(Editor’s note: Today is the first installment of a new monthly Q&A column by recruiting professional Jennifer Laxton of Executive Search Associates in Santa Rosa.)
Q. I am the HR manager for a 100-person company expected to double in size in the next 12 to 24 months. I am the only person in HR and responsible for the day-to-day management of all human resources activities, including recruiting projects.
Our company was recently acquired by a public company located outside the U.S. Their philosophy is that one HR professional should be able to manage all of the duties and responsibilities required. I am overworked, stressed out, undercompensated and uncertain about my ability to be the sole recruiter for our anticipated growth. I am a single mother so terminating my employment is not a choice. What are my options?
A. I see that you have several options. Make a list of all duties that can be outsourced or delegated. Many duties can be outsourced today for minimal costs: payroll, benefits administration, training, recruiting. Sit down with your manager and explore possible solutions from your list.
If your company has plans to double in size in the next 12 to 24 months that works out to be about four hires per month over the course of two years.
I suggest outsourcing the recruiting function. To be a successful recruiter is a full-time job and requires many hours of dedication, not something that can be handled one to two days a week or in a few hours a day.
If your company is not open to making some changes to alleviate your load, I suggest that you start to look for another position, confidentially of course. Finding a new position can take some time, so update your resume, network with previous and current colleagues, attend association meetings, business events in your area and start the process today before you snap.
Q. I am a college graduate with 20 years of professional experience. I have been very successful in post-sales positions for the last 16 years and about four years ago transitioned over to pre sales.
In my current position, which I have been in for one year, I sell professional services for a small marketing company, which is managed and operated by the owner. This is a new position for the company, and I was expected to come in and create the duties, responsibilities, goals and objectives.
I’m really struggling to get up to speed. When I accepted the position I was given the impression that I would receive some training, which has turned out to be very limited.
In a short amount of time it became clear that most of the staff is undertrained, too. I was put into a position to train myself. The services are a hard sell and have great competition from much larger firms. I am wondering if maybe the sales profession is not for me.
I want a new job but am unsure if I should search for another sales position or change careers. What should I do? Where do I start?
A. It sounds like you’ve had a great career until recently. Possibly you are not well suited with your current employer. Most small companies are run by the owner who typically wears many hats – president, manager, sales executive, operations, trainer – and most have expertise in one area rather than all of the above.
Also, post sales and pre sales are two different functions and require different skill sets. It sounds like maybe your skill set and personality are better suited for post sales, which requires strong customer service skills, organization and collaboration with internal departments and external customers.
I suggest that you make a list of your skills that you feel confident about and focus on careers that require those skills.
Another suggestion would be to invest in yourself and work with a career development coach and find out what you are passionate about. Our interests change over the years – take some time to re-discover who you are and never look back.
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Jennifer Laxton is a senior partner with Executive Search Associates in Santa Rosa, online at www.esa.com. ESA is an executive search and consulting company. You can call her at 707-525-1010 ext. 101 or e-mail jklaxton@esa.com. If you have a question with regards to your situation send an e-mail to askjen@esa.com.
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