[bill faust, michael faust] pitch yourself stando(bookfi.org)

Pitch Yourself

PrenticeHall

BUSINESS

PearsonEducation

Books to make you betterBooks to make you better. To make you be better, do better,feel better. Whether you want to upgrade your personal skills

or change your job, whether you want to improve yourmanagerial style, become a more powerful communicator, or

be stimulated and inspired as you work.

Prentice Hall Business is leading the field with a new breed ofskills, careers and development books. Books that are a cut

above the mainstream – in topic, content and delivery – withan edge and verve that will make you better, with less effort.

Books that are as sharp and smart as you are.

Prentice Hall Business. We work harder – so you don’t have to.

For more details on products, and to contact us, visitwww.business-minds.comwww.yourmomentum.com

PitchYourselfStand out from the CV crowdwith a Personal Elevator Pitch

Bill Faust and Michael Faust

an imprint of Pearson EducationLondon • New York • Toronto • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Hong Kong • Cape Town

New Delhi • Madrid • Paris • Amsterdam • Munich • Milan • Stockholm

PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED

Head Office:Edinburgh GateHarlow CM20 2JETel: +44 (0)1279 623623Fax: +44 (0)1279 431059

London Office:128 Long AcreLondon WC2E 9ANTel: +44 (0)20 7447 2000Fax: +44 (0)20 7447 2170Website: www.business-minds.com____________________________

First published in Great Britain in 2002

© Bill Faust and Michael Faust 2002

The rights of Bill Faust and Michael Faust to be identified as Authors of this Work have beenasserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 0 273 66171 X

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA CIP catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers or alicence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright LicensingAgency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP. This book may not be lent, resold,hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other thanthat in which it is published, without the prior consent of the Publishers.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Designed by Claire Brodmann Book Designs, Lichfield, Staffs.Typeset by Northern Phototypesetting Co. Ltd, BoltonPrinted and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow

The Publishers’ policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests.

To Sophie my girlfriend and Brighton Beach.

Bill

Thanks to my wife Kimi and to the lost autumn days

and nights.

Michael

Acknowledgements

The kernel of this book was generated by the positive reaction from those

people who were unexpectedly exposed to the early versions of the Elevator

Pitch. Thank you.

We would also like to thank friends and colleagues who acted as sounding

boards and were kind enough to let us use their life experiences. They

acted as both judge and jury. Without them our words would be poorer.

John Baldwin, Ken Livingstone, Justine Cobb, Mara Goldstein, Nancy

Prendergast, Richard Davies, Jack Gratton, Mark Bailey, Charlie Dobres,

Kate Marsh, Marc Schavemaker, Darren Fell, Louise Medley, Laura

Neilson.

vii

The rallying cry ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 The death of the CV 1

Think and act differently 2

Do you zig or zag? 2

Your sales tool 4

Chopping the corporate structure down to size 21

Chapter 2 The birth of the Elevator Pitch 29

The Personal Promise 33

Transferable Assets 34

Career DNA 35

The Career DNA Bank 37

Chapter 3 Writing your Elevator Pitch 41

Your Personal Promise 43

Defining your Transferable Assets 50

Critiquing your Elevator Pitch 67

Contents

Chapter 4 The benefits of the Elevator Pitch 69

Flexibility and adaptability 71

Forward looking 72

Establishing rapport 72

Results-driven 73

Dangers of ‘CV Thinking’ 75

Coping with redundancy 77

The demands of interim management 78

Experience is diverse 79

Work experience versus Transferable Assets 80

Better and more successful interviews 80

Chapter 5 Top-floor Elevator Pitches 87

How the EP answers a job brief 135

Chapter 6 Summary and conclusion 141

The candidate 143

The recruitment services industry 144

The employer 144

The final rallying cry 146

viii

C O N T E N T S

ix

“The CV is dead. Long live the CV!

There has to be a better way. The purpose of a CV in my opinion is simply to

get you in front of a prospective employer. It should therefore be short and

sharp without introducing negatives. That’s where the problems start to

arise. You are judged on a piece of paper, which can’t portray the real you.

Using the Elevator Pitch technique is a brilliant way to put over your case

quickly and succinctly.

I hope it becomes the industry standard.”Jack Gratton, Founder and CEO of Major Players, the UK’s

leading marketing and services recruitment agency

The rallying cry

xi

Over the last 100 years, the CV has become a standard world currency that

is now debased by the changes in our work patterns and environments.

The CV is dead. The Elevator Pitch takes off where the CV stops. The

Elevator Pitch is the 21st century successor to the CV.

In today’s world, you need to constantly market yourself at each and every

point in your career path. You might be a graduate or have 15 years’ line-

management experience, or perhaps you are returning to work after a

family career break, or even making a functional change or jumping to a

new industry sector. Each break and renewed step requires you to sell

yourself. Over and over again.

Ask yourself the following questions. Is my CV the hard-hitting sales tool

I think and hope it is? Does a functional, linear and ultimately historical

view of my career sell the real me? Can I see the real me in the words of

my CV? Does my CV really explain what I can deliver in the future and

showcase my abilities?

Unfortunately, the answer is invariably no. The CV is a straitjacket on your

next career move rather than a life jacket. The CV is like a rococo building:

it’s so rich and opulent that you miss the reason it was built. As a sales tool

it tries to communicate everything. It focuses on the wrong issues as it

begins from the seller’s reality rather than the buyer’s perspective. It is

what you have done and where you have done it. You often forget that a

CV is meant to get you through the door, not do the interview as well. The

Introduction

CV shrouds your career in the past. It hides your core worth, your ability

to deliver in the future within a new work environment, beneath the

historical and functional façade of your career. Consequently the CV needs

to be deciphered to get underneath this façade yet we do not provide the

key. We allow people to make snap judgements about us based on this

outmoded document. The CV has stood in a time warp for over 100 years

while the world has moved on.

Why write a CV if the CV is dead? Perhaps it’s down to those 100 years

of convention and tradition. But then you don’t give a fig about being

hidebound to tradition, do you? Maybe it’s time to step back and think

about a better way to show what you’ve really got to offer.

The Elevator Pitch is the better way. The Elevator Pitch is the 21st century

replacement of the CV. The Elevator Pitch is not about incremental

improvements to a CV. There are many books we’d gladly recommend for

that.

Rather, the Elevator Pitch is a fundamental and lateral rethink of what is

required to sell you in today’s market. The Elevator Pitch debunks the CV

of its extraneous wrappings and conventional padding by jettisoning the

historical and functional veneer of your career. Instead the Elevator Pitch

focuses on your unique set of behaviours, abilities and skills, sometimes

referred to as competencies, that help define how you will perform in a new

job under a new set of circumstances. The Elevator Pitch demonstrates your

value and worth by showing who you are and how you have done it

The Elevator Pitch focuses on the things your buyer is looking for. It

successfully differentiates you through selective communication. You

control the agenda and the speed at which key information is released

through the negotiating phase. The Elevator Pitch allows you to cut to the

chase. Time is not wasted. The Elevator Pitch provides a common language

of understanding. Effective recruitment decisions will be faster and easier.

The Elevator Pitch is the only sales tool you need, after yourself.

xii

I N T R O D U CT I O N

It is focused, highly targeted, concise and proven to work. It is usually just

one page.

The aim of this book is to introduce the Elevator Pitch. You will be

provided with the essential tools to create your own personal Elevator

Pitch. We will show you how to discover and understand your Transferable

Assets: those behaviours, skills and abilities that define and predict your

performance. We then show you how to construct and write your own

personal Elevator Pitch and how to position yourself in an overcrowded

and overcommunicated society.

Welcome to the non-stop, ever-changing world. Welcome to reality.

Welcome to the Elevator Pitch.

xiii

I N T R O D U CT I O N

1The death of the CV

“CV’s try to sell, the Elevator Pitch will make employers wantto buy ” Charlie Dobres: CEO of i-Level

chapter

1

Think and act differently

‘When the world zigs, zag’ is the mantra of the world’s best known and

most fêted advertising agencys, BBH, based in London. Their

philosophy is to look at the world from a new vantage point by thinking

and acting differently.

They are not alone. The Onassis oil dynasty, Apple, Warren Buffet,

Virgin, South West Airlines in the USA and easyJet in the UK have all

zagged while the world zigged. Indeed, we also probably all know a

friend or a colleague whom we secretly admire for their ability to zag

when we still zig.

These people, and others like them, have stepped off from the

world, taken a back seat, viewed it from afar, jumbled it into a new

perspective, and then got on ahead of us. Their view of the world helps

frame and change ours. They challenge common assumptions. They

throw normal convention out of the window. They are willing to step

outside their comfort zone. They are willing to be counted. They are

not afraid to push boundaries and question conventional or traditional

wisdom. They have done things differently. They are doing things

differently. They aim to stand out, create value and be successful.

They want to challenge not just for the sake of the challenge but

because there is a better way.

So the question you must ask yourself is simple: do you want to stand

afresh and zag, or do you want to be boring and zig?

Do you zig or zag?

To find out how willing and able you are to zag when others zig, answer

the following questions:

P I TC H YO U R S E L F

2

➡ Do you believe that in our overcommunicated and hectic society,

the key to being noticed is to communicate selectively and not try

to communicate everything?

➡ Do you believe that you buy goods and services, including hiring

people, on both rational (objective) and emotional (subjective)

grounds?

➡ Do you believe that time is only one of the factors that create

emotional and spiritual growth?

➡ Do you want to realize your individual potential rather than simply

fill a job market vacancy?

➡ Are you an individual, not simply a number, within a company

hierarchy?

➡ Do you want to find the job to fit you?

➡ Do you wish to enjoy your career?

➡ Are you loyal and true to yourself rather than waiting for the

company to be loyal to you?

➡ Do you believe that changes in organizations impact on the type of

career you will have?

➡ Do you believe that people searching for vertical ladders in a

horizontal career game will, more often than not, lose?

➡ Do you have a defined view of how your career will start, progress

and continue?

➡ Are you happy with variety?

➡ Are you likely to want several careers, not just one? Do you have

a choice?

➡ Do you want to find a job where the demands of the job fit you, not

one where your job-related knowledge simply matches the job

description?

T H E D E AT H O F T H E CV

3

➡ Are you brave enough to sell your future worth rather than relying

on previous achievements?

➡ Do you want the market to buy you?

If you found yourself saying ‘yes’ you’re ready to begin

Your sales tool

What are you using to sell yourself? No doubt it’s your CV. What does

your CV say about you? If you are not there, what impression does the

reader get? Does it sell you? Would you buy you?

Worryingly we know that despite all your efforts, your CV will look

similar to many others. Few actually stand out. The CV is a straitjacket.

It is normally in reverse chronological order. It is based on function. It’s

autobiographical. The CV provides a linear, one-dimensional perspective

to you. It is fact and form. It is rational and safe. It is what you are and

what you have been. It is historical. It is an inventory of your jobs. It is

simply a catalogue.

Let’s look at the basic CV structure. Many CVs are similar to those in

Figure 1.1, which shows a simple success story: a career within one

function, such as accountancy or marketing, over a couple of industries,


4

Would you

buy you?

with a steady progression through the job ranks presented in reverse

chronological order. The CV presents and uses criteria such as length of

employment, job title, qualifications, number of people managed, and

budgets managed as prima facie evidence of your capability.

Several of you will have gone a step further. Let’s look at the same basic

CV where you have quantified some results. You might also add a career

mission statement. You throw down some good-sounding adjectives from

a thesaurus. You make it rational and logical. You forget that the world

turns on emotions. You take up lots of room describing job roles. You may

even have created several objective–analysis– action–result scenarios; you

construct a basic SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

analysis on yourself; you pry into your 360-degree assessments; you look

long and hard at your Belbin or Myers Briggs profiles. And after this soul

searching, you include a list of how you made things happen around

yourself. This is shown in Figure 1.2 – a familiar sight to many of you.

So you have fine-tuned your CV. You are happy. You have a catalogue of

your career history. Yet too many CVs are wrong. They are wrong for

many reasons.


5

Job

Board director

Director

Manager

Graduate

Function

Function x

Function x

Function x

Function x

Industry sector

Industry B

Industry A

Industry A

Industry A

Most Least

Reversechronology

Hierarchy of emphasis

Figure 1.1 The CV stripped bare

First, basic mistakes are made

A recent survey by FirstPersonGlobal, the UK’s leading online

executive recruitment service dedicated to technology professionals,

and part of Harvey Nash, looked at 200 CVs submitted in response to

two separate Harvey Nash recruitment campaigns, one searching for

an IT director for a financial services company and the other search-

ing for a marketing director for an Internet company. Each CV was

reviewed against four criteria: readability, impression, page length

and relevance.

Amazingly, 31% of these CVs made so many basic mistakes that they

were considered poor and only 19% of all the CVs submitted made no


6

Job

Board director

Director

Manager

Graduate

Function

Function x

Function x

Function x

Function x

Industry sector

Industry B

Industry A

Industry A

Industry A

Results

Results AResults B

Results AResults B

Results AResults B

Results AResults B

Most Least

Reversechronology

Hierarchy of emphasis

Figure 1.2 The better CV stripped bare

competencies your future

mistakes. Just over four out of every ten CVs had issues with structure

and therefore understanding, and nearly one-quarter were over three

pages long, putting undue pressure on the reader. Crucially 34% of the

CVs could not answer the question, ‘what does this person actually do

and where have they done it?’ And 23% showed evidence of incorrectly

prioritizing less relevant information.

So one in three CVs could not answer what this person does, and over

one in five could not prioritize correctly. You could say that this is a

pretty sad state of affairs. This research is not an isolated example. You

probably know of some more. You have probably seen it on CVs you

have seen when recruiting. You can therefore conclude that many CVs,

and potentially yours, do not even do the basic job expected of them.

Second, and worse, the CV actually hides what you are selling

Behind the results you have just added to your CV lie the traits and

behaviours that enabled you to deliver these results successfully in the

first place. These are your competencies. Results don’t evidence the

role you were in, but they do evidence your competencies within a

given context. In other words, competencies really define your future

worth and capability, as they are your fundamental building blocks.

Competencies aid understanding of the behaviour patterns that make


7

really define worth andcapability

an individual successful in a given environment. Understanding your

own competencies allows you to answer the questions, ‘Who am I?’

and ‘Why am I who I am?’ Competencies have existed ever since man

first walked the earth. Why is one person a better hunter than another?

What made this person the leader during a crisis and their adversary a

leader during a period of consolidation? What made Shackleton inspi-

rational to his lost men? What drives entrepreneurs? Why do some

people take risk? What makes a great teacher? Why do mountaineers

continually push themselves?

The CV is not good at showcasing competencies. Your CV hides your

fundamental building blocks behind a criteria-based chronological

façade. This is shown in Figure 1.3.

So, a criteria-based CV shows what you have done and where you have

done it, rather than who you are and how you have done it. Look at

Figure 1.4, which illustrates the flawed CV.


8

Job

Board director

Director

Manager

Graduate

Function

Function x

Function x

Function x

Function x

Industry sector

Industry B

Industry A

Industry A

Industry A

Results

Results AResults B

Results CResults D

Results EResults F

Results GResults H

Competencies

Competency 1Competency 2

3456

What you expose to the world(What you write on your CV)

What you hide from the world(What you do not write on your CV)

Figure 1.3 The errant CV

Third, CVs aren’t customer friendly

Let’s place ourselves in our customer’s shoes. What are you selling?

What are they buying? How do you bridge the gap to establish

common ground?

Funky Business, a treatise on our new world order of funk has this

rallying cry

“The moral: what companies sell and what their customers buy are two

different things. Therefore, every once in a while it is wise to place yourself

in the shoes of your customers and ask the question: ‘What are they really

buying?’ The answer, 99 times out of 100, is not what you think you are

selling.”Recruitment agencies are one of your many customer bases. Whether

you like it or not, recruitment companies work for the employer and

not the employee. Indeed, there is a fundamental conflict between

the recruitment industry’s imperative to fill vacancies and the need

by candidates to take control of their careers. Recruitment agencies fit

people into jobs not find jobs for people.

The aim of the recruitment process is to minimize the risk of hiring

rather than maximize the opportunity for the employer and successful

applicant. Risk is minimized by using two broad filters, criteria


9

What you expose to the world

Functional, criteria-led, linear catalogueWhat you areWhere you have beenWhat you have done

What you hide from the world

Your fundamental building blocks – competenciesWho you areWhy you are who you areHow you have done itWhy you can do it again

Figure 1.4 The flawed CV

(schooling, qualifications, time in job, number of people managed …)

and competencies.

Think about this for a short while and your own experience of the

recruitment process. Which is more important and which is easier to

acquire? Surely it would make sense to hire for core motivation and

traits first and foremost, as these are more difficult to acquire than

skills and knowledge? Absolutely.

So why do so many companies appear to do the reverse, and why do so

many recruitment companies not advise them any better? It might be

down to the way recruitment takes place. Many of us have probably

been through a relatively unstructured recruitment process, where

discussions have meandered and you have never got past talking super-

ficially about yourself. In this instance, you have probably gone no

deeper than the criteria signposted on your CV.

On other occasions, you will have read an ad, met the recruitment

consultant, seen the brief, and undergone a structured interview. The goal

of a competency-based structured interview is to estimate what people

will do under a given set of circumstances and to determine what skills

and attributes they will bring to the position. This is achieved by encour-

aging the interviewee, you, to share examples of your past behaviour and

describe how this experience can be applied to future situations. This also


10

recruitment for the employer

places an onus on the interviewer to be prepared and understand what

competencies they are seeking and so increase the chance of a great

hiring. Competencies form a common language that helps reinforce a

company’s culture and helps you establish whether you like the company.

During the interview you share a number of experiences until you

unlock the hidden depths of your career as though you were peeling the

layers from an onion. You go past the criteria based functional and

historical veneer of your CV to showcase your base motives, traits and

competencies. You can only do this because the interviewer, through

their questioning, probes aspects of your behaviour and so provides the

key to decipher your CV and therefore gain an understanding of what

makes you tick. They are wanting to know the value you will add to

their company in the future.

Your CV needs to be deciphered to showcase your career and your

future value. Your CV can only be deciphered through a structured

competency based interview. What happens when you are confronted

by an unstructured interview? Why do you lock your career into the

straitjacket of a CV? Why are you hiding your competencies behind the

traditional CV façade and veneer? Why are you missing out on a huge

opportunity to gain an advantage? What happens when you are not

there to guide the recruitment agency, say at the shortlisting stage?


11

companies work and not the employee

The initial gatekeeping decision to shortlist you appears to be based

around your criteria and not your competencies. This might have

something to do with time and tradition. Criteria have existed for

hundreds of years and have been codified by the CV in the last 100

years. Similarly, competencies have been around for hundreds of years

yet only codified since the mid 1990s. You might say that you use a CV

because everyone else does. Just because it has been done this way for

so long does not mean it must be good. Just because something is

familiar, tried and tested, and therefore understood within a certain

context and accepted by certain people, does not necessarily mean it

fulfils the many diverse needs or demands placed upon it. Tradition is

not always correct. There is a constant flow of new ideas. Our written

and spoken language does not stay static. It changes. The Swiss army

knife has given way to the Leatherman. The Hoover has given way to

the Dyson. The Filofax has been replaced by the Palm Pilot. The desk

diary has been replaced by Microsoft Outlook.

The reality is that competencies are often used in hiring. Using com-

petencies ensures that better hiring decisions are made. The compe-

tencies that are analyzed are defined by the organization’s competency

matrix. The problem is that CVs don’t highlight competencies, so short-

listing, the critical start to any job, remains the most inaccurate part of

the recruitment process. But you can improve the shortlisting process.


12

because it has this way for

mean it must

Jim Bright and Joanne Earl are two prominent organizational psychol-

ogists, based in Australia, who consult and write extensively on career

development, selection, testing and training. Their recent book is a

culmination of years of dedicated research into what makes a winning

candidate and CV based on interviews with hundreds of recruiters

across a wide industry spectrum. One of the areas they looked at was

the inclusion and exclusion of competency statements, and how this

impacted on the decision by these recruiters to shortlist and interview

a candidate. The results were startling and also consistent:

“[We] were amazed to find that, when we included them [competency

statements] … they boosted our candidates’ chances by as much as 30 per

cent … The more competency statements you put on … the more chance you

have of being short listed …”Conclusive and concrete evidence that competency statements provided

at an early stage in the recruitment process, i.e. before shortlisting even

begins, make a real difference. The difference between a yes vote and a

no vote. The difference in shortlisting. The difference between an

interview and no interview. The difference between landing a new job

and returning to your existing one. The difference in being noticed.

We’ve established that CVs lack focus. They concentrate on criteria

rather than competencies. However, the interview process focuses on


13

been done so long does not be good

both criteria and competencies. At some stage, there is a change in

emphasis from criteria to competencies. But you are currently letting

other people work this transition out for you. Figure 1.5 illustrates this

contradiction. The wider the shaded area, the greater the emphasis.

We can illustrate this point further and the difference between criteria

and competencies by considering the lonely hearts pages found in

newspapers and magazines (Figure 1.6).

Both the CV and the lonely hearts ads are trying to be alluring and sell

the benefits of you to another person. Both are laid out in a familiar and

unique format, both carry stock phrases and both are a suggested

length.


14

CV

Advertisement

Recruitment agency

Job description/brief

Interview

Criteria basedmeasures

On your CV During an interview

How you present yourself

Competencybased

measures

Emph

asis

you

r pr

ospe

ctiv

e em

ploy

erpl

aces

on

crite

ria

and

com

pete

ncie

s

Figure 1.5 The CV’s emphasis is flawed

Think of some lonely hearts ads. If you’ve never looked at one, grab a

newspaper and analyze them carefully. Our guess is that over 80% of

them describe only the physical characteristics of the person sought.

They might say, ‘Tall, dark and handsome educated man sought by,

Latin, well-travelled female who is into walks in the country and


15

Figure 1.6 The CV is a lonely heart

cinema.’ It doesn’t exactly help you understand her emotional make-

up, the character of the person she would like to meet, or why they

might actually have a bright future. Think back to your CV.

The well-travelled, Latin female is equivalent to the top part

of a CV, where many people include a number of adjectives describing

themselves, such as, ‘professional salesperson with ten years’

experience managing clients across international borders’. The tall,

dark, handsome section is the equivalent of your own criteria-based

historical catalogue of your career (Figure 1.7). Where do you attempt

to explain what makes you tick and why you would be a good fit for

a company?

CVs are also unfocused in their overall message. CVs need to be more

relevant, pertinent and accessible.


16

Format

Length

Focus on what you want

Focus on what you are

CV

Ad to sell yourself

2–3 pages

Career mission statement

Adjectives describingyourself (professional)salesperson with tenyears’ experiencemanaging clients …)Criteria-based careercatalogue (company Xfor five years, rising tojunior sales assistant …)

Lonely hearts

Ad to sell yourself

10–16 lines

Criteria (wanted: tall,dark, handsome …)

Criteria (sought by: curvy,

petite female …)

Figure 1.7 CV versus lonely hearts

The CV is a blunderbuss (Figure 1.8). The CV throws mud at a wall,

hoping some will stick. However, mud flinging is a fine art. Just

because more mud is thrown at a given wall does not mean that a

greater proportion sticks (Figure 1.9). The CV is too generic to

communicate well.

Think back to FirstPersonGlobal’s research. They want you to provide

the answer to their questions, ‘What does this person do or offer me?

Where is their value add?’ They want this answered, rightly or wrongly,

in a fast and furious (and generous) 90 seconds, without you being

there. Think about what this means for you. The onus is on you to

communicate not then to understand. In order to communicate you

need to provide pertinent, relevant and accessible information. In other

words you need to be selective in how you describe yourself.


17

Spotlights all informationNo focus

Potential employers

You

No real thought as towhat is needed

Figure 1.8 You – the blunderbuss

Every product sold has an angle or positioning in the marketplace. This

is the most motivating and differentiating thing a manufacturer can

say about the product. By its very nature, it cannot be all things to all

people. The angle can be unearthed from one of many sources.

➡ Product characteristics, e.g. ingredients, texture, availability, country

of origin.

➡ User characteristics, e.g. experts use it, celebrities use it, competent

DIY-ers use it.

➡ Ways of using the product, e.g. sharing, indulgence, giving.

➡ Price characteristics, e.g. value, price, cheap, expensive.

➡ Image characteristics, e.g. being friendly, offering quality, being

serious.

➡ Product heritage, e.g. established in, matured since.

➡ Direct comparison, e.g. the Coke/Pepsi challenge.


18

What you are Adjectives

Job move, industry change

Job move, culture change

Job move, functional change

Job move, horizontal change

Job move, vertical change

Returning to work

Interim management

Graduate, new career

Self-employed project teams

All t

hing

s to

all

peop

le –

not

on

mes

sage

One

-way

com

mun

icat

ion

What you have doneWhere you have been

Historical CVJob 1Job 2Job 3Job 4Job 5

Figure 1.9 Mud thrown – some will stick

➡ Newsworthiness shown by topical anniversaries.

➡ And many more category areas.

You’ll notice that some of the sources of positioning can be rational,

whereas others are much more emotional, richer and more resonant.

Try and think about some of your favourite brands and what they stand

for. It’s relatively easy for the big global brands but what about the tea

you are drinking, the biscuits you are eating, the batteries in your

torch, the pen you are writing with, the computer you are using, the

watch you are wearing, the chocolates you shared at a dinner party,

your kitchen cleaner, your toothpaste, your favourite fizzy drink, the

mobile phone shop, your favourite website to the jacket you

are wearing?

You can probably think of a catchphrase or strapline for many of these

brands or at least a collection of sentences that sum up what they are.

But, most importantly, whatever the words, they will have a meaning

that is relevant, accessible and personal to you.

So positioning satisfies a consumer need as it addresses why a brand

is relevant for that consumer. At the heart of positioning is selective

communication. Positioning is customer-centric not supplier-centric.

Positioning is the bottom rung on a Maslowian hierarchy of com-

munication needs. Correct positioning identifies the core dimen-

sions of relevance and prioritization leading to understanding and

comprehension.

How often have you written your CV from your perspective rather than

from your customer’s perspective? When did you last ask yourself what

constitutes relevant information? What does my potential employer

want to know about me? We’ve seen that criteria are important but not

that important. Should criteria or competencies form your positioning

or angle? Why did you write a CV if you had no angle?


19

We have seen that CVs are flawed. The first flaw arises because they do

not focus on the buyer or answer their needs for relevant, succinct

and pertinent information. A catalogue is not a dialogue and lacks

engagement. Less is more. A CV is like a rococo building – there is too

much to take in — and the wood is obscured by the trees. The second

flaw is the emphasis on criteria rather than competencies, which is

related to the third flaw: CVs are not customer friendly. Competencies

aid the recruitment process. They increase the chance of you being

shortlisted. They improve the interview process by examining how you

have coped in the past to describe how your experiences can be applied

to the future. Competencies increase the likelihood of you being

hired as they help unearth what makes you tick and why you are a good

fit for the organization. A criteria-based CV therefore needs to be

deciphered. Deciphering is an inexact science. You rely on a third party

to break the code. Recruitment agencies may get it wrong when

making value judgements about you based on less relevant infor-

mation. They will make these value judgements quickly yet you have

provided a catalogue of information that is not focused on their needs.

The CV is under a barrage of consistent attack. However, the biggest

force toppling the apparent ubiquity of the CV is the changing

corporate landscape.


20

criteria are but not

Chopping the corporate structure down to size

The Man from the Pru, the blue-suited IBM sales man and the Japan-

ese salaryman evoke the era of the company man working within

a pyramid-shaped, hierarchical organization. These command-and-

control structures relied for their success on recruiting specialist

functional knowledge into defined silos. There was an emphasis on

long-term employment, time in a position was important, knowledge

rested within the company and there were clear rules for performance.

Careers were essentially vertical as well as defined and delivered

through the company.

This organizational structure of time lines, functions and vertical

progressions moulded your career. Your CV unsurprisingly mirrors this

current organizational structure which in turn mirrors the structure

and shape of many recruitment agencies with functional and industry-

led silos of ‘expertise’. All this changes in a new world of exploding

organizational change.

There is a healthy academic debate on the actual breadth, depth and

speed of organizational change. This in turn affects career patterns, the

nature and scope of management, and the skills and abilities required

for the future. However, one thing is not debatable. Change is

happening and it has been happening for the last 30 years.


21

important that important

We are seeing the erosion and breakdown of this predominant

corporate hegemony, albeit earlier in some industries than others,

coupled with the rise of the ‘individual’ or ‘intelligent’ career, in

response to a more flexible, decentralized, increasingly virtual, matrix

organization. A process that began slowly and predominantly in the

early 1970s with the economic slowdown has precipitated into a

seismic shift, compounded by the dot.com bubble and reinforced by

the recent 21st century global slowdown and the likely impact of

technology.

The relevance and usefulness of the command-and-control organi-

zation is being challenged. Organizational boundaries are constantly

being redrawn in an ebb and flow as organizations seek to drive

competitive advantage, manage uncertainty, deliver the promised

upside from technology and find their feet in a global economy. The

world has been re-engineered, restructured, merged, consolidated,

networked, matrixed, downsized and de-layered. Thinner and flatter

organizations emerge that lack the formal ties of hierarchy, functional

specialists and job titles. New organizational models based on virtual

companies with virtual teams, existing only in cyberspace, irrespective


22

new-style need managers

capable of learning

of time, space and location, not practicably conceivable several decades

ago, could turn into the paradigm of the future.

But let’s not get carried away. The world is never an open-and-shut case

of black and white. Rather, there are myriad shades of shifting grey.

Today, the organizational landscape is littered with varying organiza-

tional structures adapting to their market niches. A continuum of

organizational structures now exists, sometimes coexisting at the same

time, with extremes at either end. We see this range from traditional

command-and-control centralized organizations with the emphasis on

capital allocation, clear demarcation lines and agreements with other

companies, to the flexible, decentralized team-based organizational

models emphasizing networked relationships across a flexible matrix

with the emphasis on individuals having knowledge, taking action

and doing the right thing. However, the fragmentation and erosion of

organizational structures changes the way your career will evolve

and happen.

These new-style organizations will need managers who are flexible,

capable of learning and displaying new skills for the performance of a


23

organizations will who are flexible, and displaying new skills

wide range of changing tasks. Changes in managers’ careers therefore

come from changes in organizations. This in turn leads to new theories

on managerial action, where there is far greater autonomy and fewer

directives than in the old bureaucracy. You will need to learn and adapt

rather than simply perform and execute. Competencies and internal

motivations become more crucial as boundaries evolve.

Iain Herbertson, CEO of Manpower UK, the world’s biggest employment

agency, put it like this in a recent BBC Radio 4 interview:

“For everyone to recognize that in today’s world all of us need to keep

refreshing our skills and picking up training so that we are best equipped,

we have transferable skills so that we can take advantage of new work

opportunities that occur … that reflects some of the changes in the

employment patterns taking place.”What you do, when you do it, with whom you work, how you work, and

where you do it are all changing into a complex web of multiple relation-

ships. People are now managing their careers actively. Career variety is

part and parcel of the career landscape and not necessarily within the

same company. Indeed, it is generally accepted that we will now have

several careers. Fuzzy and flexible working patterns proliferate, vertical

career paths can replace horizontal ones probably crossing lines, project


24

Your CV belongs obsolete corporate

teams replace functional teams, flexibility and agility are key dynamics,

multiple skills are required to navigate around, loyalty to the company

declines and the individual owns their career. Specialist knowledge

becomes less important than the ability to get things done.

As your career is owned by you and is less dependent on an organi-

zation to execute it, you need to ask yourself, ‘What drives me? What

is my ideal job? Which skills and relationships are most important?’

This shift begins with looking at what’s available so you can find the

job to fit you rather than fit yourself to the job.

As organizational boundaries change, the nature and types of careers

that are possible change. As careers change, shouldn’t you consider

how you sell yourself to make the best opportunity of this new-world

paradigm? And, as there is an increasing reliance on individual

learning, adaptation and competencies, then surely a criteria-based,

functional, linear CV is the wrong document? Your CV belongs to the

days of those obsolete corporate monoliths that are crumbling and

changing around you.

You need to look at the organizational models of today and see how

they are responding to the future. You need to respond and be in tune

with the changing workplace.


25

to the days of thosemonoliths that are crumbling

Don’t try and solve the issues you have writing a CV as you are

correcting a fundamentally flawed document. Rather than focus on

criteria and the linear past, you now need to consider your future

capability in a non-linear dynamic world and how you prove this to

others: this is where the Elevator Pitch comes in.

Welcome to the Elevator Pitch.


26

29

2The birth of theElevator Pitch

“CVs try to sell, the Elevator Pitch will make employers want tobuy.” Charlie Dobres, CEO of i-Level

chapter


30

The Elevator Pitch is the new and improved way to summarize your

career and work experience so that better and faster hiring decisions

can be made. In this chapter we focus on defining the distinct elements

of the Elevator Pitch and in Chapter 3 we will show you how to write

your own Elevator Pitch.

A traditional CV emphasizes criteria such as job title to employment

history in order to place a value on your career. A CV concentrates on

what you are and where you have done it. They are linear static

Answers what and where

CV begins hereby placingimportance onthese attributes

Elevator Pitch beginshere by placingimportance on thesecompetencies asevidenced by yourachievements

Job 1

Answers how and who

EP buyCV sell

Job 2 Job 3

Function

Industry

Results

Competencies

Job 4 Job 5

Figure 2.1 The correct starting point

The Elevator Pitch who you are and

T H E B I R T H O F T H E E L E VATO R P I TC H

31

concentrates on why you are who you are

documents written in reverse chronological order. In the last chapter

we saw that CVs are fatally flawed. The inherent weakness of your CV

restricts your ability to find the best job as the real reason for

employing you is hidden. Your information is not correctly prioritized

and you fail to answer why you would be a great employee.

On the other hand an Elevator Pitch begins with your behaviours,

skills, traits and abilities that define and help predict how you will

perform in the future. An Elevator Pitch does not need to be

deciphered. Your Elevator Pitch focuses on who you are and how you

do it. Your Elevator Pitch is dynamic and non linear. Your Elevator

Pitch will be concise, relevant and targeted. Your Elevator Pitch only

highlights the information necessary to help you secure your next job

allowing your prospective employer to quickly and easily answer the

question ‘What does this person do or offer me? What is their value

add?’ This give you a better chance of securing a place on the shortlist

and therefore a job.

Figure 2.1 neatly captures this new perspective and starting point: the

correct starting point of an Elevator Pitch and the wrong starting point

of a CV.


32

There are four core elements to your Elevator Pitch,

➡ Personal details. Name, contact details including your e-mail

address and international dialling codes.

➡ Your Personal Promise. Think of this as your own executive

summary, based on the three core components of who you are,

how you do it and what you do.

➡ Your Transferable Assets. These are your competencies, behav-

iours, traits and abilities that are relevant to the job you are

Competencies themselves in you

What you are

What youhave doneWhere you

have done it

Adjectives

Contactdetails

Linear career historyCriteria based

FunctionResults

PersonalPromise

Contactdetails

CompetenciesResults

Non linearDynamic

Careerbiography

CV Your ElevatorPitch

Who you areHow you do itWhat you do

How you do itHow you can

do it again

Figure 2.2 Highlighting the big difference


33

applying for. Your achievements are used as evidence of your skill

in that particular competency

➡ Short career biography. A list of the companies you have worked for,

positions held and length of service.

Figure 2.2 shows the differences between a CV and your Elevator Pitch.

The Personal PromiseThe Personal Promise is your executive summary. It replaces the list of

unstructured adjectives that many people include on a CV. If you have

ever reviewed several CVs, these adjectives become meaningless as

everyone uses stock phrases. Your Personal Promise has three key

components.

➡ Who you are

➡ How you do it

➡ What you do

In Chapter 5, you will find a number of Elevator Pitches. From these,

two Personal Promises have been highlighted as they provide good

examples of tackling the three components in a couple of sentences.

“I bring zest for life to my work making ideas happen. 14 years of practical,

integrated marketing ideas generation for both clients and advertising

agencies across the world.”

manifest and are hard to imitate


34

“Customer-focused, intelligent risk taker. Direction setter of inventive

solutions with the willingness to absorb situations and get on with it. 28

years’ leadership of multimillion-dollar mechanical engineering projects in

the international oil industry.”The Personal Promise is similar to a strapline in a magazine: easy to

take in and very easily understood. The Personal Promise sets the tone

and style of the Elevator Pitch. It is an umbrella statement that the rest

of your Elevator Pitch sets out to prove.

Transferable Assets

Transferable Assets are your fiduciary currency. Just as a bank note

promises to pay the bearer a certain sum in the future, your Trans-

ferable Assets are your tokens that guarantee the promise of your

future contribution and value.

A Transferable Asset is a competency that you are skilled in. A compe-

tency is what you are good at. More importantly, they are what you are

better at than other people, so they have a degree of relative and absolute

measure. A competency is one aspect of your make-up, your under-

lying motives and traits that differentiate outstanding from typical

performance. Competencies give you a source of differentiation and

generate distinct value and benefits. Competencies manifest themselves

in you and are hard to imitate.

Competencies focus on how you do a job and the way you do it rather

than what you do. They describe the underlying characteristics that

enable you to perform better in your role and go beyond the traditional

focus of your qualifications, technical skills and experience. Compe-

tencies are observable and measurable. Some competencies are easy to

pick up, while others are difficult to learn and some cannot be acquired.


35

The key is to discover the ones you have, the ones that you are devel-

oping, and the ones that are sitting on the horizon. In this way, you will

see the progression of the early behaviours that form a competency.

To understand and get to grips with your Transferable Assets you need

to quantify their quality. This quantification process can be absolute,

relative or perceived. It also needs to be objective and ideally bench-

marked against norms. In Chapter 3, we show you in detail how to

define your own Transferable Assets.

You can also be skilled, unskilled or overskilled in your use of each compe-

tency. The word ‘skill’ refers to your degree of ability or capability. If you

have demonstrated a competency just once, then it is unlikely that you are

skilled in that area, so you cannot claim it is one of your Transferable

Assets. Conversely, one can become overskilled or over-reliant in the use

of one competency, which negates the upside of using the competency.

We can merely scratch the surface of competencies in this book. There is

a wealth of data on competencies. If you type the word ‘competency’ into

a good search engine, you’ll find hundreds and thousands of references.

Hay McBer and Lominger are the leaders of this field and their websites

are good starting points: www.lominger.com; www.haygroup.com. Happy

hunting.

Your Transferable Assets define you. They are you. They are your

essential building blocks. Your Transferable Assets form your

Career DNA.

Career DNA

Your Career DNA sets you apart from all other individuals and gives

you your own Career DNA fingerprint that is easily identifiable.

However, unlike biological DNA, your Career DNA expands as you


36

CV

Advertisement

Recruitment agency

Job description/brief

Interview

Competencybased

measures

Criteria-basedmeasures

How you should present yourself onyour EP and during an interview

Emph

asis

you

r pr

ospe

ctiv

eem

ploy

er s

houl

d pl

ace

oncr

iteri

a an

d co

mpe

tenc

ies

Figure 2.3 The Elevator Pitch redresses the balance

experience new roles, dynamics, cultures, events and tasks within the

workplace and social environment.

When constructing your Elevator Pitch you need to pick and select the

relevant and most pertinent Transferable Assets to suit the project

you’re facing. This is fairly similar to your own biological DNA, when

certain parts of the genetic code are switched on and other parts

switched off to form specialized cells most suited to the task in hand.

Competencies also help you understand the type of organization and

culture where you thrive best as a company’s culture is defined by the

people it employs.

Through placing emphasis on competencies, you redress the recruitment

balance (Figures 2.3 and 2.4).

The Elevator Pitch reverses the CV (Figure 2.5).


37

Your fundamental building blocksWho you areWhy you are who you areHow you do itWhy you can do it again

Hierarchy of emphasis of what you expose to the world

Functional, criteria-led, linear catalogueWhat you areWhere you have beenWhat you have done

Figure 2.5 The brilliant Elevator Pitch principle

Executivesummary

Your PersonalPromise

TransferableAsset

TransferableAsset 1

TransferableAsset 2

TransferableAsset 3

TransferableAsset 4

Results

Results AResults B

Results CResults D

Results EResults F

Results GResults H

Job

Job 4Job 3

Job 3Job 2

Job 4Job 4

Industrysector

Industry BIndustry B

Industry BIndustry A

Industry BIndustry B

Career history

Chronologicaljob history

Functionalgrowth

Hierarchy of emphasis of what you expose to the world

Figure 2.4 The Elevator Pitch framework

The Career DNA Bank

You will discover you have many Transferable Assets. You will use a

selection of your Transferable Assets on each Elevator Pitch you write.

You need a quick and easy way to refer to your Transferable Assets so

you can pick and choose the best ones for the job you are applying for.

We have called this your Career DNA Bank.

Essentially you should think of your Career DNA Bank as a toolkit. A

Career DNA Bank is a repository of your Transferable Assets. These

Transferable Assets can be either deposited or withdrawn at will to target

a specific industry or role fully maximizing your potential.


38

Competencies

People-specific

Job-specific

Function-specific

Behaviour-specific

Examples

Works the matrix, persuasive, inspirational manager,cares about direct reports

Understands role within organization, robust analyticalskills, customer segmentation, articulate spokesperson,works hard, plays hardUnderstands what goes on around the organization,fiscally, legally, operations, external ventures

Emotional IQ, sets correct targets, results-driven, long-rangethinking, stands alone and challenges convention, intellectuallysharp and agile, picks up concepts easily

Your

Car

eer

DN

A B

ank

Figure 2.6 Your Career DNA Bank

A Career DNA Bank is good allowing you to make bespoke Elevator

Pitches. How often have you done this in the past with your CV? Not

much is our guess, as the level of tailoring is pretty limited with a time-

line, criteria-based CV. However Transferable Assets can be presented

in a much more dynamic and fluid manner adjusting to your needs. The

results-driven evidence that supports each Transferable Asset can be

displayed in a number of ways and different evidence can be used to

support variations in the overall Transferable Asset.

Transferable Assets can be grouped into four clusters: job-specific,

people-specific, function-specific and behaviour-specific assets

(Figure 2.6).


39






Returning to work

Interim management



Personal Promise

Contact details

Career history Two-

way

feed

back

on

mes

sage

all

the

time

Transferable Asset 1Transferable Asset 2Transferable Asset 3Transferable Asset 4Transferable Asset 5

Match Transferable Assets to opportunity usingCareer DNA Bank containing Transferable Assets

Figure 2.7 Mud thrown is lost ground – the importance of the message

Figure 2.7 shows the elements of an Elevator Pitch.

The Elevator Pitch aids dialogue and encourages communication in a

common and universally recognized language that is used by your

customers. There is no need to decipher the information as a common

bond is established. The Elevator Pitch is highly adaptable.

Your Elevator Pitch helps you get the job you want.

3Writing your

Elevator Pitch “CV’s try to sell, the Elevator Pitch will make employers want

to buy ” Charlie Dobres, CEO of i-Level

chapter

41


42

To write your own Elevator Pitch, you must first consider each element.

There are four core elements to your Elevator Pitch,

➡ Personal details: name and contact details, including your email

address and international dialling code. This is self-explanatory.

➡ Your Personal Promise, based on the three core components of who

you are, how you do it, and what you do.

➡ Your Transferable Assets, chosen from your Career DNA Bank

justified by the use of results, which we call quantifying the

quality.

➡ Short career biography, stating the companies you have worked for,

positions held, and length of service.

The Elevator Pitch should reflect the needs of your audience. We know

they are looking for concise, relevant, targeted and pertinent infor-

mation. We also know they don’t have a lot of time. Help them,

because you will be helping yourself. Write a short Elevator Pitch. If

you cannot write your Elevator Pitch on one page, why not rethink

what you are writing? If it is more than two pages long, you are

definitely not being hard enough on yourself.

The Elevator Pitch the needs of

W R I T I N G YO U R E L E VATO R P I TC H

43

Your Personal Promise

Your Personal Promise is your executive summary. It is you in a

nutshell. How do you crack it? All Personal Promises are founded on

three component questions:

➡ Who you are?

➡ How you do it?

➡ What you do?

Before we learn how to write your own Personal Promise, let’s consider

two we have already seen in Chapter 2 and pull them apart.

Bill’s Personal Promise is: ‘I bring zest for life to my work, making ideas

happen. 14 years of practical, integrated marketing ideas generation for

both clients and advertising agencies across the world.’

John’s Personal Promise is: ‘Customer focused, intelligent risk taker.

Direction setter of inventive solutions with the willingness to absorb

situations and get on with it. 28 years’ leadership of $ multimillion

mechanical engineering projects in the international oil industry.’

should reflect your audience


44

The ‘Who you are?’ component is answered by ‘I bring zest for life to

my work’ and ‘Customer-focused, intelligent risk taker’. What does

this tell you about these two people? One has a sense of fun and

passion, and plays hard and works hard, in a larger-than-life outgoing

capacity. The second person is more contained, in a balanced practical

manner, and relishes challenges and the associated risk. John is

passionate about his customers and what they want yet he is willing to

make that big leap through quantifying the risk.

The second component is ‘How you do it?’ This is a summation of your

overall competencies at a broad level. Here, we have ‘Making ideas

happen [through the zest for life]’ and ‘Direction setter of inventive

solutions with the willingness to absorb situations and get on with it’.

What underpins these statements? In order to make things happen,

Bill challenges the way things are done, asks whether they can be done

better and doesn’t just think about an idea but acts upon it and gets

stuck in. John’s statement shows he is a man who is comfortable and

content in fluid situations requiring flexibility of mind, balanced by the

ability to juggle many balls simultaneously. During all of this he

inspires confidence in his team coupled with the ability to cut to the

main issue and assess what is important, why it is important and how

Your Personal be direct,


45

it should be tackled, sometimes in an unorthodox yet highly practical

and pragmatic manner.

The third question that needs answering is, ‘What do you do?’ This is

the only part of the Elevator Pitch that is criteria-based with a linear,

functional perspective. It provides the support for the two previous

questions. Both have tackled this by showing the length of time,

industry sector and geographical regions where they have worked: ‘14

years of practical, integrated marketing ideas generation for both

clients and advertising agencies across the world’ and ‘28 years

leadership of $ multimillion mechanical engineering projects in the

international oil industry’.

Your Personal Promise should be direct, simple, clear and directional.

It should be you. There should be a part of you in the Personal Promise

that your friends could spot. It is the umbrella statement that sets out

your stall, which your Transferable Assets then support. The Personal

Promise is the conductor and your Transferable Assets are the

orchestra. The Personal Promise is your sound bite.

We would expect to see further evidence that proves these statements

in their full Elevator Pitches.

Promise should simple, clear and directional


46

Seems easy enough doesn’t it, but let’s start in another industry.

We’ve all heard that movies are pitched to studios. Budding writers

toil over a story, craft a synopsis, and then ruthlessly simplify it down

to a core sound bite. The sound bite for Alien was allegedly ‘Jaws in

Space’.

This sound bite is known as a positioning statement. Positioning was

first defined by Ries and Trout in the early 1970s and has become the

underpinning of the marketing world over the last 30 years. Many

people talk positioning. But few really do it. The fundamental premise

is to concentrate on the relationships in your customers’ minds and

reconnect them in new and exciting ways. That’s why ‘Jaws in Space’

works so well.

Everybody, unconsciously or consciously, practises rudimentary

positioning. Positioning is a prerequisite for selective communication.

How many messages do you receive in any one day? Not just

commercial messages, such as advertising hoardings or television

commercials, but what about that selective political sound bite on

international or domestic affairs? Was it the whole truth? Of course

not. We don’t have the time or the space in our heads for the whole

truth. Selective communication reigns supreme in our 24/7 world.

Global companies such as Unilever or Shell practise positioning to find

angles for their products. Countries do it to encourage tourism. Cities

does your


47

do it. People do it. It is an angle. It is selective communication, not all-

encompassing communication.

When you become selective in your approach to communication you

must ask yourself what particular aspect you wish to showcase and

what would help your customers buy from you.

It’s excellent practice to play with pitching your favourite movie, book

or play in this way so that when it comes to you the whole process will

become much easier. You’ll then find it easier to be ruthlessly selective

and to focus only on your advantages and benefits.

What’s your sound bite? What’s your Personal Promise? You may have

30 seconds to convince someone to hire you. Or you may get 2 minutes

or 10. Don’t they say first impressions count? What do you say?

Why not write it down? Did you think like your CV – straitjacketed into

convention? What did you leave out? Why? What was your focus on?

Was it chronological? Autobiographical? Perhaps functional? Did you

refer to things you had done and achieved in the past? Or did you focus

on how you might be described by your partner? Was it a linear view?

Perhaps you outlined several objective–analysis–action–result-style

scenarios. Did you emphasize the blue-chip nature of your career to

date? Or did you focus on the bigger picture? Perhaps you highlighted

the boldness of your entrepreneurial stance in a task-driven culture. Or

Personal Promisesell you?


48

maybe your personal capital. You undoubtedly looked into your past

career and highlighted a couple of facets that you felt proud of.

If a sound bite can sell a movie, does your Personal Promise sell you?

Does your Personal Promise cover the three bases?

➡ Who you are?

➡ How you do it?

➡ What you do?

The first component, ‘Who you are?’, is best answered by thinking of

examples from other fields and then applying these to yourself. If you

were to describe your best friend, how would you describe them? You’d

probably focus on a string of adjectives that bring their personality to

life rather than their physical description. It’s simple to describe your

friends. What would they say about you? Go and grab your favourite

author. How have they described their characters and places? There is

probably some haunting description you read months ago that lurks in

your mind as a powerful evocation of someone’s intent. What is yours?

How does this translate into your work experience?

To answer the second question, ‘How you do it?’, you need to think

about why someone is better than someone else, and then apply this to

yourself. What makes for a great doctor rather than a mediocre doctor?

Is it the number of patients they can see in a day, or is it the reassurance

and self-confidence of their bedside manner, their compassion, or the

way they make bad news sound just that bit better? Think about some

of your previous bosses. What made one better than the other? What

distinguished their performance? Did they focus solely on the end

result and nothing about the means? Or did they create strong morale

and spirit in their team? Were the wins and successes shared? Did


49

they create a feeling of belonging? Did they provide challenging and

stretching tasks? Were they dedicated to their customers? Did they

quickly zero in on the essential items and create focus? Did you

admire their inspirational leadership qualities? Were they a doer? Did

the impossible happen? Similarly, going back in time, you probably

respected and responded better to some teachers than others. Which

teachers do you still think about, and why? Did they involve you? Were

the lessons fun? Why were they fun? What did they do to make them

fun? Did they root a theoretical subject in the everyday here and now?

Did they pass on a burning passion for their subject and make you want

to find out more? Did you gaze at the night sky after a physics lesson

and dream about the enormity of the universe? What are the overall

patterns of behaviour that you have? Quite simply, how do you do

things? What’s your fire?

The third part of the Personal Promise is linear and criteria-based. This

is a summary of your experience, the industry sector or sectors, your

profession and perhaps geographical location.

Figure 3.1 summarizes the types of question that you may find useful

in creating your Personal Promise.

You do not need to have just one Personal Promise. There will be times

when you wish to portray slightly different aspects of your character.

Once you have created your first Personal Promise, try and look at

yourself from different angles and see other facets that might be useful.

However, to write your Personal Promise, and to produce the perfect

set-up for your Elevator Pitch, you need to create your Transferable

Assets and populate your Career DNA Bank.


50

Defining your Transferable Assets

You now need to populate your Career DNA Bank with your Trans-

ferable Assets and the evidence that can be used as substantiation.

There are four basic steps in identifying and evidencing your Trans-

ferable Assets:

1. Look back on your career and deconstruct it project by project,

thinking about each objective, your analysis, the resulting action,

and the end result.

2. Understand what the objectives, analysis, actions and results tell

you about your behaviours and motives.

Who you are?

How you do it?

What you do?

How do your friends describe you?How would your favourite author describe you?What’s your strapline?What would a TV ad for you say?

What makes a teacher a good teacher?What makes a doctor a good doctor?What makes a boss a good boss?What makes you a good employee/employer/interim manager?

Number of years workedIndustry sectorProfession and geographical location

Figure 3.1 The Personal Promise

try and look at different


51

3. Create your Transferable Assets by looking at the behaviours and

competencies you can support.

4. Create your Career DNA Bank.

Step 1 Deconstructing your career

To begin this process, you need to take a thorough look back through

your career, concentrating on those situations where you have been

highly successful. You should consider not only the macro-objectives,

such as a 10% growth in profit margin year on year, but also the micro-

objectives behind this that led you to achieving that growth.

You may have already done some of this work for your appraisals and in

constructing your original CV. One of the tools you may find useful is

the objectives–analysis–action–results (OAAR) approach. This is a

fairly standard approach to quantifying results within given parameters:

➡ What were the objectives?

➡ What analysis did you make?

➡ What action did you take?

➡ What were the results?

yourself from angles


52

Here is an example of a top-line OAAR study from a veterinary nurse:

Objective: To lead and ensure the smooth running of a team of seven

nurses in a busy mixed country practice.

Analysis: Benchmark similar practices around the country. Looked at

previous two years’ vet practice management (who does what, where,

when, why). Found seasonal trend.

Action: Developed new staff rotas. Created optimal business mix, freed

up additional 20 hours a month of time for every four employees.

Results: An efficient practice where vets could be vets. Ensured nursing

staff were available for theatre, consulting, laboratory, hospitalized

patients, practice administration including small-animal claim forms,

nursing rotas, and on-call out-of-hour duties. Made time available for

practice nurses and resources for the dispensing of drugs and the

teaching of student nurses..

really important found behind the

However, the really important information can be found behind the

smaller steps you took in order to deliver the whole objective. Did you

need to manage your team in a different manner or reorganize it? What


53

processes and procedures did you need? How did you manage the

learning requirements of your team? Was there a new business win

that drove margins higher but required greater relationship skills? You

should then reanalyze each of these micro-objectives and ask yourself

what you did, how you did it, and why you did it. Again, you may find

you need to be even more granular and repeat the process again and

again. It may help you to think of this whole exercise as a Russian doll:

opening one doll reveals the next, opening that doll reveals the next,

and so on. Each new doll exposed takes you deeper into your analysis

and actions, which constitute how you delivered the larger objective.

On the surface you may find that answering these questions is a simple

and straightforward affair. However, peeling back the layers to get

under your skin can be trickier than it looks. Here are some questions

that might help:

➡ How did you arrive at the objectives?

➡ What skills did you use to analyse the project?

➡ How did you go about implementing the objectives and analysis?

➡ How were the results derived?

➡ What did you actually do to solve the problem?

information can be smaller steps you took


54

➡ How did others contribute?

➡ How were resources managed?

➡ How did you formulate the answer?

➡ What barriers did you encounter?

➡ How did they affect the project?

➡ What made the difference?

➡ What were the organizational factors?

➡ Which behaviours worked, and why?

Probably the easiest way to do this exercise is to write a narrative story.

Get everything down. Then rewrite it several times until you reach a

logical, neat story. Here is an example from Michael’s experiences at Dell:

Whilst working for the European head office of Dell Computers I was

tasked with delivering and running the new corporate brand advertising

campaign across Europe and so effect changes in Dell’s brand equity. This

involved planning and buying print and television media across several

European countries, as well as adapting our television commercials, which

had been shot in both the USA and Europe, for a European audience.

However, there was one small problem. Television advertising is

expensive. It is especially expensive when buying commercials in pro-

grammes that attract a business audience such as news and current

affairs. I had to ensure I invested the media budget wisely and effectively

to deliver our objectives. Germany, in particular, was in need of extra

help. It was a key strategic sales geography as well as being the largest

European IT market so we needed to provide a sustained and enhanced

campaign without compromising our other markets. There was not

enough money to do this.


55

When budgets and objectives don’t square, you have two choices:

change the objective or change the budget. You also have a third choice:

change the budget without actually changing the budget.

The campaign was launched with a budget nearly 50% greater than

originally planned. This allowed Dell to dramatically increase the

campaign’s reach and effectiveness and allowed us to fully support each

business and especially support the German market over a period of

one year. However, this budget increase was achieved without needing

extra cash.

The ‘zero cost incremental budget’ was delivered through a series of

innovative, symbiotic, back-to-back deals with a range of partners

covering the worlds of media, sport and IT. It proved conclusively that

there is such a thing as a free lunch. The astonishing net result was the

delivery of one year’s free airtime on two German television stations on

top of the already planned media, as well as Dell becoming the primary

sponsor of the newly minted Williams BMW 1999 Le Mans Racing Team,

again for nothing.

For those racing fanatics, 1999 was the year that Williams BMW won

Le Mans. Suddenly, our primary sponsorship of a racing car reaped the

additional benefits of a free global sponsorship property. This covered

major worldwide television coverage during the race through to BMW’s

advertising across the world announcing their win. Naturally, the Dell

logo was always visible and shining bright. Model cars were sent to our

customers. Books were published with tailored dust jackets. The win

was also used in Dell’s own direct-response advertising to convey

leadership. Employees were excited and it became the highest visited

page within the European Dell internal newsletter hosted on our

intranet.


56

A major success that began by looking at how to increase budgets

without extra cash and ended with a highly visible global sponsorship

project and a robust year-long media campaign in Germany.

You may find it helpful to transfer the key learnings to a simple OAAR

table. Naturally, you will find that for each area, you will be writing

several different OAAR scripts as the layers are pulled back and

exposed.

Step 2 Understanding what the analysis, action and resultstell you – who you are, how you did it, what you did, andwhere you did it

Once you have constructed your basic story outlines, you need to

analyze what each part actually means. The objective provides the

context to the problem or opportunity. The analysis and action sections

provide the clues to your behaviour patterns. These two key sections

answer the question, ‘How do you do things?’ The end result answers

what you did. In the future months and years, you would not be

seeking to replicate the result, but you would be seeking to use the

behaviours underlying your analysis and action, and applying these to

new opportunities and problems. This is shown in Figure 3.2.

Referring back to the case study of Michael at Dell, we can see how he

has analyzed what he did and what behaviours he demonstrated.

What were the motives, traits and behaviour patterns that made

How do


57

him successful in delivering the outcome required and distinguished

excellent performance from average performance?

The overall objective was to deliver a change in Dell’s brand equity

through running a corporate television campaign across Europe. The

first analysis found that the objectives and budgets were incompatible.

This created a new micro-objective to leverage the existing funds and

make them go further. The analysis was to create a step change in the

budget by looking outside the normal funding arena and developing new

models of participation. The action was a series of lateral, creative,

symbiotic and interlinking partnerships with companies inside and

outside the IT arena. The result was a 50% increase in budget without

any cost to Dell, as well as the creation of a free global sponsorship

property.

Figure 3.2 Key performance indicators

Objective

Analysis

Action

Results

Provides

Context

How you do itWho you are

How you do itWho you are

What you do

Implication

Benchmark

You can do it again

You can do it again

History

you do things?


58

There’s a bias for action and results. There is a thirst for tough and

unfamiliar challenges coupled with the desire and need to seize an

opportunity. It incorporates a commercial knowledge and cultural

understanding of the business. It shouts loudly about his creativity

and freshness of thinking, showing an intellectually agile mind

capable of juggling concepts and complexity. A tenacity to break the

mould, to experiment, and to not accept the status quo is clearly

defined. Good-quality decisions were made under extreme time

pressures, often without all the data. And there is a clear creative

edge to solving problems and seeing patterns where none existed

previously.

On top of these behaviours, Michael also relied on his 15 years of

advertising and marketing knowledge to help ground his actions and

break down the desired outcome into smaller chunks.

There are many facets to a work project of this nature. There are many

desired outcomes, and many OAARs can be built. For example, one

starting point for analysis could be the actual changes in brand equity.

Another could be how well the agencies were managed and the sub-

sequent media planning and buying performance. Each of these stories

would emphasize a set of behaviours that could be drawn upon in

different ways.

Here is another example, from Bill, illustrating the analysis of one part

of the role he played in winning new business for his company.

Whilst working in Australia for a top advertising agency, I was responsible

for generating new business opportunities. A newspaper group came to

us with a fascinating dilemma. How could we help them strengthen their


59

customer service by improving the relationship between their salesforce

and their client counterparts whilst driving efficiencies by providing

accurate up-to-the-minute information regardless of the Australian time

zones? My task was to win the business.

We identified a number of new customers alongside those identified in

their original brief. We created interlinked intranet, internet and extranet

sites sharing common data that provided customized information to each

audience. This allowed their sales teams to be fully up to date whenever

and wherever they were providing enhanced client service. For their

clients, it delivered a greater speed of response.

I had to manage teams, marshal resources, gain direction and buy-in,

set priorities, understand the commercial imperatives of their business,

step back and see the wider context and the big picture.

Each story and each OAAR set helps you understand your behaviours,

base traits and motives. Following is a list of some of the themes and

behaviours that could underlie some of your Transferable Assets. It is

by no means exhaustive, but should be used merely to get you thinking

about how you might describe how you behave. Think back to the type

of interview questions you have been asked. There are some classic

questions, such as, ‘Have you led a team during a crisis? How did this

compare with calmer times?’ or ‘Tell me about a time you had to deal

with conflict.’ Think of all the questions that tried to get under your

skin and highlight the behaviours you have. Write down these

questions. Write down the questions you ask others. Look for the

groups of behaviours. Think about how you might respond. Go back to

your OAAR analysis. Look for commonly used threads:


60

➡ Good negotiator

➡ Provides perspective

➡ Sees patterns and trends

➡ Customer-focused

➡ Flexibility and adaptability

➡ Copes with the unexpected

➡ Moves on and is not phased

➡ Intellectual agility

➡ Inclusive and collaborative

across the matrix

➡ Green-fielding

➡ It ain’t what you do, it’s the

way that you do it

➡ Passionate

➡ Deals with imprecision

➡ Helps others succeed

➡ Resourceful

➡ Rigorous strategic thinker

➡ Works through others to

deliver objectives

➡ Commercial awareness

➡ Creativity and innovation

➡ Lateral thinker

➡ Committed

➡ Solid business strategist

➡ Resource- and team-

management

➡ Plain speaker

➡ Motivational leader

➡ Provides practical business

solutions

➡ Results-driven

➡ Business builder

➡ Understands people

➡ Business development

➡ Consistent

➡ Information gathering

➡ Situational awareness

➡ Effective communicator

➡ Technical and practical

aptitude

➡ Building great teams

➡ Relationship and partnership

building

➡ Challenges convention

➡ Sales development


61

➡ Ability to influence

➡ Problem solver

➡ Motivates others

➡ Cares for people

➡ Managing and measuring

➡ Decision making

➡ Managing through systems

➡ Planning

➡ Stands alone

➡ Thrives on challenges

➡ Facilitates organizational

success

➡ Forward thinking

➡ Identify viable business

Opportunities

➡ Intellectual power

➡ Rational yet analytical

enquiring mind

➡ Long-range thinker

➡ Cuts to the core of what is

required

➡ Identifies priority actions

➡ Gives others scope and

freedom to act

➡ Discovers concepts, trends

and patterns

➡ Draws inferences

➡ Abstract reasoning

➡ Verbal reasoning

➡ Tenacity to deliver

➡ Tenacity to break the mould

➡ Driven style

➡ Principled

➡ Integrity and trust

➡ Honesty

➡ Loyal

➡ Intellectual breadth and

depth

➡ Sets priorities

➡ Comfortably handles risk

and uncertainty

➡ Can shift gears

➡ Mentoring

➡ Understands and uses the

informal network to get

things done


62

Step 3 Allocating a skill level to each of your identifiedcompetencies creates your Transferable Assets

A Transferable Asset is a competency or behaviour that you are skilled

in. How do you determine the skill level you attribute to a competence?

This depends on a number of things.

It could be the number of times it has been used; you can check this by

looking at the frequency at which the same type of behaviour or group

of behaviours crops up in your analyses of projects. It might help you

to construct a table like that shown in Figure 3.3.

Objective

Analysis

Action

Results

Your story Behaviours displayed Arranged into groups

Figure 3.3 Key performance indicators

Superficiality


63

How effective have you been in using the competence and to what

extent has it influenced the outcome of projects? These can be used as

major indicators as to whether this competence is a real strength.

The acid test is how many concrete examples you can provide. If you

claim to be innovative, then you will need several examples to prove it.

The proof is not just the examples you write for your Elevator Pitch.

These are meant to be the best examples that you would prioritize over

others and talk about first. What would happen if you were asked for

another example of this style of behaviour? And another? And

another? You need to be able to drill down and provide the depth and

breadth of your skills and abilities in this area. Superficiality counts for

nothing. Not everyone is results-driven. Not everyone is innovative.

Not everyone is creative. What are you?

Look back at your OAAR tables. Do you see common patterns? What

behaviours do you display?

Step 4 Creating your Career DNA Bank

Your Career DNA is stored in a Career DNA Bank. Think of this as a

deposit account. Identifying all your Transferable Assets at the outset

ensures you have a full bank account with a rich currency reserve.

Many of us have numerous Transferable Assets, all of which are

counts for nothing

relevant. Just not all at the same time. Some have been built up, while

others are being nurtured and progressed. This is an ongoing process

throughout your whole career.

You have identified consistently used behaviour patterns. These need

to be written up ready for use in your Elevator Pitches.

John Baldwin has identified his Transferable Assets using the processes

described and built his own Career DNA Bank. He has used a three-

step process to write and explain his Transferable Assets that are going

to be used in his Elevator Pitch:

Step 1: Decide what key words best describe your Transferable Assets in

a positive and realistic way. You are looking to impress upon the reader

that you are the right person for the role, so choose your words carefully.

It is imperative that the style and tone of your Transferable Assets reflect

you and evidences your Personal Promise. It is worth reminding yourself

at this stage of phrases that would be considered as negative and would

create unfavourable impressions. It is a sure-fire way of making sure you

don’t use them by mistake. John initially created the table shown in

Figure 3.4.

Step 2: You have selected key descriptive words and/or phrases to help

build and evidence your Transferable Assets. Now you need to look at

those parts of your career that evidence your Transferable Assets and,

most importantly, you wish to highlight. Your Transferable Assets were

defined previously by using the detailed OAAR analysis technique. For

each of the Transferable Assets that you have chosen to use on your

Elevator Pitch there will be many parts of your career that you can use

to highlight them. List these as shown in Figure 3.5.


64


65

People

Job

Functional

Behaviour

Categories Positive keywords for Elevator Pitch Negative words or impressions to be avoided

Supportive, encouraging, guiding, mentor, even-handed, fair and reasonable, sincere, approachable, flexible

Analytical, articulate, inventive, thinks outside the box, co-ordinated, disciplined, organized, vocal participant, prudent, leader, communicator, direction setter

Product knowledge, hands-on, international, cultural awareness, new business ventures, JVs, agents, key accounts, externally focused, fiscal awareness, contract awareness, terms and condtions, legal entity

Positive, flexible, intelligent risk taker, lateral mover, social, languages, flexible

Cautious, conservative, reserved

Observer, quiet, follower, indecisive

Inexperience, parochial, tunnel vision

Negative, dour, inflexible, outrageous, prejudiced

Figure 3.4 John Baldwin’s Career DNA Bank

People

Job

Functional

Behaviour

Categories Transferable assets Notes

Supportive, approachable, fair and reasonable

Analytical, communication

Hands-on, outside the box

Lateral mover, flexibility

For use in describing my HR-associated role in expat job

Reference my engineering background

My industry experience

My willingness to absorb situations and get on with it

All resulting in enhanced business results

Figure 3.5 Transferable Asset Analyser


66

Step 3: You have now selected your Transferable Assets with notes

attached showing how they evidence your career. You need to combine

these to build them up using your actual experiences to create a fully

evidenced Transferable Asset. Remember not to use industry jargon or

abbreviations. You are setting out your stall and are aiming to make a real

and excellent first impression. You now have a rich currency reserve in your

Career DNA Bank. Let’s spend it. Your Transferable Assets are now in a

format that are ready to use when creating your Elevator Pitch. (Figure 3.6).

Fair and reasonable, supportive, approachable

Analytical, communication

Hands-on, outside the box

Lateral mover, flexibility

I managed 12 expatriate employees in three Middle Eastern countries, most of whom were family accompanied. I had responsibility for the equitable administration of company policy in areas such as housing, local benefits, schooling, vehicles, home leaves, etc., requiring a fair and reasonable approach with even-handed treatment for all. Living conditions in the late 1970s were trying and required a supportive and approachavble management style.

My engineering background gives me an analytical nature and as GM and VP, I chaired weekly production meetings and successfully analysed critical path processes to keep delivery schedules on track through the disruptive period of a plant-expansion programme.

Participation in major tender authorship together with personal presentations to key account clients using communication skills dramatically improved bid package content and contributed to four new account and territory successes in a two-year period while maintaining all existing accounts.

Eight years in field service management in international offshore and onshore operations have given me a sound hands-on industry competence.(GM Kvaerner Oilfield Prducts – Middle East)

Instigated and set up a unique JV manufacturing partnership in Iran resulting in a market entry over a four-year period generating sales revenue of $5m. This continues to develop and grow. This was very much an ‘outside the box’ strategy not initially considered workable by some.

Accepted a lateral move as a career-development opportunity and a chance to develop from scratch a complete sales and marketing presence where none had existed. This resulted in sales exceeding $5m/annum within two years and a threefold increase in head count plus an additional district office set-up.

I am a well-rounded individual having demonstrated a flexibilty that has progressed me through 10 senior positions, in 10 postings (six international) with three multinational companies that have required a solid mix of business and pleasure with colleagues and clients. Throughout I have been ably encouraged by a supportive wife and family.

Figure 3.6 Squaring the circle on your transferable assets


67

Critiquing your Elevator Pitch

Your CV described what you did. Your Elevator Pitch describes who

you are, your behaviours, your characteristics, and how you do what

you do. Your Elevator Pitch should have a resonance about it. You

should be able to recognize you. The Elevator Pitch is a mirror. If your

reflection is cloudy, you’ll need to rethink your words and actions.

Easy to say, hard to do. Start by revisiting your Personal Promise and

ask the three questions of yourself again. Who are you? How do you do

it? What do you do? Ask a good friend or colleague to look through it.

Are they looking at a picture of you that they recognize to be true? Can

they see you?

If your Personal Promise changes, then you may need to revisit some

of the Transferable Assets and decide whether they evidence your

amended Personal Promise.

You will instinctively know when it is right, as you will see you, and

your colleagues or friends will be able to confirm this easily.

4The benefits of the

Elevator Pitch “Today’s business goals are being moved at ever-increasing

speeds. It therefore matters less what you have done andmore what you can do. The Elevator Pitch addresses thishead on.” Mark Baldry, Managing Director of Infoline Conferences Ltd

chapter

69

The recent dot.com bubble heralded a change in the recruitment

process. People were recruited on the basis of their behaviours and

competencies irrespective of function and industry. This created some

fabulous teams of like-minded people from diverse backgrounds united

by a hunger and passion to change the world. They worked hard. They

played hard. They were bright and articulate. Many of you joined the

gold rush. Many column inches have been written about the Internet

crash. Sure, many companies had no solid business models, but the

reality is that the Internet is only just beginning to change the world –

but this is obscured by the negative publicity. It would be nice if

another legacy was a more enduring contribution to the way we recruit

people. Perhaps those who joined dot.com companies will, in turn,

never forget the spark that came from having such a diverse group of

talented people.

The Elevator Pitch is all about the feelings and associations that create

the need for you so buyers will buy. This is in stark contrast to the old

CV model that can be characterized as the interrupt–repeat model of

communication, where the buyer is not really brought into the buying

process. The Elevator Pitch changes seller push into buyer pull.

Probably the best way to look at the Elevator Pitch is to think about

how the Elevator Pitch would present itself.


70

The Elevator Pitch push into

The Personal Promise would be about directness in solving a particular

issue. It would probably say:

“I am direct, focused, forthright. I am mad about my customers. I focus on

competencies and behaviour patterns rather than criteria to make the

distinction between who you are and how you do it, not what you are

and where you have done it. I offer a compelling analytical process that

improves recruitment processes and meets the needs of today’s career

landscape.”

Flexibility and adaptability

T H E B E N E F I T S O F T H E E L E VATO R P I TC H

71

changes seller buyer pull

Objective: Bespoke sales tool easily refined and defined for each task.

Analysis: Understanding and breaking down the position and analyzing

your Career DNA to successfully construct your approach.

Action: The correct selection of your Personal Promise and Transferable

Assets combined with results that evidence them.

Result: A targeted and focused personal sales strategy.

Forward looking


72

Objective: Concentrates on your future potential, not your historical past.

Analysis: You debunk your CV of its historical and linear façade.

Action: Creation of Career DNA Bank.

Result: Concise understanding of your capabilities and how these match

with future jobs.

Establishing rapport

Objective: Establish and use the universal language of behaviours

and competencies.

Analysis: You identify your Transferable Assets.

Action: Concise, tailored, relevant, pertinent information is provided for

position you apply for.

Result: Quickly establishes ‘what does this person do or offer me? What is

their value add?’ Maximizes opportunity to hire. Begin recruitment process

from correct viewpoint. Better selection and hiring process.

The Elevator Pitch where

Results-driven


73

Objective: To create the need for you.

Analysis: Match your Transferable Assets to the role.

Action: Effective use of Transferable Assets.

Results: The buyer wants to buy you.

helps you go you want to go

The Elevator Pitch helps you go where you want to go. Lord Norman

Tebbit, a former UK cabinet minister, used the phrase ‘Get on your

bike’ in the early 1980s to encourage us to think about change,

relocate, further our education and professional skills, and to think

about how we could grow intellectually. The Elevator Pitch is a

physical demonstration of the tangible and intangible attributes of

Norman’s bike.

There are numerous career changes you can make, and they could take

many different forms (Figure 4.1).

You make the new opportunities. The Elevator Pitch merely frames

them. This makes it possible to move more easily across industry

boundaries, through cultural boundaries, across country divides, and

from one job function to another. This is in perfect harmony with the

changing career landscape.

These possibilities can be summarized by the acronym, CLLIF (culture,

language, location, industry, function):

Culture: company culture, industry culture, social culture.

Language: change of language, say English to Spanish or German.

Location: relocating geographically, within the same country or crossing

international borders.

Industry: change of industry, say chemicals industry to academia.

Function: change of job function.

Normally, you would only look to change one of these dimensions at

any one time. How many of us look seriously at more than one of these

options at a time? Probably only a few of us.

Many opportunities lie outside our usual line of sight in other indus-

tries, companies, countries, cultures and job functions. In an ideal

world we want to look at all of these opportunities and not just the

obvious ones that present themselves. It could simply be the oppor-

tunity to learn a new foreign language.


74






Returning to work

Interim management



Elevator Pitch

Two-

way

feed

back

on

mes

sage

all

the

time

Figure 4.1 Where are you going

Case study from Bill’s career

I was working in London as the Group Advertising Sales Manager for a

successful weekly teenage magazine. I received an offer from a French

publishing company Bayard Presse as a Rights Manager based in their

international head office in Paris. The role was substantially different from

anything I had previously encountered in my career. It was a horizontal

move. Part of my rationale for taking this position was my dream of

becoming a fluent French speaker. I changed all aspects of my business

and social life.

Culture: both business and social.

Location: London to Paris.

Language: English to French.

Industry: Advertising sales to book publishing.

Function: Sales to international publishing rights.

How did I manage the transition from being a salesman to becoming a

buyer of international publishing rights? Many of the behaviours that

made me a successful advertising salesman in the first place could be

transferred to my new role. I was an effective communicator as I was

continually trying to perfect my written and oral presentation style. I had

the ability to negotiate whilst fully understanding all the ramifications of

the process and how it might affect the overall outcome. I was commer-

cially astute. However, there were two differences: I was conducting

business in French and buying instead of selling.

Dangers of CV Thinking

One of the current dangers in changing function or industry is that many

employers, recruiters and executive search companies use ‘CV Thinking’.

For the ‘CV Thinker’ new opportunities are constrained and defined by


75

the last position you held. Great opportunities are missed and companies

miss out on suitable candidates. Sometimes, the only candidates a

company sees are the closest matches to the category experience. This is

a shame, as there are many candidates who could provide additional value

and stretch by delivering a strong, broad range of skills and experience

that would be suitable not only for the role today but also for where

organizations want to go in the future. This ‘CV Thinking’ can lead to

missed opportunities for you and the potential employer. We could all

benefit from being more open with our requirements.

Case study from Bill’s career

I suffered from ‘CV Thinking’ on my return to the UK from Australia. I

thought like a CV. The recruitment agencies whom I had asked to help

me were also ‘CV Thinkers’. I prepared my new and gleaming CV con-

centrating on the role I had just completed. I wrote good solid facts

highlighting my achievements.

Through ‘CV Thinking’, I had branded and positioned myself as a new

media agency director, nothing else. I could not understand why the job

I had held in Australia suddenly seemed to be the only thing I had ever

done. All my work prior to this was deemed irrelevant. What had

happened to the previous ten years of my working life? Had they slipped

through a time warp? I was sure I had put everything in my CV and even

checked this numerous times. About halfway through the recruitment

process, I began thinking differently. What could I offer other com-

panies? What did they find interesting in me? I had begun my initial ‘EP

Thinking’. There was a resounding clash as my ‘EP Thinking’ met my

‘CV Thinking’.

I spent many hours on the phone and in meetings with recruitment

agencies explaining I was interested in not only the new-media agency


76

roles but also wider-ranging positions. It was my persistence on this

occasion that won the day. I had just not realized the recruitment

industry were doing exactly what I had asked of them. The problem did

not lie with them. It lay firmly at my feet. Or to be more accurate, it was

the fault of a good CV not being able to do the job I had asked of it.

I secured a senior marketing position in the world of financial services.

The financial services industry was a place that was unfamiliar and

where I had no direct experience. What I had was a set of Transferable

Assets that meant I could add real value to the company and look at the

issues faced with a fresh outlook. Importantly, I was not going to regur-

gitate something I had done in a previous financial services company. It

allowed me to produce unique innovative and creative work. It showed

me how cross-pollination of ideas from one industry sector to another

could add real value to the bottom line.

When I came to leaving the financial services company, I was faced by

the very same problem as before: ‘CV Thinking’ in an EP world.

But, again I transferred from one industry sector to another, as I had

understood that the employers were interested in who I am, how I do it,

and what I do.

“Good people are flexible, never stop learning and applying and generally

don’t just stay in one category industry; they also are not threatened by

change and evolution, they thrive on it.”Mark Bailey, Board Director of Leo Burnett Advertising: Australia

Coping with redundancy

No one plans for redundancy. Unfortunately, it just happens. Redun-

dancy is often associated with a downturn of not only a company but


77

also an industry sector. If this is the case, trying to get straight back

into that particular market sector could be a long process. There will

be a large number of equally qualified individuals vying for an ever-

decreasing number of positions. It is therefore a good idea to study

your Transferable Assets and consider options in other functions and

other potentially more lucrative industries. This ultimately reflects the

changing work patterns. Many people put all their effort into their

current role and rely on the organization to deliver their career. Redun-

dancy may be your reward when the employer faces marked changes.

You need to be continually adapting and learning, gaining experiences

and broadening your base.

“Learning new skills is an ongoing process and needs to be positively

pursued at all times by everyone whatever position they are in. When you

are made redundant it is too late.”Iain Herbertson, CEO of Manpower UK

The demands of interim management

Interim management is becoming a lifestyle choice for many senior

executives. As a profession, it has also been responding to changes in

the work environment. Several years ago, interim management was


78

Learning new ongoing process

positively

concerned with covering maternity leave and not rocking the boat. In

today’s uncertain world, interim management is concerned more

with delivering and speeding up the way companies run. They come

to troubleshoot a project or manage a business function. They need to

have specific market knowledge but also a broad commercial base.

They hit the decks running, identifying the key issues, developing

action plans, bringing teams with them, running the implementation,

smashing through obstacles and bringing a sense of urgency. Interim

managers need to display a sense of the key competencies that can

match their specific market knowledge to the wider imperative to

deliver change. Interim managers have unwittingly been using EP

Thinking, but they have not had the vehicle to use it in. This has

changed with the arrival of the Elevator Pitch.

Experience is diverse

You may be returning to work after an absence of a couple of years for

whatever reason. It could have been to raise a family, to study Inca art

in South America, or to circumnavigate the globe in a yacht. You will

have gained valuable experience that is not always that easy to capture,

e.g. the teamwork and leadership skills that are necessary to sail

around the world. This experience helps build your Career DNA.


79

skills is an and needs to be pursued

Work experience versus Transferable Assets

Think back to how you sold yourself at your first-ever job interview

after university or college. You related behaviours and shared experi-

ences about college life and made them connect to your new working

life. Essentially, you had identified your Transferable Assets. Some of

us may have started our new careers and then, a couple of years down

the line, decided we should take a new direction. You were then caught

in a catch-22 position. The roles required experience. Why is it that

two years earlier you could use your Transferable Assets to land a job,

whereas now your worth is measured by work experience? The

Elevator Pitch redefines your relationship to work experience and

allows you to start again.

Better and more successful interviews

The Elevator Pitch is your initial marketing tool. Like all marketing

initiatives, the message needs to be put to the right target market and

contain relevant content to fulfil the target markets needs.

The interview is a business meeting. Your aim is to put your point of

view across to sell an idea, concept or proposition, communicate a

message, or sell yourself in a style that is completely irresistible and

worth remembering. They can’t help but want to buy you.


80

The Elevator Pitch

Traditionally the CV has been the document used to control the pace

and direction of the interview. As mentioned previously the CV concen-

trates on your historical events and spreads its net very wide to include

information that is not relevant and needs to be deciphered. It does not

focus on the information pertinent and relevant to the vacancy.

Using your Elevator Pitch to set the agenda for an interview bolsters

the proceedings because it is clear, concise and focused. Its focus is on

those parts of your career that you know to be relevant for the role. The

inclusion of only relevant content saves precious time, increasing the

likelihood of the interview addressing only the salient points.

The interview is a two-way street. It requires direction and a fine

balance of control from the interviewee. Too many times it is the inter-

viewer doing all the driving.

The Elevator Pitch is the road map to guide you through a successful

meeting and help attain the desired results.

You can use the Elevator Pitch to control the flow of information.

Good negotiation rests on what you say, how you say it and when you

say it. The CV contains your whole life story. The Elevator Pitch

contains only pertinent information. You can emphasize different

aspects of your career through tailored Elevator Pitches. They are easy

to amend to create bespoke packages. This is especially important the

deeper one goes through the recruitment process. At each step, you

learn more about the competencies that define success for this position


81

is your initial marketing tool

and organization. Your Elevator Pitch can become more refined. The

decision on what to highlight and when to highlight is down to you.

This is only possible with an Elevator Pitch.

Jack Gratton, CEO of Major Players, the UK’s leading recruitment

agency for the marketing services industry, produced an Elevator Pitch

for the book. In his own words, this would ‘… definitely get me in front

of people, but I would probably take another to the meeting to set the

inteview agenda.’ By careful use of the Elevator Pitch one can gain

control of meetings. The Elevator Pitch is about the quality and

relevance of information. This creates the first vital impressions.

Your Elevator Pitch is physical evidence of the synergy between your

competencies and the vacancy on offer. It is the best document to leave

behind.

One of the true benefits of the Elevator Pitch is its ability to make sure

you stand out from the crowd and you are put into the ‘Yes’ pile, as ‘No’

and ‘Maybe’ are not good enough. You have gained the competitive

advantage.

Help your referee

The job of your referee is to help secure your new job, by giving further

evidence of who you are, how you do it, and what you do. They add real

value. You need them to speak eloquently about you from their

position of authority and about your Transferable Assets. The Elevator

Pitch ensures your referee can see which direction you are taking and

which Transferable Assets you are using. Anticipate some of the


82

You will never

questions that could be asked of your referee and brief them accord-

ingly. Give them all the help and direction you can.

Highlighting and uniting your career

As the world changes and traditional career paths fracture your

Elevator Pitch unites and highlights your career choices (Figure 4.2).

Why will the Elevator Pitch take over from where the CV left off? Put

simply, it is better. If we compare them head to head by dissecting their

respective strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, you will

easily see the differences (Figures 4.3 and 4.4).

You will never need a CV again.

The Elevator Pitch is a buyer-pull view of the world. It talks a univer-

sally recognized language and emphasizes fit. It unites variety and

highlights singularity of career. It provides the answer to how you do

things. It reduces extraneous information to the core. It places you in

control of your life and allows you to release information at key points

in the negotiating process.

The Elevator Pitch is the 21st Century successor to the CV.


83

need a CV again

Career

Industry variety

Functional variety

Singular industry

Singular function

CV

Dissipates

Dissipates

Not differentiating

Not differentiating

EP

Unites

Unites

Highlights

Highlights

Figure 4.2 Highlighting and uniting your career

84


Historical, rationalConventional and traditional – safeUniversalShows why you were paid for previous yearsChronological – shows consistencyLinear

Cannot easily answer ‘What does this person do or offer me? What is their value add?‘Contains all information rather than pertinent, relevant and selective information in a ‘Take it or leave it menu‘Hides your value beneath chronological façadeFails to emphasize fit between you and the jobNeed for someone else to decipher and understand your real valueExacerbates flaws in the interview processUsed to create barriers to entry not opportunityPeople get them wrongSeller push world view: fails to emphasize fit between you and the job. Not distinguishing and distinctive – lacks soulStatic, linear, rational, historical & conventionalCommon language with uncommon tongue

Opportunity to answer ‘What does this person do or offer me? What is their value add?‘Improved way to provide relevant, pertinent and selective informationBetter sales documentIncrease flexibilityTo showcase your future value

The Elevator Pitch

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

Figure 4.3 The weakness of your CV

85


Easily answers ‘What does this person do or offer me? What is their value add?‘Pertinent, relevant and selective information in a ‘bespoke menu‘. Reduces extraneous information to relevant dataShowcases your real valueEmphasizes fit between you and the job – buyer pull view of the worldNo need for someone else to decipher and understand your real value. Establishes common language – no code, no deciphering requiredMaximizes opportunity in hiringEasy to get right and not make basic mistakesDynamic, non-linear, modernUnites career variety and highlights career singularityProven ability to deliver, forward looking, establishes rapport, flexibility and adaptabilityResults drivenAids recruitment – saves recruiter time and effort by highlighting relevant information in a concise formatYou gain greater control of selection process from primary contact to interview

To become the new currency of recruitment

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities

Not yet accepted as the new currency

Closed minds

Threats

Figure 4.4 The benefits of your Elevator Pitch

5Top-floor Elevator

Pitches“Today’s business goals are being moved at ever-increasing


chapter

87

We would like to welcome all of you who thought this was the first

page of the book. We know this is an obvious mistake that anyone of

us could make!

We would recommend a look at the rest of the book as it is really quite

good. After all you have bought a copy. It seems a shame not to make

the most of it.

In this chapter we have pulled together a collection of Elevator Pitches

from real people from many walks of life. They range from pilots to office

managers, from entrepreneurs to advertising people, from mechanical

engineers to veterinary nurses, from publishers to politicians. They

demonstrate the flexibility and universal approach of the Elevator Pitch

and the people who use it.

Both Mara Goldstein, a senior member of the British Civil Service, and

John Baldwin, a senior mechanical engineer, have been good enough to

allow us to publish not only their Elevator Pitches but also their tradi-

tional CVs. We have included these so direct comparison between the

two can be made.


88

Elevator Pitches to be hard-hitting,

no-nonsense

TO P-F LO O R E L E VATO R P I TC H E S

89

John’s CV is relatively unorthodox as it is too long. It also fails because

it does not prioritize pertinent and relevant information. His traditional

CV has focused on what his roles were, not what he achieved or how he

achieved them. Quite simply, it does not tell the reader who John is and

what he does. Although John’s Elevator Pitch is shorter than his CV, it

manages to convey John’s capabilities and personality. John’s Elevator

Pitch is pertinent, relevant, and makes the right impression.

Mara is a high achiever. She has fast-tracked through the ranks of the Civil

Service in the UK and the European Commission. Mara’s CV contains

much information but it is a list of committees, functions and responsi-

bilities. It is hard to understand why Mara has been successful. Her CV

fails on the key criteria of readability, relevance and impression. On the

other hand, her Elevator Pitch, which is based on a set of required Civil

Service Competencies, is more resonant than her CV and is a succinct and

powerful document that captures the Mara her friends know. Mara has

crammed much into her life and her Elevator Pitch reflects this. She

clearly feels the Elevator Pitch gets to the heart of what she actually does

and who she really is.

are designed no-fuss, strategic personal sales documents

You will see many examples of Elevator Pitches. They are designed to

be hard-hitting, no-fuss, no-nonsense strategic personal sales docu-

ments.

You will also see a job description for a veterinary sales manager. We

then give the job candidate’s analysis broken down into its component

Transferable Assets and the Elevator Pitch she wrote to secure the

position.

Ken Livingstone, the first elected Mayor of London has been kind

enough to write his Elevator Pitch for the book.

We would like to thank our friends and colleagues, for all their help in

this chapter.

Most of the following Elevator Pitches can be printed on one side of A4

paper. Some of the Elevator Pitches reproduced in the book will by

necessity fall on 3 pages, due to the size of the book.

Here’s a list of the CVs and Elevator pitches that follow.

➡ John Baldwin’s EP

➡ John Baldwin’s CV

➡ Mara Goldstein’s EP

➡ Mara Goldstein’s CV

➡ Nancy Prendegast’s EP

➡ Bill Faust’s EP

➡ Michael Faust’s EP

➡ Marc Schavemaker’s EP

➡ Mark Bailey’s EP

➡ Louise Medley’s EP

➡ Ken Livingstone’s EP


90

➡ Darren Fell’s EP

➡ Justine Cobb’s EP

➡ Jack Gratton’s EP

➡ Richard Davies’ EP

➡ Charlie Dobres’ EP

➡ Job brief and answers by Laura Neilson’s EP


91


JOH

N B

AL

DW

INS

EN

IOR

ME

CH

NIC

AL

EN

GIN

EE

R

2 D

ough

ton

Roa

d, G

louc

este

rshi

re G

L21

6PW

, UK

Mob

ile: 4

4(0)

xxx

x xx

xx, H

ome:

44(

0) 1

555

xxx

xxx,

E-m

ail:

Joh

n@an

ywhe

re.c

om

Cus

tom

er-f

ocus

ed, i

ntel

ligen

t ris

k ta

ker.

Dir

ectio

n se

tter

of i

nven

tive

solu

tions

with

the

will

ingn

ess

to a

bsor

b si

tuat

ions

and

get

on w

ith it

.

28 y

ears

’ lea

ders

hip

of $

mul

timill

ion

mec

hani

cal e

ngin

eeri

ng p

roje

cts

in th

e in

tern

atio

nal o

il in

dust

ry.

Ana

lyti

cal

My

engi

neer

ing

back

grou

nd g

ives

me

an a

naly

tical

nat

ure

and,

as

GM

and

VP

, I c

hair

ed w

eekl

y pr

oduc

tion

com

mun

icat

ion

mee

tings

and

suc

cess

fully

ana

lyze

d cr

itica

l pat

h pr

oces

ses

to k

eep

deliv

ery

sche

dule

s on

trac

k th

roug

h th

edi

srup

tive

peri

od o

f a p

lant

-exp

ansi

on p

rogr

amm

e.

Par

ticip

atio

n in

maj

or te

nder

aut

hors

hip

toge

ther

with

per

sona

l pre

sent

atio

ns to

key

acc

ount

clie

nts

dram

atic

ally

impr

oved

bid

pac

kage

con

tent

and

con

trib

uted

to fo

ur n

ew a

ccou

nt a

nd te

rrito

ry s

ucce

sses

in a

2-ye

ar p

erio

d w

hile

mai

ntai

ning

all

exis

ting

acco

unts

.

Han

ds o

n ou

tsid

e 8

year

s in

fiel

d se

rvic

e m

anag

emen

t in

inte

rnat

iona

l off

shor

e an

d on

shor

e op

erat

ions

hav

e gi

ven

the

box

me

a so

und

hand

s-on

indu

stry

com

pete

ncy.

At G

M K

vaer

ner

Oilf

ield

Pro

duct

s –

Mid

dle

East

, I in

stig

ated

and

set

up

a un

ique

JV

man

ufac

turi

ngpa

rtne

rshi

p in

Iran

, res

ultin

g in

a m

arke

t ent

ry o

ver

a 4-

year

per

iod

gene

ratin

g sa

les

reve

nue

of $

5m. T

his

cont

inue

s to

dev

elop

and

gro

w. T

his

was

ver

y m

uch

an ‘o

utsi

de th

e bo

x’ s

trat

egy

not i

nitia

lly c

onsi

dere

dw

orka

ble

by s

ome.

Supp

orti

ve a

nd

I man

aged

12

expa

tria

te e

mpl

oyee

s in

3 M

iddl

e-Ea

ster

n co

untr

ies,

mos

t of w

hom

wer

e fa

mily

ap

proa

chab

le

acco

mpa

nied

. I h

ad r

espo

nsib

ility

for

the

equi

tabl

e ad

min

istr

atio

n of

com

pany

pol

icy

in a

reas

suc

h m

anag

emen

t sty

leas

hou

sing

, loc

al b

enef

its, s

choo

ling,

veh

icle

s, h

ome

leav

es, e

tc.,

requ

irin

g a

fair

and

rea

sona

ble

appr

oach

with

eve

n-ha

nded

trea

tmen

t for

all.

Liv

ing

cond

ition

s in

the

late

197

0s w

ere

tryi

ng a

nd r

equi

red

a su

ppor

tive

and

appr

oach

able

man

agem

ent s

tyle

.


Late

ral m

ove

Acce

pted

a la

tera

l mov

e as

a c

aree

r-de

velo

pmen

t opp

ortu

nity

and

a c

hanc

e to

dev

elop

from

fl

exib

ility

scra

tch

a co

mpl

ete

sale

s an

d m

arke

ting

pres

ence

whe

re n

one

had

exis

ted.

Thi

s re

sulte

d in

sal

es e

xcee

ding

$5m

/ann

um w

ithin

2 y

ears

, and

a th

reef

old

incr

ease

in h

ead

coun

t plu

s an

add

ition

al d

istr

ict o

ffic

e se

t-up

.

I am

a w

ell-

roun

ded

indi

vidu

al h

avin

g de

mon

stra

ted

a fle

xibi

lity

that

has

pro

gres

sed

me

thro

ugh

10 s

enio

rpo

sitio

ns in

10

post

ings

(6 in

tern

atio

nal)

with

3 m

ultin

atio

nal c

ompa

nies

that

hav

e re

quir

ed a

sol

id m

ix o

fbu

sine

ss a

nd p

leas

ure

with

col

leag

ues

and

clie

nts.

Thr

ough

out,

a su

ppor

tive

wife

and

fam

ily h

ave

ably

enco

urag

ed m

e.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Kva

erne

r O

ilfie

ld P

rodu

cts

1996

to p

rese

ntR

egio

nal S

ales

Man

ager

, Eur

ope,

Afr

ica

and

Mid

dle

East

– b

ased

Hea

d O

ffic

e Lo

ndon

Gen

eral

Man

ager

, Mid

dle

East

– b

ased

Dub

ai

Gen

eral

Man

ager

and

Vic

e P

resi

dent

, Asi

a P

acifi

c –

base

d Si

ngap

ore

FMC

Cor

pora

tion

UK

Ltd

1979

–199

5Ar

ea S

ales

Man

ager

, Eur

ope

and

Nor

th A

fric

aK

ey A

ccou

nt M

anag

er –

bas

ed L

ondo

nR

egio

nal S

ales

Man

ager

, Eur

ope,

Afr

ica

and

Mid

dle

East

– b

ased

Fra

nce

Key

Acc

ount

Man

ager

, bas

ed L

ondo

nR

egio

nal S

ales

Man

ager

, Aus

tral

asia

– b

ased

Mel

bour

ne

McE

voy

Oilf

ield

Equ

ipm

ent L

td19

73–1

979

Seni

or S

ales

Eng

inee

r –

base

d Si

ngap

ore

Sale

s an

d Se

rvic

e M

anag

er –

bas

ed S

cotl

and

Peg

lar

Hat

ters

ley

and

New

man

Hen

der

Ltd

1966

–197

3

Lang

uage

s: F

luen

t bus

ines

s Fr

ench


94

CV JOHN BALDWIN

Full name: John Baldwin

Date of birth: 21 October 19xx

Nationality: British

Status: Married, daughter 31 years, son 27 years

UK address: 2 Doughton Road

Gloucestershire

GL21 6PW

UK tel: +44 (0)1666 xxx xxx

Office tel: +44 1666 xxx xxx

Mobile tel: +44 xxxxx xxx xxx

Email: [email protected]

Education record

Sir William Romney’s Grammar School, Tetbury

Mid-Gloucestershire College of Technology

Qualifications

Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering

Memberships

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Proficiencies

Microsoft Office Suite™

Languages

Conversational French

Courses and training completed

Managing Interpersonal Relationships

The Crosby Quality Course

▲


95

Effective Financial Management

Proposal Planning

Managing Performance through Effective Leadership

Employment record

April 2001–present

Regional Sales Manager, Europe, Africa and Middle East (KOP Surface

Equipment) – based Head Office London, reporting to the Interna-

tional Sales Manager and VP in Houston

The company refocus on surface product technology in response to a

decline in major subsea project work worldwide has resulted in an

expansion in territory and customer base where surface and onshore

development is expanding. The establishment of sales structures for

continued growth in the Middle East and Iran, including the estab-

lishment of an Iranian JV manufacturing entity and a coverage of North

African potential, have been key areas of activity to date.

Recognition of further opportunities in the European, North Sea and

Eastern Europe areas, together with the concentration of major inter-

national operating companies in London, Paris, The Hague and Milan,

has made European sales coverage of prime importance, and increased

tender participation through a London presence is evident.

1998–April 2001

General Manager, Kvaerner Oilfield Products (KOP) Middle East –

based Dubai, reporting to the president in Singapore

Following a 2-year period as VP in Singapore, and despite a successful

trading year, the sudden and catastrophic Asian economic crises

coupled with a record low oil price, made sweeping economies in the

▲


96

Far East operation essential as a matter of good business practice. New

markets and new accounts were required to maintain the business and,

as VP marketing, I had already identified the Middle East as a growth

area for KOP.

I transferred to Dubai in September of 1998 to start up KOP’s first

Middle-Eastern venture, with the establishment of a representative

office in Dubai in support of existing business and in pursuit of new

business development in the area. To date, this has resulted in ex-

ploration equipment business with Total for Iranian projects, and the

company’s qualification with PDO, Oman, NIOC – Iran and Occidental in

Qatar. Other major accounts are in process, and the company is on

target to secure a first-year budgeted order intake for the Middle East

of over $2m. As of this date, the Middle East now accounts for 75% of all

new quotations activity for the region.

1996–1998

General Manager and Vice President, Kvaerner Oilfield Products,

Asia Pacific – based Singapore, reporting to the President

I initially joined KOP as Marketing Manager and was promoted to GM

and VP. The company closed its Singapore manufacturing operation to

expand a new facility in Batam Island, Indonesia. I was heavily involved

with the start-up operations at Batam, while maintaining normal

business activity through the start-up period.

KOP maintained a staff of 25 people in Singapore with 160 people

at the Batam plant. In addition to general management duties, I was

also responsible for sales and marketing, with the internal quotations

department reporting to me. Despite the considerable traumas of

the plant relocation, KOP experienced its best-ever order intake for the ▲

John Baldwin’s CV continued


97

region in 1998, exceeding $25m for the first time and establishing four

major new accounts and three new territory market entries.

Regional Managers in Thailand, India and Australia reported to me for

sales-related matters, and I chaired the weekly production meetings

at the Batam plant. Since the president was responsible for all KOP

product lines, he maintained an extremely busy travel schedule, thus

leaving me to run all routine administration in the region for both

manufacturing and marketing. Performance-related bonuses were

paid in both years.

1995–1996

Area Sales Manager, Europe and North Africa, and Key Account

Manager FMC Corporation UK Ltd, Petroleum Equipment and

Systems Division

Based in London and reporting to the international marketing director

at the manufacturing plant in Dunfermline, Scotland. Supervising a

sales team of 5 company sales engineers and 5 international sales and

stockists agencies.

The role included an additional responsibility for 2 key accounts (BP and

Philips Petroleum), which were managed personally. International and

domestic business travel accounted for 60% of time, putting me in

contact with the company’s manufacturing plants in both the UK and

France. Preparation of account plans, inbound budgets and operating

budgets was my responsibility for the area.

Sales for the area in 1994 were $15m, and 1995 exceeded $18m.

Products marketed included production and exploration wellhead

equipment, subsea drilling and production systems, drilling tools, and

high-pressure control valves. ▲


98

This role required a regular interface with engineering and commercial

contract managers, particularly in the preparation phase of high-value

quotations and subsequent clarification and negotiation meetings with

clients. The key account role developed close interpersonal relation-

ships with clients and created the basis for preferred supplier status

before tender release, so leading to the stronger position of incumbent

on future tenders.

Personnel administration included the setting of objectives and

performance criteria and subsequent performance reviews. Agents

and distributors were visited regularly and, when necessary, agree-

ments were modified or terminated. The appointment of reliable

agents was a crucial part of the job, and FMC enjoyed a reputation

for long-term agency relationships for which I am happy to take

some credit.

The position relocated from France in November 1994 when product

line sourcing was largely relocated to the UK plant, making the logistics

of territory management and interface with both plants more con-

venient from the London base.

1991–1995

Regional Sales Manager, Europe, Africa and Middle East, FMC Europe

SA-Equipment Petrolier

Reporting to the International Marketing Manager then located in

Brussels. Resident in Sens, France, working from the manufacturing

plant. This role was largely similar to that described above, but with the

additional responsibility of West Africa and part of the Middle East

(Oman and Qatar).

▲



99

The number of subordinates was between 8 and 10 company Sales

Engineers and up to 8 agencies, with annual sales growing to $30m for

material sourced from the French plant in1994.

At this time, Oman and Qatar were a part of our sales territory for

historical sourcing reasons, and I was instrumental in completing a

market survey and instigating initial discussions with our agent in

Oman (who I had appointed in 1979) with a view to setting up a joint

venture manufacturing plant in Muscat. This plant is now operational

and has secured 75% of a $12m market for FMC in Oman with potential

for exports to other GCC states in the Gulf.

During this period, I was resident with my wife in Sens, France and by

necessity became familiar with the language and culture. The final year

of my posting in France also included responsibility for internal sales

management (quotations) and a small field service team of 5 engineers.

1988–1991

Key Account Manager, FMC Corporation UK Ltd – based London,

reporting to the Regional Marketing Manager in Dunfermline

Key accounts included BP, Shell and British Gas. Inbound in 1991 for

these accounts exceeded $8m and included production wellhead

equipment for the BP Bruce platform in the UK North Sea, Shell Tern,

and British Gas Morcambe Bay.

1983–1988

Regional Sales Manager, Australasia – based Melbourne, Victoria for

FMC Australia Ltd, reporting to the Marketing Manager in Singapore ▲


100

Small sales and service team of three people covering a relatively

small market, but very large geographically. The territory included New

Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Business was supported primarily by

local stocking and warehousing operations in Melbourne and Perth,

and focused on the low-tech end of a niche market, which enabled us to

compete with a locally based manufacturer of petroleum equipment.

The logistics involved in importing from the Singapore plant and distrib-

uting and servicing a vast territory were a considerable challenge and

enabled me to develop a good understanding of the distribution side of

the business.

1979–1983

Area Manager, Middle East – based Dubai, UAE and reporting to the

International Marketing Manager in Houston Texas

Territory included all Gulf states, Pakistan and Turkey. I was responsible

for a sales and service operation extending to a total of 12 expatriates

based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat. At this time, FMC business in

the Middle East was in its infancy, and the appointment of agents in

Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman were key objectives.

The Oman agency has since developed into a JV manufacturing

agreement, and all other representative agreements initiated by

me are still effective. Travel requirements were extensive and

sometimes arduous, while 24hr service commitments were demanding.

The early 1980s were boom days in the petroleum industry, and sales

figures can be misleading, but sales exceeded $20m in all years, even

though some personnel rationalization to reduce expatriate costs

became necessary by 1982. I consider this to have been an excellent

character- and experience-building post.

▲



101

1976–1979

Senior Sales Engineer, McEvoy Oilfield Equipment Ltd (then owned by

Rockwell Corp.) – based Singapore, reporting to the Sales Manager in

Singapore

Sales and service of petroleum production equipment throughout the

Far East, India and Pakistan. This was my first expatriate assignment in

a pure sales role but also with some field service back-up responsibility

in support of other company bases in Malaysia and Brunei.

1973–1978

Sales and Service Manager, McEvoy Oilfield Equipment Ltd, based

Aberdeen, Scotland, reporting to the UK Sales Manager in London

Supervision of 3 sales and service engineers covering the company’s

business in the UK and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea.

Management of a service depot and basic repair and rework shop.

1966–1973

Peglar Hattersley and Newman Hender Ltd UK

Completed a college engineering course and moved to various

production and design positions in the valve-manufacturing depart-

ments of these companies. Finished in the design drawing office

and later the service departments engaged in international field

service work.


DR

MA

RA

GO

LD

ST

EIN

PR

IVA

TE

SE

CR

ETA

RY

TO

TH

EH

OM

ES

EC

RE

TAR

Y

55 O

rcha

rd R

oad,

Lon

don,

UK

Tel:

44

(0) 2

0 xx

xx x

xxx,

E-m

ail:

mar

ag@

som

ewhe

re.c

om

I lik

e to

thin

k th

at d

ynam

ic c

hang

e ha

ppen

s in

pla

ces

I wor

k. I

only

do

jobs

I en

joy

so I

tend

to b

e go

od a

t the

m.

I mak

e a

diffe

renc

e th

roug

h st

rate

gic

guid

ance

whi

ch e

mpo

wer

s ch

ange

, thr

ough

cre

ativ

ity a

nd b

y m

otiv

atin

g m

y te

am.

I hav

e sp

ent 1

0 ye

ars

in th

e C

ivil

Serv

ice

afte

r ga

inin

g m

y do

ctor

ate

in la

w.

Ach

ievi

ng r

esul

ts o

fAn

alyz

ing

info

rmat

ion,

pla

nnin

g st

rate

gy, m

anag

ing

chan

ge a

nd d

eliv

erin

g.hi

gh q

ualit

y an

dAs

Pri

vate

Sec

reta

ry to

the

Hom

e Se

cret

ary

fast

ana

lysi

s of

a w

ide

rang

e of

issu

es w

as r

equi

red.

I ha

d so

me

valu

edi

rect

inpu

t int

o st

rate

gic

wor

k, fo

r ex

ampl

e, d

urin

g th

e pr

oble

ms

in 1

999

at th

e U

K P

assp

ort O

ffic

e,w

hen

Iw

orke

d w

ith s

enio

r m

anag

emen

t, an

d I h

ad d

aily

invo

lvem

ent i

n th

e P

inoc

het e

xtra

ditio

n ca

se.

In th

e Eu

rope

an C

omm

issi

on, I

dev

elop

ed it

s st

rate

gy o

n in

tern

atio

nal p

olic

e co

-ope

ratio

n in

clud

ing

Euro

pol

and

desi

gned

and

del

iver

ed it

s st

rate

gy o

n Tr

affic

king

in W

omen

, oft

en w

orki

ng o

ppos

ite m

ore

seni

orco

lleag

ues

from

nat

iona

l adm

inis

trat

ions

.

In th

e H

ome

Off

ice

Inte

rnat

iona

l Uni

t I p

lann

ed th

e 19

98 U

K P

resi

denc

y of

the

EU.

I man

age

pers

onal

cha

nge

proa

ctiv

ely

thro

ugh

regu

lar

job

and

orga

niza

tion

chan

ges.

I ha

ve a

lway

sen

cour

aged

org

aniz

atio

nal c

hang

e in

my

wor

king

env

iron

men

t: b

y se

ttin

g up

a u

nit i

n th

e Eu

rope

anC

omm

issi

on; b

y cl

ose

invo

lvem

ent i

n th

e m

anag

emen

t of t

he H

ome

Off

ice

Inte

rnat

iona

l uni

t, in

clud

ing

havi

ng th

e m

ain

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r st

affin

g an

d or

gani

zatio

n.

I am

kee

n to

enc

oura

ge im

prov

ed b

usin

ess

proc

esse

s th

roug

h m

ore

effe

ctiv

e us

e of

new

tech

nolo

gies

.

As P

riva

te S

ecre

tary

, I w

as r

espo

nsib

le fo

r th

e da

ily d

eliv

ery

of th

e H

ome

Secr

etar

y’s

need

s ac

ross

a w

ide

rang

e of

sub

ject

s.

Lead

ersh

ip a

nd

Lead

ing

team

, mot

ivat

ing

and

show

ing

good

judg

emen

t.pe

rson

alR

ecru

ited

staf

f whi

lst a

ctin

g he

ad o

f the

pol

ice

co-o

pera

tion

unit

of th

e Eu

rope

an C

omm

issi

on.

resp

onsi

bilit

yI s

et u

p th

e P

resi

denc

y te

am d

urin

g th

e U

K P

resi

denc

y, a

nd k

ept 5

sta

ff m

otiv

ated

and

larg

ely

in g

ood

hum

our,

whi

lst w

orki

ng a

t hig

h pr

essu

re, f

or o

ver

a ye

ar, d

eliv

erin

g a

com

plex

org

anis

atio

nal r

equi

rem

ent

for

the

Dep

artm

ent.


I hel

d sh

ort s

emin

ars

for

othe

r un

it st

aff t

o in

volv

e th

em in

the

Pre

side

ncy

and

ran

Dep

artm

ent w

ide

sem

inar

s an

d la

ngua

ge tr

aini

ng to

enc

oura

ge w

ider

invo

lvem

ent.

As P

riva

te S

ecre

tary

, I d

evel

oped

a w

orki

ng r

elat

ions

hip

with

muc

h of

the

Dep

artm

ent,

tryi

ng to

mot

ivat

est

aff w

ho w

ere

ofte

n w

orki

ng u

nder

pre

ssur

e, to

get

del

iver

y of

the

Hom

e Se

cret

ary’

s re

quir

emen

ts.

I als

o ha

d di

rect

invo

lvem

ent i

n hi

gh p

rofil

e is

sues

, suc

h as

the

Afgh

an h

ijack

, by

help

ing

to d

evel

op a

ndim

plem

ent s

trat

egy.

Res

pons

ibili

ty fo

r th

e de

liver

y of

the

Hom

e Se

cret

ary’

s w

ork

requ

ired

con

stan

t rap

id a

djus

tmen

ts, a

s in

prev

ious

rol

es.

Bei

ng o

pen

and

Wri

ting

and

spea

king

effe

ctiv

ely

and

bein

g ab

le to

per

suad

e an

d in

fluen

ce o

ther

s.co

mm

unic

atin

g w

ell

I hav

e m

uch

expe

rien

ce o

f spe

akin

g in

pub

lic a

nd p

rese

ntin

g ar

gum

ents

as

Com

mis

sion

Rep

rese

ntat

ive

inC

ounc

il w

ork

grou

ps. I

mad

e sp

eech

es o

n JH

A m

atte

rs fo

r se

nior

offi

cial

s fr

om A

cces

sion

Sta

tes.

I wro

te th

e C

omm

issi

on’s

Com

mun

icat

ion

on T

raff

icki

ng in

Wom

en a

nd w

as r

espo

nsib

le fo

r br

iefin

g se

nior

offic

ials

, Com

mis

sion

ers

and

MEP

s on

a r

ange

of p

olic

e an

d ot

her

issu

es, b

oth

in w

ritin

g an

d or

ally

.

I did

reg

ular

sub

mis

sion

s fo

r U

K m

inis

ters

as

Pre

side

ncy

Co-

ordi

nato

r.

I had

ext

ensi

ve e

xper

ienc

e in

min

ute

wri

ting

as s

ecre

tary

to w

orki

ng g

roup

on

Euro

pol (

min

utes

for

all

mem

ber

stat

es),

min

ute

wri

ter

for

the

Com

mis

sion

for

five

wor

king

gro

ups,

and

then

min

utin

g H

ome

Secr

etar

y m

eetin

gs.

I com

mun

icat

ed th

e H

ome

Secr

etar

y’s

view

s an

d re

ques

ts to

the

depa

rtm

ent i

n w

ritin

g an

d or

ally

, and

atte

mpt

ed to

per

suad

e of

ficia

ls to

do/

not t

o do

thin

gs.

Valu

ing

the

peop

leEs

peci

ally

pro

mot

ing

equa

l opp

ortu

nity

, del

egat

ing

effe

ctiv

ely

and

deve

lopi

ng s

taff.

we

wor

k w

ith

and

I rec

ruite

d an

d tr

aine

d st

aff i

n th

e C

omm

issi

on a

nd th

e H

ome

Off

ice.

I ha

ve w

orke

d w

ith m

ainl

y fe

mal

e st

aff,

thei

r di

vers

ity

but h

ave

alw

ays

soug

ht th

e be

st p

erso

n fo

r th

e jo

b.

P I TC H YO U R S E L FI r

ecru

ited

and

trai

ned

40 P

resi

denc

y vo

lunt

eers

, giv

ing

deve

lopm

ent a

nd e

xper

ienc

e to

Hom

e O

ffic

e st

aff i

na

wid

e va

riet

y of

jobs

. Tha

t gro

up h

ad h

igh

ethn

ic m

inor

ity r

epre

sent

atio

n. A

fter

att

endi

ng R

ace

Equa

lity

Wor

ksho

ps, I

offe

red

to p

rovi

de s

hado

win

g ex

peri

ence

for

ethn

ic m

inor

ity s

taff

inte

rest

ed in

wor

king

in a

Min

iste

r’s

Off

ice

and

beca

me

an a

ssoc

iate

mem

ber

of th

e H

ome

Off

ice

Net

wor

k.

Whi

lst i

n th

e In

tern

atio

nal U

nit,

I sec

ured

a n

ew tr

aini

ng b

udge

t and

ens

ured

all

my

staf

f att

ende

dap

prop

riat

e de

velo

pmen

tal t

rain

ing

ever

y ye

ar, i

nclu

ding

at l

east

one

day

of e

xter

nal t

rain

ing,

in a

dditi

on to

orga

niza

tion

of la

ngua

ge tr

aini

ng b

oth

in th

e un

it an

d H

ome

Off

ice.

I tra

ined

and

mot

ivat

ed u

nit s

taff

thro

ugh

sem

inar

s an

d pr

ojec

ts a

nd h

ave

alw

ays

dele

gate

d ef

fect

ivel

y w

hen

staf

f ava

ilabl

e.

Man

agin

g re

sour

ces

Get

ting

the

best

from

ava

ilabl

e re

sour

ces

and

bala

ncin

g re

sour

ces

and

dem

ands

.

I kee

p al

l ava

ilabl

e re

sour

ces

of a

ll ty

pes

unde

r co

nsta

nt r

evie

w.

Fina

ncia

l Res

ourc

es: d

urin

g th

e P

resi

denc

y, I

had

day

to d

ay r

espo

nsib

ility

for

the

Hom

e O

ffic

e en

tire

budg

et (r

epor

ting

to H

ead

of U

nit)

. I n

egot

iate

d w

ith o

utsi

de s

uppl

iers

and

loca

l aut

hori

ties

and

save

d so

me

£150

,000

on

pred

icte

d ex

pend

iture

of £

500,

000.

I enc

oura

ge th

rift

in th

e of

fice

by u

se o

f sta

ndar

d cl

ass

trav

el w

here

app

ropr

iate

, and

set

up

inte

rnal

recy

clin

g sc

hem

es w

hich

sav

ed n

atur

al r

esou

rces

and

mon

ey. A

Hom

e O

ffic

e pa

per

savi

ng in

itiat

ive

cam

eou

t at a

mon

thly

sav

ing

of 1

2 re

ams.

Thi

s m

otiv

ated

oth

er s

taff

, who

org

aniz

ed in

tern

al g

lass

and

pla

stic

recy

clin

g.

I hav

e al

way

s ha

d to

mak

e de

cisi

ons

abou

t pri

oriti

es.

Wor

king

inEs

peci

ally

dev

elop

ing

good

wor

king

rel

atio

nshi

ps a

nd m

anag

ing

conf

lict.

part

ners

hip

wit

hI w

as k

now

n as

an

effe

ctiv

e op

erat

or in

the

Euro

pean

Com

mis

sion

, whe

re m

uch

depe

nds

on c

onta

ct a

ndot

hers

com

mun

icat

ion.

I enc

oura

ged

colle

ague

s to

sha

re in

form

atio

n an

d w

ork

to c

omm

on g

oals

, and

bui

lt a

wid

ene

twor

k of

col

leag

ues

arou

nd th

e EU

.

I thi

nk I

had

gene

rally

goo

d w

orki

ng r

elat

ions

hips

dur

ing

the

Pre

side

ncy.

I dev

elop

ed w

ays

of r

etai

ning

rel

axed

rel

atio

nshi

ps u

nder

pre

ssur

e in

Pri

vate

Off

ice.


Car

eer

hist

ory

Fore

ign

& C

omm

onw

ealt

h O

ffic

e:20

01–p

rese

ntD

eput

y H

ead

of E

urop

ean

Uni

on D

epar

tmen

t (in

tern

al)

Hom

e O

ffic

e19

98–2

001

Pri

vate

Sec

reta

ry to

the

Hom

e Se

cret

ary

Hom

e O

ffic

e19

97–1

998

Pre

side

ncy

Co-

ordi

nato

r 19

98 U

K P

resi

denc

y of

the

EU

Euro

pean

Com

mis

sion

1994

–199

7Se

cond

men

t to

the

Task

For

ce o

n Ju

stic

e an

d H

ome

Affa

irs,

Det

ache

d N

atio

nal E

xper

t

Cab

inet

Off

ice,

Sec

ondm

ent

to H

ome

Off

ice

1992

–199

4H

ighe

r Ex

ecut

ive

Off

icer

(Dev

elop

men

t – E

urop

e)

Uni

vers

ity

Of P

assa

u19

88–1

992

Assi

stan

t in

Law

Fac

ulty

Lang

uage

sN

ativ

e En

glis

h, b

iling

ual G

erm

an a

nd m

oder

ate

Fren

ch.

Mus

icI a

m a

mem

ber

of th

e Ac

adem

y of

St.

Mar

tin in

the

Fiel

ds C

horu

s, T

allis

Cha

mbe

r C

hoir

, New

Lon

don

Cha

mbe

r C

hoir

and

Joy

ful C

ompa

ny o

f Sin

gers

. I fo

unde

d an

d sa

ng in

a h

ighl

y su

cces

sful

mad

riga

l cho

irin

Pas

sau.

Oth

erI h

ave

rece

ived

4 a

war

ds a

nd s

chol

arsh

ips.


106

CV MARA GOLDSTEIN

DOB/POB 10 March 19xx, Sheffield England

Experience

Since 9/2001 Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London SW1P

Deputy Head of European Union Department (Internal)

Overseeing departmental dossiers, briefs and submissions. Giving

strategic direction to team and priorities in the department.

10/1998–7/2001 Home Office, London SW1

Private Secretary to the Home Secretary

Particular responsibility for European and International Affairs,

Immigration and Asylum, Judicial Co-operation including Extra-

dition, Family Policy.

7/1998–9/1998 Bundesministerium des Inneres, Austria

Secondment

Assisted with Presidency work on the 1998 Austria Presidency of the EU.

3/1997–6/1998 Home Office, London SW1

Presidency Co-ordinator for 1998 UK presidency of the EU

I was in charge of a section of 6 people with responsibility for the

logistical aspects of the Presidency, co-ordination of policy internally

and with other Government Departments, and liaison with the

Council Secretariat, UK Representation in Brussels, European

Commission and European Parliament. Responsibilities included

advice to Ministers on aspects of the Presidency, co-ordination of the ▲


107

calendar of Brussels meetings, organization of UK based

meetings and training for Home Office staff. I also oversaw

inward and outward international Ministerial visits.

2/1994–1 /1997 European Commission, Brussels

Secondment to the Task Force on Justice and Home Affairs,

Detached National Expert

I helped establish the unit on Police Co-operation and represented

the Commission in Council Working Groups on Europol, Police

Co-operation, and Drugs and Organized Crime. Responsibilities

included preparation of Council meetings, liaison with Interpol,

support to Commissioners at European Parliament hearings, and

lecturing on the Third Pillar.

9/1992–2/1994 Cabinet Office, London

Higher Executive Officer (Development – Europe)

Secondment to the Home Office. I was posted in the European

Police Secretariat, where I had an overview of TREVI Working

Groups II and III. I was secretary to the Ad Hoc Working Group

on EUROPOL, and was involved in the work on the draft

Convention to establish EUROPOL.

9/1988–9/1992 University of Passau

Assistant in the Law Faculty/ Part-time lectureship

Teaching British constitutional law and the English legal

system, with additional courses in British politics. In 1990, I was

offered a permanent full-time lectureship in English law (to

▲


108

administer and teach external LLB students), which I turned

down in order to complete my doctoral thesis.

8/1989: Hague Academy of International Law – Summer Session

on the Law of Asylum.

Summer 1998: Research assistant to Dr R. O. Plender QC, revising

new edition of Plender and Usher’s Cases and Materials on the

Law of the European Communities.

1989–1990 and 3/1992: Teaching beginners’ courses in English

language.

1–7/1987: Private tuition in English language for ‘Abitur’ (A-level)

candidates.

1981–1987: Various summer and part-time jobs, including prac-

tical training with Boodle Hatfield Solicitors and much legal

secretarial work.

Education

7/1992 University of Passau, Germany

Dr Juris – thesis on European Community Competence in the Law

of Asylum (‘Die Kompetenzen der Europaischen Gemeinschaften

zur Regelung des Asylrechts’).

1984–1988 King’s College, London

7/1988 LLB, Dip. Ger. Law, AKC.

1986–7 Passau University, FRG, Germany

Diploma in German Law, awarded with 12.8 points out of 18, the

average being around 5.5. ▲

Mara Goldstein’s CV continued


109

1981–83 King’s School, Worcester

GCE A-Levels in German (A), English (B), Music (C).

GCE S-Level in German (Merit).

1970–1981 Sheffield High School for Girls

1981–1982 4 GCE O-Levels (A), 6 GCE O-Levels (B).

Awards

2/1997

1-month study visit of the USA at the invitation of the USA

Overseas Visitor’s Programme. Participation in the Young

European Leaders project.

7/1993

1500-ECU publication grant for doctoral thesis from the

Commission of the European Communities.

1986–1987

Scholarship from the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany

to aid legal studies in Germany.

1986–1987

Scholarship from the Erasmus programme of the European

Communities to aid legal studies in Germany.

Languages Native English, bilingual German, moderate French.

▲


110

Additional qualifications/skills

5/1982 Full Driving Licence.

4/1984 Secretarial Diploma from Sight and Sound College

including Typing at 60 wpm, Shorthand at 80 wpm and Word

Processing.

Further achievements and interests

8/1994 Participant in ‘Young Konigswinter’ Anglo-German Forum.

7/1993 Participation in the Wilton Park Young Anglo-German

Forum, administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

1990–1991 Committee membership of the ‘Studenten fur Passau’,

a non-aligned political party in the local elections.

1989–1990 Secretary of the ‘Passauer Studentendorf e.V’.

1987–1988 Secretary of the King’s College/Passau Society.

1984–1985 Participation in the King’s College ‘Borstal Project’.

Music

I am a member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus,

Tallis Chamber Choir, New London Chamber Choir and Joyful

Company of Singers. Whilst in Passau I founded and sang in a

highly successful madrigal choir. As a student, I was on the

committee for the University of London Music Society and

librarian for the University of London Choir and at school I

organized the 6th form music society. I have been a member of

many choirs, including the National Youth Choir, and used to be

principal oboe player for the Midland Youth Orchestra and

Mara Goldstein’s CV continued


111

Worcester Cathedral Chamber Orchestra. I have qualifications in

Associated Board Grade VIII Distinction Oboe, Grade VI Singing

and Grade V Piano.

Sport

1981 Captain of the tennis team at Sheffield High School.

P I TC H YO U R S E L FN

AN

CY

M.

PR

EN

DE

RG

AS

TB

US

INE

SS

CO

MM

UN

ICA

TOR

The

Mew

s H

ouse

, Lon

don,

UK

Tel:

44

(0) 2

0 xx

xx x

xxx,

E-m

ail:

nm

pren

der@

yaho

o.co

.uk

I am

a s

trat

egic

bus

ines

s co

mm

unic

ator

with

a p

rove

n ab

ility

to e

xplo

it co

mm

erci

al o

ppor

tuni

ties.

A r

espe

cted

peo

ple

man

ager

and

team

pla

yer,

I ha

ve g

uide

d te

ams

of u

p to

20

cons

ulta

nts

to e

xcel

. With

a b

road

und

erst

andi

ng o

f the

mar

ketin

g m

ix a

nd o

fne

w m

edia

cha

nnel

s, I

appl

y cl

assi

c pr

inci

ples

to n

ew w

ays

of d

oing

bus

ines

s. I

am a

cre

ativ

e an

d in

nova

tive

prob

lem

sol

ver

who

gets

res

ults

.

My

expe

rien

ce r

ange

s fr

om p

ositi

onin

g an

d la

unch

ing

soft

war

e pr

oduc

ts fo

r bl

ue-c

hip

com

pani

es to

hel

ping

bui

ld th

e br

ands

and

med

ia p

rofil

es o

f man

y in

nova

tive

new

bus

ines

ses

to r

unni

ng o

ne o

f the

UK

’s m

ost t

alke

d ab

out P

R c

ompa

nies

. My

fasc

inat

ion

with

evo

lvin

g m

edia

cha

nnel

s, g

rasp

of t

echn

olog

y an

d its

impl

icat

ions

on

how

we

wor

k an

d liv

e, a

nd c

ross

-cul

tura

l int

eres

ts fu

elm

y ca

reer

am

bitio

ns.

Focu

ses

on th

eP

laye

d ke

y ro

le in

bui

ldin

g te

am, c

lient

por

tfol

io a

nd r

even

ues

of y

oung

PR

age

ncy,

hel

ping

to e

xplo

it hi

gh-

com

mer

cial

grow

th w

eb a

nd m

obile

com

mer

ce m

arke

t opp

ortu

nitie

s. D

irec

tly r

espo

nsib

le fo

r re

venu

es in

200

0 of

mor

e th

an £

850K

– n

earl

y ha

lf th

e ag

ency

tota

l. An

agg

ress

ive

grow

th s

trat

egy

culm

inat

ed in

Gna

sh C

omm

uni-

catio

ns b

eing

nam

ed th

e U

K’s

fast

est g

row

ing

PR

con

sulta

ncy,

Apr

il 20

01.

Thin

ks s

trat

egic

ally

Iden

tifie

d a

gap

in th

e m

arke

t for

PR

ser

vice

s to

sup

port

sta

rt-u

p co

mpa

nies

, dev

ised

a s

et o

f new

pro

duct

sto

ext

end

Gna

sh’s

offe

ring

. The

se in

clud

e pa

n-Eu

rope

an b

est-

prac

tice

agen

cy n

etw

ork;

pos

ition

wor

ksho

p;co

mm

unic

atio

ns p

lan

boot

cam

p; a

genc

y se

arch

and

sel

ectio

n; a

nd v

iral

PR

pro

gram

me.

The

se s

ervi

ces

adde

d m

ore

than

£3/

4m to

age

ncy

reve

nues

ove

r 18

mon

ths.

Solv

es p

robl

ems

Ref

lect

ing

a VC

clie

nt’s

con

serv

ativ

e ap

proa

ch to

med

ia, c

reat

ed w

ork-

arou

nd p

rogr

amm

es to

mee

t PR

obje

ctiv

es. A

por

tfol

io o

utre

ach

prog

ram

me

sign

ifica

ntly

rai

sed

the

prof

ile o

f the

clie

nt’s

inve

stm

ents

and

ther

eby

the

clie

nt’s

ow

n pr

ofile

. Pro

gram

me

was

sub

sequ

ently

use

d as

a m

odel

by

clie

nt’s

age

ncie

s in

oth

erm

arke

ts.

Entr

epre

neur

ial

Pio

neer

ed th

e co

ncep

t of v

iral

PR

in th

e U

K. D

evel

oped

the

prog

ram

me

and

team

to c

reat

e co

st-e

ffect

ive

cam

paig

ns fo

r cl

ient

s, in

clud

ing

Fina

ncia

l Tim

es, V

irgi

n M

obile

, Las

tmin

ute.

com

and

Hoo

ver’

s O

nlin

e.D

evel

oped

an

anti-

jarg

on c

ampa

ign

for

Hoo

ver’

s th

at r

esul

ted

in a

sus

tain

ed 3

0% r

ise

in s

ite u

sage

and

abu

sy p

ipel

ine

of s

ubsc

ript

ion

sale

s le

ads.

TO P-F LO O R E L E VATO R P I TC H E SK

now

s m

edia

Bro

ad u

nder

stan

ding

of o

nlin

e an

d of

fline

med

ia c

hann

els,

incl

udin

g w

eb, w

irel

ess,

terr

estr

ial a

nd d

igita

lTV

, rad

io a

nd p

rint

. Has

run

cam

paig

ns d

esig

ned

to m

axim

ize

clie

nt e

xpos

ure

on o

ne o

r m

any.

For

FT.

com

,he

lped

to c

reat

e pr

int,

web

and

tele

visi

on a

dver

tisin

g ca

mpa

igns

to r

epos

ition

the

site

and

dri

ve u

p le

vels

of

traf

fic fr

om 7

mill

ion

to 2

0 m

illio

n pa

ge v

iew

s pe

r m

onth

.

Lead

s cr

eati

vely

Spea

rhea

ded

the

crea

tion

of a

mot

ivat

iona

l par

tner

pro

gram

me

to s

peed

con

sulta

nts’

gro

wth

with

in a

flat

orga

niza

tiona

l str

uctu

re. P

rogr

amm

e in

clud

es a

n ex

tens

ive

six-

part

ann

ual r

evie

w, t

arge

ted

PR

and

man

agem

ent t

rain

ing,

pee

r re

view

and

par

tner

com

pens

atio

n pa

ckag

e in

clud

ing

shar

e op

tions

.

Car

eer

chro

nolo

gyG

nash

Com

mun

icat

ions

Co-

man

agin

g di

rect

or fr

om A

pril

2001

Boa

rd d

irec

tor,

Oct

ober

199

9 –

Apri

l 200

1

Fina

ncia

l Tim

esC

onsu

ltant

mar

com

ms

man

ager

, FT.

com

, Mar

ch 1

998

– O

ctob

er 1

999

Inde

pend

ent C

onsu

ltan

tC

lient

s in

clud

ed L

otus

Dev

elop

men

t Cor

p (U

SA);

Wel

sh S

late

; and

Ket

chum

PR

, Apr

il 19

96 –

Mar

ch 1

998

Ogi

lvy

Ada

ms

& R

ineh

art

Acco

unt d

irec

tor,

pan

-Eur

opea

n ac

coun

ts, S

epte

mbe

r 19

95 –

May

199

6

Lois

Pau

l & P

artn

ers

Seni

or a

ccou

nt m

anag

er, T

echn

olog

y M

arch

199

2 –

June

199

5

Lotu

s D

evel

opm

ent C

orp

Con

sulta

nt, C

orpo

rate

Com

mun

icat

ions

, Oct

ober

198

9 –

Janu

ary

1992

Bro

nner

Sch

losb

erg

Hum

phre

yAc

coun

t exe

cutiv

e, d

irec

t mar

ketin

g, 1

984-

1987

Educ

atio

nEm

erso

n C

olle

ge, M

aste

r of

Art

s, M

ass

Com

mun

icat

ion,

199

0

Uni

vers

ity o

f Mas

sach

uset

ts, B

osto

n, B

ache

lor

of A

rts

in E

nglis

h Li

tera

ture

and

Spa

nish

, Mag

na C

umLa

ude,

198

4

Sain

t Lou

is U

nive

rsit

y, M

adri

d Sp

ain,

Spa

nish

Lan

guag

e an

d C

ultu

re, 1

982


BIL

L F

AU

ST

EF

FE

CT

IVE

CA

TALY

ST

215

Wes

t Hill

, Bri

ghto

n B

N1,

UK

Mob

ile: 4

4 (0

) xxx

xxx

xxx

, Hom

e: 4

4 (0

) 127

3 22

2222

, E-m

ail:

bill

f@ta

lk21

.com

I bri

ng z

est f

or li

fe to

my

wor

k an

d m

ake

idea

s ha

ppen

. 14

year

s of

pra

ctic

al, i

nteg

rate

d m

arke

ting

idea

s ge

nera

tion

for

both

clie

nts

and

adve

rtis

ing

agen

cies

acr

oss

the

wor

ld.

Cre

ativ

e an

dO

ptim

ized

sm

all b

udge

t thr

ough

pio

neer

ing

‘vir

al m

arke

ting’

cam

paig

n fo

r Au

stra

lia’s

lead

ing

choc

olat

ein

nova

tive

sol

utio

nsco

nfec

tione

ryTi

m T

ams.

Ach

ieve

d cu

lt s

tatu

s an

d no

tori

ety

and

endo

rsed

by

Tim

Tam

s af

icio

nado

sge

nera

ting

self

perp

etua

ting

PR

.

Cre

ated

an

inte

grat

ed w

eb p

rese

nce

for

Fair

fax,

one

of A

ustr

alia

’s le

adin

g m

edia

gro

ups,

that

rev

olut

ioni

zed

the

med

ia p

lann

er b

uyer

and

pub

lishi

ng h

ouse

rel

atio

nshi

p. T

he In

tern

et b

ecam

e th

e In

tran

et b

ecam

e th

eEx

tran

et in

a s

moo

th fl

ow o

f eff

icie

ncie

s.

Entr

epre

neur

ial

Initi

ated

and

impl

emen

ted

the

onlin

e e-

com

mer

ce s

trat

egy

that

bro

aden

ed th

e po

tent

ial p

et in

sura

nce

and

com

mer

cial

port

folio

by

£694

mill

ion

pa a

n in

crea

se o

f 488

%.

Gen

erat

ed in

nova

tive

one-

stop

mot

orin

g po

rtal

str

ateg

ic in

tera

ctiv

e of

feri

ng fo

r N

ews

Ltd.

Pro

duce

d a

com

preh

ensi

ve b

usin

ess

plan

enc

ompa

ssin

g al

l asp

ects

from

cos

ts, h

ead

coun

t, po

tent

ial r

even

ue g

row

th,

to th

e fu

lly s

peci

fied

func

tiona

lity

for

the

port

al.

Pro

ject

man

agem

entM

anag

ed d

irec

t, in

dire

ct r

epor

ts a

nd 3

rd p

arty

sup

plie

rs a

t GEI

H, C

IA &

IMP

res

ultin

g in

pro

ject

s ru

nnin

g to

an

d re

lati

onsh

iptim

e an

d on

bud

get.

build

ing

Bui

lt lo

ng s

tand

ing

clie

nt r

elat

ions

hips

, with

Pac

kard

Bel

l and

BT

thro

ugh

seve

ral d

iffer

ent r

oles

.


Stra

tegi

c th

inke

rW

rote

the

stra

tegy

doc

umen

t for

Ora

nge’

s M

obile

Por

tal.

Und

erst

andi

ng th

e is

sues

faci

ng th

e m

obile

tele

com

mun

icat

ions

mar

ket,

from

the

key

driv

ers

whi

ch in

fluen

ce th

e us

e of

the

mob

ile p

latf

orm

to n

ewre

venu

e m

odel

s.

Stud

ied

curr

ent a

nd fu

ture

con

tent

and

ser

vice

s fr

om a

cus

tom

er a

nd c

omm

erci

al p

oint

of v

iew

to th

ead

optio

n an

d ad

vanc

emen

t of n

ew te

chno

logy

. Pro

duce

d a

stra

tegy

doc

umen

t hig

hlig

htin

g co

mm

erci

ally

viab

le r

even

ue g

ener

atio

n in

a m

arke

tpla

ce th

at n

ears

full

pene

trat

ion

of m

obile

dev

ices

.

Idea

gen

erat

ion

Co-

auth

ored

the

title

Pitc

h Yo

urse

lf a

radi

cal w

ay to

sel

l you

rsel

f to

pote

ntia

l new

em

ploy

ers.

and

impl

emen

tatio

nP

itche

d an

d de

liver

ed c

once

pt to

the

publ

ishe

r, P

ears

on E

duca

tion

deliv

ered

the

book

in m

id-2

002.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Inte

rim

Pro

ject

s an

d au

thor

of P

itch

Your

self

2001

to d

ate

UK

E-M

arke

ting

Dir

ecto

r G

EIH

(par

t of G

E C

apita

l)19

99–2

000

UK

New

Med

ia D

irec

tor

Bat

es A

ustr

alia

1998

–199

9 A

ustr

alia

Hea

d of

Inte

ract

ive

CIA

(lar

gest

med

ia in

depe

nden

t age

ncy)

1997

–199

8 U

K

Hea

d of

Sal

es a

nd M

arke

ting

IMP

(to

p 5

SP a

genc

y)19

96–1

997

UK

Dir

ecto

r, In

t Mar

ketin

g YI

TM (Y

orks

hire

TV)

1995

–199

6 U

K

Acc

ount

Dir

ecto

r U

/C/M

Ltd

1991

–199

5 U

K

Rig

hts

Man

ager

Bay

ard

Pre

sse

Par

is19

90–1

991

Fran

ce

Adv

erti

sem

ent M

anag

er H

aym

arke

t Pub

lishi

ng19

87–1

990

UK

Educ

atio

nB

usin

ess

Stud

ies:

Bou

rnem

outh

Uni

vers

ity.

Lang

uage

sB

usin

ess

Fren

ch: A

cqui

red

for

the

role

at B

ayar

d P

ress

e in

Par

is

P I TC H YO U R S E L FM

ICH

AE

L F

AU

ST

LE

AD

ER

WH

O B

EL

IEV

ES

1 +

1 S

HO

UL

D N

OT

ALW

AY

S E

QU

AL

2

Pen

ny M

eado

w, C

head

le H

ulm

e, C

hesh

ire

Tel:

44

(0) 1

61 x

xx x

xxx,

E-m

ail:

mic

hael

_fau

st@

ftne

twor

k.co

mLa

tera

l thi

nkin

g le

ader

with

col

labo

rativ

e ye

t cha

lleng

ing

styl

e. P

laci

ng a

hig

h va

lue

on in

tegr

ity a

nd tr

ust I

que

stio

n, I

pers

ever

e an

din

fluen

ce o

ther

s to

ste

p ch

ange

the

stat

us q

uo o

ften

goin

g th

e ex

tra

mile

.

16 y

ears

in in

tern

atio

nal,

cust

omer

faci

ng ro

les,

inte

grat

ed m

arke

ting

and

lead

ersh

ip o

f thi

rd p

arty

rela

tions

hips

acr

oss

bord

ers

and

cultu

res,

gai

ned

in b

oth

star

t ups

as

wel

l as

US

and

Asia

n bl

ue c

hip

orga

niza

tions

.

Cre

ativ

ity,

Initi

ated

and

del

iver

ed a

ser

ies

of s

ymbi

otic

par

tner

ship

dea

ls w

hich

cre

ated

Del

l’s fi

rst g

loba

l spo

nsor

ship

tena

city

and

prop

erty

with

BM

W a

t Le

Man

s 19

99, g

ener

atin

g m

ulti

mill

ion

$ gl

obal

exp

osur

e fo

r ze

ro c

ost a

ndre

ourc

eful

ness

deliv

erin

grob

ust t

elev

isio

n ca

mpa

ign

over

one

yea

r in

Ger

man

y, a

gain

, at n

o co

st.

Des

igne

d an

d im

plem

ente

d ne

w c

olla

tera

l str

ateg

y th

at re

duce

d co

st y

/y 4

5%, s

cale

d in

to A

sia

and

USA

deliv

erin

g fu

rthe

r re

gion

al e

cono

mie

s.

By

build

ing

the

wor

ld’s

larg

est l

ive

mob

ile p

ager

I he

lped

NEC

Pag

ers

beco

me

ubiq

uito

us in

Rus

sia.

Com

mer

cial

At L

etsb

uyit.

com

I im

prov

ed o

vera

ll e-

com

mer

ce K

PIs

thro

ugh

new

cus

tom

er a

cqui

sitio

n st

rate

gyac

umen

& r

esul

ts-

driv

ing

prop

ensi

ty to

pur

chas

e, d

ecre

asin

g ac

quis

ition

cos

ts fi

vefo

ld, i

ncre

asin

g re

peat

pur

chas

e dr

iven

near

ly 2

00%

and

impr

ovin

g ov

eral

l qua

lity

of tr

affic

to s

ite a

nd th

eref

ore

dram

atic

ally

dri

ving

reve

nue

stre

am.

Led

new

bus

ines

s te

ams

to w

in a

ccou

nts

e.g.

Miz

uno

and

Muj

i, at

Hak

uhod

o.

Del

iver

ed re

sults

sca

led

the

busi

ness

and

dro

ve k

ey o

bjec

tives

from

glo

bal s

pons

orsh

ip, m

axim

izin

g pa

rtne

rs to

leve

ragi

ng b

udge

ts a

t Del

l. In

itiat

ed n

ew w

orki

ng p

ract

ice

for

an a

llian

ce p

artn

ersh

ip g

ener

atin

g ex

posu

re 2

3xgr

eate

r th

an in

itial

Del

l inv

estm

ent.

Coa

chin

g an

dEx

celle

nt a

t cre

atin

g cl

imat

e in

whi

ch p

eopl

e ca

n le

arn,

by

mak

ing

each

indi

vidu

al fe

el th

eir

team

bui

ldin

gim

port

ance

in b

uild

ing

cons

ensu

s.

Bei

ng d

epen

dabl

e, h

ard

wor

king

and

ene

rget

ic I

mak

e ev

eryo

ne a

roun

d m

e be

com

e be

tter

and

wor

k ha

rder

.

‘Exc

elle

nt le

ader

and

man

ager

of a

genc

y pa

rtne

rs …

exc

eptio

nal i

n gr

owin

g ot

hers

’– th

eir

wor

ds n

ot m

ine.

TO P-F LO O R E L E VATO R P I TC H E SO

rgan

izat

iona

l16

yea

rs o

f cus

tom

er fa

cing

role

s al

l aim

ed a

t cre

atin

g in

timac

y an

d de

liver

ing

RO

I bot

h ag

ility

and

inte

rnal

ly a

nd e

xter

nally

.cu

stom

er fo

cus

Succ

ess

gain

ed in

ran

ge o

f wor

king

env

ironm

ents

, cul

ture

s an

d st

yle

from

dec

entr

aliz

ed D

ell

mat

rix

to d

ynam

ic d

otco

m ‘c

an d

o’ s

tart

-up

via

blue

chi

p As

ian

orga

niza

tions

.

The

inta

ngib

le b

enef

its o

f the

BM

W/D

ell d

eal i

nclu

de b

eing

one

of t

he h

ighe

st v

isite

d si

tes

on th

e EM

EA in

tran

etde

mon

stra

ting

enha

nced

sta

ff m

oral

e an

d m

otiv

atio

n es

peci

ally

in G

erm

any

and

Fran

ce. M

erch

andi

se g

ive-

away

s (s

ever

al th

ousa

nd b

ooks

and

car

s) d

eliv

ered

enh

ance

d cu

stom

er a

ffini

ty.

Seve

ral q

uote

s:‘I

do n

ot th

ink

you

can

get a

bet

ter

deal

from

any

oth

er, w

e sh

all g

o ah

ead…

’, ‘…

the

cam

paig

nha

s be

en a

hug

e su

cces

s.’ ‘

GR

EAT!

!!’ a

nd ‘…

Del

l was

rea

lly v

ery

dom

inan

t …co

ngra

tula

tions

to a

ver

y sm

art

and

succ

essf

ul d

eal…

’

Car

eer

hist

ory

Man

agin

g D

irec

tor,

Tra

velc

are

2002

–onw

ards

Full

P&

L re

spon

sibi

lity

for

UK

’s la

rges

t ind

epen

dent

trav

el a

genc

y, £

400m

+, m

ulti

dist

ribu

tion

reta

iler

with

370

bran

ches

, 180

0 st

aff a

nd 5

% U

K m

arke

t sha

re

Inte

rim

Man

ager

and

Aut

hor

2001

–200

2St

rate

gic

Euro

pean

mar

ketin

g co

nsul

tanc

y fo

r es

tabl

ishi

ng in

tern

et c

ompa

nies

Co-

auth

or o

f Pitc

h Yo

urse

lf, p

ublis

hed

by P

ears

on E

duca

tion

Euro

pean

Mar

ketin

g D

irec

tor,

Let

sbuy

it.co

m20

00–2

0001

Euro

pe’s

lead

ing

B2C

gro

up b

uyin

g in

tern

et re

taile

r. Le

d 33

str

ong

mar

ketin

g te

am a

nd a

genc

y pa

rtne

rs a

cros

s14

mar

kets

in c

reat

ion

of in

tern

al a

nd e

xter

nal m

arke

ting

stra

tegy

and

reve

nue

gene

ratio

n.

Hea

d of

Cor

pora

te B

rand

Str

ateg

y EM

EA, D

ell

1998

–200

0W

orld

’s le

adin

g di

rect

com

pute

r co

mpa

ny a

nd w

orld

’s m

ost s

ucce

ssfu

l e-b

usin

ess.

Led

cre

ativ

e, re

sear

ch a

ndm

edia

age

ncie

s ac

ross

Eur

ope,

bud

get $

40m

, hel

ping

to d

efin

e D

ell’s

new

e-co

mm

erce

glo

bal p

ositi

onin

g

Adv

ertis

ing

Age

ncie

s19

86–1

998

From

Hak

uhod

o (J

apan

’s n

umbe

r 2

agen

cy a

nd to

p 10

glo

bal c

omm

unic

atio

ns a

genc

y, 1

993–

1998

),M

arke

tSha

re (1

991

to 1

993)

, Yel

low

Ham

mer

(198

9 to

199

1) to

Saa

tchi

& S

aatc

hi (1

986

to 1

989)

Educ

atio

nB

ath

Uni

vers

ity, U

pper

2nd

Cla

ss H

onou

rs, E

cono

mic

s


MA

RC

SC

HA

VE

MA

KE

RC

OM

ME

RC

IAL

AIR

LIN

E P

ILO

T (

BO

EIN

G 7

37)

Jupi

ter

Laan

64,

164

4XS

Haa

rlem

, NL

Tel:

23

(0) 4

29 x

xxx,

E-m

ail:

mar

c@sk

ypor

t.nl

I con

tinua

lly in

crea

se m

y ab

ility

to d

eal w

ith fa

st m

ovin

g co

mpl

ex s

ituat

ions

, whi

lst i

nspi

ring

con

fiden

ce in

oth

ers

arou

nd m

e.I h

ave

deve

lope

d a

solid

foun

datio

n in

saf

ety

proc

edur

es a

nd p

eopl

e m

anag

emen

t.

I wor

ked

in in

dust

ry fo

r si

x ye

ars

as a

cha

rter

ed c

ivil

engi

neer

pri

or to

bec

omin

g an

air

line

pilo

t 4 y

ears

ago

.

Abi

lity

to le

adAn

air

line

pilo

t, es

peci

ally

an

aspi

ring

cap

tain

, mus

t sho

w le

ader

ship

and

com

mer

cial

aw

aren

ess

in th

em

anag

emen

t of t

he d

ay-t

o-da

y op

erat

ion,

pro

vidi

ng a

saf

e, e

ffic

ient

ser

vice

. The

abi

lity

to m

ake

deci

sion

s is

base

d on

ava

ilabl

e in

form

atio

n, e

xper

ienc

e an

d in

tuiti

on. I

take

a le

adin

g ro

le a

nd s

eek

to d

iscu

ss s

teps

Iw

ould

take

in r

esol

ving

situ

atio

ns th

at a

rise

. Thi

s re

sult

s in

the

build

ing

of e

xper

ienc

e an

d co

nfid

ence

,pr

ovid

ing

a gr

eate

r nu

mbe

r of

app

ropr

iate

sug

gest

ions

on

oper

atio

nal i

ssue

s.

Situ

atio

nal

It is

ess

entia

l to

build

a m

enta

l mod

el o

f you

r su

rrou

ndin

gs. C

ontin

ual m

onito

ring

of t

he a

ircr

aft s

yste

ms,

awar

enes

s an

dm

aint

aini

ng s

patia

law

aren

ess,

and

con

stan

t lia

ison

with

all

crew

incl

udin

g pa

ssen

gers

incr

ease

s m

y la

tera

l thi

nkin

gca

paci

ty to

dea

l with

any

eve

nt.

Org

aniz

atio

nal

It is

ess

entia

l to

orga

nize

my

task

s ef

fect

ivel

y to

red

uce

my

wor

kloa

d an

d in

crea

se m

y ca

paci

ty. I

hav

e th

eab

ility

and

agi

lity

pres

ence

of m

ind

and

fore

thou

ght t

o pr

iori

tize

and

carr

y ou

t mul

tiple

task

s si

mul

tane

ousl

y w

hils

tm

aint

aini

ng a

ccur

acy.

Thi

s is

ach

ieve

d by

pla

nnin

g ac

tions

, wor

king

logi

cally

and

thin

king

ahe

ad. I

am

then

of g

reat

er a

ssis

tanc

e to

my

capt

ain

and

can

mai

ntai

n sm

ooth

ope

ratio

n of

the

serv

ice.


Effe

ctiv

eIn

the

avia

tion

indu

stry

it is

ess

entia

l to

conv

ey a

nd r

ecei

ve in

form

atio

n su

ccin

ctly

. I u

se e

ffect

ive

brie

fing

com

mun

icat

ions

tech

niqu

es th

at a

re im

pera

tive

for

a su

cces

sful

flig

ht fr

om th

e gr

ound

up

(and

dow

n ag

ain)

. I h

ave

anap

proa

chab

le s

tyle

and

car

ry o

ut m

y ta

sks

in a

ccor

danc

e to

the

Stan

dard

Ope

ratin

g P

roce

dure

s, w

hils

tlia

isin

g w

ith a

ll m

y fe

llow

cre

w in

an

open

and

co-

oper

ativ

e m

anne

r, r

esul

ting

in a

red

uctio

n of

inhe

rent

ris

kan

d sh

ared

kno

wle

dge.

Tech

nica

l and

I mus

t be

fund

amen

tally

fam

iliar

with

the

airc

raft

. I h

ave

an a

war

enes

s an

d w

illin

gnes

s to

kee

p up

-to-

date

prac

tica

l apt

itud

ew

ith th

e ai

rcra

ft s

yste

ms

and

hand

ling

char

acte

rist

ics.

Whe

n si

tuat

ions

allo

w, I

mak

e th

e m

ost o

f han

dlin

gth

e ai

rcra

ft. I

stu

dy r

egul

arly

to k

eep

abre

ast o

f all

rele

vant

mat

eria

l, en

suri

ng I

am u

p to

dat

e w

ith a

llas

pect

s of

the

airc

raft

’s te

chni

cal d

ata.

Thi

s in

crea

ses

my

conf

iden

ce o

f the

air

craf

t’s c

apab

ilitie

s, a

llow

ing

me

to b

e be

tter

pre

pare

d fo

r al

l sce

nari

os.

Abi

lity

to p

rom

ote

To m

aint

ain

a go

od o

vera

ll si

tuat

iona

l aw

aren

ess

and

crea

te a

n ef

fect

ive

harm

onio

us te

am, i

t is

impo

rtan

t to

good

team

wor

k cr

eate

an

open

and

eff

icie

nt w

orki

ng e

nvir

onm

ent u

tiliz

ing

Cre

w R

esou

rce

Man

agem

ent.

This

max

imiz

esth

eef

fect

iven

ess

of th

e w

hole

cre

w. I

mus

t rec

ogni

ze th

e sk

ills

of o

ther

s an

d co

mpl

emen

t the

m to

my

own

thro

ugh

cons

ulta

tion

and

dele

gatio

n, fu

rthe

ring

our

ski

ll ba

se. T

he r

esul

t is

to r

educ

e th

e w

orkl

oad

of a

llcr

ew m

embe

rs, p

rovi

ding

an

incr

ease

d ca

paci

ty to

focu

s on

saf

ety

and

effic

ienc

y.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Bri

tish

Air

way

s19

98–p

rese

nt

NR

A &

Env

iron

men

t Age

ncy

1991

–98

Educ

atio

nC

ivil

Engi

neer

ing

degr

ee

P I TC H YO U R S E L FM

AR

K B

AIL

EY

SE

AS

ON

ED

IN

TE

RN

AT

ION

AL

MA

RK

ET

ING

PR

OF

ES

SIO

NA

L

50 C

arab

ella

St,

Bal

gow

lah

Hei

ghts

, Syd

ney,

206

2, A

ustr

alia

Tel:

61 (0

) 2 9

9 xx

x xx

x, E

-mai

l: m

arkb

@sy

dney

.com

.au

I thr

ive

on c

halle

nges

. I a

m a

n in

nova

tive

busi

ness

bui

lder

, re-

engi

neer

ing

thro

ugh

peop

le n

ot p

roce

sses

, and

taki

ng m

y cl

ient

s w

ithm

e. B

y br

ingi

ng to

geth

er a

bro

ad b

ase

of e

clec

tic ta

lent

s an

d sk

ills

to c

reat

e dr

iven

team

s, I

prov

ide

crea

tive

and

insp

irin

g pr

agm

atic

solu

tions

.

For

20 y

ears

, I h

ave

wor

ked

exte

nsiv

ely

on a

nat

iona

l, re

gion

al a

nd in

tern

atio

nal b

asis

with

a b

road

ran

ge o

f org

aniz

atio

ns in

bot

h cl

ient

and

agen

cy e

nviro

nmen

ts, i

nclu

ding

suc

cess

fully

dev

elop

ing

and

som

e ye

ars

late

r m

ergi

ng m

y ow

n bu

sine

ss w

ith a

mul

tinat

iona

lop

erat

ion.

Inno

vativ

e so

lutio

nsC

reat

ed o

ne o

f the

firs

t ‘bo

utiq

ue’ c

ompl

ete

inte

grat

ed in

depe

nden

t mar

ketin

g co

mm

unic

atio

ns a

genc

ies,

Com

mun

icat

e@, i

ncor

pora

ting

full

prod

uctio

n an

d an

ext

ensi

ve r

ange

of m

arke

ting,

adv

ertis

ing,

pla

nnin

g an

dex

ecut

ion

serv

ices

.

Dev

elop

ed m

ulti-

face

ted

inte

grat

ed c

ampa

igns

to a

ver

y di

vers

e ra

nge

of c

lient

s ac

ross

a b

road

spe

ctru

m o

fin

dust

ries

, inc

ludi

ng R

ecki

tt &

Col

man

Gro

up, D

igita

l, C

astle

mai

ne P

erki

ns, S

mith

Klin

e B

eech

am, P

fizer

Hea

lthca

re, R

oche

, Pha

rmac

ia &

Upj

ohn,

Met

way

Ban

k, P

arke

Dav

is, C

SIR

O, E

li Li

lly, W

oods

Bag

ot, T

elst

ra,

Col

es M

yer,

Fos

seys

and

Med

itech

.

Gre

w a

gro

up o

f ind

ivid

ual s

peci

alis

t bus

ines

ses

in m

arke

ting

com

mun

icat

ions

, pre

-pro

duct

ion,

pro

duct

ion

proc

essi

ng a

nd d

igita

l cro

ss-p

latfo

rm c

reat

ion

med

ium

s th

at o

pera

ted

as a

tota

l res

ourc

es u

nit.

Mer

ged

Com

mun

icat

e@ w

ith a

trad

ition

al m

ultin

atio

nal t

o cr

eate

thei

r in

tegr

ated

str

uctu

re a

fter

8 ye

ars

of in

depe

nden

top

erat

ion.

Lead

ing,

coa

chin

g,C

reat

ed a

nd s

ucce

ssfu

lly im

plem

ente

d th

e fir

st b

usin

ess

mod

el o

f its

type

, ass

istin

g w

ith d

evel

opin

g sk

ills

deve

lopi

ng a

ndan

d pe

rson

nel t

o be

pla

ced

in ro

les

thro

ugho

ut th

e re

gion

in o

rder

to fu

rthe

r ex

pand

thes

e sk

ills

and

ex

port

ing

skill

sle

arni

ng in

to th

ose

mar

kets

. Leo

Inte

grat

ed b

ecam

e a

cata

lyst

for

thei

r ev

olut

ion.

and

lear

ning

Impl

emen

ted

a gr

eate

r ex

chan

ge a

nd d

ialo

gue

in th

ese

evol

ving

spe

cial

ist b

usin

ess

area

s in

tern

atio

nally

,w

orki

ng in

sym

path

y w

ith th

e de

velo

ping

glo

bal v

isio

n an

d a

glob

al IP

O e

nviro

nmen

t.

Inno

vativ

e bu

sine

ssH

elpe

d tr

ansf

orm

a tr

aditi

onal

org

aniz

atio

n in

to a

n in

dust

ry le

ader

and

an

envi

able

gro

wth

ach

ieve

r,in

itiat

ives

whe

n th

e tr

aditi

onal

reve

nue

stre

ams

wer

e fa

cing

a c

onsi

dera

ble

dow

ntur

n.

Cre

ated

a c

ompl

etel

y ne

w, n

atio

nally

, reg

iona

lly a

nd in

tern

atio

nally

aw

arde

d bu

sine

ss m

odel

for

evol

ving

and

gene

ratin

g ne

w le

vels

of s

ucce

ss a

nd p

rofit

abili

ty, b

ring

ing

toge

ther

and

impl

emen

ting

a un

ique

wor

king

cul

ture

and

appr

oach

that

del

iver

ed g

row

th, d

iver

sific

atio

n an

d a

foun

datio

n fo

r fu

ture

suc

cess

.

Bus

ines

s st

rate

gist

D

evis

ed th

e bu

sine

ss s

trat

egy.

Pla

nned

and

man

aged

the

impl

emen

tatio

n to

cre

ate

a st

ruct

ure

and

re-e

ngin

eer


the

trad

ition

al b

usin

ess.

Intr

oduc

ed a

n al

l-en

com

pass

ing

inte

grat

ed g

roup

of 8

new

spe

cial

ist m

arke

ting

busi

ness

uni

ts to

pro

vide

add

ition

al s

ervi

ces

in th

e ar

eas

of s

ales

pro

mot

ions

, dire

ct/C

RM

, dig

ital a

nd in

tera

ctiv

e,ev

ents

/PR

, hea

lthca

re m

arke

ting,

des

ign,

B2B

/tec

hnol

ogy

and

Com

mun

icat

ions

arc

hite

ctur

e st

rate

gy.

Cre

ated

a p

rofit

able

bus

ines

s m

odel

ded

icat

ed to

qua

lity,

bes

t-pr

actic

e de

liver

y, p

rodu

ctiv

e re

sour

cem

anag

emen

t, an

d cr

oss-

chan

nel i

mpl

emen

tatio

n, re

sulti

ng in

a to

tal b

usin

ess

reve

nue

cont

ribu

tion

that

gre

wfr

om 0

to 4

0%+

with

in 4

yea

rs.

Inte

grat

ion,

Man

agem

ent o

f maj

or a

ccou

nt g

roup

s an

d co

-ord

inat

ion

of c

reat

ive

and

othe

r sp

ecia

list r

esou

rces

to

reso

urce

and

deve

lop

and

impl

emen

t str

ateg

ies

for

clie

nt p

roje

cts

and

cam

paig

ns. A

ctiv

ely

invo

lved

in le

adin

g ne

w

team

man

agem

ent

busi

ness

pitc

h te

ams.

Par

t of t

he F

ortu

ne G

roup

, inc

ludi

ng S

SB, D

FS &

Wes

ton

Adve

rtis

ing

Agen

cies

, wor

king

with

thes

e ag

enci

es, k

ey m

ains

trea

m c

lient

s, s

uch

as T

oyot

a, a

nd w

ith d

irect

clie

nts

to p

rovi

de in

tegr

ated

serv

ices

. Thr

ough

a le

adin

g be

low

the

line/

inte

grat

ed a

genc

y sp

ecia

lizin

g in

full

serv

ice

prov

isio

n of

com

plet

ecl

ient

nee

ds, i

nclu

ding

sal

es p

rom

otio

n, d

irect

/rel

atio

nshi

p m

arke

ting,

spo

rts

and

spon

sors

hip

mar

ketin

g,m

erch

andi

zing

and

PO

S, a

nd s

ales

ince

ntiv

e pr

ogra

mm

es. S

olel

y re

spon

sibl

e fo

r se

curi

ng R

evlo

n, F

erre

ro,

Cha

se A

MP

Ban

k.

Re-

engi

neer

ing

Enab

led

an o

rgan

izat

ion

to tr

ansf

orm

to a

str

onge

r cu

stom

er-c

entr

ic fo

cus,

cre

ated

a s

igni

fican

t cul

tura

l and

and

chan

geop

erat

iona

l cha

nge,

mai

ntai

ning

cor

e tr

aditi

onal

val

ues

and

enha

ncin

g th

ese

with

revo

lutio

nary

new

val

ues

for

man

agem

ent

asi

gnifi

cant

ly e

volv

ed e

nviro

nmen

t, w

orki

ng c

lose

ly w

ith g

loba

l ope

ratio

ns, e

xper

ienc

e an

d vi

sion

to re

inve

ntbe

st p

ract

ice.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Leo

Bur

nett

/bco

m3

– A

ustr

alia

1997

–pre

sent

Nat

iona

l dire

ctor

inte

grat

ed s

olut

ions

Com

mun

icat

e @

Mar

ketin

g C

omm

unic

atio

ns A

genc

y19

89–1

997

Man

agin

g Pa

rtne

r

The

Pro

mot

iona

l Mar

ketp

lace

1987

–198

9As

soci

ate

Dire

ctor

Piz

za H

ut A

ustr

alas

ia19

86–1

987

Seni

or B

rand

Mar

ketin

g M

anag

er

Fabe

rge

Mar

ketin

g M

anag

er19

83–1

986

Wes

tpac

Ban

k19

81–1

983

Nat

iona

l Adv

ertis

ing

Co-

ordi

nato

r

Nes

tlé

1979

–198

1N

ew P

rodu

cts

Offi

cer

Sout

h B

ritis

h U

nite

d In

sura

nce

Gro

up19

77–1

979

Mar

ketin

g co

-ord

inat

or

P I TC H YO U R S E L FLO

UIS

E M

ED

LE

YS

AL

ES

PR

OF

ES

SIO

NA

L

The

Stab

les

Lock

, Yay

ning

s, U

KTe

l: 4

4 (0

)159

2 xx

x xx

xx, E

-mai

l: lo

u@fr

eest

yle.

com

I car

e pa

ssio

nate

ly a

nd u

nder

stan

d m

y cl

ient

’s b

usin

ess.

10 y

ears

of r

esul

ts-d

rive

n sa

les

expe

rien

ce c

oupl

ed w

ith th

e ab

ility

to d

eliv

er c

omm

erci

ally

via

ble

sale

s st

rate

gies

.

Sale

s ne

goti

atio

nTh

e ac

hiev

emen

t of s

ucce

ssfu

l sal

es w

hils

t mai

ntai

ning

max

imum

gro

ss p

rofit

for

the

com

pany

. I h

ave

aso

und

know

ledg

e of

the

com

petit

ion,

the

para

met

ers

they

hav

e to

wor

k w

ithin

, and

thei

r qu

otin

gpr

oced

ures

. I n

eed

to e

nsur

e th

e cu

stom

er p

urch

ases

from

BSS

(UK

) Ltd

with

out l

oss

of p

rofit

mar

gin

byus

ing

othe

r pa

ram

eter

s ap

art f

rom

pri

ce to

neg

otia

te a

suc

cess

ful s

ale.

This

has

res

ulte

d in

hea

lthy

gro

ss p

rofit

mar

gins

and

a s

atis

fied

loya

l cus

tom

er b

ase.

Abi

lity

to s

pot

I cou

ld s

ee a

n op

port

unity

to d

evel

op a

nd b

uild

up

my

own

danc

e co

mpa

ny w

ith th

e vi

ew to

sel

l it a

s a

viab

letr

ends

, fre

esty

lean

d co

mm

erci

al b

usin

ess

conc

ern.

fren

zie

To e

nsur

e su

cces

s an

d th

e fu

lfilm

ent o

f my

goal

, the

re w

ere

man

y as

pect

s to

be

cons

ider

ed: s

pott

ing

tren

ds,

achi

evin

g gu

ests

figu

re o

n th

e do

or, t

he b

uild

ing

of a

n ef

fect

ive

and

effic

ient

dat

abas

e, e

nsur

ing

the

ambi

ence

was

mea

sure

d an

d m

atch

ed a

gain

st th

e ex

pect

atio

ns o

f our

gue

sts,

the

sour

cing

of n

ew m

usic

and

venu

es. I

nee

ded

to b

e su

re o

f the

bes

t way

to a

ppro

ach

new

gue

sts

and

exis

ting

gues

ts v

ia s

ales

and

prom

otio

nal c

ampa

igns

, wat

chin

g ca

refu

lly th

e pr

ofit

and

loss

rat

io.

The

com

pany

was

suc

cess

fully

sol

d as

a g

oing

con

cern

in th

e fir

st q

uart

er o

f 200

1.

Rel

atio

nshi

p/I g

ener

ated

and

dev

elop

ed lo

ng-t

erm

rel

atio

nshi

ps b

ased

on

trus

t tha

t inc

reas

ed b

oth

loya

lty

and

part

ners

hip

sale

s of

BSS

(UK

) Ltd

.bu

ildin

gI d

id th

is b

y m

aint

aini

ng a

n ex

celle

nt lo

cal k

now

ledg

e of

ong

oing

and

futu

re p

ropo

sed

proj

ects

.Th

is h

as p

rodu

ced

a so

lid c

usto

mer

bas

e th

at k

eeps

on

retu

rnin

g to

us

time

afte

r tim

e, a

s ev

iden

ced

by th

e£2

m s

ales

turn

over

.


Cus

tom

er s

ales

To p

rovi

de a

com

plet

e be

spok

e sa

les

solu

tion

for

indi

vidu

al c

usto

mer

nee

ds, I

mus

t und

erst

and

thei

r ne

eds

cons

ulta

ncy

and

requ

irem

ents

on

spec

ific

proj

ects

and

on

an o

ngoi

ng b

asis

to p

rovi

de th

e be

st s

uppo

rt a

nd s

ales

ser

vice

poss

ible

.Th

e pr

oduc

tion

of a

n in

divi

dual

ly ta

ilore

d sa

les

plan

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith c

lient

inpu

t to

succ

essf

ully

com

bine

our

prod

ucts

and

ser

vice

s to

fit n

eatly

to th

eir

proj

ects

. Thi

s in

turn

has

led

to a

n in

crea

se in

cus

tom

erco

nfid

ence

and

ult

imat

ely

a gr

eate

r sa

les

volu

me

exce

edin

g m

y ta

rget

s by

20%

.

Inte

rnal

sal

esTo

be

succ

essf

ul in

the

field

, I n

eed

to im

plem

ent e

ffect

ive

and

cons

truc

tive

inte

rnal

pro

cedu

res

that

pl

anni

ng a

ndm

aint

ain

the

smoo

th r

unni

ng o

f the

sal

es te

rrito

ry.

proc

edur

esC

aref

ul a

naly

sis

of s

ales

tren

ds a

llow

s m

e to

pro

vide

targ

eted

pro

duct

sup

port

opt

imiz

ing

my

time

inth

e fie

ld.

I pay

par

ticul

ar a

tten

tion

to a

ll m

y qu

otes

ens

urin

g th

e de

tails

are

cor

rect

.

Car

eer

hist

ory

BSS

(UK

) Ltd

1991

–200

1Sa

les

repr

esen

tativ

e

Free

styl

e Fr

enzi

e19

98–2

001

Set u

p an

d so

ld


KE

N L

IVIN

GS

TO

NE

MA

YO

R O

F L

ON

DO

N

Run

ning

the

City

of L

ondo

n is

my

drea

m jo

b. I

am 1

00%

com

mitt

ed to

impr

ovin

g th

e lif

e of

eac

h an

d ev

ery

Lond

oner

. I le

ad fr

omth

e fr

ont g

ettin

g to

the

root

of e

ach

issu

e. I

am p

repa

red

to s

tand

up

to b

ig g

over

nmen

t for

the

peop

le o

f Lon

don.

Pro

ven

by a

14-

year

car

eer

as a

Mem

ber

of th

e U

K P

arlia

men

t for

the

Labo

ur P

arty

and

now

as

the

Inde

pend

ent M

ayor

for

Lond

on.

Gai

ning

loya

lty

and

I giv

e m

y co

mm

itmen

t. I n

ever

with

draw

it e

ven

if I m

ight

like

to c

hang

e m

y m

ind.

I st

rive

to g

ain

abu

ildin

g w

orki

ngco

nsen

sus

of o

pini

on a

nd a

ct a

ccor

ding

ly.

rela

tion

ship

sTh

e £7

bill

ion

Cro

ss R

ail ‘

Hea

thro

w to

Doc

klan

ds’ p

roje

ct d

emon

stra

tes

my

tota

l com

mitm

ent t

o bu

ildin

gsu

cces

sful

wor

king

rel

atio

nshi

ps a

cros

s th

e pr

ivat

e an

d pu

blic

sec

tors

(cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent,

city

and

loca

lco

unci

ls).

Long

-ran

ge th

inki

ngM

y ex

peri

ence

run

ning

the

GLC

taug

ht m

e ab

out t

he n

eed

to th

ink

man

y ye

ars

ahea

d in

turn

ing

conc

epts

into

str

uctu

red

polic

ies.

Tra

nspo

rt p

olic

ies

for

the

Cap

ital a

re n

ot o

vern

ight

fixe

s. T

o su

cces

sful

ly s

olve

the

Cap

ital’s

tran

spor

t iss

ues

I nee

d to

exe

rcis

e in

terl

ocki

ng p

olic

ies

that

var

y in

siz

e, m

anne

r an

d ap

proa

chfr

om 5

to 1

5 ye

ars.

Empl

oyin

g gi

ants

I am

not

afr

aid

to e

mpl

oy g

iant

s. T

he o

nly

impo

rtan

t iss

ue is

to g

et th

e ve

ry b

est p

erso

n to

take

on

the

chal

leng

e an

d fu

lfil t

he r

ole

to it

s fu

ll po

tent

ial.

The

Lond

on U

nder

grou

nd is

a c

lass

ic e

xam

ple.

One

of m

ypr

oude

st a

chie

vem

ents

was

get

ting

Bob

Kile

y, a

gia

nt in

urb

an tr

ansp

ort w

ho r

efor

med

the

New

Yor

ksu

bway

, to

join

my

team

.

Qui

ck d

ecis

ion

I was

ele

cted

to m

ake

a di

ffere

nce.

I m

ade

a pr

omis

e to

eas

e th

e co

nges

tion

in th

e C

apita

l and

con

gest

ion

mak

ing

char

ges

for

traf

fic e

nter

ing

the

Cap

ital a

re th

e an

swer

. I b

elie

ve in

it a

nd b

elie

ve it

is b

est f

or L

ondo

n.G

over

nmen

t min

iste

rs u

rged

me

to d

elay

this

dec

isio

n un

til a

fter

the

next

may

oral

ele

ctio

n. I

wen

t ahe

adan

d ke

pt m

y pr

omis

e be

caus

e I b

elie

ve L

ondo

ners

hav

e a

righ

t to

see

if it

wor

ks b

efor

e th

ey v

ote

agai

n.


Tact

icia

nN

apol

eon

said

‘he

sack

ed g

ener

als

if th

ey w

ere

not l

ucky

’. Yo

u ne

ed lu

ck a

nd y

ou n

eed

tact

ics.

I st

ood

as a

nin

depe

nden

t in

the

Lond

on M

ayor

al E

lect

ion.

Ten

wee

ks o

ut, f

our

of m

y fiv

e ke

y ad

viso

rs s

aid

I wou

ld lo

se a

sth

e pr

ess

wou

ld d

estr

oy m

e. H

owev

er th

e pr

ess

conc

entr

ated

on

my

Labo

ur o

ppos

ition

Fra

nk D

obso

n fo

rth

e fir

st n

ine

of th

e te

n w

eeks

. Onl

y in

the

last

wee

k di

d th

e pr

ess

turn

thei

r at

tent

ion

on m

e. L

uck

orTa

ctic

s? T

he r

ight

tact

ics

gene

rate

luck

.

Dea

ling

with

con

flic

tFi

nd o

ut th

e re

al is

sue

or g

riev

ance

and

sol

ve it

. Do

not d

rag

it ou

t. Fi

nd th

e co

mm

on g

roun

d. S

tate

wha

t is

impo

ssib

le. Y

ou a

re le

ft w

ith w

hat i

s po

ssib

le a

nd y

ou g

et s

trai

ght t

o th

e po

int.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Elec

ted

May

or o

f Lon

don

as a

n In

depe

nden

t20

00–p

rese

nt

Labo

ur M

P fo

r B

rent

Eas

t19

87–2

000

Elec

ted

Lead

er o

f the

GLC

1981

–198

6

Elec

ted

Labo

ur m

embe

r of

the

GLC

1973

–198

1

Mem

ber

of C

amde

n C

ounc

il19

78–1

982

Labo

ur M

embe

r of

Lam

beth

Cou

ncil

1971

–197

8

Tech

nici

an, C

hest

er B

eatt

y C

ance

r R

esea

rch

Inst

itut

e19

63–1

971

Aut

hor

ofIf

Vot

ing

Cha

nged

Any

thin

g Th

ey’d

Abo

lish

It

Livi

ngst

one’

s La

bour


DA

RR

EN

FE

LL

FO

UN

DE

R O

F P

AR

TY

TAS

TIC

.CO

M

Flat

10,

The

Lof

thou

se, D

ockl

ands

, Lon

don,

UK

Tel:

44

(0) 2

07 x

xx x

xx, E

-mai

l: d

arre

n.fe

ll@

part

ytas

tic.

com

I am

an

entr

epre

neur

eve

r ea

ger

and

able

to g

rasp

idea

s w

ith b

oth

hand

s w

hils

t onl

y ca

tchi

ng th

ose

idea

s th

at g

ener

ate

new

and

exci

ting

com

mer

cial

opp

ortu

nitie

s.

12 y

ears

in h

igh-

prof

ile te

chni

cal a

nd in

tern

atio

nal s

ales

rol

es a

nd m

ore

rece

ntly

foun

ded

an in

nova

tive

Inte

rnet

-bas

ed c

ompa

ny,

Par

tyta

stic

, one

of L

ondo

n’s

prem

ier

part

y ev

ents

com

pany

.

Tech

nica

l apt

itud

eD

raw

ing

on a

n in

here

nt te

chni

cal a

bilit

y, w

hils

t at C

OLT

Tel

ecom

mun

icat

ions

, I e

xcel

led

at c

lear

lyun

ders

tand

ing

busi

ness

obj

ectiv

es a

nd p

rovi

ding

hig

h-le

vel,

resi

lient

Inte

rnet

sol

utio

ns fo

r cu

stom

ers.

Thi

sse

cure

d sa

les

in e

xces

s of

£25

0K.

This

is fu

rthe

r de

mon

stra

ted

duri

ng th

e st

art-

up p

hase

of P

arty

tast

ic.c

om, p

rovi

ng m

y ap

titud

e to

spe

cify

and

desi

gn th

e P

arty

tast

ic.c

om w

ebsi

te. A

sca

labl

e m

embe

rshi

p-m

anag

emen

t sys

tem

to s

uppo

rt a

n ex

pone

ntia

llygr

owin

g m

embe

rshi

p ba

se. T

his

very

sys

tem

has

pro

vide

d th

e ba

ckbo

ne in

mar

ketin

g, s

how

ing

clea

rly

the

tren

ds o

f peo

ple

goin

g to

Par

tyta

stic

par

ties,

and

has

led

to th

e co

ntin

ued

spon

sors

hip

of o

ne o

f the

larg

est

drin

ks m

anuf

actu

rers

in th

e w

orld

, Dia

geo

(UD

V/G

uinn

ess)

.

Com

pany

bui

lder

Esta

blis

hed

a su

cces

sful

eve

nts

com

pany

, Par

tyta

stic

.com

. It h

as a

rap

idly

gro

win

g m

embe

rshi

p ba

se o

f an

d co

mm

erci

al12

00, r

egul

ar e

vent

s, a

nd a

n In

tern

et s

ite r

ecei

ving

ove

r 60

0 un

ique

vis

itors

a d

ay. T

o ac

hiev

e th

e cu

rren

t aw

aren

ess,

succ

ess,

rig

orou

s bu

dget

ary

cont

rol a

nd a

tten

tion

to d

etai

l wer

e an

d ar

e ne

eded

.Pa

rtyt

astic

.com

(UK

)

Inte

grat

ion

and

The

proj

ect w

as to

pro

vide

an

inte

rnat

iona

l cha

nnel

man

agem

ent l

ayer

for

Col

t’s o

pera

tions

thro

ugho

ut

cons

olid

atio

nEu

rope

. I e

stab

lishe

d th

e in

tern

atio

nal p

roce

sses

and

pra

ctic

es to

ena

ble

succ

essf

ul p

an-E

urop

ean

Inte

rnet

host

ing

deal

s. M

y te

am e

xcee

ded

the

£5m

targ

et b

y 20

%, s

ettin

g a

new

sta

ndar

d in

the

indu

stry

for

sing

le-

poin

t pan

-Eur

opea

n In

tern

et s

ales

.


Stra

tegi

c sa

les

Cre

ated

a s

ales

str

ateg

y to

ena

ble

high

-val

ue e

-com

mer

ce a

ctiv

ity fo

r ou

r cu

stom

er b

ase.

Bui

lt a

de

velo

per

part

ners

hip

with

a s

yste

ms

inte

grat

or. I

est

ablis

hed

best

wor

king

pra

ctic

es b

etw

een

the

faci

lity’

s co

mpa

nyan

d sy

stem

s in

tegr

ator

to b

id a

nd s

ucce

ssfu

lly w

in b

usin

ess

with

bud

gets

of a

min

imum

of $

500K

Aus

tral

ian

dolla

rs.

Res

ults

-dri

ven

To e

mpl

oy, t

rain

and

dev

elop

a h

ighl

y ef

ficie

nt a

nd e

ffect

ive

sale

s te

am. T

he p

rim

ary

goal

was

to g

ener

ate

the

entir

e re

venu

e fo

r th

e st

art-

up In

tern

et s

ervi

ces

prov

ider

by

the

dire

ct s

ales

forc

e an

d th

e cr

eatio

n of

are

selle

r ch

anne

l. Th

is r

esul

ted

in s

ales

rev

enue

s in

crea

sing

by

over

500

% m

onth

on

mon

th fo

r th

e fir

st y

ear.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Par

tyta

stic

.com

2000

–pre

sent

Ow

ner/

Man

agin

g D

irec

tor

Col

t Int

erne

tEu

rope

an A

ccou

nt M

anag

er20

00–2

001

GX

Net

wor

ks19

99–2

000

Acco

unt M

anag

er

Bat

es A

ustr

alia

1998

–199

9E-

Com

mer

ce D

irec

tor,

Mor

se C

ompu

ters

1996

–199

8Ac

coun

t Man

ager

Cab

le &

Wir

eles

s19

89–1

995


JUS

TIN

E C

OB

BO

PE

RA

TIO

NS

MA

NA

GE

R

66 T

he L

ook

Out

, Bir

ling

Gap

, Sus

sex,

UK

Tel:

44

(0) 3

21 x

xx x

xx, E

-mai

l: ju

stin

ecob

b@ju

stin

ecob

b.co

.uk

I get

the

job

done

. I d

on’t

drop

the

ball.

I cu

t a c

lear

pat

hway

thro

ugh

dem

andi

ng c

omm

erci

al p

roje

cts.

14 y

ears

of p

ragm

atic

ope

ratin

g m

anag

emen

t app

licat

ions

in th

e cr

eativ

e w

orld

of f

ashi

on a

nd b

usin

ess..

The

abili

ty to

see

Set u

p a

clot

hing

-man

ufac

turi

ng u

nit i

n Tu

nisi

a fo

r th

e U

K-b

ased

sup

plie

r to

Mar

ks &

Spe

ncer

. Saw

thro

ugh

clea

rly

thro

ugh

mis

tal

l the

bur

eauc

ratic

red

tape

res

ultin

g in

suc

cess

ful l

aunc

h of

the

unit

on ti

me.

Man

aged

the

com

plet

e of

fice

refu

rbis

hmen

t for

Info

line

Con

fere

nces

. Man

aged

and

co-

ordi

nate

d th

e de

sign

,bu

ildin

g co

ntra

ctor

s an

d th

e ar

chite

cts.

Thi

s w

as c

ompl

eted

on

time

and

on b

udge

t.

Abi

lity

to m

anag

eR

emot

e m

anag

emen

t of t

he a

gent

s in

Tun

isia

, ens

urin

g de

liver

y da

tes

wou

ld b

e m

et a

nd a

ppro

val w

assu

cces

sful

lyac

hiev

ed fr

om th

e cl

ient

Mar

ks a

nd S

penc

er.

I man

age

the

oper

atio

nal l

ogis

tics

for

prod

ucin

g bu

sine

ss-t

o-bu

sine

ss c

onfe

renc

es fr

om th

eir

ince

ptio

nth

roug

h to

com

plet

ion.

Com

mun

icat

ing

Pro

vide

wee

kly

deta

iled

oper

atio

ns r

epor

ts to

the

MD

of I

nfol

ine

Con

fere

nces

ens

urin

g th

e ef

fect

ive

effe

ctiv

ely

day-

to-d

ay r

unni

ng o

f the

bus

ines

s.(w

ritt

en a

nd o

ral)


Man

agin

g pe

ople

Co-

ordi

nate

d a

team

of d

esig

ners

, gra

ders

, fab

ric

tech

nici

ans

and

prod

uctio

n sc

hedu

lers

ens

urin

g w

e m

et

effe

ctiv

ely

the

high

qua

lity

stan

dard

s of

Mar

ks &

Spe

ncer

. Wee

kly

prod

uctio

n m

eetin

gs a

nd o

ne-t

o-on

e da

ily m

eetin

gsm

ould

ed a

team

that

wor

ked

effe

ctiv

ely

and

know

ledg

eabl

y.

Man

aged

thei

r ca

reer

pro

gres

s by

enc

oura

ging

them

to d

evel

op n

ew s

kills

with

the

com

pany

with

the

assu

ranc

eof

my

aid

at a

ll tim

es a

nd e

ncou

rage

d th

em to

thin

k fo

r th

emse

lves

and

take

on

the

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r th

eir

actio

ns.

Car

eer

hist

ory

Info

line

Con

fere

nces

Ltd

1999

–pre

sent

Ope

ratio

ns M

anag

er

Cla

rem

ont G

arm

ents

(M&

S su

pplie

r)19

90–1

999

Tech

nica

l/Q

ualit

y M

anag

er

Jaeg

er T

ailo

ring

Ltd

1987

–199

0D

esig

ner/

Pat

tern

Cut

ter

Lond

on C

olle

ge o

f Fas

hion

1983

–198

7

CHA

RLI

E D

OB

RES

CEO

OF

‘I-LE

VEL’

i-le

vel,

26–3

0 St

rutt

on G

roun

d, L

ondo

n SW

1P 2

HR

Tel:

44 (

0) 2

07 3

402

700

I lov

e m

y fa

mily

mor

e th

an I

love

my

wor

k. I

have

a li

fe a

nd, i

n ge

ttin

g th

e ba

lanc

e ri

ght,

my

wor

k is

all

the

bett

er fo

r it.

Thi

s is

the

only

way

I kn

ow h

ow to

wor

k. I

unde

rsta

nd m

arke

ting,

I un

ders

tand

bus

ines

s pl

anni

ng, a

nd I

unde

rsta

nd p

eopl

e. I

seem

to b

e ab

le to

get

the

best

out

of p

eopl

e. I

mot

ivat

e th

em. T

hey

mak

e th

e co

mpa

ny w

ork.

The

res

ults

follo

w n

atur

ally

whe

n yo

u ge

t it r

ight

. I d

on’t

min

dfa

iling

, but

I do

hat

e it

whe

n pe

ople

hav

en’t

trie

d. M

y sk

ill is

as

a co

mpa

ny C

hief

Exe

cutiv

e O

ffice

r an

d en

trep

rene

ur.

Bus

ines

s bu

ilder

Cof

ound

ed i-

leve

l plc

in la

te 1

998

on a

sho

estr

ing

budg

et. W

ith m

y bu

sine

ss p

artn

er, b

uilt

the

agen

cy u

p to

be

the

UK

No.

1 on

line

med

ia a

genc

y w

ithin

one

yea

r, w

here

it re

mai

ns. M

ade

a pr

ofit

in e

very

yea

r of

ope

ratio

n,in

clud

ing

the

hard

tim

es. Z

ero

staf

f tur

nove

r to

oth

er a

genc

ies

in th

e w

hole

thre

e-ye

ar p

erio

d.

Opp

ortu

nist

Des

pite

gai

ning

one

of t

he U

K’s

firs

t BSc

deg

rees

in m

arke

ting

in 1

983,

I w

ent o

ff to

form

a b

and

and

cam

e qu

itecl

ose

to ‘m

akin

g it’

. You

’ll h

ave

to a

sk L

ondo

n R

ecor

ds w

hat w

ent w

rong

. Eve

ntua

lly c

ame

upon

adv

ertis

ing

as a

suita

ble

indu

stry

for

my

skill

s at

the

tend

er a

ge o

f 26

(I’m

40

now

).

Peop

le

Wor

k/lif

e ba

lanc

e –

i-le

vel i

s ru

n ac

cord

ing

to th

ese

prin

cipl

es. E

xcep

t in

dire

em

erge

ncie

s, I

don’

t app

rove

of

unde

r-st

ande

rw

eeke

nd o

r la

te-n

ight

wor

king

. If t

his

pers

ists

, it m

eans

that

eith

er th

e co

mpa

ny is

taki

ng th

e pi

ss w

ith th

ew

orkl

oad,

or

that

the

empl

oyee

is n

ot o

rgan

ized

wel

l eno

ugh

– bo

th n

eed

fixin

g.

Insp

irat

ion

‘Our

dee

pest

fear

is n

ot th

at w

e ar

e in

adeq

uate

. Our

dee

pest

fear

is th

at w

e ar

e po

wer

ful b

eyon

d m

easu

re. I

t is

our

light

, not

our

dar

knes

s th

at m

ost f

righ

tens

us.

We

ask

ours

elve

s: ‘W

ho a

m I

to b

e br

illia

nt, g

orge

ous,

tale

nted

, fab

ulou

s?’ A

ctua

lly, w

ho a

re w

e no

t to

be?

Your

pla

ying

sm

all d

oesn

’t se

rve

the

wor

ld. T

here

’s n

othi

ngen

light

enin

g ab

out s

hrin

king

so

that

oth

er p

eopl

e w

on’t

feel

inse

cure

aro

und

you.

We

are

all m

eant

to s

hine

, as

child

ren

do. W

e w

ere

born

to m

ake

man

ifest

the

glor

y th

at is

with

in u

s. It

’s n

ot ju

st in

som

e of

us;

it’s

inev

eryo

ne. A

nd a

s w

e le

t our

ow

n lig

ht s

hine

, we

unco

nsci

ousl

y gi

ve o

ther

peo

ple

perm

issi

on to

do

the

sam

e. A

sw

e’re

libe

rate

d fr

om o

ur o

wn

fear

, our

pre

senc

e au

tom

atic

ally

libe

rate

s ot

hers

.’

Nel

son

Man

dela

Car

eer

hist

ory

CEO

foun

der,

i-le

vel p

lc19

98–p

rese

nt

Gen

eral

Sec

reta

ry, I

nter

net A

dver

tisin

g B

urea

u19

97–1

998

MD

Low

Inte

ract

ive

1995

–199

7

Acc

ount

Man

ager

Low

e H

owar

d Sp

ink

1990

–199

5

RIC

HA

RD

DA

VIE

SO

WN

ER

AN

D M

AN

AG

ING

DIR

EC

TOR

OF

GO

OD

TE

CH

NO

LOG

Y

332b

Lad

brok

e G

rove

, Lon

don

W10

5A

HTe

l: 4

4 (0

) 207

565

002

2, E

-mai

l: R

icha

rd.d

avie

s@go

odte

ch.c

o.uk

Min

ding

the

gap

I hav

e sp

ent m

uch

of m

y w

orki

ng li

fe p

rovi

ng to

oth

ers

that

not

onl

y w

as th

ere

a ga

p in

the

mar

ket b

ut,

impo

rtan

tly, a

lso

a m

arke

t in

the

gap.

Fro

m m

y ea

rly

year

s as

a g

radu

ate

trai

nee

with

in th

e m

usic

indu

stry

,to

the

foun

ding

and

run

ning

of m

y ow

n bu

sine

ss, i

t has

bee

n a

recu

rrin

g th

eme

in m

y lif

e.

Ensu

ring

a c

omm

erci

al o

ppor

tuni

ty g

ets

real

ized

is o

ften

ove

rloo

ked

as a

ski

ll, b

ut in

my

view

it’s

as

impo

rtan

t (if

not m

ore

so) a

s th

e or

igin

al id

ea. I

f I h

ad a

mot

to (w

hich

I ha

sten

to a

dd I

wou

ldn’

t), i

t mig

ht b

eso

met

hing

alo

ng th

e lin

es o

f, ‘D

on’t

sit t

here

talk

ing

abou

t it,

do it

!’

The

sing

le m

ost i

mpo

rtan

t thi

ng to

me

is to

try

to u

nder

stan

d, a

ntic

ipat

e an

d m

otiv

ate

peop

le. I

may

be

para

noid

, but

it h

elps

– e

nsur

e ev

eryo

ne th

at c

ount

s is

on

your

sid

e an

d is

wor

king

with

you

and

not

for

you.

I sur

roun

d m

ysel

f with

thos

e th

at c

an d

o th

e jo

b be

tter

than

me.

An o

bses

sive

fear

of f

ailu

re c

onst

antly

dri

ves

me.

Man

agin

g cr

eati

vity

This

ena

bled

me

to d

evel

op m

y sk

ills

as a

team

pla

yer,

co-

ordi

natin

g th

ose

resp

onsi

ble

for

the

crea

tion

and

deliv

ery

of th

e pr

oduc

t to

the

cons

umer

. Thi

s pr

ovid

ed m

e w

ith m

y fir

st ta

ste

of th

e co

mm

erci

al w

orld

and

how

to d

eal w

ith th

at m

ost u

npre

dict

able

com

mod

ity, c

reat

ive

tale

nt!



Bei

ng m

y ow

n bo

ssTh

is h

as g

iven

me

the

expe

rien

ce in

eve

ry a

spec

t of r

unni

ng a

com

pany

, mos

t not

ably

bui

ldin

g a

team

and

deal

ing

with

the

ever

yday

peo

ple-

man

agem

ent r

equi

rem

ents

.

It ha

s ta

ught

me

to q

uest

ion

cons

tant

ly w

hat I

am

doi

ng a

nd to

lear

n fr

om m

y m

ista

kes.

Fina

lly, i

t has

inst

illed

sel

f-be

lief a

nd a

det

erm

inat

ion

to s

ucce

ed.

How

?A

stri

ct s

et o

f val

ues

that

I ad

here

to a

t all

times

:

➡P

eopl

e fo

cuse

d➡

Cha

lleng

ing

conv

entio

n➡

Info

rmal

➡

Dis

cipl

ine

Car

eer

hist

ory

MD

and

ow

ner

Goo

d Te

chno

logy

19

94–p

rese

nt

Mar

keti

ng M

anag

erM

CA

Rec

ords

1990

–199

4

Bio

chem

istr

y de

gree

,UM

IST

1987

–199

0


JAC

K G

RA

TT

ON

CE

O O

F M

AJO

R P

LA

YE

RS

LT

D

73–7

5 En

dell

St,

Lon

don

WC

2H 9

AJ

Tel:

44

(0) 2

07 8

36 4

041,

E-m

ail:

jack

@m

ajor

play

ers.

co.u

k

Cau

tion:

rai

nmak

er a

t wor

k!

My

styl

e is

bui

lt u

pon

clas

sic

nort

hern

Pro

test

ant e

thic

s of

har

d w

ork,

har

d pl

ay. M

y pi

llars

and

val

ues

show

fun,

pro

fess

iona

lism

,tr

ust,

high

mor

als

and

shar

ing.

Thes

e st

atem

ents

sum

up

my

care

er a

nd a

lso

my

aspi

ratio

ns.

My

back

grou

nd is

bot

h co

rpor

ate

(Mob

il O

il gr

adua

te tr

aine

e) a

nd la

tter

ly e

ntre

pren

euri

al.

My

thre

e ye

ars

in th

e co

rpor

ate

life

didn

’t su

it m

e, a

ltho

ugh

I rap

ed a

nd p

illag

ed a

s m

uch

know

ledg

e as

I po

ssib

ly c

ould

and

left

with

gre

at m

ento

rs o

n ho

w a

nd h

ow n

ot to

bui

ld b

rand

s an

d ge

t the

mos

t fro

m p

eopl

e.

My

next

thre

e sp

onge

yea

rs w

ere

spen

t in

a fa

st-g

row

ing

mar

ketin

g se

rvic

es a

genc

y, w

here

I ac

ted

as a

cat

alys

t to

one

of th

ebr

ight

est,

yet f

atal

ly fl

awed

, men

aliv

e. I

lear

nt h

ow to

bui

ld a

str

ong

team

, pul

l tog

ethe

r al

l the

ir s

kill

sets

, and

gen

uine

ly m

ake

the

sum

of t

he p

arts

bet

ter

than

the

indi

vidu

als.

That

was

my

appr

entic

eshi

p; th

e ne

xt 9

yea

rs to

dat

e ha

ve b

een

mak

ing

rain

in th

e fie

lds

of r

ecru

itmen

t, tr

aini

ng a

nd H

R.

I set

up,

run

and

ow

n M

ajor

Pla

yers

Ltd

, the

UK

’s le

adin

g m

arke

ting

and

serv

ices

rec

ruitm

ent c

onsu

ltanc

y.

I tak

e m

y ri

sks

outs

ide

wor

k on

mot

orcy

cles

, not

with

peo

ple’

s ca

reer

s in

side

!


135

How the EP answers a job brief

The following job description and tailored Elevator Pitch was for a

regional sales manager.

A full job description was analyzed to ascertain what qualifications and

transferable assets the company required.

There is a prerequisite qualification for this position the applicant must

be a current registered and qualified veterinary nurse with a minimum

of seven years’ experience in practice. You will see how this has been

covered in her Personal Promise.

A detailed knowledge of selling into the veterinary practices is a further

requirement. This too is highlighted in her Personal Promise via the

introduction of the most significant Transferable Assets. This will be

further elaborated and evidenced in the Elevator Pitch used to answer

this job brief.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Sales Manager

Location: Field and Office based

Reports to: Sales Director

Purpose of role:

➡ Provide a direct influence in practices to endorse the products

and brands.


136

➡ To communicate the benefits of the brand and product range

resulting in increased recommendations, sales and distribution

throughout practices in the region.

Responsibilities:

➡ Develop and maintain high levels of comprehension of the products

and their uses coupled to the business initiatives through training and

current market activity.

➡ Represent the company to veterinary practices as a partner of choice.

➡ Development of strategic product and sales plans for both the

practice and the consumer.

➡ Implementation of the company’s sales and marketing activities:

➡ Set practice objectives for the coming year.

➡ Deliver professional sales support to meet set objectives.

➡ Continual monitoring.

➡ Represent the company at the industry conferences and events.

➡ Accurate and current records for all practice in the region.

➡ Work and perform to the key performance indicators.

➡ Work within the agreed budgetary parameters.

Qualifications:

➡ Veterinary nurse with a minimum of 7 years’ experience.

➡ Excellent knowledge of small-animal and equine veterinary practices.

➡ Previous sales environment, preferably selling directly to veterinary

practices.


137

In essence, the role is a field-based consultative sales position. Laura,

who applied for this role needed to use Transferable Assets that portray

relationship-building and consultative-selling techniques.

The role requires a measured and intellectual approach. It stresses the

importance of partnerships, relationships, strategies, customers and

the ability to influence.

After careful analysis of the job description, Laura successfully

highlighted the following Transferable Assets on her Elevator Pitch.

➡ Commercial awareness

➡ Building and influencing relationships

➡ Effective and efficient communicator

➡ Ability to negotiate

➡ Organizational agility


LA

UR

A N

EIL

SO

NP

ET

IN

SU

RA

NC

E S

AL

ES

RE

PR

ES

EN

TAT

IVE

Hel

icop

ter

Hou

se, M

erry

field

, Nr

Taun

ton,

Som

erse

tE-

mai

l: L

aura

@ae

lsew

here

.co.

uk

I hav

e a

calm

and

con

side

red

appr

oach

to m

y lif

e. P

rove

n re

latio

nshi

p bu

ilder

and

qua

lifie

d ve

teri

nary

nur

se o

f 11

year

s. If

I co

uld,

I wou

ld r

ide

my

hors

e to

wor

k.

Bui

ldin

g an

dI a

ctiv

ely

built

str

ateg

ic p

artn

ersh

ips

whe

re w

e be

com

e th

e in

sura

nce

com

pany

of c

hoic

e. I

had

to a

scer

tain

infl

uenc

ing

whi

ch p

ract

ices

wer

e fo

rwar

d-th

inki

ng a

nd in

sura

nce-

min

ded.

rela

tion

ship

sTh

is le

d to

sup

port

via

pro

duct

and

in-h

ouse

sta

ff tr

aini

ng, h

elpi

ng th

e pr

actic

e st

aff b

ecom

e m

ore

know

ledg

eabl

e ab

out h

ow p

et in

sura

nce

can

be b

enef

icia

l to

both

the

pet o

wne

rs a

nd th

e pr

actic

es. T

hest

aff b

ecam

e m

ore

conf

iden

t in

the

reco

mm

enda

tion

of p

et in

sura

nce

to th

eir

clie

nts.

444

out

of 7

00

prac

tices

in th

e re

gion

bec

ame

stra

tegi

c pa

rtne

rs.

Effe

ctiv

e an

dC

ertif

icat

e in

City

and

Gui

lds

Coa

chin

g &

Ass

essi

ng In

divi

dual

s. T

his

is a

war

ded

to th

ose

teac

hing

and

ef

ficie

ntw

orki

ng w

ith c

andi

date

s fo

r th

eir

voca

tiona

l NVQ

(Nat

iona

l Voc

atio

nal Q

ualif

icat

ion)

.co

mm

unic

ator

:pr

ofes

sion

alte

achi

ng q

ualif

icat

ion

Com

mer

cial

I set

the

prom

otio

n an

d ad

vert

isin

g bu

dget

s by

ana

lyzi

ng p

ract

ice

tren

ds a

nd d

ecid

ing

whe

re th

e m

arke

ting

awar

enes

sbu

dget

cou

ld b

e be

st u

sed.

The

mon

ies

wer

e us

ed to

pro

duce

pra

ctic

e br

ochu

res,

spo

nsor

ope

n da

ys a

nd p

rodu

ce a

dver

tisin

gca

mpa

igns

. Thi

s re

sulte

d in

an

incr

emen

tal i

ncre

ase

in th

e nu

mbe

r of

pet

insu

ranc

e po

licie

s so

ld v

ia th

epa

rtic

ipat

ing

prac

tices


Abi

lity

to in

flue

nce

I had

to g

ain

the

requ

ired

she

lf sp

ace

to p

rom

ote

the

insu

ranc

e pr

oduc

ts in

pra

ctic

es th

roug

hout

my

regi

on.

Mat

chin

g th

e pr

actic

e ne

eds

to th

e fe

atur

es a

nd b

enef

its a

nd b

ack-

up s

yste

ms

of th

e pr

oduc

t ens

urin

g a

smoo

th fl

ow o

f eff

icie

ncie

s. P

rovi

sion

s w

ere

mad

e fo

r bo

th a

n aw

ard/

ince

ntiv

e sc

hem

e fo

r th

e st

aff a

nd th

epr

actic

e, a

s w

ell a

s en

suri

ng e

ffic

ient

run

ning

of b

ack-

end

proc

esse

s, fo

r ex

ampl

e on

rec

eipt

of a

cla

impa

ymen

ts b

eing

mad

e to

the

prac

tice

with

in 4

8hrs

etc

.

Effic

ient

mar

shal

ling

To le

ad a

nd e

nsur

e th

e sm

ooth

run

ning

of a

team

of 7

nur

ses

in a

bus

y m

ixed

cou

ntry

pra

ctic

e.of

res

ourc

esB

ench

mar

k si

mila

r pr

actic

es a

roun

d th

e co

untr

y. L

ooke

d at

pre

viou

s tw

o ye

ars’

vet

pra

ctic

e m

anag

emen

t(w

ho d

oes

wha

t, w

here

, whe

n, w

hy).

Foun

d se

ason

al tr

end.

Dev

elop

ed n

ew s

taff

rot

as. C

reat

ed o

ptim

al b

usin

ess

mix

. Fre

ed u

p ad

ditio

nal 2

0 ho

urs

a m

onth

of t

ime

for

ever

y fo

ur e

mpl

oyee

s.

An e

ffic

ient

pra

ctic

e w

here

vet

s co

uld

be v

ets.

Ens

ured

nur

sing

sta

ff a

vaila

ble

for

thea

tre,

con

sult

ing,

labo

rato

ry, h

ospi

taliz

ed p

atie

nts,

pra

ctic

e ad

min

istr

atio

n in

clud

ing

smal

l-an

imal

cla

ims

form

s, n

ursi

ngro

tas,

and

on-

call

out-

of-h

ours

dut

ies.

Mad

e tim

e av

aila

ble

for

prac

tice

nurs

es a

nd r

esou

rces

for

the

disp

ensi

ng o

f dru

gs a

nd th

e te

achi

ng o

f stu

dent

nur

ses..

Car

eer

hist

ory

GEF

I (pa

rt o

f GE

Cap

ital)

1998

–200

1R

egio

nal V

eter

inar

y M

anag

er

The

Vete

rina

ry G

roup

1989

–199

8H

ead

Vete

rina

ry N

urse

Pro

fess

iona

lVe

teri

nary

Nur

sing

Dip

lom

aqu

alifi

cati

ons

Cer

tific

ate

in C

ity &

Gui

lds

Coa

chin

g &

Ass

essi

ng In

divi

dual

s

6Summary and

conclusion“Today’s business goals are being moved at ever-increasing


chapter

141


142

The job market has changed hugely over the last couple of decades

and promises to continue doing so. The 21st century is offering more

challenges than we ever could have anticipated. There is one simple

thing that has not changed over the centuries, our own curiosity and

exploration of our surroundings, from physical features to academic

understanding and the thirst for knowledge. Our ambition to under-

stand how and why things work and how to get there even more quickly

than we had before.

Use of technology in the business environment has leapt forward

touching all our lives whatever industry or job function we are

pursuing. These technological advances have changed the way our

careers will progress in the present and future. The careers we follow

have taken on new and different meanings. Mankind has explored

avenues in the fields of science and business that once would have been

deemed impossible. These advances will, of course, continue.

Demands from the employers have changed. The idea of the career

for life is no longer on offer for a majority of the workforce in today’s

environment. There are of course, a minority of exceptions. Permanent

positions are offered but according to industry sources the average time

spent in a general marketing position, for example, is just a little over

two years.

Employees’ demands have also changed. You are not in general looking

for a job for life in one company. You are looking for a career and the

development of that career. You will move and gain experi-ence in many

roles.

This encourages employers to look for different skill sets than in the

past. The changing business climate has led them to analyze their activ-

S U M M A R Y A N D C O N C LU S I O N

143

ities. They then decide which core competencies and the ratios of these

it had and would need to perform at an optimum business level.

With all these changes taking place, the CV has been a constant feature

of the employment scene. There have been numerous changes in its

layout and the emphasis placed on different aspects of careers. But

fundamentally, the structure is the same now as it was 100 years ago at

its conception.

The time has come for major re-engineering from the ground up of

the CV. Quite simply, it does not answer the needs of today’s employers

or employees.

Why has this one aspect of our careers stubbornly not changed with the

times and not died a death becoming of such an antiquated tool?

It has now, with the birth of the Elevator Pitch. This is the personal

sales strategy document designed to meet the requirements of today’s

working environment and meet all of our needs, wants and desires.

How will this potentially change our lives?

The candidate

You move from selling yourself to stirring the employer to crave and

want to buy your capabilities.

A person using an Elevator Pitch shows they embrace change and turn

it to their advantage. You analyze and understand fully what is required

for the roles you are applying for.

You become better placed to position yourself in the direction you want

to go.


144

The recruitment services industry

The Elevator Pitch has the potential to change the way the recruit-

ment services industry looks to service their clients.

The Elevator Pitch encourages the recruitment services industry to look

at a candidate’s Transferable Assets as opposed to the current industry

sector and profession within it. It encourages them to look at

someone’s whole career as opposed to just a small portion. The result

is a better service to both their clients and the candidates creating a

more efficient, cost effective employment process for all concerned.

However, changes are taking place. Some recruitment agencies are

already embracing the ideas enshrined in the Elevator Pitch. They are

trailblazing the way.

As Carl Poplett, consultant of Technology Marketing Recruitment, says:

“We all need to be a little more open minded and more flexible in our

approaches.”

The employer

The employer gains by receiving more information than ever before in

a shorter and more concise document.

The hard work of reading then deciphering personal career information

is avoided. Gone are the days when the employer has to break the code

of your CV. The Elevator Pitch is clear and defines your edge, showing

instantly how you benefit the organization.

S U M M A R Y A N D C O N C LU S I O N

145

At a mere glance, they know who you are and how you do it.

The emphasis is placed on future performance, not the past. Greater

awareness can now be placed on Transferable Assets during the entire

selection process.


146

The final rallying cry

It is always nice to think we may have made our own small contribution

to helping you find and secure that great job in a more enjoyable and

exacting fashion. We hope you enjoy zagging when the world zigs.

Our own decision to share the Elevator Pitch with you began in the

summer of 2001. We had developed a number of prototypes in response

to our frustration with the standard CV. I met with Roger Wilcher, a

colleague who I first knew at the Lloyd Group Recruitment Ltd. I shared

with Roger one of my early Elevator Pitches.

He said, ‘Bill I’m surprised no other candidate has sent me an Elevator

Pitch. Which book does it come from?’

Several other people, both in the headhunting and HR fields, also asked

the same question.

Now you andthey know!

[bill faust, michael faust] pitch yourself stando(bookfi.org)

Documents

michael faust

rights of bill faust

prentice hall business

london office

great britain

claire brodmann book

development books

new breed ofskills