I guess no one is really ready for executive job search until they’re forced into it.
But I’ve found that many job seekers dive in before understanding how today’s executive job search works . . . causing missteps and possibly prolonging the search process in unproductive, anxiety-ridden ways.
Some people have the luxury of contemplating, learning about and planning a career move while safely employed.
Others are suddenly laid off, or sense a layoff looming. They don’t have an open-ended time frame.
Without knowing better, they rush to quickly update their resume with generic information, and get it out there on the job boards fast.
After a few weeks or months with little good response, they realize that they need to re-think and re-boot in some way. All that time was wasted on ineffective methods.
This is why I always advise that it’s best to first take time to learn about today’s executive job search, and plan your strategy.
7 Questions to See If You’re Ready for Executive Job Search
To see if you’re ready for executive job search, ask yourself these 7 questions. If you answer “NO” to any of them, you may not be ready:
1. Can you clearly describe what kind of job you’re looking for, with which companies?
Without a succinct “elevator pitch”, naming particular companies or specific kinds of companies you’re targeting and the kind of work you want to do, people won’t know how to help you.
And you won’t have the driving focus you need to succeed. Start your job search by targeting specific employers and researching what makes you a good fit for their current pressing needs.
If you need help determining which companies are right for you, read my post, 7 Tips to Build Your Executive Job Search Target Companies List.
Once you have your target list, see my post, Best Ways and Places to Research Your Target Employers.
2. Have you Googled “your name” within the past week?
People assessing you, like executive recruiters and other hiring professionals, Google the names of candidates before reaching out to them.
You need to know what they will find about you, so you can assess and clean up your online presence, if need be.
Will their search reveal anything negative about you, whether or not you posted it yourself?
Do you need to do damage control by taking down anything you posted that reflects badly on you, and trying to take down anything negative someone else has posted about you?
Get in the habit of self-Googling regularly. More in my post, Why You Need to Self-Google Once a Week in Job Search
3. Have you embraced personal branding in your job search?
Employers want to know more about you than your hard skills, or areas of expertise. They want to get a feel for your personality, how you work with others, how you communicate, what kind of leader you are, and how you make things happen.
Personal branding helps you differentiate the value you offer over your job search competitors.
Define your personal brand with my Personal Branding Worksheet.
4. Have you written a branded resume, LinkedIn profile, and other materials that position you as a good-fit?
These materials – especially your LinkedIn profile – will probably be the first things people who can help you reach your career goals will see about you.
In these documents and profiles you have the opportunity to present the whole “you”, your hard skills and softer skills that, combined, represent your unique promise of value to your target employers.
Do they clearly convey the unique value you offer, in terms of areas of expertise, driving strengths, passions and personality?
More in my post, How to Build Personal Brand Content for Executive Job Search.
5. Do you know how to network your way into the goldmine of “hidden” jobs?
The perfect job for you may never be advertised anywhere! You can only get to it, and other good-fit opportunities, by networking your way into the companies.
You may have heard about the hidden executive job market, but do you really know what it is, why it exists, and how to take advantage of it?
One of the many benefits of networking into your target companies is that it leads you to connect with employees who may be willing to refer you as a good-fit candidate.
These referrals are a win-win-win for you, the referring employee and the employer:
- You get closer to landing the job
- The employee may receive some kind of reward for the referral
- The employer gets a more cost effective way to bring on a new hire
So companies are very much in favor of hiring referred candidates.
Although they may not be well-known within the company, referred candidates are at least somewhat known. And people are more likely to hire people they know at least somewhat over complete strangers applying for jobs without knowing someone working at the company.
Beyond this comfort factor, each qualified referred candidate can save the company tens of thousands of dollars over other hiring methods.
More in my post, How to Network Your Way Into a Great-Fit Executive Job.
6. Do you know how to best use LinkedIn to advance your search?
Of all the social networks, LinkedIn is THE place online to connect with people you know, expand your network, demonstrate your subject matter expertise, network and be found by executive recruiters and hiring professionals.
NOT having a robust LinkedIn profile and regular activity on the platform can mark you as out of date with the new world of work. It can also potentially subject you to age discrimination, if you’re over 50.
More in my Essential LinkedIn Guide for Today’s Executive Job Search.
7. Do you know how to get more job interviews, and then brand and ace them?
Job interviews at the companies you’re targeting won’t likely just come to you, without some preparation and work. More in my post, 10 Best Ways to Get More Executive Job Interviews.
Of course, once you land interviews, you’ll need to perform well.
Get ready to answer all the tough questions, and know what questions YOU should ask. Psych yourself to perform well and avoid making mistakes. Know how to follow up – even if you’re not hired – to stay top-of-mind.
More in my Guide to Executive Job Interviews: The How-To’s, Why’s and Best Practices.