Assessment question

"What do you like and dislike about your current position?" I fielded the question to an applicant.

Asking a question like that, I was actually looking for skills and experience which the incumbent can transfer from her current position to our company as well as new experiences, challenges or skills, she was seeking.

As Director of sales & marketing, I've been responsible for brand management, strategic positioning, growing market share and distribution. After building several sales organisations and marketing effort from the ground up and turning around several others, I have recorded some very impressive percentage increases in revenues in my past lives. My current job is interesting and stimulating and the next level would be to have a wider span of control and help a company expand.

When I was growing up, my dad stayed with HSBC from the time he joined them immediately after leaving school till the day he retired. Then, corporations sought lifetime employees whose commitment to the company was paramount. In turn, executives trusted their employers to help them boost their careers upward on a regular schedule and protect their tenure.

Here's the new realities about Gen X and Gen Y: Even if they are happy with their current jobs, most executives stay plugged into the career market to keep abreast of opportunities.