Secrets From The Search Firm Files: What it Really Takes to Get Ahead in the Corporate Jungle

What you learn in school and what you need to know in the work world are never one and the same. For professionals looking to become high-level executives, the message is clear--you must know how to play the game if you want to be in the club. John Rau, president and CEO of Chicago Title and Trust Co. and former CEO of LaSalle National Bank, got an exclusive look at the files of a top executive search firm, Paul Ray Berendtson, and discovered what it takes to become an executive and how to survive as one. In Secrets from the Search Firm Files, Rau shares the surprising information he's learned, including the three traits all successful executives share: 1) They have impressive line management experience 2) They maintain a high profile within their industries 3) They fit well within their corporate environment. Drawing from this firm's documentation and experience placing more than 5,000 executives in top management positions, Rau builds ``how to'' lists and checklists for executives of all ages. He focuses on the real-world factors that characterize the most successful executives and how they change over the different stages of a search. With specific anecdotes and case histories, Rau illustrates what executives should do and the many things that can go wrong. Secrets from the Search Firm Files includes telling chapters like: The Graduation Speech You Will Never Hear; Do As They Do; Not (Just) As They Say; Rau's Top 10 Reasons Why a Headhunter Makes You a Candidate; The Three Steps to the Executive Suite.