Can previously successful executives who have damaged their resumes by job-hopping get their careers back on track? Yes, if they recognize the flawed pattern of their decisionmaking and adjust accordingly.
Most entrepreneurs do not hit the ball out the park the first time.
Many who leave established firms for startups succeed after several attempts. But some never achieve the same level of success they did in their corporate careers.
What is the "resume repair" strategy for a previously successful executive who "swung for the fences," say, three times in four years, taking a series of positions that ended without significant accomplishment?
The solution, in baseball terms, is simple: If you are in a slump, stop trying to hit home runs. Shorten your swing, and focus on making contact and putting the ball in play.
Here are my four principles of executive resume repair. They are aimed at executives who consider joining existing firms rather than at the entrepreneurs who create them.
Identify the pattern. In most cases, there is an underlying pattern to a series of unsuccessful job moves — if you assess it ruthlessly. Have you been joining firms that are consistently undercapitalized? Are you attracted to esoteric technologies without defined markets? Do you ignore the signs of a dysfunctional corporate culture until it's too late? In many cases, the risks were known to you but rationalized away. ["This time will be different."]
Halt the pattern. Confront the decisions you have made and accept them. As the old saying goes: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."
