In February, I wrote a blog – Crack the Code: Discover The Strategies to Prevent or Recover From Long-term Unemployment!  A former client who is in career transition sent the following response: 


I called AB after receiving this email and he related more of the background of his counterparts who are in transition:

“Through networking, I have been in contact with about 200 transitioning mid-senior level leaders (directors and VPs), senior executives (EVPs & SVPs) and CXOs. Twenty percent of the total are female, the rest are males (mostly white males – very little diversity). Most are in the late 40s to early 60s age group.”

A.B. told me that he noticed the following trends in what I call the ‘employability probability’ of those who experienced long-term unemployment:

- Some over 50, over paid execs with no digital or social media background, average (not top) performers – just checked out. They are not actively looking, they are not really networking: they are marking time. They might take a consulting job here or there if it fell into their laps.

- The executive job seekers with Business Development or Sales backgrounds are starting to get traction in the marketplace.

- The executive job seekers who are OK financially and can’t relocate – they have truly ‘exited’ the job market.

- They are not looking, not doing much at all – they are waiting for the market to return. From a morale and self-esteem standpoint – they have pulled themselves off the market.

- The executive job seekers who can relocate and who are not financially able to retire early are actively looking in other parts of the country.

- Executives with a background similar to his, who specifically designed their career based on gaining breadth vs. depth, are finding it especially difficult to be successful when in competition with candidates with solid one industry and deep technical or sales (customer experience) backgrounds.

His observations are eerily accurate when viewed in conjunction with the Economic Policy Institute’s findings concerning unemployment statistics compared to the number of job openings (regardless of job level):


AB also told me that he had an “enlightening courtesy interview with a very honest Executive Recruiter.” The recruiter provided an assessment of AB’s career history as: Pros – excellent experience in several totally different industries; achieved noteworthy results in broad GM/COO roles; well-written and quantifiable bottom-line achievements and leadership roles in top tier mover/shaker companies. The recruiter recounted the Cons as – little CRM or direct customer experience; little top-line growth background and light functional/technical depth.

The recruiter also told him: “You are almost unemployable – you are neither fish nor fowl. To beat your competition and to be the candidate of choice, you would have to convince me and the potential employer that being neither fish nor fowl is a distinct advantage and a unique value proposition.”

AB has not been idle.

He has rebranded; ‘differentiated’ himself; developed an integrated marketing strategy; identified his value proposition; moved to a part of the country where his background might be viewed as an asset; accepted a strategic partner role in an equity firm and is well on his way to opening a consulting practice while he waits for the market to turn.

He has not checked out; he has tuned in.

If you are in transition, please let me know how you are doing and your observations of the marketplace, by leaving a post in the comments area on the blog page.

A question for you to consider:

* If you were laid-off, terminated, fired or involuntarily released from your employer today – how would you assess your ‘employability probability’?