Robert Hukshorn

Client: Robert Hukshorn was interim general manager for a Dutch innovator of diagnostic and analytical tools for the beauty industry.

Industry: High Tech, Beauty, Packaging

Function: Management

Challenge: Robert got the rug pulled out from under him when the pandemic cancelled the short-term contract he had lined up after his interim job ended.

Process: With help from TCD, Robert learned to love LinkedIn and build up his network of business contacts. He also learned how to reframe his career in a more positive light.

Landing: In less than six months, Robert had offers from two companies – landing as segment director of petfood at a company where he looks forward to many more years of professional growth.

Robert Hukshorn was interim general manager for a Dutch innovator of diagnostic and analytical tools for the beauty industry. When his one-year interim GM contract ended, Robert expected to transition to a previously arranged interim assignment at another company. His plan fell apart when the second company went into lockdown mode in early 2020 and cancelled his contract. With no plan B, he suddenly faced the prospect of having to look for a job in the midst of a global pandemic.

It was a new experience for Robert. As a former executive at a large multinational, he had never needed to look for a job before, and he didn't know where to start. Luckily for him, a friend introduced him to The Career Doctor (TCD).

"Before I talked to TCD, I thought I would just put my resume online, and employers would find me. TCD pointed out that when it comes to hiring, companies often use recruiters, who have their own agendas, and that 75% of jobs are never posted, they're part of the 'hidden market,'" said Robert. "I learned that the way to get at those jobs is through networking – using your own network and social media. That was new to me."

"I was negative and very backward looking. I was focused on what had happened in the past and struggled to convey what I had achieved. TCD helped me to reframe my career in a more positive way and look forward."

Robert began his TCD experience with the Career Plan and found it to be a very good tool to reassess and confirm his career goals. The most interesting takeaway was learning about himself and the work environment that suits him best.

"During the Career Plan, I did a lot of thinking and reflecting," said Robert. "Some of the self-assessment exercises confirmed that I do best in medium-sized, international companies – not the large multinationals where I started my career. If you learn during the Career Plan that you're in the wrong job, that's a hard lesson."

In the next phase of his TCD program, working with Isabelita Castilho, Robert learned how to use LinkedIn to market himself to employers – his biggest area of growth.

"I'd never used LinkedIn before, but Isabelita taught me how. We worked on my profile, and I started to use LinkedIn daily, mostly for networking. I discovered I was only connected to about 10% of all the people I knew," said Robert. "I really put effort in. Now I have 750 contacts compared to about 200 before I started with TCD."

Another valuable aspect of the TCD experience for Robert was the psychological support he got from his career consultant.

"When I started with TCD, I was in a bit of a negative state of mind. I was negative and very backward looking. I was focused on what had happened in the past and struggled to convey what I had achieved. TCD helped me to reframe my career in a more positive way and look forward."

"I discovered I was only connected to about 10% of all the people I knew. I really put effort in. Now I have 750 contacts compared to about 200 before I started with TCD."

Robert also greatly appreciated TCD's help with his resume. The TCD writing team rewrote his resume to highlight his quantified accomplishments, teach him to think in terms of achievements rather than job duties. In addition, his consultant taught him how to use key words in a way that would help his resume survive the algorithms that companies and recruiters use to filter resumes.

"I have more than twenty years of professional experience in food and beverages, chemicals, and high tech. My old resume looked backwards, listing my jobs, and it was way too long. TCD's resume was much improved and focused on my accomplishments and what I'm good at. But the content needed to include key words to survive algorithm searches. If you don't hit those key words, your resume won't be found."

Robert's job search yielded results in less than six months. Through networking alone, he had offers from two companies, one of which was a great fit – a packaging company in the Netherlands at the forefront of innovation, where Robert is now segment director of petfood.

"I'm having a great time. My job is to develop a petfood packaging strategy, looking at the market and trends, and formulating a strategy for which products to develop."

Robert is grateful to TCD for the network-based approach they instilled in him that led him to his new job.

"TCD helped me build a strong network, and that network delivered. Both companies I got offers from came to me through my network," said Robert. "TCD gave me a recipe, and then it was a numbers game – the more effort you put in, the higher the likelihood you'll hit your target."

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