Even the very best executive resume is not enough . . .
- If it isn’t used with executive job search best practices
- And, if you haven’t backed it up with social proof.
Occasionally, I’ll see an executive resume created by the candidate that is a very good career marketing document.
They have done all these things:
- Targeted their resume toward specific employers and the qualifications for specific jobs with those employers
- Included value-driven metrics that show their target employers why they need to hire them
- Included the relevant keywords needed for their resume to pass through Applicant Tracking Systems
- Positioned themselves as a good-fit candidate for the kinds of jobs they’re seeking, with the employers they want to work for.
Sure, it may not showcase their personal brand. And it may need some tweaking here and there.
But, in my opinion, it should generate SOME response when put into action properly.
Yet they’re getting ZERO TO LITTLE RESPONSE to their resume.
When I ask them how they’re using the resume, they say they’ve responded to hundreds of job postings on various job boards.
This is their only job search activity, or where they’re spending the vast majority of their time.
They spends dizzying hours every day perusing job listings.
They can’t figure out why very little is happening. After all, they’re working hard at job search. They’re using the internet. They feel they’ve embraced the latest and best job search strategies for the digital age.
Once I do a quick Google search of “their name”, I know what’s wrong.
Job seekers with even the very best executive resume may not succeed if . . .
They’re invisible online:
- They have no LinkedIn profile, or a bare-bones one.
- They have little to no activity on LinkedIn (posting comments, updates and articles, and reacting to others’ posts).
- There are no meaningful, relevant web pages associated with their name.
- They have little to no social networking or social media presence.
- In other words, nothing of value about them will appear in a search of “their name” by people assessing them as a candidate.
No wonder their job search is stuck in neutral.
They’re spending 100% of their time (or close to it) on a method that often yields a low success rate in landing a job.
To get anywhere, they’ll need to create a job search strategy that relies much less on using job boards. They need to devote most of their efforts to methods that yield the best results.
Armed with a branded, targeted resume, here’s what savvy executive job seekers know and do:
1. Networking gets the job!
Your mission is to network your way into the companies you’ve targeted your resume toward.
Networking is the only way to tap into the hidden job market. These are jobs (especially at the c-suite and other top executive levels) that are never advertised. You will have to become at least somewhat known at the company to be considered.
Work on circumventing the gatekeepers (for as long as possible). Connect directly with key hiring decision makers where they hang out online and offline.
In fact, connect with employees at almost any professional level at those companies, to become a known entity there. One of the best ways to land a job is through referral from an insider at the company.
Turn back to the company and industry research you did. Determine how to align your value-add with your target companies’ needs and get that info into your resume.
Clearly show in your resume that you have what they need, to help them meet current pressing needs and solve current challenges.
Some ways to network well:
- Identify key decision makers and employees at your target companies. LinkedIn (company) Pages and each company’s website will help.
- Look at all your contacts to see if anyone has a connection to your target companies.
- Ask for introductions to those key decision makers so you can do informational interviews with them.
- Leverage LinkedIn to network towards making first degree connections with those key hiring decision makers.
- Participate in LinkedIn Groups, especially those Groups the hiring decision makers belong to.
- Embrace the other social media platforms heavily used by recruiters and hiring professionals – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
- Cultivate relationships with several recruiters specializing in your niche.
- Set up Google Alerts to notify you when relevant industry and company news is posted online.
2. Build a diverse, vibrant online presence
The various people who will be assessing you as a candidate want to find diverse information about you online. They will favor candidates with a strong online footprint over those without one.
Think about what they’re tasked with doing. They need to find out as much as they can about candidates, before they bring them into the interview process, which is costly.
Support your personal brand and good-fit candidacy, and make yourself easy to find online. Provide social proof that corroborates the claims you’ve made in your resume and elsewhere.
Some ways to build your online presence:
- If you’re not on LinkedIn, get to work creating a strong profile with plenty of content.
- Make sure your LinkedIn profile reinforces your brand and contains the right keywords, in the right places, to help you get found.
- Make a habit of spending a little time each day on LinkedIn posting updates and commenting on or reacting to other people’s posts.
- Use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to write articles supporting your subject matter expertise.
- Post regularly to your other social media accounts – Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Set up a YouTube account and add video and other visuals to your social media activity.
- Create an Amazon (or other online bookseller) profile and write book reviews.
- Self-Google regularly to monitor the results people assessing you will find when they Google your name. If digital dirt creeps in, do what you can immediately to eliminate it.
More in my post, Executive Brand Online Reputation Management: How to Build Your Brand Online.
3. Prepare to excel in interviews
Certainly, after all the work you’ve put into landing those interviews, don’t blow it by not being prepared to answer the tough questions. Also, be prepared to ASK the best questions.
Before each interview:
- Do some in depth research on the company
- Review your resume and other materials
- Prepare and rehearse your answers to questions they may ask
- Prepare the questions YOU will ask your interviewer(s)
- Practice power posing to boost confidence
- Prepare your professional references
- If you’re attending a virtual interview, do special prep for it
- Be prepared to break the ice, in case you’re confronted with an inexperienced or inept interviewer, which happens more than you may think
- Be prepared to reinforce your personal brand and tell your story
And, of course, follow up appropriately and professionally after the interview.
More in my Guide to Executive Job Interviews: The How-To’s, Why’s and Best Practices.
More About Best Executive Resume Practices and Job Search
Are You Tweaking Your Out-Dated Executive Resume To Death?
6 Reasons You Can’t Write Your Own Executive Resume