Candidates

Bond & Company is a boutique firm which primarily recruits in specialized financial areas. We would love to talk with you to see if we can work together. We recommend taking a look at our areas of expertise before sending us your resume or calling us.

We feel our firm provides a high level of professional service to candidates, as well as clients. Over the years we have averaged one job offer for every four initial interviews. We look to save everyone time. If you are gainfully employed, we understand that you can only pursue those opportunities you are most interested in.

How We Work With Candidates

We welcome inquiries from potential candidates, as well as any ideas or referrals you may have.

When we contact a candidate, we typically send him (or her) a write-up about the job we are working on, describing the job and the company. Using the position description, we learn if the experience the candidate has will enable him or her to excel in the job that is open.

We believe that to be an effective candidate in today’s job market, the individual must have Quantified Accomplishments. We spend a good deal of time and effort working with candidates to improve their resumes to reflect such achievements.

For example, several years ago, a woman sent us a resume which had no job objective, was overly long and detailed and was devoid of quantified accomplishments. She had been looking for a job for four months with almost no activity. We helped her shorten the resume, add an objective and highlight her accomplishments. Within a month, she received two job offers and would have gotten a third if our client had been able to move more quickly.

The point of this story is that candidates often unnecessarily fall into the category where the supply of workers exceeds the demand. They can, however, reposition themselves into the category where the demand exceeds the supply by showing he (or she) is a person who can help a hiring manger solve his (or her) problems (WIIFM) by citing past accomplishments.

What Bond & Company Can Do For You

We’ve learned that the demand for good candidates exceeds the supply, no matter what the economic conditions are. We can help you better position yourself for a longer-term career opportunity by helping you present your experience more positively and helping you orient your experience and accomplishments to the problems our clients are looking to solve.

Done properly, the job search process can and should be a positive experience, not a long war of attrition chasing any opportunity that comes up. We will try to help you and hope that you will want to work with us, now, and down the line.

Many of our best clients are individuals we have placed over the years and are now in senior positions. Remember, generally it is not how hard you work; it is how effective you are. Having good people working for you makes your job easier and makes you more effective.

Our Top Tips to Help You Position Yourself for a Successful Job Hunt

  1. Before You Begin
  • Great leaders plan. Winston Churchill said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” You need to have a plan.
  • Remember everyone who is smart listens to the same Radio Station – WIIFM
    • WIIFM stands for What’s In It For Me? Or in other words, the DECISION MAKER (the hiring manager) is looking for you (the candidate) to help him, not to help you. You need to convince him (or her) you are the solution to their problem. Far too many candidates go into the process concentrating on what they want. That is the second step in the process, not the first.
  1. The Search
  • The Job Market has changed. Companies are looking to fill jobs with people with specific skills and experience.
  • Use your networks: personal, school, Internet – LinkedIn and Facebook. Keep your profile current and professional.
  1. The Resume
  • Resumes have changed. They are not what they were when you were getting out of school.
  • Tailor your resume to the job. Make your resume show that you have the right skills to do the job. This is especially important if you are switching industries. Use the right language for the industry or job you want to move into.
  1. The Interview
  • Great athletes train. You need to train, too. Practice your interview and networking skills. Be Prepared.
  • We live in an era of motivated self-interest. Help the hiring manager know what’s in it for them. Why are you the answer to their problem?
  • Do research about the company and the industry.
  • Always read the company’s 10-K. It’s loaded with information and should be available on the company’s website under Investor Relations or on the SEC Edgar site.
  • Think of the questions you might be asked and have good, solid, sincere answers prepared. Show effort and intent.
  • Come up with lots of your own questions to help you understand the business, the challenges, the people you’ll work for and the expectations the hiring manager has for the person they’ll hire and for the business.
  • Be ENTHUSIASTIC! Nothing sells like enthusiasm.
  • Send a thank-you note or email.