Success Story: Craig

One of my favorite roles is interviewing our candidates as they land new roles. These stories are encouraging and educational. You pick up little things these folks did – stuff you or I may have overlooked. The devil, as they say, is always in the details. Meet: Craig – his background was 15+ years medical – healthcare industry sales – well, I’ll let him tell the story. . .

MSM: So tell me about this role that you found.

Craig: It's in the Ophthalmic diagnostic device arena – which is something I’ve always wanted to get into.

MSM: You were coming from an AI background?

Craig: Yes.

MSM: Was the role advertised?

Craig: No.

MSM: Did you have an inside contact: a “trust agent”?

Craig: Yes.

MSM: How did you find this trust agent?

Craig: Through your training. It was an old colleague of mine I hadn’t spoken to in a long time; I didn’t realize he worked at this company – we ended up talking and this role materialized through my conversation with him.

MSM: What was your initial comfort level with LinkedIn?

Craig: Well you don't know what you don't know. I thought I knew the program, but quickly realized I was not as familiar with LinkedIn as I needed to be. Someone really needs to walk you through all the changes and share what works and no longer works. On my own, I would have made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of time vs having you train me one-on-one specific to my needs.

MSM: During your job search, how many interviews did you go on?

Craig: 15; I had 3 offers, I declined 2 of them.

MSM: What appeals to you most about your new role?

Craig: That I broke into something I was always hoping to break into – ophthalmic space – diagnostic equipment/capital equip – with fascinating technology and great long-term markets. What we are doing was science fiction yesterday.

MSM: What were some of the surprises in your job search?

Craig: How big the unadvertised job market is. You mentioned it's about 50% of all roles - I really saw that. Yes - I get it; it's being driven by employee referral programs - the two are connected. It's just weird realizing half the jobs out there now - at least in medical sales - will never be advertised.

MSM: Your advice to job seekers?

Craig: Focus on the hidden job market. You are going to find a better fit ultimately than getting a job off-the-shelf. And don’t bother pursuing roles where you do not have a trust agent – you are almost always wasting your time. And invest in professional services to help you in your job search - your services gave me a great competitive advantage and opened a lot of doors for me. It's easy to sell yourself short. Don't.

MSM: Biggest challenges during your job search?

Craig: Finding a lot of companies looking for ‘green’ folks.

MSM: You mean folks with a lot less experience than you. Is there an age bias out there?

Craig: I think so. Yes.

MSM: What would you say to your peers who are finding this same challenge?

Craig: That the companies that hire folks with less experience are churn-n-burn and not to bother with them; smart companies build long-term relationships – you can’t do that if your sales team is turning over all the time. A lot of these types of companies had a higher than normal turnover – that’s obviously a red flag. 

MSM: Does your company – your new employer, have an employee referral program?

Craig: Yes.

MSM: Knowing what you know now, what career advice would you give to others following in your career path?

Craig: To never give up on yourself. Follow your passions. Yes, you’ll hit some speed bumps, but you will get to where you want to be.

MSM: This is reminding me of a Einstein quote I just read: Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.” Last question: would you like to be part of our “Pay It Forward” Team – one of our “trust agents” who help new customers land roles with your new employer.

Craig: I love networking – paying it forward; I’d be more than happy.