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About Mark Hovind

If you’ve read anything on this website, you know we're talking straight with you - about reality, stats, action, results and doing what works best for you. Our passion is helping executives achieve maximum traction in their job search through every means possible, with the best return on investment.

Mark Hovind, the owner of JobBait, is a career marketing coach for 6 and 7 figure executives. He worked his way up through the ranks (after graduating with a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Illinois) from a staff engineer to VP, Director, GM, COO and CEO. He's helped small companies and large, including Transamerica, Delco Electronics and Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (82-84). He's managed 350 employees, a $700 million budget, and helped take two companies public.

About JobBait clients

All JobBait clients make north of $100k. They have a median income of $300k, 15% are north of $1 million, and one-third are Presidents and CEOs. Clients include a Superbowl winner (on the cover of Sports Illustrated), multiple 8-figure executives, and consultants. Most are in the United States, and we've served clients on five continents.

Mark Hovind, President
JobBait, Inc.
1402 Auburn Way N #141
Auburn, WA 98002
Tel: 253-333-0633
Email: Mark@JobBait.com

Privacy Statement

We do not, have not, will not, and won't ever sell, rent, loan, share, trade, lease or in any other way give access to any of the information we collect from executives who use our website or services. Not their names, email addresses, resumes - NOTHING!

Testimonials from JobBait clients

From a COO: I start on Wednesday as COO of The {omitted) Financial Group in The Woodlands TX. Out of my 2,100 letters, I got 3 interviews and 1 offer so I would say my direct mailing was a huge success. This is especially true when you figure in the fact that I mailed in December 08 in a deteriorating economy. Thanks for all your help. I will keep in touch. KN

From a CEO/Consultant: I am still getting new calls and emails periodically including one from the Chairman of a public Alt Energy Company in Colorado the day before yesterday. He called after reading the letter (he has been traveling) and is one of the few who did not access my web site first. Within the first four weeks I had accepted two paying clients and had about a dozen active opportunities. I am still considering another six client proposals. So far my income is above target. JC

From a Marketing Executive: "I have a deal. Got what I wanted, including VP Channel Marketing and 2%to 4% of top line sales, no cap!!! Will call you tomorrow (taking wife out to dinner). Website helped me position my argument and close the deal. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" GS

From a CEO: "Mark has been invaluable in the process of fine tuning ... and refining ... and improving ... and managing ... and inspiring me in the direct mail program. He has been an incredible tool and an oasis in the stress of looking for a new job... truly outstanding." DC

From a President: "Mark, I wanted to thank you formally for the incredible job you did for me through JobBait. Your service was consistently on track with what you promised, many times above and beyond the call of contract. As someone who ‘ran the gauntlet’ before without you (but with a major competitor to assist), I have even greater appreciation of the service you provided. The data you’ve collected is unique and second to none, ditto the analysis. Your attention to detail and understanding of what constitutes a professional mailing exceeded requirements. I would recommend you to any VP or C-level executive wishing to utilize this method." SL

From a CFO: "Time and money well spent. I wish I had utilized this service years ago. Mark saved me untold hours of frustration, over utilization of resources, and wasted monies. By following Mark’s suggestions, I was able to refine and broaden my search. He has an uncanny ability to make me feel as though the final product was all because of me." BK

From a CEO: "Mark, I cannot thank you enough for your help. The direct mail campaign that you helped me develop launched my consulting practice within weeks. My clients now provide more income than my former job - and it's growing fast! I could not have done this without you! JP

From a President: "What I value most about working with Mark is his professionalism and the advice he gave me about related matters. Mark is candid and that makes his counsel all the more valuable. I have dealt with other outfits for mass mailing/e-mailing, and would not go back to any of them after working with Mark." JM

Against all odds: A highly-compensated textile CEO with twenty years experience (all in textiles) lost his job. The challenge ahead was staggering because textile industry employment had gone down 75% in 10 years. And he could not relocate because of family matters. He targeted 3,300 local companies outside of textiles and received 17 calls, 8 long phone interviews and 6 follow-up interviews ... all within 9 weeks. He turned down 2 job offers and accepted a third that offered ownership. His thank you note read in part: "Six years ago the retained recruiters found my new job. This time it was the direct mail - a numbers game. Only 1/2% had any interest but those 1/2% really needed someone at that time. Thanks for all your help along the way." DC

From a CEO to a JobBait client: "I want to compliment you on your introduction and web site. Having a direct marketing background myself, I can readily detect a well-thought out strategy when I see one. It stands out, head and shoulders amongst the fray of resumes and approaches that we typically receive." Respectfully, GS

From a VP of Marketing: "Mark, what you've done is amazing. I've been on the job boards and networking for the last 2 years with almost no results. Your direct mail campaign produced results in less than 6 weeks. I got over a dozen calls, 4 interviews and an offer I couldn't turn down. Then, after I accepted, I got another offer. I will be telling all my colleagues about you. Thank you, thank you." AB

From a Business Consultant: "You were right - direct mail does work for consulting. I must confess that I was skeptical about using this to find new clients, but it worked. What I spent on direct mail paid for itself immediately - I landed two new clients with contracts that total $55,000 in 2 months and my sales pipeline is now full. More contracts are on the way. Thank you for your help." RA

From a General Manager: "Thank you so much for your professional and personal touch service. I would highly recommend you and your services to any candidate searching for a new position. Your down to earth and confident approach was a pleasant blessing in the competitive and sometimes overbearing world of career guidance. You spent the time on what matters most in a targeted mailing, helping me select the most productive database of prospective employers. I hope this helps future customers understand the often confusing world of resume targeted mailings. There are too many firms out there trying to take more money than your services costs and deliver cookie cutter." KB

From a CEO: "Mark, thank you for your honesty, candor and diligence. Your approach is refreshing compared to all the other service providers, and you delivered far more than I expected. I've already received several phone calls and have two job offers in the works - and it's only been two months since my mailing went out. Thank you!" GM

From a President: "Thank you Mark for a job well done. You opened my eyes to a process that - until now - I did not understand. I've landed as President of Xxxx with bonus options that exceed my base. You were right about targeting local companies - it worked better than expected." BR

From an Executive Resume Writer: "Mark's a great guy and I respect him a lot--I love that he has stats for what is a tough sell--gives my clients confidence that he is the real deal and not a rip off. His mind is a steel trap! And he's an ethical player in a problematic field. Will spend hours and hours with a client getting the details of the list just right. He's one of the good guys and you can trust him." DD

From a President: "JobBait.com and Mark Hovind are unique. The business model that Mark provides is the best combination of tools for the candidate to present themselves to prospective employers. Mark's passion for perfection is obvious. Every facet is covered because every facet is critical. There are many added benefits and street savvy advice that Mark provides that are condensations of years of experience-too many to list. I recommend JobBait to any executive job seeker without reservation." MM

From a Global Marketing Director: "My search picked up speed rapidly and I was very busy. I have accepted an offer, just 2 months after deciding to update my resume. It came through the mailing, as did 3 of the 4 most advanced opportunities I have at the moment. My colleagues ... are so impressed by the success of my marketing campaign that you might get a few inquiries from [them]. If you do, ask how they found you. It would not surprise me if I connected them with you." JM

From a COO: "I have been meaning to thank you for the help you provided. We have relocated to ... Florida and love it here. I joined a $100M operating division of a $2B ... company as Chief Operating Officer. In addition, I just received a verbal offer to over the GM role of the whole facility, so all is going very well. For the record I received at least 14 solid interviews with at least half of these leading directly to offers. I had the luxury of moving before accepting the job, because I had multiple offers here .... The two overriding pieces of my successful job search were great resume and the highly targeted direct mail. You played a key role and I thank you." CC

From a VP of Marketing: "Hi Mark. I just got another call from the CEO of a $464M international company and once again the letter and website did their jobs. Our first discussion was about 15-20 minutes with him repeating back several items from my info. This is unlike in the past where the discussions were always more exploratory – rather, they seem to have confidence in my value and jump right into discussions on how to make it happen for them. I know the process was longer and more detailed than I expected and the editing sessions brutal, but the results speak for themselves. I am now in the third week since my mail drop and the calls and emails still keep coming in. They started the Monday after my Friday mail drop and have been steady ever since. Things are still popping. I just got an email from a $2 billion healthcare company for a phone interview with the head of their Global Talent Acquisition at the request of the CEO. The results have been great and looking good. As a result of your coaching and packaging, I even got a personal note from Xxxx, the CEO of [$XX Billion company], in response to the letter, and my package is currently making the rounds there. Once again – thanks!" DM

From a President: "Mark, thank you for rescuing me! As you know, my Board of Directors gave me a very expensive outplacement package with [one of the largest national firms]. Most of what they did for me I already knew how to do, and after 4 months I was frustrated and discouraged. Then a friend of mine told me about JobBait and everything changed. You opened doors that I never knew were there, and the results speak for themselves - I got over a dozen interviews and two offers - one of them as the CEO with Xxxx. Mark, you should be offering your services to companies - they don't know what they're missing. Now that I am the CEO, if I need to outplace one of my key executives you can be sure that I will be sending them to you. Thank you again." RM

From a CFO: "Hi Mark. I accepted a position at a medical technology company in Minneapolis with a substantial increase in total comp. In total I mailed 1,177 letters and got 7 responses. The website got 106 unique visitors, so nearly 10% of the target audience at least viewed the website." KB

From a President: "Mark, I got 2 offers within 30 days, accepted a President position in early June. I was out of the job market for 6 weeks, or really 2 weeks after I got the mailing together. Ironically, the letter that won the day was shared with a sister company that made the offer. Thanks." DM

From businesses

Rites of PassageFrom RiteSite: JobBait is honored to be the only direct mail provider that gets referrals from John Lucht, author of Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+ and RiteSite.com. John notes: "Looking for help? These people [JobBait] merit your consideration."

Netshare WebsiteFrom Netshare: JobBait is honored to be recommended by Netshare who was ranked as the "Best Site" for $100k+ jobs by Forbes. They note, "[JobBait was] hand picked for their professionalism, integrity and quality of service."

Riley Guide WebsiteFrom The Riley Guide: JobBait is honored to be the only direct mail provider recommended by the Riley Guide. They note: "designed to offer you the best service at the lowest cost."

 

Case Study:

Situation:

Jonathon had been a $300k+ President and CEO of a $45 million privately-held (and very profitable) manufacturing company for 8 years. The owners of his company decided to sell to a group of investors, who in turn wanted to put their own management team in place and use their offshore supply chain. Jon was given a one-year severance package, but wanted to find another job as soon as possible. At the time, he had already sent his resume to thousands of recruiters, answered countless online job postings, and was networking as much as he could. He had received a few interesting responses, but none were anywhere near his salary level.

Challenges:

Jon had not looked for a job in a long time, and the environment had changed. His specialty in prefabricated metal buildings was doing well, but it was a very small niche that was being consolidated by larger businesses. To make matters worse, the manufacturing sector overall was declining rapidly nationwide and was projected to decline even more. Opportunities were scarce and getting scarcer, and competition was extreme. He had already targeted the construction industry, but that too was declining at the time. So, Jon had a choice - tough it out in his specialty locally, switch industries locally, or relocate.

Solutions:

Here's how Jon conducted his job search.

  1. He developed a compelling value proposition letter that focused on the sales growth and earnings he had generated as President and CEO. He downplayed his manufacturing background, and focused instead on the outcome of his executive initiatives that could be used by other industries.
  2. He targeted the industry/location combinations where employment was growing and robust, to maximize his odds of success.
  3. He developed a mailing list of decision-makers (mostly Presidents and CEOs) that was about 20% manufacturing and 80% other industries. This list was limited to the industry/location combinations that he preferred if he did relocate.
  4. He used a professional website that included a short bio, his volunteer work, and a video clip. His resume was available on a hidden page, and accessible only to those receiving his letter.
  5. He sent out 5,823 letters (without a resume) that referred readers to his website for more detail.
  6. Within 30 days of sending his letters, he received 8 genuine responses, 3 interviews, and 2 job offers, both of which paid more than he was previously making.
  7. Jon now works in the Retail sector at a salary of $400k plus incentives.

All told, it took Jon 55 days from the time he sent out letters until he started his new job.

Press coverage

April 2008
Total Picture Radio Interview   Listen    
Abilene Reporter-News   Online    PDF
Arizona Daily Star   Online   PDF
Associated Press        PDF
Charleston Daily Mail   Online    PDF
Fox TV Broadcasting   Online    PDF
Idaho Statesman   Online    PDF
Inland Informer   Online    PDF
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce   Online   (fee)
St. Cloud Times        PDF
Summerlin View   Online    PDF
USA Today   Online    PDF
Washington Post        PDF
Wall Street Journal   Online    PDF
WTOP News 103.5 FM        PDF