TENG
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Membership

TENG members are current and former Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Directors of technology. They represent a broad cross-section of industries; and they come from organizations of all sizes, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100.

There are two membership categories:

  • Active members are currently searching for a new career opportunity.
  • Alumni members are not actively searching for a new job.

In both cases, membership is free of charge.

Benefits of Membership

TENG members share in the business experience, wisdom, suggestions, ideas, support, humor and good spirit of their fellow members, who are among the most senior technology executives in the country. The value of this sharing can be virtually limitless.

All TENG members benefit from the collective experience, contacts, and wisdom of their peers. For example, members routinely ask for contacts in target organizations. The purpose of these requests expands beyond job search to include vendor evaluation and relationship management as well as business development.

Members also frequently share IT trends, case studies, whitepapers, and articles that are useful for professional development, as well as for building business cases for key initiatives.

For active members, the benefits of membership also include job leads, introductions to key contacts at target companies, background information on target companies, as well as the friendship and support needed to maintain a positive, confident attitude during the extended searches that have become more common in today's job market.

Commitments of Membership

TENG members thrive through generosity and camaraderie. Although this group may grow to be very large, it will operate as a community of friends. In general, the benefits of joining our community will be directly proportional to each member's contribution to the community.

As members benefit from the collective knowledge of your peers, they are also expected to contribute their experience, wisdom, and contacts to the community. Members are encouraged to listen to other members and seek out opportunities to offer assistance.

Networking is most effective when there is a true communications web of people helping each other. Members should strive to make personal connections with one another, and help fellow members do the same with their personal contacts. Whenever possible, introduce your fellow members to your contacts with an active call, not just a "use my name."

Members should also strive to recruit their senior-level IT contacts as TENG members.

Finally, active members are expected to share at least 3 job leads per month. Perhaps the most important, but often counterintuitive, points to make about sharing job leads is that members are expected to share leads for jobs that they are actively pursuing, as well as those that they have chosen not to pursue. Sharing leads and information after one's candidacy for the position has ended does a disservice to all involved, since in all likelihood, the position will have been filled.

Yes, this means inviting competition for limited available positions. However, considering that nearly every available position already has hundreds of applicants who can do the job, adding a few more will not significantly impact anyone's chances. The candidate who is the best fit for the position is still most likely to land it; and the benefits of having a friend land the job rather than a stranger far outweigh the downside of competing with a few more candidates.

While establishing this kind of relationship with our peers may be time-consuming, keep in mind that it is not purely altruistic. By helping our peers solve key problems, we demonstrate our value in tangible terms and position ourselves "above the crowd."