Resist from gluing yourself to the Internet for hours on end or you will easily be lost in maze of job search boards, company databases, and online recruiting portals that take your resume to a black hole with no return. Without a targeted job search plan, you can become overwhelmed with the entire process and lose enthusiasm with your job search. It is important to note that while it is critical to engage in online job search activities, they should only play a small part—and not take over—your job search campaign.
To power up your job search and get yourself moving in the right direction, there are several strategies that you should engage in right now that would help you to re-brand yourself, revive your network of personal and professional contacts, and re-position yourself for top-paying executive job opportunities.
1. Have A Clear Direction On Where You Want To Go: Avoid jumping into a frenzy of writing activities for executive resumes, cover letters, and other career documents without being crystal clear about your ideal job target.
Do you want to stay in the same field, are you using this career transition period to pursue your dream job or are you only interested in lateral move until retirement. Maximize resources like hoovers.com, wetfeet.com, and vault.com to find critical "insider" information on companies in your target industries.
Solicit industry experts, senior executives, recruiters, and hiring managers through LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for informational interviews and referrals.
2. Identify And Market Your Executive Leadership Brand: Unless you have identified what differentiates you from your colleagues, your job search will not be worth the effort especially in this highly competitive employment market. Your personal brand and unique value proposition helps potential employers and executive recruiters understand more about you and how you deliver results.
To get ahead of the pack, you must be able to articulate why a company should hire you and highlight the consistent theme of career achievements that support and validate your personal brand. Are you the cost savings guru, the new business strategist or can you be classified as the turnaround agent?
A manufacturing operations executive's personal brand could be:
Engaging cutting-edge technologies to advance corporate-wide initiatives that expedite manufacturing processes and achieve aggressive revenue growth, cost-cutting objectives, and profitability margins.
3. Create A High-Impact, ROI-Focused Executive Resume: Your resume should be a strategic career marketing document not a five-page career obituary. Focus on relevant content supported by career-defining "WOW" achievements listed throughout the resume. Use the Situation-Task-Action-Results formula for development achievement statements for your resume with the goal of having at least five achievements for each position listed on the resume. For example:
Situation: As Chief Financial Officer - synthesize finance and operations departments following the recent merger of two manufacturing companies.
Tasks: Eliminate duplication of resources, increase operational efficiency, and boost work productivity and results.
Actions: Developed short-term strategy and execution plan by developing team with key representatives for technology, finance, and operations divisions.
Results: Reduced company's overhead costs by $5 million in 6 months and improved efficiency 25%.
Achievement statement for resume: Shrunk annual overhead costs by $5 million in six months by assembling core operations team that further eliminated duplication of resources and increased operational efficiency by 25%.
4. Build An Entire Brand-Focused Career Portfolio: It is going to take more than a one-dimensional, standard executive resume to generate success in today's job market. Invest the time and resources to compile an entire portfolio of career marketing documents including a networking resume, career biography, leadership profile, and customized cover letters for employers, executive recruiters, and personal contacts. Don't neglect the online arena and develop branded career profiles on LinkedIn and VisualCV.
5. Develop And Rehearse A Memorable 30-Second Pitch: Once you get to the networking phase of your job search, you need to display confidence and value in your verbal presentation. Use your personal brand statement as the foundation for building a unique, 30-second commercial that speaks volumes about what you can bring to the table. For example:
"Hi, my name is Carl Brown. As an experienced Manufacturing Executive, I have enjoyed a progressive career with top companies like ABC Plastics, Newform Manufacturing, and TechNec Corporation. With a reputation for engaging cutting-edge technologies that helped global manufacturing companies achieve aggressive revenue growth and improve operating cost objectives, I am seeking new executive opportunities at global companies that would benefit from my strengths in P&L management, product innovation and turnaround operations."
Note: The underlined text is direct excerpt from the executive candidate's brand
6. Build And Expand Your Online and Offline Networks Frequently: Join professional and industry-related associations, alumni groups, Chamber of Commerce committees, and other social networks. Identify key industry leaders you want to meet, schedule informational meetings/interviews, and start building your own team of alliances.
Don't neglect online social networks like LinkedIn.com, E-cademy.com, Zoominfo.com, Ziggs.com, Namz.com, and Twitter.com to connect with former associates and friends and to search for industry experts and top people in your target companies.
7. Only Use Niche Boards & Specialty Sites For Online Job Search Activities To: Huge commercial career sites have over hundreds of thousands of candidates in their database and are usually geared for entry-level to mid-management positions.
To avoid feeling discouraged and frustrated subscribe to specialized online job boards that focus on a particular occupation, industry, job function or type of jobseeker like CEO, Sales Executives, or MBAs.
Copyright 2009 Premier Writing Solutions, LLC