Have you ever been through a recruitment process where you put your “all” into the research, application and interviews and just didn’t get the job? We all have at some point in our careers, myself included.
Prior to founding Aviation Career Services (ACS) in 2010, I had a career in airport management. Over the years I applied for countless positions. Some of my applications were for practice and to see how far I would get; others were because I thought I had everything the organization asked for in the role. Those were the applications I put my “all” into. They were also the applications that deeply impacted me most when I wasn’t the selected candidate.
In my current career at ACS, I work with organizations to revitalize their organizational strategy, structures and compensation programs. I help find solutions to develop teams at various levels in organizations and recruit high-quality and diverse leaders in our rapidly evolving aviation and transportation space. On an individual basis, I coach emerging and executive leaders through a variety of personal career development exercises either to guide them to their suited path or prepare them for the next level in their careers. In a broader perspective, I’ve been a part of many professional development committees under different organizations; most recently with the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC).
I have professionals ask me all the time, should I apply for that role? Why didn’t I make the cut? What do I need to do to make the C-Suite? The answer isn’t simple, but through surveying those I’ve interacted with along with observing and interviewing hundreds of candidates for C-Suite (CEOs, COOs, CFOs, etc.) positions, I’ve identified several key drivers for success.
Successful candidates share several core competencies. If you want to be successful in your current roles and prepare for the next promotional opportunity, you must develop these skills. In the following paragraphs, I offer you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to make the C-Suite.
The aviation and transportation sector has been in transition for nearly a decade. The industry has changed its focus from operating and maintaining an organization to leading an entrepreneurial business enterprise. The change has come with a more holistic approach to organizational leadership and mastery, including:
1. Leading Teams
a. This entails developing individuals and teams and leading them through your organization’s mission, vision and strategic goals.
2. Leading Strategic Change
a. This involves infusing change into the organization and its outside partners to meet your organization’s goals.
3. Business Agility
a. This refers to your ability to manage, the finance, administration and other organizational resources.
4. Customer & Revenue Success
a. This is your ability to remain a decisive and dynamic problem solver who continuously meets customer expectations and organizational goals.
5. Relationship Success
a. It refers to your ability to understand and manage the internal and external political environment and its partnerships. Additionally, you’ll need the capability to successfully influence and negotiate to achieve your organizational goals.
Knowledge in each of the five areas above certainly won’t be the complete recipe, but the understanding, know-how and continuous application will provide a strong foundation on executive-level leadership. Yes, you won’t get it right all the time, but your ability to adapt, reenvision and think strategically will be key to steady growth and success.
So, we’ve talked about the core competencies, now why are you not selected for the C-Suite roles? That question is a little more complicated to answer and is very personal to each applicant. As I developed the top 5 reasons below, I reflected on various C-Suite roles ACS has recruited as well as other leaders we’ve worked with and/or counseled through the years.
The Top 5 reasons the recruiter/hiring manager says No
1. You lack the core competencies:
- a. Leading Teams:
i. You were more of a contributor as opposed to a leader of teams.
- b. Leading Strategic Change:
i. You weren’t able to demonstrate your mastery and success of being a change leader.
- c. Business Agility:
i. You didn’t demonstrate enough success in financial and administrative resource management.
- d. Customer & Revenue Success:
i. You were not strong in demonstrating customer and revenue driven results in your career.
- e. Relationship Success:
i. You didn’t come across as very influential or politically astute.
ii. You failed to properly read and respond to your audience (the hiring manager) during your interview.
2. General broad-based reasons:
- a. You didn’t follow the application instructions
- b. You talked too much.
- c. You weren’t prepared and failed to do the research on the organization, its political environment and/or organizational challenges.
3. Career path has been too focused
- a. You spent the last 15 years of your career in airport or aviation operations with little exposure to business, finance and political or community relations.
4. Attitude & Appearance
- a. You may have come to the interview with ideas on how to change the organization and could have possibly come across as judgmental and quick to make change without understanding the entire situation.
- b. You lacked the enthusiastic and dynamic personality needed to be an influential leader in the organization.
- c. You were either over-dressed or under-dressed for the corporate culture or role.
5. The Right Fit
- a. You may have had the demonstrated experience and skillset and a great personality, but another candidate had a strong connection with the hiring manager.
Now as you reflect on your personal journey, think critically of how you deliver the various tasks of the application process. Whether it’s the research on the organization and climate, the paperwork submission or the interview process, step back and be your own harshest critic. If you can’t make that self-reflection successful on your own, we’d be happy to help walk you through that journey, it’s what we do. I’ve committed to partnering with organizations and associations nationwide toward “Elevating the Industry” one person and one organization at a time. As ACS continues to work with clients around the county on a multitude of projects, we’re focused on developing organizations and their greatest asset, their human capital. With a foundation in aviation, transportation, people and organizational development, collectively with other like-minded organizations, we aim to reach new heights in our industry.
Eric founded ACS in 2010 with the vision of offering a fresh talent management and development experience to the aviation and transportation industries. His experience spans general aviation, Part 139 commercial service, and shared-use airport management ranging from non-hub to large hub airports. He has managed airports and their operations and maintenance departments at various levels while developing and recruiting teams.
Eric is a Certified Member, Airport Certified Employee (ACE) – Operations, and ACE – Security, through the American Association of Airport Executives. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Management and a Minor in Airport Management & Planning and a second Minor in Spanish from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). He is currently working toward a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Fitchburg State University and has also completed several courses in talent acquisition from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Eric also holds a Private Pilot Certificate gained through SIUC’s Part 141 Aviation Flight Program.
More broadly, Eric is also involved in various organizations including Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), ACI-NA, AAAE, National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) and other entities where he lends his expertise to committees and is a regular presenter on a variety of human capital topics.
As the Chief Executive Officer of Aviation Career Services, Eric has led the day-to-day operations, administration and consulting assignments for the firm from its inception.
