Nobody’s looking for a controller with 18 months hiking in Patagonia.

Travel is good, it tends to make us a bit less presumptive, boring and provincial. But at the same time, no client has ever asked me to find him a controller with exploration and discovery experience. It’s okay to be a lifestyle person. It’s not useful to advertise it on your resume. If you’re using words like “Two years extended travel through Europe, including, blah, blah, . . . . “ You’re in the “B” pile. I had a great controller candidate with two separate lengthy stints into places you should only watch on TV. Ushuaia, and some other place without hot water. If they think you might go on a self discovery journey on their watch, - they won’t hire you. You may not know the meaning of life but for the sake of your career, just pretend you’ve made peace with it.

How to best tell your future with your current employer

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. In this instance I’m talking about your current employer’s behavior. Whatever career progress you’ve made with your company in the past five years is exactly what your next five years will look like. Things aren’t going to change much from what they’ve been. If your company won't make your future, then you have to do it. Move.

It never says “screamer” on the resume.

I no longer think there is such thing as "management styles". Business gurus and schools have turned that subject into a reliable revenue stream. Today I know there are screamers and non-screamers. If you employ a screamer, you end up sending people to management seminars, have lots of turnover, sick days and poor productivity. How to not hire screamer managers, - that’s worth studying.