"Executive Career Extreme Makeover", Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 22, 2005

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 decision-making and adjust accordingly.

The 17-year economic boom from 1983 to 2000 was the longest in U.S. history and boosted the willingness of corporate executives to move from one company to another, particularly leaving established firms for early-stage ventures.

But most entrepreneurs do not hit the ball out the park the first time. Many who leave established firms for start-ups succeed after several attempts. And some never achieve the same level of success they did in their corporate careers.

Scandals aside, no one job move will seriously injure an executive's track record. As an executive recruiter who assesses candidates' work histories, I am open to rational explanations (communicated non-defensively) for why a particular job move didn't work out.

But 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 grip, and focus on making contact and putting the ball in play.

Here are my four principles of executive resume repair. It is 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. Competence is rarely the issue here.

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've made and accept them. Avoid the gambler's temptation of putting all your chips on another big bet to recoup your previous losses. As the old saying goes, "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."

• Rebuild your foundation. Identify quality opportunities that will give you the best chance to reestablish your previous track record of success and stability. Quality in this context does not necessarily mean prestigious.

These opportunities often will be at firms you might not have seriously considered in your salad days. Consider good companies with headquarters in remote locations, which have trouble attracting first-rate executives from large cities. Apply your skills in an industry that is less exciting, but more stable, than the one you grew up in. Or join a firm in your industry that is considered a second-tier, but stable, player.

• Seek shelter from the storm. The goal is to select an opportunity with the highest likelihood of three years' successful performance. Focus on hitting good pitches and getting on base, and the home runs will take care of themselves. Don't compromise on stability, ethics or scope of responsibility (compromising on title and compensation is sometimes appropriate, if the other factors are met).

Here are four examples of executives who successfully applied these principles to get their careers back on track.

Marvin - Marvin was a top executive at a major software company, successful as a vice president of sales and general manager. But after 15 years with the firm, he took inconclusive roles at several small software firms. He wanted to work for a small company, but in the post-dot-com downturn, he found only more mediocre opportunities.

Marvin wisely became president of a midsize marketing services consultancy. His operational sophistication was critical to their surviving the tough post-9/11 economy, and he gained a successful track record as president of a profitable business.

Terrell - Terrell was a talented executive who rose to the top marketing job of a prestigious IT technology vendor. After a merger eliminated his job, he joined three software start-ups as president. All three had promising technologies but also were underfunded, in unproven markets and had dysfunctional founders.

Terrell acknowledged to himself that he was selecting companies based on the prestige of the technology and title. He accepted a role as vice president of marketing with a large, rapidly growing software firm that sorely needed his marketing expertise. The position required his moving cross-country, but he remains there five years later, having been promoted several times as the company has continued to grow.

Randy - Randy was a fast-rising corporate mergers-and-acquisitions specialist who passed through several companies whose CEOs mismanaged his carefully crafted acquisition strategies. With his track record in disarray, Randy joined a respected regional consulting firm and after several years switched to a first-tier national consulting firm. Eventually he was recruited by a blue-chip multinational corporation with a more rigorous approach to corporate growth.

Sally - Sally had been chief information officer of several large corporations but developed a reputation as a talented job-hopper. Her makeover consisted of taking a job as CIO of a Fortune 1000 firm based in a small Western town. After two years, she was recruited to be CIO of a large corporation in a major metropolitan area, a role she has held for more than five years, with much success.