Executive Career Insights

12 Days of Career Success Advice: Day 7

I am sitting here, spending quality time with my mother and craving something sweet, like really sweet...alas, I will have to wait until this weekend to indulge. So, I will stay focused and make sure that you are staying focused as well.

Just to make sure that you are up to speed, we are now on Day 7 and you should have completed ALL the earlier steps mentioned below:

Related posts:

Day 1: Conduct an honest self-assessment

Day 2: Say goodbye to career mistakes and disappointments

Day 3: Jump start your long lost career dreams

Day 4: Take credit for your life and career achievements

Day 5: Identify and promote your personal brand

Day 6: Create a standout resume

Great...now that you are confident about yourself and your career story, it's time to move the message beyond your resume.

On the 7th day of the holidays, my career coach said to me:

Beef up your online presence and get your "voice" heard

Try this exercise - "Google" yourself and evaluate the results that come up - does the information about you fit your personal brand, is it accurate and most importantly, is it positive and supportive to your career advancement goals?

Understand this, beyond what is represented on your executive resume and career marketing documents, potential employers, hiring managers, and recruiters are eager to see what is behind the scenes.

They will conduct online research to get the real scoop on you, learn more about what you have to offer and carefully read others' comments on your abilities and past performance. Get over your technology phobia and Internet phobia and accept that a strong online presence is simply essential in today's job search and should remain as part of your ongoing career management strategy.

-- Start off by developing a complete, branded profile (with solid achievements and recommendations) on LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Ziggs, Google and Jigsaw.

-- Get fancy and create a web-based portfolio that can house your career-related articles, videos, blog posts, etc. Try Weebly.com and purchase your own URL (in your personal name) if you want to upgrade to an actual website at a later point.

-- Share your thought leadership - if you enjoy writing articles or brief columns, submit your work frequently to free websites like selfgrowth.com, ezinearticles.com and articlestreet.com.

-- Join the conversations online with smaller, targeted groups and forums specialty Yahoo and Google) (where you can openly share your opinion on industry trends, offer advice to colleagues and invite meaningful discussions among the group members.

-- Get active on Twitter by identifying and following the trend setters and thought leaders in your target industry, but be a giver and receiver of information.

These strategies are not all inclusive, but they are enough to get you started and comfortable with the process....still not convinced? See what comes up when my name (Abby Locke) is "Googled". You want the same results when employers do an online search for you.

 

Related posts:

Day 1: Conduct an honest self-assessment

Day 2: Say goodbye to career mistakes and disappointments

Day 3: Jump start your long lost career dreams

Day 4: Take credit for your life and career achievements

Day 5: Identify and promote your personal brand

Day 6: Create a standout resume

 

About Abby, Executive Career Architect, Job Search Expert, Master Resume Writer

Ask yourself these questions:

-- Does your executive resume accurately describe your management style and leadership capabilities?

-- Is your executive resume rich with compelling Challenge-Action-Results success stories that indicate your value contribution?

-- Does your executive resume convey enthusiasm or energy motivating employers to contact you?

-- Has your executive resume been generating a stream of employer responses for the right jobs?

If you have answered no to any of these questions, you should be talking to Abby Locke. She is an executive resume writer helps senior-level executives to achieve career success through cutting-edge, brand-focused career documents and proactive career management strategies.

Her distinctive executive resume samples have been published in 13 national career publications. Have you seen our holiday specials?

Is The Entreprenuer Bug Calling Your Name?

A good friend of mine recently announced to me that she is going to take the plunge - she is finally moving from corporate employee to entrepreneur.

Sounds exciting right? No-one standing over your shoulder, the ability to call your own shots, and being able to take on great projects that you will enjoy....well, becoming an independent consultant or soloprenuer requires a lot more thought, work and preparation than you would imagine.

If you are frustrated with the corporate world and have a strong desire to start your own business that is in line with your vision and values, here are few things you need to know:

1) Do you know your business?

Consider if you have sufficient knowledge, experience or business understanding in the area of your choice. Clients purchase "you" long before they purchase your product or service - if you are thinking of branching into a new area, be sure to get the support and training you need to gain the confidence of potential clients.

2) Do you have the required investment funds?

As an entrepreneur, you cannot easily predict your revenue stream from week to week or even day to day for that matter. So unless your have a healthy pipeline of clients ready to go, you may have to tap into your savings, maintain a part-time job or establish a line of credit.

3) Do you like selling?

Think for a second about your best sales experience, what did that person do that effectively convinced you to make the purchase? Now, switch gears and remember your worst salesperson encounter - focus on everything that person did that turned you off. Get the picture?

When you are running the show, you are also the primary spokesperson, cheerleader and salesperson for your company. Take advantage of sales training or even sales coaching services, your bottom-line will thank you for it.

4) Can you handle a high level of risk?

Being an entreprenuer is not for the faint of heart - trust me, I know:) You have to be willing to put all of yourself to make the business a profitable one - that could mean long work hours, sacrificing personal interests, living on limited resources and truly making decisions when the immediate outcome is unclear.

5) Can you ride the waves?

Flexibility is one of the greatest skills you will need to master as an entreprenuer. Market and industry conditions are always changing and technology continues to push the bar even higher on how you will need to compete. If you like structure or find it hard to make rapid changes, then entreprenuership may not be the right decision for you.

Overall

As challenging as it can be at times, I encourage anyone who has the bug to do your research, do your homework, learn from others, invest in training and resources and give it a try. If it is really eating at you, you will never know unless you give it a try.

-- Check out weekly and monthly networking events for consultants and entreprenuers.

-- Join and get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce.

-- Identify an association that supports entreprenuers in your field - for example, I am belong to the National Resume Writers Association and the Career Management Alliance, and the International Association of Women in Business Coaching.

-- Take advantage of teleseminars and webinars that will guide you in building your practice.

-- Develop and maintain a strong online presence - as you know, I have a blog, Facebook page, website, VisualCV and Twitter account.

-- Read current books on topics related to your expertise and subscribe to at least one of the major business news publications like Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Time and Washington Post.

Top 10 Best Practices for Steady Executive Career Progression

With all the information coming at you through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Ping and every other source that you imagine - sometimes it is hard to filter through to what your really need at the moment.

Here are ten previous blogs that can still serve you well today that address key issues in the executive job search, personal branding, online identity and overall career management strategy.

Don't get so bogged down in your job search, so that once you land a job, you stop working at building your executive career.

Revisiting Resume Best Practices

A Strong Argument for Executive Cover Letters

Personal Branding - Truly the Only Way to Survive in Any Economy

How To Get Recruiters To Call You Back

Executive Interview Mistakes That Might Surprise You

How Do You Rank - Digitally?

Blogging To Save Your Career

Transform Your Wins Into "WOW" Accomplishment Statements

Powering Up Your Annual Performance Reviews

Networking for Job Search and Career Management

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:

Build and promote your online presence

Are you tweeting?

Going public with your executive job search

Executive Job Search Success - Part 6: Build and Promote Your Online Presence

Have you every tried this exercise? "Google" yourself and evaluate the results that come up - does the information about you fit your personal brand, is it accurate and most importantly, is it positive and supportive to your job search efforts?

Beyond what is represented on your executive resume and career marketing documents, potential employers, hiring managers, and recruiters are eager to see what is behind the scenes. Consequently, they will conduct online research to get the real scoop on you, learn more about what you have to offer and carefully read others' comments on your abilities and past performance.

If there is absolutely nothing about you online, you are basically hidden and invisible to those who may be trying to find you. Frequent surveys have shown that executive recruiters and employers actively scour the Internet to identify "passive" candidates that fit their hiring needs.

Having a strong online presence is simply essential in today's job search and should remain as part of your ongoing career management strategy.

Here are a few quick ways to start improving your personal online presence today:

a) Create personal online profiles

Any executive or senior professional who is serious about his/her job search should have a complete, branded profile with LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Ziggs, Google and Jigsaw.

More importantly, you need to make sure that these profiles have "meat" in them, provide sufficient detail about your responsibilities and include at least one top achievement for each company. As you expand your connections, don't forget to solicit recommendations or third-party testimonials from former bosses and colleagues.

b) Create an online portfolio or personal website

Give others access to a web-based portfolio through which they can download your executive resume, career biography, case studies and other relevant career marketing documents.

Start off with a free portfolio at VisualCV.com and purchase your own URL (in your personal name) if you want to upgrade to an actual website at a later point.

c) Create a following

If you enjoy writing articles or brief columns, submit your work frequently to free websites like selfgrowth.com, ezinearticles.com and articlestreet.com.Use the opportunity to share your expertise with other colleagues and end each article with a signature byline (like the one I have below) that leads people back to your personal website, VisualCV or LinkedIn profile.

d) Create conversations

All online social networking sites have smaller, targeted groups and forums; get to talking, openly share your opinion on industry trends, offer advice to colleagues and aspiring thought leaders and frequently invite meaningful discussions among the group members.

Don't forget about adding your professional two cents to specialty Yahoo and Google groups and relevant blogs. 

Are you just joining us on this seven-part series on executive job search success? Get caught up through the following links:

Executive Job Search Success - Part 1: Have a clear job target

Executive Job Search Success - Part 2: Determine your job search tactics

Executive Job Search Success - Part 3: Identify your target companies

Executive Job Search Success - Part 4: Create your marketing collateral

Executive Job Search Success - Part 5: Pursue job opportunities

Executive Job Search Success - Part 6: Get to networking and connecting

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.

Executive Job Search Success - Part 2: Determine Your Job Search Tactics

It never fails to amaze me when I talk to highly qualified executives - who have reached out to me for assistance after getting dismal results in their job search - and find out that their main job search tactic is spending hours on the Internet visiting job boards and posting resumes.

You never put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to the executive job search. Technology will continue to impact your personal and professional lives, but you have to maximize its use to benefit you. In other words, don't let the Internet control your life - use effectively and strategically, but diversify your job search methods.

In the same manner like companies develop a multi-media campaign to promote their products and services, you have to develop an integrated, multifacted job search to increase your success ratio in this highly competitive job market.

Move beyond the computer, spread your wings and engage at least five different strategies/tactics in your executive job search. What methods should you be considering?

Here are a few suggestions:

-- Face-to-face networking events

-- In-person career fairs and professional industry conferences

-- Niche job boards and job search agents

-- Direct mail campaign to recruiters and companies

-- Job aggregation sites like Indeed.com and Simplyhired.com

-- Online social networks and professional communities like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Zoominfo, Ziggs, Namz, etc

-- Intelligent job matching sites like Job Match and Job Fox

-- Resume distribution (services) to employers and recruiters

-- Company websites and blogs

-- Web portfolios and personal career websites like VisualCV.com

Check out these industry reports to determine which strategy is most effective for reaching employers.

Weddles Annual Source of Employment Survey

Annual Source of Hire Survey

Top Ten Ways To Sabotage Your Executive Job Search

In these uncertain times, it will take a lot more than "good luck" and "being in the right place at the right time" to be successful in an executive job search. If you have not been actively job seeking for more than ten years, it does not take long to realize that half-hearted, non-strategic efforts will not lead to right opportunity.

Are you guilty of diving helter-skelter into a job search that is eating away at your productive time, but not netting any real results? You may be unknowingly committing one of the following mistakes:

-- Not being clear on the type of job that you want
Executive Job Search Strategy - Part 1: Have A Clear Target

-- Using only one executive resume to cover several job targets/objectives
-- Marketing an executive resume that is more focused on tasks than achievements
Revisiting Resume Best Practices

-- Depending on the Internet and online job boards as your primary tool for job search
Seven Ways To Find Hot Leads In The Hidden Job Market

-- Underestimating the size and value of your personal and professional networks
-- Not matching your networking campaign with your job search activities
Going Public With Your Job Search
Do You Know Where Your Network Is

--Having little inside knowledge about the company before interview(s)
Are You Checking Them Out As Well?

-- Lacking the ability to clearly state your personal strengths in an interview
Using STARS - Acing Behavorial-Style Interviews

-- Unsure of your personal brand and unique value proposition
Personal Branding - Truly The Only Way To Survive In Any Economy

-- Divulging salary requirements or asking about benefits and perks too early in the interview process

When To Talk Salary In An Interview

Are You Twittering?

I really do my best to practice what I preach...so recently after giving into to pressure and following the advice of trusted business leaders, I opened a Twitter account.

I just keep hearing that if you want to get a job, use Twitter; if you want to effectively market and grow your business, use Twitter. I have to say that I am one of those individuals who needs to really analyze a new product/program/service before I just in with the rest of the crowd.

Now I am guilty because I have only opened the account, but have not actively started using it....to my surprise, I got a few people who have opted to start following me. Pretty cool, huh?

Over at the Dan Schwabel's Personal Branding Blog, there is a great blog on brand building activities for your Twitter profile. Now that I have an audience and my own "fan" club, I better start Twittering.

Here are some other resources that you can check out to guide you in using Twitter as part of your executive job search.

Twitter For Your Job Search

Going Public With Executive Job Search

Happy Twittering!

My Mother Is On Facebook Now What?

Okay, so I stole the idea for the title from one of my colleagues, Jason Alba, but I simply could not resist it. Recently, my dear old mother gave it to the call of social media and with help from my oldest sister, Faith created a Facebook account.

Within just a few days, she had connected with her family and friends - granted most of whom are her children, but she has put herself on the media map to find old friends and colleagues.

How many of you are still fighting the need for social media marketing in your executive job search?

Are you still not convinced that you can make easy connections and start to build a network of supporters and strategic partners by simply joining and actively participating in social networking groups?

I spent this past weekend, reaching out others in my LinkedIn groups to offer support, general ideas, and suggestions as job seekers are facing seemingly "insurmountable" obstacles in today's recession-packed market.

But I noticed something very phenomenal, the more I reached to help others, many of whom I have never connected or communicated with reached to offer me their support in my business ventures. I was offered opportunities to be a guest blogger and submit articles to major self growth and information sites, and an author asked for my feedback on her upcoming book.

What I am getting at? Networking is more than you using opportunities to get what you want, it is also about you offering support and encouragement to other who may be going through the same thing - word of kindness, patient listenly, and sharing of resources will cost you nothing.

On the LinkedIn blog, there are several jobseekers who have shared their success with using it in the post called "Top Linked In Stories of 2008".

Check it out, get some ideas for yourself, get your profile up, and get to connecting and networking. If my once-technology-challenged mother can do it, so can you.

Look forward to "seeing" you on LinkedIn.

Additional resource:

I'm On LinkedIn Now What?