People on the Move?

October 16th, 2013
Written by: Elizabeth Richards

When reading the newspaper I often peruse the “People on the Move” section, which chronicles job changes among area executives and employees. I imagine the organizations and individuals being pleased that the names, faces, job titles and descriptions they submitted to the publication are featured “up in lights,” if you will.

But what’s interesting is, when you have a chance to be seen in such a valuable piece of media real estate, how little thought seems to go into the message that is being presented. Typically, it’s very formulaic, something like: 

[Name] joins [Company] as Director of [Function], bringing over 20 years of successful experience in federal and commercial contracts. [Name’s] areas of expertise include developing and maintaining strong customer relationships, demonstrated ability to quickly master new technologies and service offerings in government and commercial markets, and the ability to identify and create sustainable, effective, business solutions for clients.

So here is a great opportunity for positive exposure–for the employee and the organization to explain how this news fits into the overall mission or strategy—to tell a brief “story” about aligning the right organization with the right resource at the right time.

But instead the words are very generic and commoditized–leaving the reader with no sense of context. Instead, here’s how I would think of it: Organizations spend a lot of time recruiting and hiring the right talent–not just anyone. So make an effort to tell the world about the fit; why this particular person is right for this important role in this specific organization, based on the organization’s value proposition and the employee’s expertise.

For example: 

[Company] has selected [Name] as Director of [Function], a role that involves helping its [Industry/Sector] clients more effectively achieve [Company’s Value Proposition]. In his previous roles, [Name] developed a reputation for helping clients navigate the complex landscape related to [Clients’ Business Challenge], receiving several top performer awards.

The opportunity to see your organization and your new hire “up in lights” is a chance to communicate the value proposition of your company or non-profit–and how this additional talent enhances that value. Make sure you take advantage of it.