April 1, 2009 - Greg Ambrose, President of Catalyst Search Group, interviewed for
     CIO Magazine on One in Four CIO's Fired for Performance.

     FULL STORY  (here)

Nearly one in four CIOs gets let go for poor performance, according to a new survey by CIO and Human Resource Executive. When asked why their companies' previous IT leader left, 23 percent of the 265 human resources managers polled said it was involuntary for performance reasons. The dismissal rate matched that for CFOs but was higher than that for HR managers (19 percent) and sales managers (18 percent), the survey found.

Reason Top IT Executive Left Company by Function

IT heads are the most likely among business leaders to leave their positions on their own terms to pursue career opportunities elsewhere.

And the bigger the company, the more likely the CIO will be dismissed—either fired or a victim of downsizing: 43 percent of IT heads at companies over $1 billion or more in sales left involuntarily, versus 29 percent at mid-market companies of $100 million to $1 billion and 23 percent at small companies of less than $100 million in sales. Of course, "poor performance" is open to interpretation, notes Greg Ambrose, president of Catalyst Search Group. "What a new CEO defines as poor might be exactly what the old CEO wanted," he says. The larger the organization, the more complex the issues, systems and politics, he adds.

One Out of Four CIOs Fired For Performance

Twenty-three per cent of IT heads are fired for poor performance, according to the HR executives we surveyed. CIOs at large companies are more likely to be fired or to become victims of downsizing; 43 percent of large company IT heads left involuntarily, versus 23 percent of small company CIOs and 29 percent of mid-market CIOs. Small and mid-market IT heads are more likely than their large company counterparts to leave in pursuit of other opportunities....

© 2008 CXO Media Inc.

    March 5, 2009 - Greg Ambrose, President of Catalyst Search Group, interviewed for
     CIO Magazine on Recruiter's Secrets: 6 Job Hunting Tips for a Tough Market.

     FULL STORY  (here)

... You can increase your chances of finding a new job if you're open to relocating, switching industries or doing different work, says Greg Ambrose, managing director of Catalyst Search Group in Deerfield, Ill.

"I've found that the people who limit themselves to a particular geography or type of position generally stay unemployed the longest," he says.

Ambrose also recommends consulting. "It's an excellent time to consider consulting because a lot of companies are much more likely to take on a consultant than they are to take on a full-time employee," he says. "It's a lot less risk to an employer. They can take on a consultant much faster, with much less internal deliberation, not three rounds of interviews over five months. I know a number of executives who have found much more success doing consulting."

Harvey Nash's Gordon recommends that if you're going to be flexible about your location, the position you're willing to take, and/or your compensation, you have to give recruiters and employers a good reason for your flexibility. You don't want to look like you're being flexible because "you're at the mercy of the market," he says. 

You've heard it over and over, but it's true: Networking is critical to finding a new job.

"Even with the Internet and all the technology that's available today, less than 10 percent of jobs are found online," says Ambrose. "Most jobs are found through networking."

Consequently, he says, people looking for jobs should spend most of their time networking.

Says Ambrose, "Reach out. Do research on companies you're interested in working for and do some networking to find people who can introduce you to those companies."

    

        The Chicago Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) Presented...

        The 2008 Executive CIO Roundtable - 'Exploring the New CIO Paradigm' 

       October 24th, 2006, Chicago - Catalyst Search Group exhibited at HRMAC's Summit 2006.