A few weeks ago, I had a delightful, energizing conversation with an executive who had tons of experience, three advanced degrees and a bright, confident attitude.
Sounds like a great formula for success, right?
While I determined that our executive career services were not a right fit for her needs, I was left very concerned about her job search.
Throughout a comprehensive, 30-minute discovery session, she was not able to clearly define what her job target is – type of company, industry, business environment, profession – absolutely nothing.
To no avail, I kept pressing for a direct answer and urgently pointed out the importance of having a clear focus and target in an executive job search. The only responses I was getting was her boasting rant about her leadership experience, education credentials and at one point, she even mentioned her IQ.
Again, all very impressive accolades and key pieces of the equation, however, without a clear target, she (and anyone) will find it difficult to do the following:
- Develop a customized executive resume that speaks to the target company/industry’s needs
- Create an effective job search strategy plan puts you in the right circles with key decision makers and influential contacts
- Determine how to effectively maximize your time and leverage your efforts on customary instead of contemporary job search techniques
- Identify what networking activities, professional conferences, or learning events are worth your time and attendance
You can have the best intentions in the world for your job search, but with no clear target, you will be spinning your wheels for a long time.
Here’s my favorite analogy – would you jump into a taxi, ask the driver to get you there in 15 minutes, and NOT give him/her a clear destination in mind?
The same works for any job search – often, the challenging part is narrowing your target, but trust me, it works!
