A Friend Changes Jobs

I live in an Orlando, Florida suburb and know many of the local HR professionals because of various connections over the years. Orlando is a mid-level city, with far-fewer management jobs than Atlanta or Chicago, and those in HR here know that getting a top-level job is hard because there are few corporate headquarters nearby. If you are looking for an HR job that pays below six-figures, you might find one. Above six-figures, plan on a long search. And this is likely true in many other cities that lack a significant corporate headquarters base.

Of course, the economy has shrunk the number of most openings, too, so finding a top-level HR job in Orlando is harder than ever. But a close friend just climbed this mountain in less than a month and did so without a big-secret plan. She just got the word out, took calls from hiring companies and head-hunters, and selected a #2 level HR job to mentor with the soon-to-be-retiring top HR executive…for a healthy six-figure deal.

My friend’s name is Donna, and she got a great job in a hurry because she’s good. She doesn’t network much because she works long hours, and she is better at coaching managers than preparing her own resume. But she shines in interviews and answers questions based on what is best for the business rather than what is best for HR. She sees legal advice as just that rather as mandates that must be obeyed to avoid jail. Her best skill is that she listens, realizes what is in the company’s best interests, and then finds ways to say “yes”.

Most importantly for us, Donna has proven what most of us intuitively know…that good workers can find jobs in any economy. Her now-former employer expressed angst at her leaving and has probably by now identified ways they could have kept her. More money, of course, wouldn’t have fixed her problem.