Executive Career Insights

Show Me Proof - Why Your Career Story Needs Substance

About a week ago, I was contacted by a mid-level marketing professional who needs assistance with his career marketing and job search process. Fully understanding what is occurring in our economy, I am not surprised to hear frustration, worry and concern in jobseekers' voices. Often a successful, fruitful job search can take more than six months and sometimes even as long as a year - not what you may want to hear, but it's the truth. There are no guarantees, it comes down to the right time and the right opportunity meeting with your preparedness.

So back to my worried and concerned job seeker - well, he saw the importance of investing in services that would better market him for new opportunities, but I guess he needed more proof. Proof that I am who I say I am, proof that I really have the certifications as mentioned on my website, proof that his life will really change magically if he retained my services. Proof, proof, proof!

Why am I telling you all of this? You will find yourself in similar situations where employers and recruiters will ask you for proof and evidence about what is written on your resume and what you are saying in your interviews.

Here are a few recommendations on how you can do an outstanding job on "selling" yourself rather than just "telling" the facts of your career:

-- Create a Career Highlights or Critical Leadership Initiatives document that showcases three to five top career achievements written in the Challenge-Action-Results format...make sure to use it as a leave-behind document after interviews and networking meetings.

-- Use VisualCV.com to upload samples of your work, video clips, articles, press items, notable mentions, third-party endorsements and other favorable data that cannot go on a two-page resume.

-- Update your LinkedIn profile to include recent, relevant and positive recommendations and endorsements from former colleagues, bosses, clients, vendors and anyone who can directly comment on your work performance.

-- Properly prepare for interviews (job-related and informational) so you can respond to behavioral-style questions with quantifiable, realistic stories and examples that demonstrate your skills, knowledge and abilities.

-- Conduct extensive companies, understand industry challenges and develop your own "how-to" examples of potential business solutions you can bring to the table - remember to tell them the "what"and not the "how", so that no-one else steals your ideas:)

Channel your energy and your response not on why you should get the job, but demonstrate why they (the companies) need you...show that you are the perfect solution and the missing link on their team.

Related posts:

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Maximizing Social Media to Turbocharge Your Executive Job Search

Don't you find it frustrating when friends or family who have known you for years, suddenly say, so kind of work do you do again? Well, imagine trying to launch a job search in today's competitive, crowded marketplace without any online presence or brand reputation.

Whether you like it or not, in order to "make noise" and be found by active hiring managers, eager employers and scouring recruiters, you need to engage a wide variety of social media tools and online networking resources. Here are five, free, easy-to-use social media tools that will take you from invisible to digitally distinct.

 A) Beef Up Your Signature

As you will be conducting a fair amount of your job search through the Internet and email communications, make sure that your email signature serves as your digital business card.

-- Include key information like your title, personal brand statement, phone number, Linked and VisualCV url links.

-- You can even include your professional headshot to make a connection with your email recipients.

B) Maintain An Optimized LinkedIn profile

With more than 40 million members from around the world that includes top Fortune 500 executives and recruiters, you need a robust, active LinkedIn profile to help you nurture and support your professional network.

-- Use a branded headline (title header) to attract visitors and catch the eye of proactive recruiters and headhunters. Make it specific in terms of profession, industry, expertise and geographic location.

-- Take advantage of the update status feature to keep your connections apprised of your career activities and use it as a tool to share information and inform them of mutually beneficial networking events.

-- Request and add recommendations from former colleagues, bosses, mentors and respected professionals in your field. A third-party testimonial can go a long way.

-- Transform you elevator pitch into a compelling summary on your LinkedIn profile. Be sure to use relevant , acronyms and industry jargon as they relate to your areas of expertise.

-- Join groups and get active in the discussion - be willing to share your opinion, expertise and advice. Discussion forums are a very popular place for recruiters when it comes to seeking passive candidates.

C) Be Active On Twitter

Don't just get a twitter account and go silent - even I am guilty of this one at times:) Identify and follow the trend setters and thought leaders in your target industry, but be a giver and receiver of information. If you come across an interesting news article or blog post, don't be afraid to retweet as long as you give the original author full credit.

D) Build An Multimedia Portfolio

Whether you choose to host a website with you own customized url (with your name), design an interactive portfolio or build your VisualCV, you have to provide interested employers and recruiters a variety of opportunities to learn more about you.

-- Depending on your field, upload video to highlight your speaking experience and presentation skills.

-- Include visual charts, Word/PDF documents, and links to showcase published works, articles, white papers, writing samples; you should also have downloadable versions of your resume in standard presentation and text formats.

E) Create A Facebook Profile

Now I will admit that I have two Facebook profiles - one for personal and professional purposes. Why a Facebook account in a job search? It is another venue to promote your personal brand, join company pages, participate in industry and profession-specific networking groups, and re-connect with former colleagues and classmates.

--Keep your profile updated and link your other social media activity to your Facebook to keep the content fresh and current.

-- Take advantage of the "What are you doing" feature and routinely engage others in conversation and discussions.

-- Use advanced social media tools to link your Twitter posts to your Facebook. 

Now all these steps look like a tall order to follow, but keep in mind that if you are unemployed, you will be realistically spending between 35 to 40 hours a week in job search activities. Now, before you make a pact to glue yourself to your computer and Blackberry, remember that your online activities should only be a PART of your job search strategy plan - not 100% of it.

Related posts:

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Going public with your executive job search

Transforming Job Fairs Into Job Interviews

NOTE: If you plan on attending the national MBA conferences, please contact me directly at info@premierwriting.com for information on a MBA Job Fair Power package.

I have to admit that while I am not a huge fan of large, commercial career fairs, there is a lot value you can get from attending a job fair that is part of an association or industry conference.

In the upcoming fall, there are a several annual conferences held throughout the country and they provide viable opportunities to connect with key decision makers and internal company contacts through a two-day career expo.

When planned effectively, job fairs can help you streamline your job search activities, allow you to practice your 30-second pitch and interviewing skills and gain insider tips on unadvertised job opportunities.

Before you start generating thousands of resumes and dropping them off at every table at the event, do your homework, develop a plan of action and determine your post-job fair strategies.

-- Do Your Homework - research the companies

Never use a job fair to "see what's out there", you will come across unprepared and unclear to everyone you talk to - do upfront research and identify the participating companies and make a list of the top five or ten companies to focus your efforts.

-- Make Sure Your Career Documents Sing

While you don't want to depend on getting an interview by leaving your resume in a pile of thousands of others, you still want the few minutes you spend with a company representative to be worthwhile. Your professional resume should be well written, targeted and focused for job opportunities that are in line with the company's needs.

Review these strategies for resume writing:

Revisiting resume writing best practices

Choosing the right resume format

Try a networking resume

-- Identify Key Players - use LinkedIn contacts

If you are attending a large, national-based association conference, more likely than not, a lot of your existing LinkedIn contacts and LinkedIn group members may be attending as well.

Plan informal meetings and small events to have face-to-face contact with other professionals who can offer more personal insight to company opportunities and make yourself available to do the same for others.

-- Develop A Plan of Action - work the job fair

Know ahead of time what information you are seeking from the company representative - have specific questions prepared about job openings and inquire about potential job opportunities.

Don't ask the person vague questions like "do you know of any job openings?" or "what do you think I would be qualified for?" Even if you are unemployed, have professional business cards made to distribute to the right individuals at the job fair.

Make sure you ask for names of department heads or individuals in charge of interviewing candidates and walk away knowing the proper follow-up protocol be prepared to execute it as soon as possible.

-- Follow Up Immediately - have a strategic plan

Now that you are armed with names of department heads, division executives, project leaders and strong decision makers, match your efforts with job search tactics that will open doors for informational and actual job interviews.

Keep in mind that you want to get as many names/contacts from each company you are interested to increase the number of internal advocates you can retain without becoming a nuisance.

 

Abby M. Locke of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com) is a master resume writer and career marketing architect who helps talented professionals and senior-level executives to achieve career success through cutting-edge, brand-focused career documents, innovative job search tools, and proactive career management strategies.

Are Companies Only Interested In Hiring Happily Employed Candidates?

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, "Only The Employed Need Apply" - it seems like many companies would rather actively pursue potential employees who are already gainfully employed and NOT job seeking....seems strange, right?

Despite the fact that millions of talented executives have been victims of downsizing and not due to poor performance, some hiring managers think that they can find the best candidates by going after them directly.

Well, if you are still knee deep in a job search, where does that leave you? How about developing a multifaceted job search campaign that combines online and offline strategies that put you in the company of "passive", employed executives.

Your primary goal is to increase your visibility and reputation in your industry as an expert and thought leader. Embrace specific, targeted written and speaking communication strategies that include the following:

-- Join professional associations and become actively involved through committees or officer positions.

-- Write and submit articles for trade journals, industry magazines and other leading publications that are always seeking industry perspective.

-- Get active online with your personal blog, making comments on other company blogs, participate and offer resources and information on forums.

-- Network consistently with decision makers and influential industry experts - take full advantage of Chamber of Commerce events, local alumni events, annual conferences, online teleclasses and webinars.

-- Become a member of a speakers bureau and accept requests for free and paid speaking engagements.

-- Volunteer in local charity and community group - take it a step further by offering to lead workshops and group seminars.

-- Seek out opportunities to be quoted in articles, ebooks and printed publications. (http://www.helpareporter.com/)

Overall, if recruiters are regularly scouting networking events to find top performers and industry leaders, make it easy for them to find you. More importantly, by consistently building your reputation, your expertise and perceived value will speak for themselves.

Abby M. Locke of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com) is a master resume writer and career marketing architect who helps talented professionals and senior-level executives achieve career success through cutting-edge, brand-focused documents, innovative job search tools, and proactive career management strategies.