Working The Web

January 2006

When was the last time you updated your CV? Took a look at your job market? Talked to a career coach about your future? If your answers are a bit sheepish don’t be surprised. Most executives only start to think about their next move or the future when a crisis looms. Your boss has been fired and you are potentially at risk; your company is sold and your future is unclear; your partner is being transferred and you have to change geography - all of these scenarios are real possibilities.

I found myself in a crisis situation six years ago when I was a partner at a ‘Big 5’ consulting firm. As is typical of the management consulting business I was traveling constantly, and I suffered a DVT after a knee operation. Up until this point my career was clearly mapped out - I would continue as a global expert in the automotive industry, retiring in my mid-50’s to take on a portfolio career.

I had never even considered the possibility of having to change my job, let alone my entire life. My British Airways ‘Gold Card’ was really important to me! Unfortunately most of us only ‘manage’ our careers out of a crisis rather than systematically building a route forward. Nine times out of ten when an executive now contacts me their first words are ‘I need to find a new job’, not ‘I’m thinking about my career’.

I was forced to take six months off so I had a unique opportunity to think about what to do next. In 1999 the internet was booming so I was naturally attracted to the opportunity to make millions without much effort. Ha! If only it was so easy. However, a business angel convinced me that executive recruitment advertising was going to eventually move to the internet and away from The Sunday Times.

In 2001 I started working full-time on what would become exec-appointments.com. We had many challenges: change behaviours of both recruiters and executives to consider using the web; create a business and an online offering from scratch with little knowledge of how to do either; and build a capable team in a hurry.

exec-appointments.com is now the leading executive jobsite in the UK and rapidly expanding across the globe. Its sister site, non-execs.com, is the only portal dedicated to the Non-Executive Director and is very successful.

Looking back on my career, even though I am now headed in a very different direction, there are a few things that have continually served me well:

Networking. I attend as many networking events as I can and actively seek out new business contacts. My friends say I am a ‘serial networker’ but it has always paid dividends.

Being proactive. I don’t let things happen - I make them happen. I guess this comes from my American heritage. I ask people to help provide introductions for new exec-appointments.com clients and then remember them when they need assistance.

Liking what you do. My illness gave me the opportunity to reflect on where I lived, how I lived and how I worked. I moved from London to Bath, have a seven minute walk to work and love the freedom of having my own company.

So what does the future hold? My global career in consulting and the contacts I made then is providing interesting opportunities for both of the sites in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The beauty of the internet, though, is that I don’t have to get on a plane to make the business happen.

Originally from the US, Betty Thayer became a partner at Ernst & Young in London after a long career in management consulting. Now established in the UK, she has taken on a portfolio of roles including management consultant and dot.com entrepreneur. She launched and is the CEO of www.exec-appointments.com for high level appointments paying more than Ł30,000 and www.non-execs.com for Non-Executive Directors.