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By rashley, February 2, 2010 6:14 pm

Stalled out on your job search?  Here are a few links that discuss issues and advice you can use to get the ball rolling.

Do you smoke? Do you know how it affects your career?

Why do companies post executive jobs on job boards?

Are you really overqualified or do you just not know how to work the system?

Can you learn to interview better?

Do you know a proper metric for a good Job Search Engine (NOT job board).

Here’s where you can find links to research tools.

Fed up with recruiters who misbehave?

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By rashley, February 1, 2010 6:25 pm

A friend of mine expressed disbelief than any executive would even consider using a job board. He knows job boards don’t work. He maintained that no executive is so naive to believe an anonymous resource like a job board could be considered as a tool by any executive who has ever hired anyone. I couldn’t agree more.

Yet many six figure plus executives do believe they will land a job through job boards. Some job boards are so aggressive they advertise they only source jobs and candidates over $100,000. Research proves these executive level job boards vet neither candidates nor job submissions for income level. They do charge candidates for what is promoted as a premier job board, but there is nothing other than cost to differentiate them from other monsterous job boards.

I contend that people do what is easy. When they are stressed and their confidence is on the wane, they grasp at anything that requires only a little effort. They are willing to believe the magic of random submissions. They are convinced their resume is spot on to the job description and all they need to do is submit and wait for the phone to ring.

More often, the executive finds using the computer for outreach and research far less daunting than talking to people. The prospect of rejection and the feelings of inadequacy that accompany joblessness destroy the urge to reach out.

Would that it be true. Less than 1% of executive level jobs are filled through job boards…spread out among all of them, that leaves any one job board with a dismal record indeed.

So why to companies post on job boards? If the stats are true (and they are) why are executives finding so many job openings listed? Human resources professionals are typically chartered with hiring new executives less than 5% of their employment time. They are not experts and they are not, for the most part, skilled in locating candidates. They post but they do not read.

Many companies have specific rules that say any job must be publicly posted before it is filled from any source. Thus, instead of a newspaper ad, which was the former outlet, jobs are posted on boards.

Some less than scrupulous recruiters thrive on job boards and the candidates they find there. Great, you say, that’s fine with me. Well, maybe not. Frequently, the jobs are not real, the ad is simply used to lure resumes of high income individuals for other reasons. That contact information if quite valuable. Or worse, they use the resume to penetrate companies for jobs they don’t have an assignment to fill.

Frequently internal recruiters post their job openings on job boards out of habit or desparation. While they have little reason to expect to find the right person, they post because they have a budget to do so. Why do they have a budget when using the boards is so futile for executive level jobs? Because boards are a very good resource for finding individual contributors.

And let’s not forget the multi-level marketers who lure candidates with glorious job descriptions that turn out to be bogus with a bait and switch result. Many job boards are simply scams.

How many times have you submitted a resume which caused no response? You felt it was not even read. You are mostly right. Companies of all sizes rely first on referred candidates. Many have financial incentives for employees to refer their friends. In today’s market, the referral from current employees works well because everyone seems to know folks out of work.

What’s the antidote to job boards? Networking. Well over 75% of all executive level jobs are landed by networking. You even have to network to find the most professional of recruiters. Networking has always been the most productive way to land a new job. That has not changed. People are still willing and eager to help. They just need to know what help looks like.

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Networking Debugged is available as a PDF download for only ten dollars. A step by step guide to networking that appreciates how hard networking can be for some people.

Rita Ashley is a career and job search coach for executives.  In the last two years 98% of my clients achieved their goals within six months. Is it your turn? Contact me directly to discuss a customized solution.

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By rashley, October 29, 2009 7:37 pm

Krishna P. was set to interview with a major company starting a new group/product line.  As he prepared he had no idea where to focus, what part of his experience would be appropriate to mention and even if the job as group manager was a replacement or new job.

To say he was at a disadvantage for his first interviews is an understatement.  How could he have prevented this confusion? If he wanted to rise above all the competition, he needed to have precise answers to all the interview questions.  He could only do that if he could anticipate their needs.

He could have asked questions of the internal recruiter who first contacted him.  Why didn’t he?  For some odd reason candidates don’t understand they are expected to ask questions about the job so they can prepare for the interviews.

The employer is highly motivated to hire the right person for the job. It isn’t a shell game.  They want you to have all the information you can have to make your attempts at the job spot-on.  It would have been ok to ask the recruiter why she felt he was a good candidate for the job.

It is ok to ask about the organization, reporting structure and growth plans.  It is even more ok to ask if this is a new position and if not, why?  If the person moved up in the company, great.  If they left, it’s ok to ask what they might have done differently to be more effective.

You can also ask the recruiter what the hiring manager considers to be the top three priorities for the job.  The answer may be different from the job description.  If people skills are stressed you know what examples to use.  If technical expertise is their main concern, you know to tilt your answers that direction.

Ask questions and help the employer hire you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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By rashley, August 25, 2009 10:49 am

Job Coach Lament

I wore my jeans to interview

’cause that’s what they all wear

My job coach told me not to

but I really didn’t care

.

I waited in the Lobby

what seemed a very long time

no one offered eye contact

a wall I sought to climb

.

I thought I was invisible

worst fears of the night

no one took me seriously

could it be the coach was right?

.

Next time there was an interview

I definitely suited up

The receptionist’s eyes told me

my apparel said, “not pup.”

.

The next advice I passed on

with an even worse result

I gave too much information

from childhood to adult

.

I saw the eyes glaze over

no way that she could listen

I kept on giving bio

though I knew I’d blown my mission

.

They asked me about money

and I evaded an actual answer

she glared at me with venom

as if I’d promised her cancer

.

Coach told me to give a number

and not negotiate sans offer

but I argued most effectively

imagining an empty coffer

.

The interview ended quickly

and I was not called back

I guess I didn’t listen

my future looked quite black

.

Why did I pay her money

and then not take her heed

if I knew how to do a job search

I’d have a damned job already.

Original Poem by Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach

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By rashley, July 28, 2009 3:11 pm

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Working?

Working, you say.  What is it supposed to do?  I just want people to know what I do and my job history.

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing prospective employers and gatekeepers see regarding your background.  You know yours is working if you are getting introductions, invitations to chat and even interviews. You can check to see a sample of who read your profile.

Go to your ‘Home’ page and view the right side:  ‘Who’s viewed my profile,’ Click on: ‘see more.’

If you have connected with or were referred to some of the organizations listed and you did not get the results you wanted, chances are, you need to change your profile.  If you didn’t contact the organizations listed, chances are, they thought they were interested but didn’t see any reason to follow through.  Something is missing on your profile.

Most people believe a LinkedIn profile is just a truncated version of the resume.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It can be the single most important job search tool you have. Linda Tancs, an employment writer for NJ.com states: A successful LinkedIn profile takes effort.

Your Profile is a marketing piece. Your profile is a tool, which when used correctly, will entice the reader to learn more.  A tool that tells the hiring authority and people who refer candidates to them, exactly why they want to talk to you, immediately.

That’s a huge job for such a small bit of media.  But think about your own behavior.  How often do you ‘research’ someone before you talk to them or when you only think you may want to talk to them?

Where do you start? First off, let readers know how to contact you if they are interested.  Use your public email address (hotmail or gmail, for example) and insert it close to the top of your profile.  Need some ‘air’ around it?  Type a period/enter to create a blank line above and below your email address.

Most common mistake? Your LinkedIn profile is precious digital real estate; use it wisely.  If you want viewers to know how old you are right out of the gate, say, “19 years experience managing new product designs.”  Don’t tell readers how old you are.  Tell them the most important accomplishment in which they would be most interested.

“Launched seven unique products in six seconds with no budget and one hand tied behind my back.”

What it is not. Your profile is a marketing tool, not a biography.  You do not need to list all your jobs or all your positions.  It is neither a resume nor a legal document.

If you want to list previous companies to attract certain populations, go ahead, but only list those.  Leaving lots of white makes for a more pleasing viewing experience.  Leaving lots to the imagination encourages people to contact you.

Your opinion does not count. Readers are not interested in your own view of your work.  “Successful marketing executive with impressive history of product launches” may be true, but your readers need proof, not your opinions.  Try to give examples of your success and let your work speak for itself.

Other people’s opinions count a lot. Use the ‘references’ section eagerly.  Invite folks who have worked for you, with you and managed you to make comments.  Notice the first line is visible. Recraft them to be punch lines (ask permission to modify) to encourage readers to click to read more.

Invite references over time so your updates appear constantly in your network’s radar.  Nothing better to help them recall what a swell person you are and keep you in mind when they hear about a job or person you should know.

Resist the urge to respond immediately to those who give you a reference.  Space out your responses over time to appear in the updates sections and also to get around the appearance of quid pro quo on references.

More white space. Unless your groups memberships are germane to your profession, leave the logos off your profile.  Go to the membership section of each and click off the ‘show logo’ box.

Do you have a blog? I encourage all my clients to create and maintain an industry specific blog to enhance their personal marketing efforts.  If your blog titles are not spot-on to your professional job search efforts, write some new ones.  These headlines are an effective way for viewers to learn more about you.  Use them wisely.

It goes without saying, though you’d be startled to know how often I am forced to say it, check for spelling and grammar.  One mistake can turn viewers off because they immediately jump to, “Not detail oriented” or “careless” or worse, “illiterate.”  Invite someone to review your profile before you publish because we often can’t see our own mistakes.

When you are truly delighted with your profile, when you believe it is compelling and an excellent personal advertisement, incorporate your profile address in your email signature and use it anytime you write a blog or answer a blog online.  Broadcast this marketing piece and you become your own advertisement agency.

For more advice on using LinkedIn for Job Search download your free copy at www.jobsearchdebugged.com

For a job search tune-up read Job Search Debugged, an insider’s guide to a compelling job search.

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By rashley, June 14, 2009 4:33 pm

Three giant leaps to scale the ‘Overqualified’ hurdle

Advice from Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach

Few comments by employers are as demoralizing to candidates than, “We like you but you are overqualified for this job.”

Overqualified is the easiest answer to give a candidate when an employer passes on hiring. It is rarely the real reason; it is the politically correct reason and the safest way to get the candidate to go away. Employers who pass on a candidate don’t want to ‘handle’ the questions and emotions that result from refusal; they want to move on to the next candidate. Same goes for recruiters.

Often the reason seasoned professionals are passed over has nothing to do with qualifications.  Candidates simply jump to that conclusion.  If you are invited to interview chances are the employer already knows you exceed their requirements.  They saw something of value in your resume and invited you to interview so you could prove why they should hire you. That is what interviews are for.  If they pass on you it is because you failed to prove them right.

Before you start writing your flame mail to me that you don’t get a chance to interview, to be tested, because the resume you sent in didn’t generate a response…and you assume it is because the employer sees you as over qualified, I remind you, few executives get the interviews they want by random resume submission.  It is the poorest job search technique you can use.

Then there are those who genuinely believe they are or are perceived to be overqualified.  The reasons all have a definable response:

The really want someone younger, cheaper – No employer is going to state that aloud.  What every hiring manager wants is a successful hire.  The better able you are to define their needs before you interview, the higher the likelihood of an offer.

The employer fears I will leave for a better opportunity- Employers face turn-over from all sections of the company.  Your leaving is no more probable than anyone else’s IF you have discerned you can be successful in that position.  Talk about what you will contribute, not what you have done before in excess.

They think I will be bored – If you communicate enthusiasm for the market niche and the challenges of that particular job, this goes away.

They think I will be unhappy – Why would they?  If you keep the focus on how you can expand what you do and learn a new approach, employers won’t think of you as a misfit.

I think I need to change my resume to remove my more senior experience – Do you know this is a firing offense?  If you are not entirely honest, hide or misrepresent, you can be fired on the spot.  Plus, these are lies you will have to maintain.  Better to be honest and help the employer see that though you have had more senior responsibilities, there are still things you can learn and contribute that are unique.

The manager sees me as competition – Convey how you can make the manager look good.  Ask what their priorities are, what their metrics for judging success in the role are and speak only to those.  Be sure you are not conveying superiority in an unattractive or condescending manner.   Invite a younger, trusted friend to interview you using a video recorder for later review.  Dissect every part of the interview including attire and body language.

It is my experience that candidates often create their own issues by being patronizing, impatient, and dismissive or even conciliatory or apologetic.  Be very critical of your interview style.  Be self confident but not arrogant.  As an example: Never, ever say, “Oh, that’s easy, I solved that problem,” or similar responses that dismiss the importance and difficulty the interviewer tries to convey.

Overqualified really means: “I did not see anything so compelling in your background/interview that makes me want to hire you.”    If you are interviewed and then hear the overqualified comment, be certain, since they knew about your credentials from your resume, they ‘just aren’t that into you.’   Ultimately people are hired because of what they can contribute to the bottom line.  Refine your message.

Overqualified really means you stressed the opportunities for promotion and career advancement instead of your desire to do the job for which they are hiring.

Overqualified really means they don’t believe you will accept the lower compensation the job offers.  This concern is often mentioned upfront before there is anything to negotiate.  The answer that has worked for my clients in the past is, “While compensation is important to me, working for a company with resources and commitment to my success are also important.  I am sincere in my desire to work for Insane, Inc. because [insert appropriate reason here] of its market share and focus on quality products.  I am certain that when it comes time to negotiate an offer we can come to terms agreeable to both of us.”

Overqualified means you need to reevaluate your job search techniques. You are not communicating why the employer should hire you. Don’t get stuck believing the comment. It is rarely the truth and even when it is, it can be overcome.  If this hurdle continues to plague your job search efforts, consider a job search coach to help you realign your job search and networking efforts.

Leap One: Reboot your job search.  Invite someone to do a recorded mock interview with you, then critique it from the employer’s perspective. You may also want to read my book, “Job Search Debugged” which will tell you how to recreate a compelling job search.

Leap Two: Do your homework and learn what the priorities are for the company and the job.  Recalibrate your resume, elevator pitch and interview to address those needs. No employer is going to pass over a candidate who understands the company agenda and has examples of their success handling those priorities.  Research, asking the right questions and knowing how to relate your own examples and communicate your qualifications win the interview and get you closer to the offer.

Leap Three: And the single best solution to overcome anyone’s objections to your experience is, secure an introduction from someone the hiring authority respects.  Invite that individual to handle the objection on your behalf up-front so it doesn’t become an obstacle.

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Listen to a podcast with tips to avoid the hazards of agism.

My clients get hired; not a guarantee, It’s a track record.

www.jobsearchdebugged.com

The Internet has fundamentally altered job search behavior – the way employers identify, evaluate and hire is changed forever. Email me for your free chapter: BASICS FOR SIX-FIGURE INCOME CANDIDATES

Job Seekers must accept employer behavior has evolved and learn how to use digital job search methods to land their jobs.  Effective use of search engine alerts, LinkedIn and blogs combined with excellent use of job search engines gets you a faster outcome.

Download Job Search Debugged and learn to:

· Get what you need from your network; job leads and introductions

· Avoid common traps that trip up the competition

· Create messaging that makes you memorable

· Use digital job search tools to optimize your search

· Expedite the time it takes to hear, “You’re hired.”

Want a sneak peek at the table of contents? Job Search Debugged Table of Contents.

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By rashley, May 26, 2009 10:35 am

Why executives should avoid being part of the herd

Would you use the lottery as your investment strategy?  Are the odds appealing?  Do you feel lucky, well, do you?

That’s exactly what you do career-wise when you submit your resume to random recruiters and recruiter groups; play the job-search lottery.

Recruiters post appeals for resumes every where from LinkedIn groups to Craigslist.  They frequent sites trolling for resumes to add to their stash.  Do you have any idea how they use them?  Do you know what happens to your contact information?

Chances are the job you want is local. Chances are the recruiter representing the company you want to work for is also local.  Why then, would you seek representation of random recruiters in distant locations, perhaps even distant countries?  And why would you seek representation along with a herd of others from across the country?

Doesn’t it make more sense to stand out from the crowd with personal contact?  As a hiring authority yourself, were you not always more interested in people to whom you were introduced rather than a faceless resume that found its way to your desk?  Who would you invite for an interview?  Someone who made the effort to find you, learn about your company and the opportunity or someone who simply sent in a resume through a random recruiter?

Hiring authorities tend to spurn unsolicited resumes submitted by recruiters; and that is what most of the cattle-call recruiters do.  They collect resumes and submit them anywhere they know there are openings.  They don’t necessarily have the job search, they are playing the placement lottery with your resume.

While that seems appealing at first blush, it is actually quite damaging to your search.  Once a resume lands in a company through a recruiter, whether the company invited submission or not, no other recruiter and certainly not the individual, can submit credentials.  You are effectively locked out of any jobs from that company because they chose not to deal with that recruiter.  And there is no way for you to stand out from the crowd; in fact you rarely know where they have sent your resume.

Once a recruiter has your resume they retain the right to earn money if you are placed where they present your credentials.  That is why some recruiters submit your resume to various job boards with their own contact information instead of yours.  You have lost control over your resume and wound up in the hands of someone who knows neither how to represent you nor how to represent the job opportunity.

If you are a sales executive the affects of bad representation are doubly damming.  You are expected to get to the right people with the right message.  What message do you send when a recruiter unknown to the company slings your resume about?

Why run the risk of being shut out, ignored or scammed when there are recruiters who actually have searches for jobs for which you qualify?   Don’t take the line of least resistance, you are not a lazy executive, so don’t be a take-the easy-way-out candidate.

The good news is, there are many reputable recruiters who do not engage in such opportunistic activities.  Learn to connect with the right recruiters.  There are many types of recruiters and the ones you want are established, respected by their clients and typically, looking for you through their network.  Learn how to be found.  No matter how compelling your resume, without an introduction, the best recruiters will ignore you.

Executives: Retain control over your resume; send it not to cattle-calls or any public forum. Participate, network but don’t expose your resume.  Use your LinkedIn profile to attract attention.

Ready to deconstruct your job search?  Use Job Search Debugged to remove the obstacles.  Learn how to vet recruiters to connect with the one that will place you.

Time to revitalize your network?  Read Networking Debugged to improve your results.  Learn how to connect with the right recruiters.

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By rashley, May 13, 2009 2:28 pm

Executives, are you using the same job search techniques you did when you were a manager or individual contributor?

Six figure income executives visit a different job search landscape from that of individual contributors and managers.

Over eighty percent of executive jobs are filled through some form of networking.  Thus, the tsunami of advice to job seekers to use social networking sites, job boards and resume submission-based recruiters is simply wrong.  Don’t get caught in a wave of desperation and give away your executive edge.

Here are just some of the errors I encounter weekly:

Executives send their resume to anyone with an email address. I am a job search coach yet half of the people who contact me to learn what I do send me an unsolicited resume.  I am not a recruiter, do not place people and have no direct access to employers.  I asked one sales executive why he sent his resume and his answer was, “You never know.”  Not a great strategy for an executive job search.

LinkedIn profile is the resume. Why would anyone call to ask for your resume if they have already read it?  There is no texture or color, just a resume.  The profile is an opportunity to create buzz; it is a marketing opportunity, not a biography.

Executives succumb to recruiters who cast gill nets for resumes on public forums.  How can you distinguish yourself with a mass resume acquisition process?  Recruiters who place executives have connections to those executives.  They expect to be introduced by way of their network; they do not use job boards or cattle calls to locate the “A” players their clients require.

Not knowing how to get an introduction, many executives resort to unsolicited email or even Federal Express to convey their resume.  As hiring authorities, when was the last time you responded to a spam-like email with a resume?  Bet you didn’t even open the attachment.   It is not unusual that subsequent emails will be blocked as spam.

And that resume you mailed, FedEx or not, will land on an admin’s desk and be forwarded to HR, not the manager.  Who knows what happens from there.

Cold calling the hiring authority sounds better than it is. Assuming you can even get through, making a pitch to an executive is typically seen as an aggressive intrusion.  Again, remember how you feel when someone pitches to you during your busy work day.  It is unlikely you will be invited to send your resume or interview, plus, the person you called is annoyed with you and will remember your name.  If you find another avenue to present your credentials, they are now seen as damaged goods.

When did you learn how to conduct a job search? Looking for a job is something most executives rarely do.  Most “A” players never have because they were always recruited.  They rarely had to ask for introductions, leads or find a recruiter.

So how do you become as expert at job search as you are at doing your job?  The successful look for advice from experts, ask for help and listen to any critique they can garner.  But there is so much bad advice out there, how do you know what will work for you?

Vet the advice the same way you would vet any vendor; check references.  Ask if you are the target audience.

Examine their credentials.

• Do they have experience hiring people like you or working directly with hiring authorities (Not HR)?
• Have they been an executive?
• Do they have a track record and time in service?
• Is that resume writer experienced with hiring people who do what you do?
• What do hiring authorities say about resumes from that service?

Be especially careful with advice you find on public forums. Most of it is directed towards people less senior in their career.  There are more of them and that is the sweet spot for most advice and employment service providers.  Much advice is offered by people who consider their advice, ‘giving back’ not realizing they don’t have the experience or world view to know if their advice is appropriate for others and in this job market.  It is akin to the CTO taking the advice of the product manager on how to architect an IT revitalization.

Take care to protect your brand. If you are a qualified senior executive, be selective in your job search techniques; you are judged by the company you keep and your process.  Vet the advice and vet the people who represent you.  Be as selective and careful in your job search as you are when you run your organization.

My solution: You wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t looking for job search advice.  You checked my bio or have read my blogs and LinkedIn comments so you know you can trust my insights.  Now it’s time for you to take aggressive action on your job search to get the interviews you want and the offers you need.  Deconstruct your job search process and rebuild it from the ground up.  Purchase Job Search Debugged to walk you through an effective executive-level job search. Learn from hiring authorities and an industry insider who tells you where the rocks are and how to avoid them.  The book is specific to executives and has received rave reviews from my clients as well as general readers.

Join my LinkedIn group, Employment advice for executives.  Use the search box under find a group and enroll.  Executives only, no recruiters or other service providers.  Just advice, discussions and job lead sharing.  Ask questions, tell folks what resources work for you and gather with peers for support.

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By rashley, May 3, 2009 5:50 pm

Executives, Would you like to be caught for that big six figure job?

Let’s say you want to catch a sturgeon. Each day, you pay someone dearly to motor a boat to deep waters where there are sharks, deep sea anglers and dragon fish; lots of activity, many fish, but not one sturgeon in the bunch.   You are worn out and demoralized from trying.  You use your best equipment and you know you know how to fish; but still, no sturgeon.

If you want to catch a sturgeon, you have to fish in cold water lakes and rivers. Submitting your resume to job boards, corporate websites and all those LinkedIn recruiting sites is a bit like fishing for sturgeon in deep ocean water.

This is not another fish tale; you want to land a job? Go where the employers are looking for candidates.  You have to know how to be found because they are certainly looking.  There are jobs out there in spite of what the media and your unemployed friends tell you.  All those products need to be created, marketed, supported and sold regardless of our weakened economy.

Don’t believe for one moment that you chum the waters with resumes to countless job boards, resume sites and corporate websites.  All that accomplishes is you bloody the waters to become prey for sharks.  Those public resume aggregators receive thousands of resumes from job seekers; you have no opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to be seen.  And many are scams, identity thieves, and just plain bogus.  That’s why you rarely hear back and if you do, you rarely make it to the first interview.

Referred and recruited candidates trump random submissions every time. It is your job to do everything you can to get found, to be wanted.  Know the resources sophisticated employers/recruiters use and increase the possibility you will be lured into an interview.

One very smart internal recruiter caught the biggest fish possible for her employer.  Her success demonstrates the typical methods hiring authorities use.  She ignored all the website-submitted resumes gathering dust on her virtual desk; in fact, she never looked at them.

Her company had an EVP spot and needed an excruciatingly specific track record and skill set.  She knew the best use of her time was to talk to only those people with that skill set.  She located the top five companies who had the metric she needed then located the names of the execs responsible for that success.

She used a variety of resources to vet her suspects.  She first examined the corporate website for a bio and product information. Next, she used LinkedIn just to get an idea of former employers, quality of references and an overview of how these suspects saw themselves as represented by their summary.  She then looked at blogs and any number of other internet contributions from each of her suspects.  She needed someone who was beyond reproach technically, but who had a leadership style that demonstrated collaboration.  The tone and type of contributions (brand identity) she discovered narrowed her search to only two candidates whom she called to introduce herself.  She used a Boolean string to find direct contact information which interestingly, was also on the blogs she read.

Executives and technology leaders are in a different class from most candidates.  Do not be confused by all those recruiters who cast gill nets for new connections and make an appearance on every public forum trolling for submissions.  You are a rare breed and the recruiters who can place you are not to be found in their ranks.   If you are a big fish, avoid these recruiters.

Many jobs will be filled by the hiring authorities themselves through their network and online efforts which are not largely different from the resources recruiters use.

Quality employers and recruiters look for successful executives and technology leaders to recruit.  They have a network of long-term connections; they are not hit and run artists who collect (and ignore) resumes.  And these recruiters make anywhere from 20-30% of all executive level placements.  These are the recruiters by whom you want to be caught.  You have to swim in waters where they fish.

Blogs: Many experienced recruiters prefer to set alerts and search blogs for quality candidates. They use Boolean strings to isolate exactly the skills and requirements they need. They look for comments made on specific topics and they look for blogs on point to their client’s needs.

Clearly, if so many recruiters, both internal and external and hiring authorities in general, are looking for quality candidates on blogs, you need to be found there.

1. Answer questions using your full signature and LinkedIn profile address.
2. Write a blog of your own and keep it professional and on topic for your brand identity.
3. Create strategic alliances with other bloggers topic-adjacent and share links to each others sites.
4. Answer questions, start discussions and link to your site as a news article on LinkedIn and use your blog as part of your signature.

Social networking sites: Clean up and maintain your LinkedIn profile.  It is the first place people look once they have your name.  And some crafty employers use LinkedIn search tools to find people with certain former employers, titles and skill sets.

Twitter, Facebook and  others are, in my view, best used as a job search resource by job seekers young in their career.  You will read a lot about how they are used for job search, but your job search is different.  There are fewer jobs for executives and technology leaders than individual contributors and those employers tend to use more sophisticated options.

That having been said, do maintain your profiles and use the sites to promote your personal brand.  It’s like chicken soup, it couldn’t hurt.

Conferences and trade shows: Most companies set aside time and resources during conferences to cast a line to hook great candidates.  On more than one occasion when I was a recruiter, I was invited by clients to attend conferences with them to look for and qualify suspects my client could interview for key positions.  Today, even more resources are spent at conferences to locate industry-specific experts.  Be one.

1. Attend all conferences, trade shows and seminars where your target employer may be.
2. Volunteer to promote or organize the event
3. Offer a strategic employer your services to assist with booth duty
4. Attend your brand-specific topics and ask provocative questions
5. Come to each session early and linger to meet people
6. Stay in the radar of conference organizers as a prospective speaker or moderator
7. Write a brand-specific white paper to present or have available to attendees

Community: Many hiring authorities look to the community, both business and other for prospective employees.  They want to connect with people with shared values and interests.

1. Volunteer in organizations for which you are passionate
2. Attend business community events and engage.  Working to create and lead programs is a better advertisement for your brand than simply attending.
3. Participate in every and all alumni group for which you qualify
4. Become a mentor.  Get better visibility by helping others who succeed.

Your network: Job search by multiplication is accomplished through your network.  Employers ask the people they know and trust for referrals.  Big fish swim with other big fish.  Be that referral.  It is not enough to let your connections know you are looking for a new job.  You increase the chance they can actually help if they know what help looks like.

1. Hone your elevator pitch so everyone knows what you will be hired to do
2. Ask only for what your connection can deliver easily
3. Remember to return the favor
4. Stay connected but don’t badger; pay attention to their needs not just yours
5. Connect with and maintain relationships with a few good recruiters
6. Contentiously maintain your personal brand

And most important, maintain the big-fish attitude. If you are unemployed while looking for that next great job keep your spirits up; unemployment didn’t change your credentials or the value of your experience.  Just like that 100 lb sturgeon, focus on what you are going toward, not what you are going away from.

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By admin, April 11, 2009 1:25 pm

DIGITAL JOB SEARCH AND  PERSONAL BRANDING

Installment number one

“Your personal brand happens whether you shape it or not. If you are out in the world at all, you are known for the qualities you project and the qualities external audiences believe are true of you. Your choice is simple: own your brand, or let the external audiences own it for you.” Shivonne Byrne, Director of Brand and Content at Microsoft.

Exposure is the lynchpin of your search: If you are a six figure executive or technology leader, your job search is a massive marketing campaign.  The more people who know about you and your talents, the higher the probability you will be invited to compete for jobs.  Exposure is what your digital job search is all about:  Maximum exposure for your brand.

Your brand is what you want hiring authorities to know about you distinguishes you from the competition.  Your job is to ascertain what your brand is currently and what it should be to attract the attention of employers.

In their book, Career Distinction William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson state, “Personal Branding is so powerful the Fortune 500 Companies-firms single-mindedly focused on their corporate brands-are helping employees build their personal brands.”

Personal branding is not a fad or an option.  People make hiring decisions based on many factors but their preconceived notions and expectations often determine who they will even consider.  Mark Lindstrom, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best selling book, Buyology summarizes, “We make hundreds of snap decisions each and every day. Yet so many of them happen deep within our subconscious, so fast and far below the surface we’re barely aware of them.   …companies plant instant shortcuts-or brand bookmarks-in our subconscious to help us decide what to (or what not to) buy. And yes, your brain too holds some of them and they’ve probably influenced everything from the make of the last car you decided to buy to the brand of coffee you brewed this morning.”

Here’s how personal branding works for you. While personal branding is unavoidable, the more control you assert over it, the more likely your personal brand will be an asset in your career.  People  automatically form mental associations and create labels to recognize you. Labeling happens automatically because that is the way our brains are wired.  Take control over those labels and you create a personal brand.

The more you advertise, the more people know about your special expertise.  It behooves you to create a marketing plan to accomplish your branding program.

What is Your Brand? Your personal brand is how others define you in the workforce.   Are you a Ferrari, built for speed or a Volvo, built for safety?  It is unlikely you are both.  How do you describe yourself?   How do others describe you?  What does your performance review consistently point out?  How do others introduce you?  Your answers to these questions are keys to your brand attributes.

“If you’re really smart, you figure out how to distinguish yourself from all the other very smart people walking around with $1,500 suits, high-powered laptops, and well-polished resumes. Along the way, if you’re really smart, you figure out what it takes to create a distinctive role for yourself — you create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called ‘You’” Tom Peters writing for Fast Company.

Know what distinguishes you from your peers. When you define your peers and their attributes and how you are different from them, you can rise above the competition.  The competition is defined as anyone who might be hired for a given position that precludes your being hired.  Competition, therefore, includes hiring no one and leaving the job undone or shared by current employees.  To rise above all competition, you must articulate what you can do or provide that no one else can.  Your band must be so compelling that it precedes you, introduces you and annihilates the competition.

Click here to learn why your brand is critical to your job search Installment One

Click here for installment two on Digital Job Search and Branding.

For discussion of how to discover how the world sees you: installment three.

Click here for installment four to discover your current identity.

Click here to start your branding efforts for your job search installment five

For a step-by-step guide to improve your job search networking:

For a complete guide to a job search tune-up:

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