Landing a great-fit executive job today – that is, one that mutually benefits both you, the job seeker, and the employer – does not work the way it did even a few years ago.
With more qualified candidates often competing for fewer jobs, and the impact of the digital age, job search requires focus, hard work, and new strategies.
Because many of them haven’t been in the job market since everything changed, the c-suite job seekers I encounter either expect all the old ways to still work, or misuse the new job-hunting best practices.
They’re often misguided about how to proceed, not knowing what specific steps they need to take to meet their career goals.
And if they do understand that finding a job is a full time job, they don’t realize that job search these days catapults them into entrepreneurship, running their own company of one. That requires a marketing strategy and over-arching action plan to manage their time, relationships, and finances . . . all aided by a supportive network.
Before diving into job-hunting, they need to understand and embrace the linear path successful job search follows:
- Targeting
- Industry and company research
- Personal branding
- Personal marketing content creation (resume, bio, LinkedIn profile, etc.)
- Online presence-building
- Networking (social networking and one-on-one in-person networking)
- Interview preparation
- Salary/benefits negotiation with job offers.
Instead, too many plow ahead, guided by outdated, sometimes toxic notions that can sabotage their chances and prolong their search.
Here are 5 of the worst toxic executive job search beliefs, with links to full articles on each one:
1. “First things first. I’ve got to get my resume together.”
You can’t write your resume or LinkedIn profile until you know who you’re targeting so your content will speak to them.
2. “I don’t need personal branding. I’m not a brand. I’m a person!”
Why personal branding is no longer optional in executive job search.
3. “I don’t have time for social networks and I don’t like the idea of putting myself ‘out there’ online. So I won’t.”
If you’re not visible online, you may never be found by the very people you need to be smack dab in front of.
4. “My branded resume and LinkedIn profile are ready. Time to hit the job boards hard.”
Job boards typically yield a dismal estimated 5% success rate, especially for c-suite and senior-level executives.
5. “I’m terrible at networking. I hate asking people for favors. I’ll skip that part.”
Without networking, you can’t get to the goldmine of “hidden jobs” at your target companies.
Bottom line:
Sure, you may land a great-fit job even if you hold fast to these toxic beliefs. You may even hit the jackpot early in your search.
It happens. But you may not be so lucky. You may prolong the time it takes to get yourself into a good-fit job by being resistant to, or unaware of, the best, new job search strategies.
More About Today’s Executive Job Search
My popular ebook – 23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search and How Your Brand Will Help You Land
How Do I Find a Job in the “Hidden” Job Market?
The New 10-Step Executive Personal Branding Worksheet
How to Network Your Way Into a Great-Fit Executive Job
Social Proof: Where Online Presence Meets Personal Branding
How to Write An Irresistible C-level Executive Resume in 10 Steps
