About Me
Hello Friends- My name is Michael Petras. You can call me Mike. I'm glad you're here and hope you will find hope, encouragement, and wisdom from the content on my job interview website. My site is a work in progress. I add quality content 2-3 times a week, and post daily to my blog, Job Interview Blog. I also publish a monthly newsletter, Job Brick Wall. If your job search isn't resulting in many interviews, my newsletter will give you some fresh ideas. Allow me to introduce myself: Professional background: I was an Executive Recruiter for 14 years and worked side by side with many Executives, Managers, and hiring authorities. I have a solid reputation of honesty and integrity. Prior to recruiting, I spent 20 years in the Recreational Vehicle Industry as a Regional Sales Director and National Sales Manager for Fleetwood Enterprises and Damon Corporation. These companies manufacture 6-7 motor home lines under brand names like Pace Arrow, Southwind, Bounder, Tioga, Intruder, Ultrasport, and Daybreak. I managed a nationwide RV dealer network of 225 independent dealers through a sales department of 20-25 people. I hired, trained, promoted, and mentored over 50 sales professionals and staff support. Many of these individuals have since gone on to become Directors, Executives, and Presidents of companies both inside and outside the RV Industry. For the past 7 years I have served as a volunteer Employment Specialist and have conducted numerous community workshops for job seekers and career changers. I have also counseled 100's of unemployed job seekers resulting in breakthroughs when their job search had reached a dead end. Personal background: I grew up in northern Indiana with my 2 brothers and 1 sister. I was raised by wonderful parents--Mike and Lois. My father, the son of Russian immigrants, was an Aircraft & Engine Mechanic for the airlines and later managed the aviation maintenance department of a small corporation. My mother was a devoted home maker and stay-at-home mom. My parents instilled within me a strong work ethic and the importance of family, honesty, integrity, and service to others. I've been happily married for 38 years and have 5 grown children, and 12 wonderful grandchildren...and one on the way. My family is my greatest treasure and my wife, Beth, is my best friend. Reason for my site: This is kind of long winded, but I really want you to understand this. So, please bear with me. Lots of people have asked me over the years: What exactly does an Executive Recruiter do? Put another way: Do Executive Recruiters find jobs for people like an employment agency? Well, no, not exactly. In a nutshell, Executive Recruiters are hired by companies ...to find people for jobs. When I say this, I often get a blank stare from people. And, by the way, my site is not about recruiting services...I'm just using recruiting to make a point. So, I explain the recruiting gig to folks this way: An Executive Recruiter is similar to a Pro Football Scout. Let's say a pro football coach needs a 225 pound chiseled fullback who can run the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds, and knock buildings down without getting injured. How is a coach going to find a hulk like this? Well, one option would be to run an ad in the newspaper or on the web through Monster, CareerBuilder, or Hot Jobs. What do you think the response would be if he did that? He probably would get an avalanche of resumes and walk-ons like an audition for American Idol. The coach would now have to read 100s if not 1,000s of resumes, boil them down to 25-30 serious candidates, interview them, try them out, and finally make someone an offer. This is a very time consuming, exhausting process. Another way the coach could find his fullback would be to hire a pro Scout. Pro Football Scouts usually have a deep network of outstanding football players, other scouts, coaches, and football insiders. Through his network, the Scout only recruits those players who meet or exceed the coach's hiring requirements. The Scout refers 4-5 excellent candidates to the coach, and one candidate from this group will be given a uniform. This team just picked up an exceptional fullback in a fraction of the time it would have taken them to find this athlete on their own. Corporations use this exact same model to hire key employees; only they use an Executive Recruiter. So...why am I telling you all this? In order to find 4-5 ideal candidates for a job assignment, I have to recruit and interview 75-100 people. Only 4-5 will be interviewed by my client company...and only 1 will be hired. So, the odds of a person finding a job through an Executive Recruiter is very low--kind of like getting picked for American Idol. However, most of the 99 candidates who fall short are talented, bright, good people. (I guess I'm more like Paula rather than Simon) So, I've often asked myself: What more can I do to help these runner-up candidates succeed with their job search? On many occasions I have helped many candidates improve their resumes, prepare for an interview, and increase their odds of getting an offer. Over the years, I have received many expressions of appreciation from people I never placed. Some of these candidates are my friends today. I find this very gratifying and rewarding. Frankly, despite my success as an Executive Recruiter over the years, I've discovered I'm a better teacher than I am a recruiter. But...I can only be in one place at a time. And, I only have time to help a few people a week. So, I decided to create this website to share with as many people as possible my job interview and job search expertise. My goal is to bring some warmth, depth, and humor to this often slow Neanderthal process. Consider me your new Cyber-friend in your quest for a better career, and a more fulfilling job. I hope you will not only profit from the principles and ideas I share with you, but enjoy many of the true stories, myths, and amusing situations. I welcome your input. I would especially enjoy knowing whether or not my site contributed to your success. All the best to you. May you succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Mike Petras Back from About Me to Job Interview home page
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