Executive Career Brand™

Executive Job Search - Personal Branding, Executive Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Biographies, etc.

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Deftly Track and Organize Your Executive Job Search

organize your executive job search

With so much going on, you need to organize your executive job search and track progress.

The last thing you need is to waste time backtracking on details like which version of your resume you sent where, or what day you sent out the resumes.

Having a system in place at the onset will keep your eye on the prize, and less on the tedious details that can bog things down.

A well-organized job search makes for a less stressful job search.

One important aspect is setting reasonable goals for each day, week and month that you’re job hunting.

But how do you pull it all together in a manageable and time-saving way?

Before you dive into the suggestions below, you should have already completed the following job search first steps:

If you do all the things above, you’ll be way ahead of the many executive job seekers who don’t do them, or do them half-heartedly.

How to Organize Your Executive Job Search

It’s best to get these things in place before starting your job search, but you can still set things up even if you’re already in the thick of it.

Get your job search references in order

list of references

When you organize your executive job search, one of the things you should do early on is to create your references list.

But a list of references should not be hastily put together. You need to put thought into who goes on your list.

Weak, or in any way negative, references can kill your chances of being made an offer. They can turn around that employer’s previous glowing impression of you.

Hopefully, you haven’t waited until now to compile your list of references.

Take the time to pull together a potent group of people who are best qualified to reinforce your personal brand and confirm the value you offer.

Identify good possible candidates for your reference list, including:

  • Co-workers at current and recent previous companies, at all levels – your peers, those below you and those above you.
  • Members of your employers’ Boards of Directors, especially if you’re a c-suite or top-level executive.
  • Vendors and customers of your employer with whom you’ve worked closely.
  • Thought leaders and subject matter experts in your industry or area of expertise, that know you and your work.
  • Managers/leaders and people you worked with when you did relevant volunteer work.

Name your resume files properly

Whether you’re responding to job postings or sending out your resume when networking, you’ll need various resume versions, designed to resonate with each particular employer.

Most of your resume will probably remain the same, but see if you need to modify parts of it (such as the crucial above-the-fold spot) to best position yourself as a good fit.

Before sending out your various resume versions in response to job postings, get in the habit of properly naming your resume files.

The best and simplest option is the following:

your first name last name job title.docx

So a resume file name for me, for a Project Manager job, would look like this:

MegGuiseppiProjectManager.docx

The specifics in the file name accomplish two things:

  • Make it super easy for people receiving your emailed resume to save it without renaming it.
  • Make it much easier for you to distinguish between the various resume versions.

And for your own files, use the same kind of file-naming system for the various cover letters you send out.

As you’re applying for jobs or sending out your resume when networking, be sure to note in your job search tracking spreadsheet the file names of the resume and cover letter versions you sent.

Create a schedule for job search time

schedule job search time

If you’re like many executive job seekers, you’re currently employed but planning a career change, which means your job search time will probably be limited.

Even if you’re unemployed, you no doubt have things going on and will need to hold yourself accountable to spend time on job search.

One good way to organize your executive job search to stay on track is to schedule in blocks of time on your calendar to devote to your search, at the beginning of each week or month.

You can use a spreadsheet or have your calendar app send you reminders.

Once something is on your calendar, you’re less likely to forget and more likely to get it done.

And speaking of scheduling, make it easy for the people you contact to schedule time with you for a call by using an appointment app like Calendly. You send them a link to your calendar and they can quickly put themselves on it. No back and forth via email to schedule a time.

Keep track of the jobs you apply to

track executive job search

I urge you not to spend the entirety (or even majority) of your time responding to job board postings.

Accept the fact that at the executive level, you’ll need to do a lot of networking, and do it well.

There are executive jobs that are never advertised, and the only way to access these “hidden” jobs is through networking.

But since you will be using job boards some of the time, creating a digital (or even paper) spreadsheet to track your job applications is a necessity.

The job site Indeed suggested what to include:

  • Company name: The first column should state the names of all organizations that you apply to.
  • Company information: Next, add details regarding each company, such as location, products or services they offer and their number of employees.
  • Person of contact: Include the name of the employee handling the recruiting process for each job you apply for.
  • Contact information: After their name, write down the email address and phone number of your person of contact for each organization.
  • Date of application: Make sure to include the date you submit each application.
  • Date of interview: You should also write down the date of any scheduled interviews.
  • Follow-up: Include a record of any follow-up messages with each organization you applied for.
  • Status: Specify the current situation with each application, and keep this updated as you progress in your job search.
  • Listing source: Take note of the online or offline resources where you found each job you applied for.
  • Job rating: Finally, include your personal preference for each position compared to others you have applied for. This could be on a scale of 1-10 or 1-100.

Keep track of your networking efforts

track executive job search networking

If you’ve already done your targeting and research on the companies you want to work for, you’ll have a good-sized list of companies.

If you’re networking well, you’ll be in touch with lots of different kinds of people, including recruiters, employers and employees at your target companies.

Sometimes your conversations with these people will be about asking them for jobs. Other times you’ll have informational interviews, which are not about that.

Again, set up a spreadsheet or table similar to the one from Indeed outlined above and in it include:

  • Company name
  • Company information
  • Contact person
  • Contact information
  • Dates you connected with them and what was discussed
  • Follow-up
  • Status

The best job search technology tools

Hannah Morgan, the Career Sherpa, has pulled together a terrific list of technologies and other tools to make the job search experience that much easier.

In it you’ll find things like these to help you organize your executive job search:

 
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