Dot-Com Weary? Tips for the Transition Back Into a Bricks-and-Mortar Firm
As the number of dot-com casualties mounts, many “e-refugees” are deciding this time around that they’ll seek jobs with established bricks-and-mortar firms. Some are even returning to their former employers. Their realization: Dot-coms’ unpredictable stock options, prestigious job titles and chaotic excitement didn’t bring them the happiness or career success they believed possible.
“We’ve been inundated with [inquiries from] e-commerce people looking to come back into a more traditional bricks-and-mortar organization,” said Scott Shane, Los Angeles-based recruiting director for Arthur Andersen’s southwest region. He said the firm has been rehiring Andersen alumni who left to go to dot-coms and then opted to return.
Brian Rathgeber, a Mission Viejo programmer and analyst laid off from Heavywater.com in January, was hired in less than a week by building-materials firm James Hardie. Though Hardie’s work environment is markedly different from Heavywater.com’s, Rathgeber said he’s content with his new job.
“It was definitely more exciting at the dot-com, making Web sites for other dot-coms,” Rathgeber said. “But I feel a lot more comfortable now. This company’s not going to go out of business next week.”
If you’re a laid-off dot-comer hoping to transition back into the bricks-and-mortar world, here are some tips from career experts to help you in your quest.
Plan Your Road Ahead
A first important step is to assess your career goals, said Bob Senatore, executive vice president of Comforce in Redmond, Wash. Instead of haphazardly applying for positions and sending out resumes, think about what you’d like to achieve over the next five years.
After you’ve roughly outlined a career path, determine what jobs you can apply for today that will place you on this trajectory. If you lack skills for your long-term career, take classes while you’re job hunting. Be sure your technical skills remain up to date, Senatore said.
Honestly Assess All Venues
Is a traditional company’s environment really for you? Before you send out resumes, make sure you’re heading down the right path. Don’t rebound from a bad dot-com experience by fleeing to a bricks-and-mortar firm just for a paycheck.
If you’re averse to a dress code, proscribed job responsibilities, standardized hours and bureaucracy and thrive in an chaotic, unstructured environment, you’re better off holding out for another dot-com job or starting up a company of your own, if you have entrepreneurial know-how.
Craig Payea, a Sunnyvale, Calif., marketing manager who was laid off from Simplexus in January, is enjoying his role as a stay-at-home dad for his 16-month-old son Zachary while he waits for another dot-com opportunity to come his way.
“The euphoria was amazing,” Payea said of his early days at Simplexus. “I love chaos. I love that environment. That’s the kind of situation where I thrive, so that’s where my initial search will be. There are still jobs out there, but not nearly as many.”
Jean Golden, a Minneapolis communications consultant who was laid off from an online education company two months ago, said her dot-com layoff experience was bad enough to convince her to run her own business. When the dot-com failed, Golden said she was told she wouldn’t be paid for a month’s work or be reimbursed for her work-related expenses.
“After this experience, it has become incredibly important to me to be in charge of my own destiny,” Golden said.
Because she had previous consulting experience, Golden opted to go solo. She launched her own Web site, https://www.dotbombsurvivor.com, which will list resources for out-of-work Internet employees.
Market Yourself
If, after careful analysis, you decide that the bricks-and-mortar world would best meet your employment needs, scrutinize your resume. It should highlight your skills, achievements and training and not create the impression that you’re a “dot-com-only” worker, said Stephen Bochner, global practice leader at TMP Worldwide in Los Angeles.
You can present yourself as a competent, talented worker even if your company went belly up, said Paul Syiek, founder and president of Think Resources in Atlanta.
“Although a company may have failed, there are lots of individual successes and results within it,” Syiek said. “They should show that they weren’t the failure.”
Beth Gilfeather, senior vice president of operations at TechiGold in Boston, agreed: “Being laid off doesn’t carry the same stigma that it used to.”
If you used state-of-the-art software and hardware at your dot-com job and were able to quickly master new technology, show this on your resume, Syiek said.
Frequent job-hopping, though common in the dot-com world, might raise questions for traditional employers about your stability and willingness to commit as a long-term hire. If you’ve been jumping from one dot-com post to another, play up your longest-term jobs (two or more years) with detailed descriptions on your resume. You want to give the impression that you’re not a fly-by-night worker, ready to depart as soon as a better offer hits your desk.
Hone your interviewing techniques, too. Rehearse answers to anticipated questions such as, “What attracted you to the dot-com?” Think about how your responses will be viewed by your interviewer, said Bob Lambert, managing director of Christian & Timbers’ Irvine branch.
For example, if you answer the previous question, “I just love chaos, and I just wanted to be a millionaire by year’s end,” realize that you’re positioning yourself as an unattractive hire. Be sure to explain how your talents can be used by bricks-and-mortar companies, Arthur Andersen’s Shane said. Make certain your references are strong and your exit story (why you left your dot-com) concurs with what your former employer will say.
Be Realistic About Prospects
Have reasonable expectations about what potential employers will offer you.
During the dot-com gold rush, some Internet companies embarked on hiring frenzies to quickly fill jobs. They sometimes lured workers to their sites with offers of inflated salaries and job titles. And they engaged in “battlefield promotions,” promoting barely qualified workers into positions of increasing responsibility to keep functioning, Bochner said.
“You see a lot of resumes with ‘VP of so-and-so,’ when the person only had two years of experience,” Bochner said.
Honestly appraise your work experience and salary history. Are you asking for a job position and compensation that are commensurate? Demanding too much might place you out of the running for employment opportunities.
Some ex-dot-comers appear to be taking a pragmatic approach.
“There’s a certain amount of professional humility and grace that people are exhibiting in the interviewing process,” Shane said. “They’re not thinking, ‘I made $60,000 here, I left for $100,000 and stock options, so I can return here and ask for $100,000. They’re being realistic.”
Tips for Execs and Managers
If you were at the helm of a failed dot-com and are seeking employment at a bricks-and-mortar firm, experts advise you to be honest about any past mistakes. Show that you understand and have learned from them.
“For example, you can say, ‘We didn’t dig deep enough to uncover the underlying weaknesses in the business model,’ or ‘We shouldn’t have spent so much on brand marketing,’ ” Lambert said.
Last, be sure to show potential employers that you are results- and goal-driven; made sage decisions in high-stress, fast-changing situations; and capably shouldered the responsibilities of your positions, Lambert said.
Tips for Younger Workers
Unfortunately, younger workers with limited employment histories might encounter hiring difficulties when trying to transition into the traditional bricks-and-mortar sector, Shane said. “They may have a little bit more challenging search in front of them.”
Jeff Daniel, chief executive and founder of CollegeHire in Austin, Texas, agreed, adding that, whenever possible, individuals in this age group should demonstrate to prospective employers that they’ve acquired transferable skills and can function well in team settings. They also should investigate “growth” industries such as health care and hospitality, where proficiencies they developed at dot-coms, such as online marketing, might be highly valued.
“People think, ‘Gee, only another dot-com is going to want me, but that’s not true,” said Shelly Field, consultant and author of “100 Best Careers for the 21st Century” (Arco, 2000).
