Bill Cohn lands at Ipswitch in Lexington. Learn his process...

Posted by: "cohnbill"
cohnbill@gmail.com
 

cohnbill

Tue Jul 6, 2010 9:18 am (PDT)

Hello Fellow ANG Members:



I'm very pleased to announce that I've accepted a position as a Senior
Product Manager with Ipswitch, a Lexington-based software company. I'm
very excited about the company, the role, and the fact that I'll be able
to bike to work!



Here's a bit of background on my process:



I was fortunate to get an outplacement benefit of 3 months with Keystone
Associates, which held excellent workshops on all aspects of the job
search. Of note was the video "mock interview", which was very
revealing. Most important however was the hour per week I got to spend
with one of their consultants. He was instrumental in helping me craft a
strategy for the job search, and keeping me grounded when the "rhythms
of the search" threatened to throw me off my feet.



As we've all learned, networking is the key to uncovering opportunities
and increasing your visibility in the market. During my 8 months (to
the day) "in transition", I took this to heart, meeting fellow
networkers, former colleagues and then new contacts for coffee, lunch,
or beer at every opportunity. I also attended group events, including
of course the ANG meetings at the Acton Congregational Church, but also
college and grad school alumni meetings, skills development (e.g. Agile
Bazaar) meetings, and professional association meetings.



Volunteering for a professional association – in my case the Boston
Product Management Association (BPMA) -- was probably the smartest thing
I did. After a few months I managed to be elected to their board of
directors. This kept me in close touch with precisely the people who
either might be hiring me or will be candidates when I am employed and
looking to hire. It also helped me keep my skills sharp, and gave me
something current to bring up in interviews and networking
conversations. I'm committed to continuing my involvement with the
BPMA, as I've learned how critical it is to nurture your network and
keep on developing your professional skills even after you've landed.



As for the job itself, the process took about 6 weeks from application
to offer. Curiously, this was one job for which I applied directly to a
job posting and didn't network in (I did conduct due diligence with a
former employee). After my first round of in-person interviews, I was
pretty sure I was their selected candidate, but it still took a few
weeks, which was maddening, but definitely not extraordinary. One note:
don't believe it when people say you can't negotiate in this economy; I
raised my base salary by 14% and got a commitment for a 6 month salary
review.



In closing, thanks ANG for your support and for nurturing this great
resource for job seekers.



Best of luck to you all!



Regards,



Bill Cohn



cohnbill@gmail.com

www.linkedin.