NAVIGATING YOUR JOB SEARCH By MATT DURFEE I’m convinced that many in today’s unemployed workforce don’t understand that a successful job search requires a lot of time, effort and the acquisition of new skills. A recent incident confirmed this when the spouse of my wife’s friend lost his job and asked me to [...]
NAVIGATING YOUR JOB SEARCH By MATT DURFEE Interview Often – It’s Great Practice As surprising as it may seem in today’s tight labor market, I frequently have clients tell me they have turned down interviews because the job didn’t seem like a good fit. My response? Even if a job isn’t initially appealing, the interview [...]
Several years ago when I was an HR executive with Frito-Lay International, my boss was fond of saying, “The devil’s in the details.” That was his way of reminding us to not let the big tasks we were working on get derailed by the little things we take for granted. Those words of advice also [...]
Your hard work has paid off and you’ve been extended a job offer, but the compensation is less than you were expecting. Is there a chance to negotiate a better deal? Despite the angst it might cause you at this stage, the answer to that question is yes. Here are a few important guidelines to keep [...]
Whether it’s because of financial necessity or personal fulfillment, many job applicants today are pursuing positions that they would never have considered earlier in their careers. And that has created an interesting dilemma for recruiters and hiring managers who often reject those applicants as being overqualified. As a former recruiter for some of the world’s [...]
Several years ago, I was in charge of staffing for a new credit card customer service center that was planning to hire 2,100 employees. During the interview process with one prospective candidate, I brought an abrupt halt to his employment candidacy because he declined to answer one of my standard questions: “What are your compensation [...]
For anyone who has researched what it takes to find a new job, it’s a sure bet that networking has surfaced as one of the most effective approaches in learning about potential opportunities. After all, networking consists of making contacts and finding out about jobs you otherwise may not have found on your own. Networking [...]
Prolonged unemployment can be embarrassing, but there are ways to mitigate the impact it could have on your continued job search. First of all, candidly assess why you haven’t found another job. In particular, I encourage you to evaluate every aspect of the job search process and try to find out where the problem lies. [...]
I’m often asked by my clients when it’s appropriate to discuss their salary expectations in the interview process. This can be especially tricky if you are out of work and do not have another job offer to use as leverage. In particular, many job candidates are afraid of leaving too much money on the table by [...]
Prior to launching Navigator Executive Advisors and the Navigator Institute, Matt Durfee held Senior Vice President, Vice President and executive-level Human Resources positions in a number of the world’s most admired companies including Pepsi Cola, Nestle, Frito-Lay International, Hard Rock Cafe, Bank One, Cendant, and Centex Homes. His expertise in career development & leadership transition, change management, and executive development is supplemented with extensive experience in roles ranging from the business unit level to the Board of Directors. His international corporate experience is supplemented with a two-session assignment for the U.S. Council for International Business to represent national employer interests at the European United Nations/I.L.O. in Geneva, Switzerland. Matt earned his Master’s degree in Labor & Industrial Relations from Michigan State University and subsequently completed an executive program in Financial Analysis at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
