Hot, hot and more hot is the only way to describe DC this time of year. But it’s like this every year, so nothing new in that area. I have been doing my best to enjoy my Summer while taking care of home projects and staying cool!
A close friend of mine recently gave me tomato plants as a Summer gift and if you know me well, you would know how gardening is not one of my strengths…like not at all.
Every houseplant or herb I ever attempted to grow has met an early demise. However, this time around, I was determined to not have the same outcome.
I did my research, I got plant pots, potting soil, work gloves and even a watering can and went to work.
I am proud to announce that my plants are not only still alive, they are thriving well and budding! So how’s that for trying new things?
When it comes to today’s executive job search, you must be willing to try new things, expand your efforts and think outside of the box.
However, before you aimlessly dive into an executive job search, here are 4 critical actions you must address immediately.
1) Be clear about your career objective / job search goal
Don’t be vague about your ultimate destination. It is virtually impossible and useless to launch an executive job search without a clear objective.
Think carefully about the position you want, but also the industry and type of company that would work best for you.
Having a clear objective helps drive all your job search activities, determines how you package yourself for potential employers (what info goes on resume and career marketing materials) and narrows down where to seek job opportunities.
2) Be clear on how to present yourself
Personal / executive branding is not a fancy concept or fad, it is essential in today’s job market as a tool for distinguishing yourself among your colleagues.
Executive branding helps you to communicate who you are, highlight your value proposition and amplify your professional strengths and reputation.
For example:
Senior Management Executive: Building new markets and driving double-digit revenue growth
OR
Senior Management Executive: Capturing new business opportunities, creating new revenue streams and growing profit lines
Knowing who you are and how you can help companies improve their market performance and revenue success will put you miles ahead of the competition because most job seekers focus on their technical abilities and not on their overall promise of value.
3) Be clear about how you want to reach employers and recruiters
When it comes to job search, most executive job seekers don’t think beyond having a strong resume and contacting recruiters.
It should be no secret that there are lots of well-qualified and talented executives, many of whom you will come up against in an active job search.
An effective and successful job search requires an integrated career marketing plan that places you in front of the right companies and the right hiring officials at the right time.
Do a quick search on the Internet and there are tons of resources and tips on conducting an executive job search campaign, but here are a few tried-and-true strategies that you should always include:
- In-person and social media networking activities
- Targeted mailings to companies about job opportunities
- Targeted mailings to executive recruiters, venture capital firms and investor groups
- Periodic search and review of online postings from your target companies (the idea here is to monitor company’s growth and hiring patterns)
4) Be clear about your best marketing tools
I remember once working with an executive who responded to her new resume with “This is a not a resume, this is a marketing document”
Well, she was right. It was a career marketing document AND it was her new resume.
Regardless of your target position, industry, salary requirements and geographical preferences, you will definitely need more than just the traditional executive resume.
- Have your completed a SEO-branded LinkedIn profile?
- Do you know that a Google+ profile can serve as your online career biography?
- Did you ever try using Critical Leadership Initiatives documents to give employers and recruiters a deep dive view of your top achievements?
- Will you be willing to use Twitter in your executive job search for updates on your target companies?
And you thought that getting prepared for an executive job search just meant having a new resume….avoid wasting time and follow these key strategies to make significant strides in your job search efforts.
