChange Members:

Executive recruiters don't like to be referred to as "headhunters." So we call them executive recruiters. And so should you. After all, an executive recruiter can be instrumental in advancing your career. Here are some other things to keep in mind when an executive recruiter hunts your head. They are what Sharon Voros, an ExecuNet recommended resource and author of the book, The Road to CEO, calls the 7 Commandments. I've given them a bit of an Old Testament spin to make them easier to digest.

Commandment 1: Thou Shalt Take the Recruiter's Call

When you're sitting pretty in your job and a recruiter calls, you might be tempted not to take the call. That's a mistake. The only thing any of us know is that you never know. Many happily employed managers and executives have had their situations turn bad in the blink of an eye. Still others have been surprised to learn that they can do even better elsewhere. So, for your own sake, listen to what the recruiter has to say.

Commandment 2: Thou Shalt Honor Both Partner and Associate

It helps a lot to understand how executive recruiting works. Most recruiters rely on associates or junior partners to do the legwork necessary to place an executive or manager. The recruiter makes the initial call and the junior person gets handed the file from there. Get to know all of the persons handling your account - not just the senior partner who contacts you.

Commandment 3: Thou Shalt Request the Position Specification

Ask the recruiter to send you the written position specification before expressing interest in a search assignment. If the client is a public company, the recruiter should also send you the annual report, Form 10-K and marketing materials.

Commandment 4: Thou Shalt Not Fax Thy Résumé on Demand

Sending a generic résumé that you have on hand immediately after the call is not advisable. First you should look at the position specification. Then you should customize your résumé in accordance with the position. I'm not talking about fabricating; I mean you should emphasize the parts of your work history and experience that match the employer's needs.

Commandment 5: Thou Shalt Not Take a Job Offer for Granted

Just because a recruiter calls you up doesn't mean that you're being offered a job. In the course of executive searches, many are called but few are chosen. And if you appear too eager, you reduce your desirability.

Commandment 6: Thou Shalt Be Prepared

If your initial phone conversation goes well, the recruiter will probably want to meet with you in person. Show up to the meeting prepared. Have a firm fix on how to frame your background to best attract the interest of the recruiter - and, of course, the employer.

Commandment 7: Let Thy Guard At No Time Be Lowered

Be careful when dealing with recruiters and mindful of the fact that you're on stage all the time. Recruiters aren't your friend; they're your agent. And, like any other agent, they won't waste their time promoting you unless they're persuaded that you're the real goods. So understand that recruiters are watching you closely and gathering information at every moment, even if they don't happen to be taking notes at the time.

Conclusion

Rare is the executive or manager who can't benefit from the help of a recruiter at some point in his or her career. But what many of us fail to realize is that it is our burden to impress the recruiter, no less than the employer the recruiter represents. I hope that organizing the principles of impressing recruiters into 7 Commandments will enable you men and women of the safety profession to get the most out of the recruiters you encounter over the course of your careers.

Wishing you career success,

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

FRIDAY THE 13th

Loki: Norse god who helped make the number 13 unlucky

Why Is It a Jinx?

By Glenn Demby

If you're the superstitious type, you might still be in bed with the covers wrapped firmly about your ears. Chances are you'll be there again in July, the next time the 13th of the month happens to fall on a Friday. But what are you afraid of? Why is Friday the 13th considered so unlucky?

The 13th I can understand. After all, there are a lot of folks who fear the number 13. Apparently, many of them are architects. According to National Geographic, more than 80% of the high-rise buildings in the U.S. don't have a 13th floor. More precisely, they label the floor after 12 as floor 14. They even have a word for the fear of 13: triskaidekaphobia.

There are a lot of theories to explain the fear. The pagan theory: The Norse gods had a party up in Valhalla one day. 12 gods were invited. 13 showed up. The uninvited guest was Loki, the troublemaker that nobody liked. Loki apparently persuaded Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot the popular and hunky Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy. When Hoder's poison-tipped arrow struck Balder, all heck broke loose. The earth mourned and was shrouded in darkness.

The Christian theory is a lot simpler. There were 13 guests at the Last Supper. You know who number 13 was? Judas Iscariot.

But it's the Friday part of the Friday the 13th superstition that I find puzzling. I thought Friday was supposed to be a good day - the "F" in TGIF. For 50 weeks of the year, we thank the almighty that it's Friday. What did Friday ever do to deserve the evil reputation it has on those two weeks of the year when it's the 13th of the month?

The only bad things about Friday I could find in my exhaustive historic research (as exhaustive as any search can be in the space of 10 minutes): Jesus was crucified on a Friday. That would certainly be enough to hurt any day's image. And on Friday, October 13, 1307, French King Philip IV executed a bunch of Knights Templar. Thereafter, followers of the victims decried Friday the 13th as an evil day. Somehow, the October part of the date got off the hook.

Still, we can't blame it all on history and pagans. Any hope that the superstition might die out in modern times was probably snuffed out forever by those hideous Jason Friday the Thirteenth slasher movies that continue today.

So, do your best to get through the day; and help your workers do the same. Remember that while it's easy to poke fun of superstitions, there are people who really believe them. And when superstition, no matter how irrational, affects behavior, it becomes a real world problem.

FRIDAY THE 13th IN HISTORY

Fidel Castro: Born on a Friday the 13th

Births & Deaths on This Date

BIRTHS

Georges Simenon: Belgian writer, Feb. 13, 1903
Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen: Former Australian Prime Minister, Jan. 13, 1911
Margaret Thatcher: Former British Prime Minister, Oct. 13, 1925
Fidel Castro: Cuban Dictator, Aug. 13, 1926
Steve Buscemi: Movie actor whose credits include Fargo, Dec. 13, 1957
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Comedian, TV actress who played Elaine on Seinfeld, Jan. 13, 1961
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: TV actresses best known for the show Full House, June 13, 1986

DEATHS

Arnold Schoenberg: Austrian composer, July 13, 1951
Hubert Humphrey: Former Vice President of U.S. who lost presidential bid to Richard Nixon in 1968, Jan. 13, 1978
Stuart Challender: Australian conductor, Dec. 13, 1991
Tupac Shakur: Murdered rapper, Sept. 13, 1996
Tony Roper: Scottish actor and writer, Oct. 13, 2000

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Hypnotherapy

Helping Victims of Friday the 13th Superstition

If you or any of your workers have a dysfunctional fear of Friday the 13th or the number 13, here are some of the treatment options to consider:

1. Hypnotherapy: Letting a hypnotist "de-program" the fear;
2. Neuro-Linguistic Programming: A study that focuses on how individuals create their own reality; and 
3. Energy Psychology: Referred to by some as "emotional acupuncture," even though it doesn't use any needles.

Note: None of us at SafetyXChange purport to know anything about, let alone endorse any of these treatments. Our purpose is to let you know that they're out there. You'd be nuts to follow any of these courses without first doing a lot of research and talking to your doctor.

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