If All Else Fails in Executive Job Search, Read the Directions

I’m sure you heard this wise advice when you were working on a project or problem and hit a roadblock, or things weren’t working:

“If all else fails, read the directions.”

But, if you’re like most people, you resisted and kept plowing ahead anyway.

I think some of us are just wired to test our mettle and problem-solving ability, without taking the time to first learn about those things, so the process will make sense and work better.

The same holds true for executive job search.

How Much Do You Know About Today’s Executive Job Search?

If you haven’t been in a job search for, say, 5 years or more, you probably don’t have an overall understanding of how it works today. You’re bound to stumble and make mistakes.

Doesn’t it make sense to first arm yourself with at least some of the basics, before you dive in headlong?

You may think that step one in job search is dusting off your resume, updating it, and loading it onto as many job boards as possible.

Spending the majority of your time on the job boards will probably land you in the resume Applicant Tracking System (ATS) vortex, which can sabotage and prolong your job search.

How To Avoid a Long, Drawn Out Executive Job Search

If you want to succeed and avoid a protracted job search, follow this somewhat linear path and read the posts below to help you navigate today’s new world of executive search:

Targeting and Research

Identify employers that will be a mutual good fit, and research the industry and each company to determine their specific needs and challenges, that you’re uniquely qualified to help them deal with.

Best Ways and Places to Research Your Target Employers

Personal Branding

Based on what you find in your research, define what makes you the best fit to help your target companies meet their current needs.

Think Like an Executive Resume Branding Pro – Build Your Personal Brand

Writing Branded Content

Your resume, biography, LinkedIn profile and other online profiles all need to differentiate and position you as a good-fit candidate for your target employers.

How to Build Personal Brand Content for Executive Job Search

Building Online Presence

An estimated 90%+ executive recruiters will Google “your name” to assess your fit, once you become a person of interest. They’re looking for “social proof” to back up the claims you’ve made about yourself in your resume and other career documents. The more web pages associated with you that they find — with positive, brand-reinforcing information — the more attractive you’ll be to them.

As you get busy building your online footprint, be sure to protect your privacy and security.

Is Your Online Presence Strong Enough to Compete?

10 Best Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Online

Social Networking / Social Media / In-Person Networking

Networking helps you penetrate the “hidden” job market, where the perfect job for you may be.

Build a realistic personal brand communications plan that includes various in-person activities and social media. Demonstrate your thought leadership and subject matter expertise in blog posts, articles, tweets, etc.

Because LinkedIn is where recruiters and hiring decision makers do most of their sourcing, spend plenty of time there.

How to Network Your Way Into a Great-Fit Executive Job

Landing and Branding Executive Job Interviews

Go back to your targeted research on companies of interest to you, and your personal branding work, to prepare to excel in interviews.

10 Best Ways to Get More Executive Job Interviews

How To Brand Your Executive Job Interviews to Land the Gig

Monitoring Your Online Reputation

What if executive recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies find “digital dirt” when they Google “your name”? If you don’t self-Google regularly, you may never know. Keep an eye on your online footprint, so you can quickly fix it.

Why You Need to Self-Google Once a Week

Supplement these posts with my comprehensive guide to personal branding and executive job search:

23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search and How Your Brand Will Help You Land . . . A practical guide to executive branding, marketing your ROI value and navigating the new world of job search