Over a year ago I decided to write an ebook to guide executives through defining their brand and navigating today’s job search.
After all, I’d been blogging and writing articles about this for several years. I had lots of good content to work from. Most of the work was done, right? I figured it wouldn’t take very much time. Just piece it all together, make adjustments to keep it flowing and then figure out how to package, market and sell it.
So, back then, I wrote a basic outline and came up a boring title, something like – “Executive Branding and Your Job Search”.
I knew I had to cover the following areas and detail the strategies involved with each:
- Job Search Targeting
- Personal Branding
- Resumes and Other Career Marketing Documents
- Online Identity
- Social Networking and Social Media
- Networking
- Interviewing
That took me about 10 minutes. And there it sat for almost a year. I’d go back to my outline from time to time, but did nothing with it. I wasn’t excited about working on it. Probably because my approach wasn’t inciting me to move forward. It was too much like so many other how-to job search books.
Then, last December, I had a breakthrough that instantly revved me up. Why not work from the questions executive job seekers ask me every day that point to their utter confusion about how to find a job? The wrong thinking that keeps them from landing the jobs they deserved.
Suddenly it all made sense! What I had to do in my ebook was address their sabotaging ways and, step by step, walk them through shifting their mindset and mastering the new world of search.
The new working title and sub-titles are:
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
Here’s where I’m at now. The table of contents is done and all the content is together, within each chapter. I’m still covering all those critical topics, plus some others. I’m working on editing, updating it and adding new thoughts, information and resources. While editing, I’m enjoying the process of making a cohesive and, hopefully engaging, flow of information.
And here are some of the chapter titles:
- “I spend 6 hours a day on the job boards. I’ve sent out hundreds of resumes! How come nothing’s happening?”
- “I keep hearing about the ‘hidden job market’. What is it and how do I find it?”
- “I think personal branding is a crock. I’m not a brand. I’m a person!!!”
- “My resume stinks. It doesn’t give a good impression of me. I’m getting negative feedback.”
- “Self-Google? I’m not THAT vain!”
- “How will recruiters and my target employers find me on LinkedIn?”
Initially, I plan to only offer this as an ebook. The content includes quite a few hyperlinks to various critical resources. I hesitate losing those in a hard copy.
I’m hoping to be done compiling and editing the document in the next few weeks, but decided not to stress myself out with a specific deadline.
Stay tuned. I’ll probably write another post about it before the launch.
Cross-posted at Executive Career Brand.
Related posts:
Executive Branding and the New Rules of C-level Job Search
You’re a C-level Executive Job Seeker and You’re NOT Blogging?
10 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Online Without a Blog
photo by Perfecto Insecto
