Exectuive-i Blog - Designed for the executive

The job-searching landscape has changed immeasurably over the last 10 years. Routes to market are plentiful and more importantly everyone is so much more visible.

Technological advancement can take most of the blame of course, whether it’s introductions through email and jobsites/ portals or through networking via social media and mobile platforms.

All of these routes are extremely powerful and, as Kersty has alluded to, it is extremely important to look after your digital footprint and maximise your selling points.

However, what if you’ve been on the lookout without success; or are not progressing in your current role; or perhaps you’re out of work and like an increasingly significant portion of the workforce have been searching for over 12 months.

Is there anything you can do to strengthen your position? Of course there is, as I’ve intimated in earlier blogs the basics are always the same however you need to make the most of the tools available to you in a measured way.

This takes me back to the beginning of this article, the Internet provides a platform for increased exposure to opportunities however it can also hinder your chances.

The most attractive candidates are those that are continually looking to improve themselves, get involved, keep ahead of the market, innovate and succeed.

If you have a digital footprint, it needs to ooze the skillsets and relevant successes that your future role requires – it must only show what you did and how well you did it, how you achieved it in terms of management style and approach can be communicated at interview (you can also use endorsements as an indirect way of communicating this).

So what can you do to address this?

Contribute/ Speak – there are a number of options to contribute, writing a management blog for instance, setting up a Twitter account and linking it to your LinkedIn status is another. Back in the day when online research was non-existent recruitment researchers would have limited resources but the main ones would be industry journals, newspapers, conferences etc – make your opinion a valued one, enhance your prominence in your industry and through your peers.

Scratch someones back – push leads to your network or through to a desired contact and you never know how the favour will be returned. I’m not talking about endorsements (these need to be earned) but referring business and employment opportunities etc are a good way of not only building your network but maintaining your network and real-time visibility.

Charity/ Voluntary – fill employment gaps with voluntary work, many are cash strapped and grateful for advice on how to streamline their business and grow their revenues and fundraising initiatives in this difficult climate – some companies won’t take on NED’s without some voluntary work and extra curricular experience.

Non Executive Director/ Pro-bono/ Consultancy – perhaps you’re at a stage where your vast experience could be used at the board level in a Non-Exec capacity. This could be a complete change in career strategy or could help to smooth over any career gaps. If you’re new to the game and can afford to, consider some pro-bono work.

Qualifications / Training – an executive is much more attractive when they are continually looking to improve and innovate, keeping up with the market and addressing any skill gaps. There are courses of varying duration and time of day to get involved with at various business/ management schools. I’ve always thought Prince2 was a pretty handy course for instance or, if you can afford it, there’s always an MBA which is highly regarded by some firms.

Extra Curricular – Getting involved in areas outside of your work is also an attractive feature and can help to plug the gap and, more importantly, keep you engaged and positive day-to-day. Project managing the renovation of a investment property for instance, starting a part-time unrelated venture, becoming a member of your children’s PTA or a manor association or social club etc.

Overall, whatever you do online or offline, quality supersedes quantity and will help you to focus your efforts.

All the best with your search…

Kersty Bletso, from Harvey Nash’s CIO Practice recruitment practice, shares her views on what makes for effective personal branding.

Personal Branding still has a stigma attached to it that leads people to believe it is about self promotion and bragging. This is not the case. It is a concept that has increasing credibility and touches all levels of individuals within an organisation.

If we talk about branding as a concept everyone thinks of products and services. We think of Coca Cola and McDonalds, Microsoft and Apple. We know what those brands mean and what they stand for, the messages are universal. Yet when we talk of “personal branding” there is, for the most part at least, a raised eye brow; but why should this be the case? When we think about what personal branding is the general view is that it is people putting on a front, being something they are not, that somehow they are being inauthentic and fake. Post banking crisis this is something the world is looking for in its leaders, the people who are true to what they believe and are not afraid to say what they think.

Having recently run a workshop with Jennifer Holloway of Spark, she perhaps has the best definition: Personal branding is what people say about you when you are not in the room. It is not about what you project or what you think of yourself. It is the views and opinions other people have of you. These are formulated by the lasting impressions you make  when you meet.

It is critical to understand that you personal brand is NOT about being something you are not but about ensuring you are aware of what you are. There a multiple levels to this, my top 5 are outlined below:

Understand your online brand presence

Just as when you go for a new role the first thing you do is look at the organisation and their profile on the internet, Linkedin is the first place any prospective employer and any head-hunter will look. You need to make sure that your profile is current, that there is a level of detail about your roles and responsibilities. Your profile should be written in the first person and define what drives you and what is important to you, your values, motivations and ambitions. This can be as succinct or as detailed as you choose and it depends on you and your personality. List the books you are reading and what interests you have as it creates a more rounded version of you. Make sure you have a photograph, not one of you on the beach but how people would see you in a work environment.

What are your personal values?

What is it that defines you – what are the immutable truths about you that you do not waver on? Is this integrity? Honesty? Ask yourself the question.  When have you ever really sat down and thought about what you stand for? What are your core values? What you would and what would you not? If you are perceived as being genuine, if  people know that you will be nothing other than yourself then whilst they may not agree with what you say they will at least respect you for saying it.

What is it about you that makes you stand out from other people?

Understand what experiences you have and what is it about you that makes you stand out from other people. What is it that makes you unique? If you are going for interview make sure you research the people you are going to see; where have they worked where there may be common ground, look at their hobbies and interests.

Authenticity is everything

Your personal brand is not about being something that you are not, it is about understanding who you are, what motivates you and being true to that. People can see through fronts and facades and won’t warm to someone who essentially lies. Temper the honesty and authenticity with a modicum of common sense, No one should turn up to an interview and be facetious or argumentative, to steal another companies brand “it’s you but on a good day”.

Accept that you are not to everybody’s taste…

There is no real reason some people like Coke over Pepsi and Burger King over McDonalds. It is just personal preference. If you are not a good “cultural fit” or the was no chemistry between you and the person you are meeting it does not mean you are a bad person or that you should be looking deep inside and be critical about yourself. As long as you are true to your values and confident in who you are you will find a role and organisation that is reflective of your values.  Why would you want to work for an organisation that made you work in a way that you were not comfortable with, and whose values did not closely reflect your own?

Kersty Bletso is the Head of CIO Practice at Harvey Nash

Lead change, don’t be swallowed by it.

By Matthew Richardson, Editor, EC-Insight

IT has been pervasive in business for a long time, but more recently cloud, social media, mobile computing and “own” devices have become pervasive too. Are senior IT execs going to lead the change or be swallowed by it? It is clear that the sands are shifting, and at an increasingly rapid pace too. Standard Life’s CIO has left, and his role will no longer exist. “We’ve been moving towards a model where the responsibility for IT is embedded in each business unit, rather than one large central function” a spokesman said.

So what is important in order to be indispensable or highly employable as the general markets for products, services and jobs become increasingly difficult in the coming months?

Here are two hotspots that our editors have identified at EC Insight:

1. Social Media

A thorough understanding of social media, together with a considered strategy that aligns with the goals of the business. CEOs are taking social media increasingly seriously and are keen to see the results that this new area offers.

2. Mobile

As the adoption of smartphones and tablet devices continues apace, the organisation’s mobile strategy and systems development is rising quickly up the agenda. It is increasingly considered a ‘must have’ both for internal and external work-flow, collaboration and interaction within the organisation.

Additionally, we see a couple of danger areas to be aware of:

Avoid the public sector

Recent reports indicate employment in the public sector could hamper an IT executive’s career because of the perception that the technologies and techniques used there are less up-to-date.

Stay young

Some consider age bias to be particularly prevalent in the IT sector. To avoid it one must develop and maintain relevant and current skills as well as ensure that one’s attitudes do not become narrow-minded.

Probably the best advice in today’s environment is to run a tight ship and continue to innovate.