Executive Job Search Success - Part 5: Pursue Job Opportunities

The thousands of job openings that you can easily find online through job boards, recruiter listings and company websites attract thousands of applicants. So when you send in your resume, what are the chances that you will get an interview? Only about 2-3%.

Your job search efforts at this point should be focused on researching job "opportunities" - in other words, potential job openings that have not been advertised to the masses. Remember that in Step 3 of our executive job search success series, we focused on identifying target companies. Start by using that list of companies to find internal contacts for informational interviews.

1) Find internal contacts online
Maximize online resources like LinkedIn, Ziggs, Zoominfo, Corporatealumni, and Live.com to find existing or former employees at your target companies.

2) Review current press releases
Visit sites like prweb.com, prnewswire.com, bizjournals.com and Google alerts to monitor organizational changes, current events, internal promotions and expansions occurring at your top companies.

3) Have a solid email/phone script
Depending on whether you want to reach out by email or telephone, you need to have a brief, well thought out, value-driven introduction that would encourage the new contacts to have an informational, face-to-face meeting with you.

Note: If you have a strong network, you should see if any of your contacts knows the individual and get a personal introduction.

4) Develop a ROI-based cover letter
Another approach to uncovering job opportunities is to conduct a direct mail campaign, though this method can be more costly, you can generate initial responses and at least get interviews with key executives at interested companies.

Obviously, sending a "Do you have any jobs" letter will automatically get routed to human resources, why not use a compelling letter that helps companies understand why they should hire you and what immediate benefits you bring to the table.

5) Distribute and market a networking resume
In this phase of relationship building and networking, increase your chances of getting quick introductions and referrals by using a networking resume as follow-up to initial meetings and interviews.

6) Get found
As you are actively pursuing opportunities, new contacts and recruiters are going to "Google" you before they agree to sit down and talk with you. Make sure that you have a strong online presence and positive digital information. Develop and keep an updated profiles on LinkedIn and VisualCV.com; frequently participate in industry-related or company blogs and forums - recruiters and potential do pay close attention to all your online activities.