Executive Career Insights

Personal Branding - The Only Solution In Today's Recession-Packed Job Search

I was recently interviewed by Rene Prewitt of KISS 102.3 FM in Detroit regarding personal branding for today's jobseekers. It seems like Detroit still outranks the national average for unemployment and professionals are really worrying that their next job is going to be months and months away.

The reality is that your executive job search will most likely take longer in today's economy. However, if you are still bound to the computer and hanging onto the hope that your dream job will appear on the screen - you will be go color blind from the computer screen before that happens.

Personal branding is how you define your unique value and authenticity to potential employers. It is not a marketing slogan or a fancy sounding phrase - it is taking a deep look at what you consistently deliver to employers.

Generic phrases like:

"I am a true team player"
"I always get the job done"
"I am very committed to my career"
"I am a very loyal employee"

None of these qualities are bad, but when you are trying to make a lasting impression, you need to give the potential employer more to consider.

Here is the link to my interview aired on Sunday, July 17th, 2008.

Generic Executive Resume Objectives - Just Plain Bad!!!

I will admit that the standard, generic executive resume objectives drive me up a wall. Well meaning, intelligent job seekers spend so much energy writing "me-oriented" career objectives.

Some of my favorite resume objective blunders - do NOT send your resume out with anything like these:

Resume Objective: "To obtain a position where I can maximize my multilayer of skills managing my own successful business, successful sales executive, general contractor, marketing, training experience, office manager, office assistant, customer service, organization, and motivation."

Gee - that's a whole lot going on there - what are you seeking?

Resume Objective: "To contribute to the continual success of the administration utilizing my skills in management and supervision."

Okay - whose administration - the Bush administration?

Employers want and need to know how you will help them. According to a recent survey of hiring managers by Katherine Hansen, the author of Top-Notch Executive Resumes (with a resume sample from yours truly), the resume objective is one of many pet peeves. An excerpt from her report states:

"Most people in hiring positions do not read Objective statements. "Omit objective statements [because] the applicant, as a matter of principal, has no objective; the company has the objective," advised Kennedy.  "Whatever you write, your objective is to get a job," said Alison, a corporate recruiter for a specialized information provider.

"I can never figure out why people think employers are breathlessly waiting to provide them with opportunities. I am especially puzzled when it is in an executive resume," noted Joy Montgomery, owner of Structural Integrity in California."

Instead of stating the obvious combine a title header with a strong branding statement and summary section. Which candidate sounds better to you:

Candidate A: Seeking a challenging leadership position where I can utilize my strengths in manufacturing and production.

Candidate B:

SENIOR MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVE

Bringing World-Class Performance and Compliance To Manufacturing and Production Operations

Infusing global manufacturing operations with advanced, state-of-the art engineering solutions that streamline processes, curtail hazardous waste costs, and elevate environmental and safety standards

It's the same candidate, just a stronger message....remember it's all about what the employers want.

Personal Branding + Career Achievements = Personal Career Distinction

One of the most common mistakes I see on executive resumes is the laundry list of job responsibilities - this only tells the reader what you are paid to do, but says nothing about what you have done well and how you have made an impact.

There are two aspects to executive job searching that you need to keep in mind - highlighting your top, career-defining achievements and demonstrating the consistent trend or theme in those achievements.

In other words, you may have exceeded your sales objectives through out your career, but can you explain how or why?

- has it been through customer expansion?
- was it through upselling to existing customers?
- did you contribute ideas for new product and service development?
- do you operate better in a brand new market or do you need to work in an established market?
- are you great at motivating the rest of the sales team, so that everyone succeeds?

Really understanding your top strengths and what differentiates you from the rest of the big players in your industry or marketplace helps you to know how to position yourself on paper; introduce yourself in meetings; demonstrate through career success stories the value you bring to employers, etc.

I want to pose a question to you:

If you were among the final three candidates for your ideal job, what do you believe you have that would give you the edge over the others?

Assume that the rest of the candidates are qualified and have impressive achievements - what is it that will keep you in the forefront of employers' minds.

Answer this question and you are well on your way to understanding your personal brand.

Networking For Job Search and Career Management

I was pleasantly surprised recently when during one of job search techniques workshop for transitioning and retiring military professionals, one of the participants offered a great suggestion. He pointed out that in order to really make the networking exercise make sense, the entire class should create a sign-in sheet with their names, email addresses, and job search targets.

I was happy! Finally, someone really gets it. Networking is not some vague notion of people standing in a room passing around business cards and resumes, it can be a simple as making a promise to another jobseeker that "I will support you through this process - you keep an eye out for jobs that I am interested in and I will do the same for you."

Networking is vital for everyone, not just job seekers. As a soloprenuer, I depend heavily on networking to support my business and identify opportunities for new business ventures, partnerships, and consulting projects. The last three consulting projects I secured all came through networking.

But, like anything else in life, you have to build, nurture, and protect your network in order to reap the benefits.

Chris Brogan offers some valuable strategies for keeping your network alive.  According to him:

"If you lose your job today, how many people can you reach, and who would be helpful? Think harder about the names of those people. Have you talked with them lately in ANY form?

How do you stay connected to your network’s news? Do you watch the news stream on LinkedIn? Do you watch the updates on Facebook, Friendfeed, and other social networks? 20 minutes or less on these platforms often gives you some interesting pieces of information, and might sometimes prompt a message out to people in your network."

How are you keeping up with your network?

The Truth About Today's Job Search

If you have been feverishly launching a job search that seems to be getting nowhere, I want to know, "What have you been doing?"

If more than 50% of your time has been spent online responding to job postings or posting your resume to various career sites, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these are the facts:

• Your emails are most likely being deleted. It is simply overwhelming to the hiring  managers because they have too many emailed resumes from solicited and unsolicited resources.

• There are over 40 million (that's right) resumes posted through the major online career sites and the success rate is only between 1% to 3%! Still wondering why you are not getting responses?

• Seventy to eighty percent (70% to 80%) of job opportunities are filled through networking and personal contacts. No, your dream job is not waiting online at a career site for you to find it....furthermore, every 2 to 3 jobs you find online do not compare to the 7 to 8 other jobs out there you have not seen. If everyone is chasing the same jobs, how can you expect to succeed?

• Recruiters usually charge companies 30% of your salary to the companies who hire them, so what about the companies that want to hire without a recruiter? You cannot know about those opportunities unless you are actively networking.

Landing your "dream job" is going to take a lot more than online job search expertise. You have to be proactive and being proactive translates to researching companies, finding contacts through online social/professional sites like LinkedIn, networking at annual events and industry conferences, and finding the hidden job market.

One of my colleagues, Sue Campbell summarizes it well:

"There has been a lot of discussion over the last decade regarding the "Hidden Job Market." Does it exist? And if so, where is it and how can you get a piece of the action? The truth is, the "Hidden Job Market" isn't really hidden, and tapping into it simply requires a bit of outside-the-box thinking.

It doesn't mean you can forgo the routine procedures and protocols of an ordinary job search. It does mean throwing your net as far and wide as you're willing, in order to gain the largest amount of exposure and opportunities possible. Tapping into the "hidden job market" requires real effort and legwork on the part of the job candidate."

Botox For Your Executive Resume

The Today Show recently did a segment on "De-Aging Your Resume" and highlighted an interesting story about a 49 year-old reporter seeking employment.

I am still asking the question when did 40 become old?

The show offers a lot of excellent advice on strategies that you can employ to improve your job search success....it brings up the question - are we being forced to hide our age and pretend to be someone else or is it just about surviving the job search?

I would love to hear your thoughts....check out the video

PS: I talked about some of these same issues in an earlier blog: Are You Aging Yourself Out of A Job?

Seven Ways To Tell Why Your Executive Resume Is Not Generating Interviews

I am frequently contacted by executive jobseekers who are looking to make a career move or who have been unexpectedly thrust into unemployment.

Whatever leads you to the job search, the first document you will be asked to produce will be your executive resume. If you have not done a resume in a long time, need to revise an outdated version, or simply what to make sure that you are on the right track for marketing yourself on paper - you will want to take advantage of this opportunity.

Join me on Wednesday, July 30th at 6 PM EST as I lead participants through seven tried and true techniques for transforming your executive resume into a strategic marketing document.....after all, your executive resume is only as good as the next interview it can get you.

Register today - after 200 participants, we close the class...you don't want to miss it

PS: We have some GREAT bonuses for you...

Bouncing Back After A Layoff

Dealing with the emotional and financial challenges of a sudden layoff or downsize is tough enough and often navigating today's job search can be daunting and downright scary.

If you have not conducted a job search in more than 10 years, you will find that the entire job search process as you knew has changed. From resume postings and resume blasting programs to online career sites and recruiters, you can become lost in the shuffle without a clear plan.

Take one step at a time:

• Deal with the emotional aspect of the job loss - we often identity ourselves, our personal worth, and our rightful place in society based on our jobs. With that being gone, it is easy to give in to depression and doubt if you are not careful.

• Don't burn bridges - you may feel angry or betrayed, but don't use this time to take your frustrations out on your boss or former colleagues - they can play a strategic role in your job search success.

• Get letters of recommendations and testimonials - remember if you have not burned bridges, you can get referrals, kudos, and positive comments from individuals who worked closely with you - from managers to customers.

• Outplacement and career transition services - Many companies will automatically pay for outplacement and career transition services with a local company - take full advantage of those services or negotiate for them as part of your severance package.

• Revise and update your resume - if you have not been diligent with updating your resume every year, it would be worthwhile to consider an entire resume overhaul.  Besides hiring an executive resume writer, consult books by Wendy Enelow like "Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs" and Best Cover Letters for $100,000+ Jobs"

• Get LinkedIn - LinkedIn continues to the best online social networking site for executives and senior professionals. With easy access to thousands of recruiters and key decision makers, you can also get connected to former colleagues, college alumni, friends, and anyone else who can help you make the right connections.

• Identify an executive job search support group - don't go it alone. Find a positive, high-energy team of professionals who meet regularly in person or virtually for ongoing encouragement, motivation, networking, and job referrals.

Online Job Boards - To Use or Not to Use

While I can tell you time and time again that limiting yourself to online job search activities is not effective, I know that is always the first tactic you will use when looking for new opportunities.

I know I cannot twist your arm, but consider this (the words according to Jason Alba, one of my colleagues and former frustrated job seekers)

"I spent over 90% of my time, 60 hours a week, on job boards.  I totally neglected other methods, and had a very unbalanced job search strategy. If only 3% (or 25%) of jobs are found from job boards, why do you spend more than 3% (or 25%) of your time on job boards?"

In other words, put your efforts where you will get the most return.

This is what I suggest:

1. Get signed up with a few (maybe two or three) specialty, niche job boards according to your industry and geographic preference
2. Set up job board search agents or email alerts so that you are not spending 20 hours a day researching positions that match your background
3. Use resources like LinkedIn and Facebook to connect with key decision makers at companies who have listed job openings.
4. Move beyond the online arena to talk directly with people at networking events, conferences, special forums, etc.

Don't ignore the job boards, just don't make it your only job search strategy

Maximize The Internet To Market Yourself

Aaah, there is nothing like a well-deserved break and time away from work to recharge. I took a short trip to New York to attend a friend's wedding and spend time with family.

We all know that looking for a job feels like a full-time job - be sure to take time out for a break or you will drive yourself crazy. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some "cool" online tools that could help you market yourself.

• VisualCV.com - a quick and simple way to develop an online resume or career portfolio and it works. Read how some jobseekers have used it to land new positions.

• 15secondpitch.com - remember I told you about the importance of having an elevator pitch memorized, well this site takes you through step-by-step questions to create a catchy, distinctive pitch. Here is what they helped me come up with:

"My name is Abby Locke and I am an Executive Career Strategist specializing in helping senior executives excel in their marketplace through personal brand distinction. I create and conceptualize highly-customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents that capture their true personal brand, value proposition, core competencies, personality traits and really set them apart from their peers."

• LinkedIn - create a distinctive profile with high Google rankings and link to key people in your network, find old colleagues, reach out to former classmates - get everyone onboard with your job search process.