POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR THE Top Job.

Associations demand more today from their chief staff executives. Here's how to make it known that you can meet the challenge.

IN THE PAST FEW YEARS ASSOCIATIONS have experienced the same upheavals that have shaken the business and professional communities they represent: mergers and acquisitions, increased competition, and intense focus on the bottom line. Add to that mix the emergence of the Internet, and you see radical changes in the way all association business is conducted. These forces at work within and around the association world have altered the way executive searches are conducted as well as the types of candidates recruited for top slots. If you want to be considered for an association chief staff executive position--whether it's your first such position or a new one--you need to understand how the association business is changing, how the executive search business has changed, and how best to showcase your talents in this new environment.

A new breed of CEO 

Not too many years ago it was easy to create a profile of an association chief executive officer. Many people became association executives after completing successful careers somewhere else--most likely in politics or the military, or in an association's particular industry or profession. The most highly valued characteristics of the association CEO were strong communication and networking skills. If CEOs developed congenial working relationships with their boards and put a positive face on the market sector they represented, leaders and members were satisfied. And while associations often did not pay salaries comparable to those of the business world, they made up for it in extra benefits, perks such as country club memberships and cars, and, most importantly, job security. Many top executives expected--and were granted--long tenures. Once you landed that top job, it was yours to keep.

Those days are gone. Businesses today operate in a competitive environment fraught with constant change and high anxiety, an atmosphere that has penetrated the world of association management. As we conduct executive searches at Korn/Ferry International, we see association boards and search committees demand a new caliber of CEO.

Association members want more for their dues dollars: They want measurable results by which to judge their association's value. Association executives are thus expected to meet higher, tougher performance standards. Many organizations are looking for candidates with an entrepreneurial spirit who can develop creative ways to raise additional nondues revenue.

Search committees want candidates with a strong business focus and an understanding of the association management profession. Search teams want proven leaders: results oriented, innovative, and technology driven. The volunteers charged with choosing their association's next CEO are more interested in what you know than who you know.

The search business today

The Internet has changed the job placement dynamic. When candidates can discover and land CEO positions paying in the hundreds of thousands using Web sites like monster.com, the pressure is on for executive search firms to integrate the Internet into their core business.

One way is for firms to better use the Internet to find and screen talent. For example, Korn/Ferry recently created Futurestep (www.futurestep.com), formed in partnership with The Wall Street Journal. Futurestep is an Internet-based service targeted at providing companies with high-performing middle- to senior-level executives. It is designed to complete the entire recruitment process within 30 days, while providing total confidentiality and the highest level of service to both companies and applicants.

Futurestep's focus is on executive jobs in the middle- to upper-middle salary ranges. For higher-level searches we use the Internet in our research, but tend to personalize each search using our global network of offices.

The Internet gives candidates more control over their job searches by giving them the ability to tap into a broader segment of job opportunities. Putting your credentials on the Web expands your exposure. In the old world of traditional searches, candidates had far less control over when and if they were called by a search professional for a specific opportunity.

While the science of finding the best roster of candidates for any given position may have changed, the equally important job of assessment has not changed much in my 20-year career. For while many firms may have access to roughly the same pool of candidates, being able to distinguish between the candidate who best fits a position on paper and the one who is far and away the best solution for that association at that moment still constitutes the "art" of executive recruiting. Assessment remains the most important factor in today's executive search process.

Making the search process work for you

It's an exciting time to be in the search business, and a great time to be aiming to move into an association CEO position. If you are looking to advance your career with a new (or first) CEO job, the best advice I can give you is to be more proactive in career management.

Keep in mind the following concepts.

* Candidates have more power. In this booming economy, the balance of power has shifted more to the supply side of the equation, to the candidates. There simply aren't enough executives to fill the top positions available--whether in the business world or the association world.

* Compensation is improving. Another advantage to being in the job market today is that with the acute shortage of CEO talent, more associations are offering compensation packages that are competitive with industry.

* The concept of "career" has changed.

It's no longer necessary for an executive to restrict himself or herself to a "career" in industry or a "career" in associations or government. People are moving from businesses to associations to government, and back again. This back-and-forth flow is actually a boon to candidates and organizations alike. For example, to head its organization, the American Health Care Association turned to a 30-year career military physician who served as surgeon general of the Air Force.

As you pursue a CEO position, remember also the following advice.

* Be wide rather than deep. A breadth of experience is more in demand today by search committees than a concentration in one area. One way to demonstrate broad knowledge is to earn a CAE designation, which indicates skill in all areas of association management; attend professional development courses such as the Institutes for Organization Management, which demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning. As Bill Gates and Michael Dell have shown, people don't need gray hair or doctoral degrees to succeed as CEOs. The best preparation for an association CEO position is experience in a number of areas. If you've been in one job for a long period of time, you may want to consider changing jobs or industries, developing new experiences as a volunteer, or continuing your education. Recruiters are looking for continual career growth and improvement.

* Get to know association recruiters. Let these people know that you are interested in moving up, and send them your information. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear something right away. While you may be an outstanding candidate, you may not be the best match for a given search at a given point in time.

* Integrate the Internet into your search. Today's job market is more of an information game. Use the Internet to your advantage. Familiarize yourself with electronic job sites, and post your credentials where you feel comfortable. Don't rely strictly on developing a relationship with a recruiter to find that next job; be like today's executive search firms--use technology to maximize results.

* Be prepared to document positive results achieved through your leadership. Even if you're not already a CEO, develop and demonstrate leadership skills. Many people mistakenly assume that if they're not in the number one spot in their organization, then they can't demonstrate leadership. That's not the case. For example, if you are a department head, you are responsible for motivating others and achieving results. Or perhaps you serve as a leader in a volunteer capacity.

* Understand how to integrate technology into an organization. Associations are eager to leverage their Web sites to communicate with their members, offer long-distance learning opportunities, and maximize their nondues revenue through electronic commerce. CEOs are expected to recommend innovative ways to use technology to his or her association's advantage.

* Be broadcast ready. As searches become more global, you may become a finalist for a CEO position located hundreds or thousands of miles away. Candidate screening may be done via teleconferencing rather than face-to-face interviews. If you lack experience in broadcast interviews or teleconferencing, hire a media trainer and prepare for an on-camera appearance.

* Be prepared to demonstrate vision. Be mindful that association search committees are looking for the perfect candidate to take their organization to the next level--not to maintain the status quo. "Out-of-the-box-thinking" may seem a cliche, but, in fact, it's exactly what search committees are looking for.

Leslie Hortum, who has 20 years of association management experience, recently joined Korn/Ferry International as managing director of their association/public policy practice, based in Washington,

TIPS FROM FORMER CANDIDATES

It's important to remember that the executive search firm works for the association, not the candidate, says Charles H. Roadman, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), Washington, D.C., who was recruited by Korn/Ferry. However, he says, there are steps candidates can take to get a recruiter's attention. One of these is to always be helpful to recruiters when they call for names of candidates, even if it's not for a job that interests you. You can help the recruiter by suggesting other people you know who may be interested in the position. The recruiter will appreciate the tip and be more likely to remember you for future searches related to your expertise.

Another voice of experience is that of Steven Anderson, CAE, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C. Korn/Ferry placed Anderson after his 20-year employment (10 as CEO) with the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Virginia. He recommends becoming involved outside your association, which provides a two-fold benefit: an opportunity to network and a chance to demonstrate leadership skills. In his case, Anderson headed various committees and councils at the United States Chamber of Commerce and ASAE. When it came time to demonstrate his leadership skills during job interviews, he could point to success in these positions.

Another career management tip from Anderson is to develop mentors, learn from your peers, and network. He credits former congressman John Anderson and former CEO of AFFI Tom House with providing mentoring that propelled his career.

AHCA's Roadman took a different path to becoming association president. His previous experience as a medical doctor and surgeon general of the Air Force kept him in the health-care industry. However, his 30-year career in the Air Force isolated him from civilian job searches. When he started looking for a civilian job, he helped prepare by taking a transition course at the Department of Defense and by reading several books about job hunting. He also used the Internet in basic ways, The ASAE Web site was helpful in putting the association he was talking to into context, and he used AHCA's Web site to understand issues relevant to the association.