Job prospects for former Trump aides depend on ‘what you did’: CareerBuilder CEO

While former President Donald Trump awaits impeachment hearings next week that may determine whether he can ever be re-elected president, his former aides are concerned about their prospects of landing a job at all, according to a report in Politico last month.

Talks fell through last week between former Trump administration press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Fox News about an on-air position, after many major corporations condemned the Capitol insurrection and suspended political donations in its aftermath.

But CareerBuilder CEO Irina Novoselsky says the tenure of officials in the administration may prove less important for future job prospects than the conduct they displayed while on the job. When asked by Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer about their professional outlook, she downplayed the effect of any particular past job experience and highlighted the importance of “what you did” in that work environment.

“It depends less on your experience,” she says. Instead, potential employers will examine “what your values are and what you did.”

“One of the things that we speak a lot about [for employers] is that you want to make sure that you are pushing forward the right mission,” she adds. “That you are bringing in people that believe in that mission.”

“That might align with certain companies, and it most likely might not align with all of them,” she adds.

After supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol last month, he drew scathing rebukes from some prominent figures in the Republican Party, as well as the National Association of Manufacturers, which called for his potential removal through the invocation of the 25th Amendment. The Chamber of Commerce, often a pro-business ally of the Republican party, called Trump’s conduct “inexcusable.”

Ultimately, 10 Republican House members — including third-ranking House Republican Liz Cheney — joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection. His impeachment trial begins in the Senate on Monday.

Novoselsky, who joined CareerBuilder in 2017, spoke to Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer in an episode of “Influencers with Andy Serwer,” a weekly interview series with leaders in business, politics, and entertainment.

CareerBuilder CEO Irina Novoselsky speaks with Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer on an episode of "Influencers with Andy Serwer."
CareerBuilder CEO Irina Novoselsky speaks with Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer on an episode of "Influencers with Andy Serwer."

To get where she is today, Novoselsky, 35, worked 50-hour weeks at Morgan Stanley to put herself through New York University’s Stern School of Business, and rose quickly up the ranks to become president at the cloud company Novitex.

CareerBuilder, founded in 1995, matches job applicants with potential employers, offering a platform for more than 160 million prospective employees with user profiles and the companies that seek to hire them.

The widespread effort among major corporations to condemn the Capitol insurrection draws some parallels with a flood of statements last summer that lamented the police killing of George Floyd and vowed to help address racial injustice.

Speaking with Yahoo Finance, Novoselsky said in recent months companies have continued to discuss the importance of diversity in hiring.

“The conversation is continuing to stay top of mind, which is really good to hear,” she says. “I am really hopeful and optimistic based on what I'm hearing that the activity is starting to be not only consistent, but very top of mind for many employers.”

Read more:

Advertisement