New Year, New Job

According to research from US 'Retention Firm', Finnegan McKenzie, this is the traditional time of year when firms ramp up their recruitment.

It's a bit of a 'No sh*t, Sherlock' moment as lots of firms have year ends in December and so new budgets are agreed for the new year starting in January - on both sides of the Atlantic. However, 2010 is not just any year. For the UK this will be the first quarter, hopefully, of growth since we lurched into recession and so firms are still very tentative about investment plans and unemployment tends to lag the recessionary quarters. So it may not be the bonanza of new opportunities for career change that traditionally happens this time of year.

From the candidate's viewpoint, it is also a time when many people will be looking for a new job. According to Finnegan McKenzie's research this is very prevalent in senior management. They claim up to 51% of senior executives in the US will have actively put out their CV with the intent of changing job or perhaps to test the water by 1 January. This may be as a result of new year resolutions, a desire to increase year on year money, or just a stark evaluation of the previous year and a realisation that the job was not fulfilling or they did not like their boss. Whatever, I think many people in the UK would identify with this 'New Year, New Job' enthusiasm.

In a good year, this would be 'fish in a barrel' for recruiters. Fresh new CVs from highly paid and experienced senior executives to match to a plethora of new opportunities would be the time for a feeding frenzy of fees. I think that will not be the case this year - recruiters are still down on their luck and many are still suffering as the volume of openings are not rising very fast. Still, it has to be a period of hope.

I would argue though, that this is the point where many companies investing in growth make big mistakes. Because the recruiters match the fresh CVs to openings, corners are cut. Only that 51% of senior executives are moving and they are actively after a job - easy prey for recruiters and, I would argue, not the cream of the crop. In fact, I would wager that if Finnegan McKenzie drilled down on their research, then of the 51% of senior executives that put out their CVs at the beginning of a new year, there would be many of the same names as last year. I even wonder how many are people who actually moved jobs last year and want change again?

I always strongly argue, it is those who are not looking for jobs, who are delivering year after year in roles, who are the ones worth chasing. There is a band of senior executives and senior salespeople who are perennial job-hoppers who have great looking CVs but have delivered little sustainable difference to the companies they have been employed by. You can bet that their names will be known in the industry as that is their real skill, networking. I have been involved in the computer industry for many years and time and again the same names crop up. The daft thing is that many companies will mobilise themselves at the mere mention that one of those names are 'available' and they will be snapped up via clever recruiters masked as 'headhunters' who claim they have 'enticed' that name to move. Easy money.

It's a time to be wary. The growth that will be gained this year will come at a heavy price and will not be for the fainthearted. For many of us who have lived through recessions, there will be a period when firms may 'shoot their bolt' and try to get growth too early. This is a period of cagey moves and it also a time for reassessment of old markets and discovery of new as many firms will have learnt in the last two years that much of their business was tied up in too few companies at too low a price and exposed how little differentiation they have. Recruiters themselves have found that particularly revealing over the last 12 months in particular.

The good news is that many computer distributors are bragging of a very strong close to the year and this is a good barometer as technology will almost certainly lead the way in private sector growth. The consumer end was reasonably strong, accounting for good growth and part of that will be spurred by the VAT change, it is thought. But there was also brisk business in the banking sector.

This month sees the end of the first quarter for computer giant HP, December marked the year end of many large firms, notably Cisco. The first signs are there that technology sales are on the road to recovery and that will mean a general return to growth will follow. However, watch out for the 'Usual Suspect' CVs. There will be a mass exodus from firms at senior level - though be very wary that this year it will be for different reasons and the usual bragging rights associated with senior executives will not be there after a recession. Most will be leaving because they have been found out rather than before they have been found out. Recessions tend to do that.

Again, good luck in 2010 - growth may just be round the corner. I hope you find your fair share.

Cricket In A Spin

The ECB has been in a right mess of late. Not least because the absurd situation that developed around the rift between former coach, Peter Moores, and his Captain, Kevin Pietersen, which resulted in both being dismissed which showed a lack of management skills, but they then followed it up with the piece de resistance when the saviour of English 20-20 cricket, Sir Allen Stanford, was arrested for a $9bn financial fraud.

So, the theory is, having bungled monumentally lately, they are taking no chances in appointing the new coach, ready for the vital Ashes Series this Summer.

The Next Cock Up

In doing so, the ECB has hired Executive Headhunting firm Odgers Ray & Berndtson to handle the recruitment process.

Clang!

Yes, for those of us in industry, ORB have a decent reputation in their field although many would argue most of these headhunting agencies are just glorified CV sifters who have zero experience in industry so would have difficulty spotting and motivating talent even if it came up and slapped them in the face with a damp kipper. So expecting them to have the ability to find a cricket coach is about as stupid as organising a pointless triangular tournament for $20m prize money in the Caribbean not even between two countries.

Besides I don't think anyone in ORB has any experience of Test cricket barring watching the odd game in a Corporate Box unless I'm mistaken - that has never stopped Headhunters talking a fine story in industry in the past but I would assert some knowledge of the sport would be pretty essential outside of reading Wisden.

Again, Giles Clarke, the CEO of the ECB, excels himself in his ability to waste money and time in producing an array of the usual suspects that he could have read the back pages of most newspapers and found out for himself. Quite why he thought that an Executive Headhunting firm could have read those pages better or quicker than he or his management is quite beyond belief.

The Suspects

So the Headhunters have drawn up a short list. Miraculously they all are something to do with cricket, although only two of them have really played any Test cricket, one of the others had a game or two and one only played just 7 games in first class cricket - perhaps they should have looked at some decent pub cricket coaches too. Listening to the likes of Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham, Nasser Hussein and Jonathan Agnew - and they are an assembly that have a good deal of experience at the highest level - you might be led to believe that having Test level experience is pretty fundamental. So it would be great to see what the ECB gave as criteria because this list really could have been put together one afternoon in Trap 1 reading the back pages of the Times and the Telegraph.

1) Andy Flowers - Formerly a fine Test cricketer from Zimbabwe who is now British. He averaged over 50 at Test level and that would enthuse the likes of Boycott. Sadly, as current Assistant Coach under the defunct Moores, he is perhaps tarred with the same brush. However, the man who received the toughest of treatment, former captain, KP, is one of Flowers' biggest supporters for the job and it could be fair to say he has done well as Acting Head Coach in the West Indies. After his batsmen have scored 8 centuries so far he could argue they are playing well, but at 1-0 down and yet to take 20 wickets in any of the Tests, it could argued he is one dimensional as a former batsman.

2) Ashley Giles - One of the heroes of Ashes 2005, England and Warwickshire's former left arm spinner and average late middle order batsman is ever popular in England. He is currently Director of Cricket at Warwickshire and has been their spin coach. He is a good lad in the dressing room and that could be one of his weaknesses. Strongly associated with former captain Michael Vaughan, he may be too close to the players to exert sufficient authority.

3) Graham Ford - Yes, who? A South African who is currently Director of Cricket at Kent, has the vast experience of playing just 7 first class matches and scored just 142 runs in the process. This puts him marginally ahead of me and a swathe of decent club and pub cricketers. Whilst some of his charges at Kent are supportive, it is prominent that he turned down one of the dream jobs in cricket which was to coach India while he is more of a media recluse than front man - and we thought Duncan Fletcher was bad. Frankly, how he made the list I don't know considering Kent haven't been exactly burning up the Championship - at least Fletcher proved himself by taking an unfancied team to the County Championship at Glamorgan.

4) Dav Whatmore - An Australian but we'll forgive him that although he may not be the ideal man to have around as coach when playing.....the Australians. Yes we have shades of Graham Henry coaching the Lions here. However, at least he did play a smidgen of Test cricket and in his 7 Tests he scored a mammoth 293 runs. He can certainly teach the likes of Strauss and Pietersen a thing or two then.

Actually he probably could. Having taken a second tier nation at Bangladesh to their first victories against top tier Test Nations, he has a good record of doing something with nothing - a strong qualifier for England. But there is a good deal more - he rebuilt Sri Lankan cricket and coached them to the thrilling World Cup win in 1996, he has coached Lancashire to double one-day cricket champions and is now Director of India's Cricketing Academy. This makes him sort of more of a one day specialist but what do I know?

He is widely respected and there is no doubt he has a superb track record working with lessor teams in international cricket which has earned him his plumb job now.

And that's it. No more candidates. Just because Headhunters are involved doesn't mean to say that we can poach other teams' coaches or find any up and coming talent who may be blazing a path to future glory. This is the sum of their diligent work.

Mistake After Mistake

Frankly, if the ECB are paying fees for that then they ought to be shot. Two blokes in a bar could have done the same in 30 minutes while they were more likely to come up with other, just as suitable, candidates. And why people like Tom Moody cannot be motivated to consider the position shows the Headhunters have just gone for fast track fees - the least path of resistance.

What do you expect? I suppose good on Odgers for diversifying from Finance and Hi Tech - no money in that any more.

Bring back Duncan Fletcher - all is forgiven, except that dreadful book you wrote!