Have you heard the phrase “to now know what you don’t know”? Well, I believe that the executives in the job market today don’t know that they are not current. I know because I’m one of them. I’ve hunted for executive jobs AND have interviewed, hired or coached thousands in the past 10 years. Remember, you have great experience, skills and an ability to do so much more in the future. You just need to catch up to some trends in the job seeking process today.
- Resume Refresh – Undoubtedly, you have years of experience, skills and success stories. To get current, you need to re-build your resume to convince, no SELL, the future employer that you have the right set of transferable skills that makes you the best candidate for that job. Although some of you have marketing skills, this is the time to make an investment in two things: time and money, in that order.�
- Time: Think about what story you want your resume to tell. Based on your career goals, they key skills you want to highlight, and your “brand”. Look at resume templates on Microsoft.com or multiple other websites to see samples or to download.
- Money: If you do not feel confident that you can build a much more relevant, modern and powerful resume, then pay someone to do that! There are so many great resume-builders, resume coaches and experts on the web. Many of them know SEO (search engine optimization) and the investment will also help you with your social media presence (e.g. LinkedIn). Select the one that is the best fit for you and do it.
- Be Found Online – It is key for executive job seekers to get current on how employers find candidates. Then you need to develop a presence there. In speaking to executives, I hear “LinkedIn is for the younger generation”, or “I’m in a few recruiter’s data-bases so I’m good.” LinkedIn has wonderful tutorials and you need to get to a 100% profile as soon as possible! My crystal ball for the job search world in 5 years signals that we will be searched out by hiring managers through social networks and the application process will diminish.
- Show Credibility – In addition to be “found” online, you need to enhance your profile with written validation from current or ex-peers, managers, senior executives, and influential executives. This is an essential step in the personal branding process and to enhance the self-written facts like your resume. Yes, it’s awkward asking for this, and we will, naturally, select the validation from people we believe value our work. Think of it as the old “references” we had in case we were asked. Now we’re putting those references out on the internet for all to see.
Executive friends, you will never know that one thing that helped you win your job. Equally, you will never know the one thing that got in your way, either. But you do need to get current with the basics. Cut the Crap, Get a Job! Have confidence in your skills, and simply assure you are not only current with the new era of job search, but that you stay current into the future. Good luck!
