CHALLENGE
Find a Senior M&A role with a long term focus in North AmericaOur client retained Magellan’s Career Compass ahead of an expected industry downturn. When the downturn happened we were well prepared. All that was needed to start was a targeted resume and tailored on-line media to initiate our client’s transition process.
APPROACH
Understand the industryAs we do with all our clients, Magellan began the Career Compass process by meeting face-to-face with our client to validate the industry drivers for his unique M&A skill set. The goal was to select the most likely firms to approach by finding a network connection we could use as our advocate for each target firm on our list
Validate a unique network target listOur client had deep industry connections as well as deep M&A connections. We also reviewed open positions we found on job boards and target firm websites. We then combined this with our own professional network to create a target list for reaching out to.
Select issues for first conversationsDisruption in the M&A sector overall drove a need for an “issues based advocacy” approach for initial conversations. Focusing on common issues with our network we created interactions and meetings that were more than “just job” conversations.
The Magellan Difference
- Re-visioning our client’s career through personal conversations and narrative development
- Converting “contacts” into “advocates” and “advisors” to permanently improve our client’s network
- Combining who you know with what you know to protect your resume asset value long term
RESULTS
By focusing on solving issues and taking our time we eventually discovered a better long term positionTime turned out to be the key variable. Realizing the M&A market was in an extremely uncertain period our client settled for conversations and offering to help rather than focusing on just finding a job. This reduced networking stress and made our client look like a serious problem solver with a rational long term focus.
Persistence and focusOur client stuck to being at the right level and consistently made a clear business case for his value add in M&A – in selected industries. We did not apply to everything, we managed visibility and sent consistent and engaging follow up messages every 6 weeks to our best network advocates (not all connections are equal we learned). Many great relationships came out of this beyond just the terrific role our client now has.
“Magellan’s Career Compass process was easy to set up, and their technology made keeping up easy. Most importantly, Career Compass advocates never let up until we succeeded, and that personal commitment made a huge difference.”
