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Job search for six figure executives: It’s not a shell game

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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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If you would like support creating your own compelling and expeditious job search, contact me at coach at jobsearchdebugged dot com.  We can focus on your specific challenges and define a custom program.

My clients get hired; not brag–fact.
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Perhaps you feel a proven book with field tested techniques is your first step toward an effective job search.  You can download Job Search Debugged
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categories Career advice, INTERVIEW ADVICE, Job Search Tools, Recruiters, Six Figure Jobs, coaching | tags , ,

Want a response from your email? Write well.

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By rashley, October 14, 2009 2:18 pm

This morning my email revealed four personal messages from LinkedIn readers who responded to my comments and posts.

Each complained of overly long job searches and expressed they had no clue what is going on.  They wondered:  Blacklisted?  Are the jobs real?

Nope.  Your writing is so poor your credentials are not being considered.  Seriously, if you can’t write a decent email or cover letter how can you be expected to speak  well and represent the company?

It’s too easy to assume follow-up didn’t occur because of age, too many applicants or other spurious reasons.

Fact is, most cover letters, emails and even blog post responses demonstrate very poor written communications.  No matter how informal the correspondence, it must demonstrate you are literate and educated.  Never say, “It’s just an email.”

Be especially mindful of use of advice/advise and never use exclamation points in business correspondence.  If what you say is important and true, you don’t need to call attention with punctuation.

Don’t get cute or use smiley faces.  Read your missive aloud to ascertain proper sentence structure and word usage.  Still not sure?  Let someone proof your work.

Job Search is stressful and mistakes are easily made. Don’t let your writing mistakes prevent you from making it to the next step.

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing people see about you.  Tear yours apart for grammar and sentence structure.  Does every line convey a compelling message?  Can the reader immediately see what you can do for them and why you are exceptional?

Make certain your writing is excellent and you will increase the success of your job search.  Just last week two of my clients received compliments from hiring authorities on the organization and flow of their resumes and cover letter.  People notice. Make certain your communications are being noticed for all the right reasons.

Need help evaluating your LinkedIn profile?  Is your resume getting complements? Do you have a compelling elevator pitch?  Check out my web site for information on Coaching to fix those elements…

categories BRANDING, Career advice, Job Search Tools, Networking, Resume Advice, Six Figure Jobs, coaching, resume | tags , , , , , , ,

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