There are many disconnects that can occur between candidate beliefs and employer desires. One such candidate assumption is that employers appreciate a long company tenure or will seek first to fill the C-Suite internally. While longevity demonstrates loyalty, it also conveys that an employee may be comfortable with the status quo, have a narrow industry perspective or may be risk-averse.
A study released by Temple University shows that optimal CEO tenure is 4.8 years. This study (and others) suggest that as leaders become entrenched within a company, they tend to reduce their external search for market intelligence, start to limit risk, reduce the emphasis on innovation and stagnate in meeting changing customer needs. Because of this trend, most companies now prefer external executive candidates with multiple, shorter company experiences (over those with longer and internal tenures).
Let’s consider this example.
Available Role: COO for a growing, mid-sized technology company.
Candidates:
1. Chris – spent the last 15 years building a startup company from scratch, currently the CEO
2. Ysabel – spent 3 years at a publicly-traded Fortune 100 company as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, 4 years at a privately-held mid-sized company as Director of Operations, 4 years as a Business Strategy Consultant and 4 years at a startup company as COO
3. Anthony – has spent the last 10 years at the company in a senior Operations role and 5 years prior to that as the Director of Sales at a Fortune 500 company
Which candidate do you think the potential employer would prefer, based only on their last 15 years of experience? (Obviously, there would be many other factors that would come into play in a real-life selection decision.) Based on tenure alone, however, I would anticipate that the employer would select Ysabel because she has varied experience across company sizes, functions and entity types. She has probably navigated the most change, had to build and maintain more industry connections and brings with her a multitude of ideas, influences, lessons learned and perspectives from engagement at 3 different companies and numerous client organizations.
So, what to do if you are Chris or Anthony and are pining after this COO role?
1. You can highlight how you have adapted to and driven change within your roles and companies (mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, integration, technology changes, business transformations). This will show that you have embraced progress, are competent in change management, can influence transformation and thrive in new environments and cultures.
2. Demonstrate how you have remained relevant beyond any one (or two) employers. Include content about how you stay current on trends and changes in your industry (and field), how well connected you are and what thought leadership you provide.
3. Consider breaking up long tenures on your resume. For example, if you started at Pharmacia which became Upjohn after acquisition and later part of Pfizer, break your experience up by each of these companies and their acquisition dates.
Such As...
Resume 1:
Resume 2:
This simple change showcases a multiple company tenure that will be more appealing. Sure, there will be organizations that value loyalty over varied experience, but the majority probably won't. If you are targeting a more traditional company with conservative values, the “before resume” may work best. However, if you are seeking a senior role with a progressive and growing company, they will likely follow this trend and select a multi-faceted final candidate.
Companies want a leader who can quickly glean current state strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. Someone who can draw industry-wide conclusions and generate viable solutions from their robust toolbox (that they have developed through numerous collaborations, through innovation failures and successes and through extensively refined best practices.)
Do you present this type of leader in your resume, during interviews and through your professional accomplishments? If not, MyPro Resumes may be able to help. Find out more at www.myproresumes.com.
How does your company view executive tenure? Does this perspective ring true in your field and industry? Executive Recruiters: do you prefer Resume 1 or Resume 2?
Please share your insights in the comments.
