Exectuive-i Blog - Designed for the executive

Following on from latest weeks blog concerning the human factor in recruitment and networking, I wanted to dispel the flawed perception that the recruitment process grinds to a halt over the summer.

It’s clearly true that the candidate pool is shallower than normal, however that only means less competition for jobseekers still looking.

Requirements don’t vanish and decision makers are often only away for 1 to 2 weeks. Even if advertised positions can be slightly down (although this year and last look to be the exceptions to the seasonal rule), a lot of recruitment occurs less publicly over July and August.

Reducing your work-rate will do yourself a disservice – recruiters and key decision makers will have a little more time to take your call or meet for a coffee. As a recruiter I often ramped up my client prospecting to great effect and jobseekers should do the same.

The better weather means happier people and more opportunity to suggest a change of scenery and meet outside the office.

You’ll also benefit from first mover advantage and can often land that role before it goes out to the mass market. Online networks and social media can facilitate these opportunities more effectively with many leads being found through the likes of LinkedIn and executive-i.com.

Have a productive week…

I’ve mentioned a few times in previous blogs how modern day networking can be extremely impersonal. Technology and more importantly applications/ social media have not evolved enough to cater enough for the all important human factor.

Many candidates spray around their CVs with gay abandon and play the volume game… ‘one of them’s gotta stick’

It also appears lazy, especially when it comes to introductions and friend requests – standard approaches can be extremely flawed. “You are a person I trust” – that’s very kind of you thanks but your statement has little sway when it’s impossible to trust someone who hasn’t the foggiest idea who you are. Ignore… click!

The internet and social media is just another platform to market yourself – it’s more targeted and quicker etc but the two can detract from each other – an unpoliced environment can often lead to mixed boundaries and an inflated perception of oneself. Quicker means easier means less targeted without self control.

Internet speed improvements will make the more personalised introduction a possibility through instant streaming etc, but it’s up to you to make it a reality and there’s nothing like the good old fashioned way.

Add personality to your networking by calling potential contacts and suggest a quick coffee if it’s a speculative introduction. You’re more likely to be remembered for future opportunities and more likely to be endorsed or suggested through social media.

It also has bearance on your future follow ups. Contacts are more likely to take your call – you’ve invested time to come to see them and they’ll invest time (even for a minute) to give you a snapshot of the current market/ pipeline.

It’s also a great way to get leads and ideas for your jobsearch strategy – what’s hot right now, who’s looking etc etc.

Overall it’s just a human factor that can’t be ignored.

Have a productive week…

Some spent time in B&Q; Some spent time in the Garden; Some were licking the wounds inflicted by the brilliance of Barcelona.

However a large proportion spent their time looking for a new job to reinvigorate their career – the Spring Bank holiday is one of the most active times for new executives to enter the jobmarket. The number of jobs is at a seasonal high, the rate rise has been the highest for many years and confidence is returning, slowly if not surely.

This has resulted in a record rise in new registrants on executive-i.com, more competition is entering the market and whilst the rise in jobs is offsetting this a little, the competition for places is still increasing.

This highlights the need to make sure you keep ahead of the competition, first mover advantage is paramount – make your experience count and keep an eye on the likes of executive-i.com to keep abreast of the comprehensive range of jobs available, ahead of the rest.

Make sure you keep your networks warm and add quality contacts where appropriate, keep an eye on their news feeds and any group discussions relevant to your market – a few gems are posted on the job discussion sections.

Overall, the faster you move the better your advantage over your competitors. Recruiters will try to avoid mass marketing their roles and will have more confidence in recommendations, fearing the unknown.

Have a productive week…

A recent survey highlighted the inability of executives to sell their skills and experience at a basic level. Recruiters are still finding it difficult to fill vacancies despite the availability of talent being at it’s peak.

Either the right candidates are not finding the job or (as this survey has found) candidates are slipping through the net at the initial CV review stage.

Make sure you are not one of these people:

1) Identify your unique selling points – make sure they come out on the first page.

2) Tailor to the buyers requirement – read the brief and research the company to identify the need and tailor accordingly.

3) Focus on tangible benefits – quantify how good you are otherwise you won’t give yourself the chance to stand out.

4) Make sure your USPs stand out, a clustered CV will hide your important experience, less is more.

5) Be direct, be efficient, use positive language and don’t tell a story unless you’re looking to work for a publicist.

6) The top of the first page of your CV is the new covering letter – sell/ quantify your relevant experience here and use in your email for good measure.

I am still astounded, given the competition for places, at how many CVs I review every day that lack any direction and fail to sell the most important aspects of an executives’ experience.

In most cases the content is there but it is not displayed in the right places or in the appropriate context. I work with executives to ensure they focus on their USPs and offer tangible benefits to stand out from the rest.

Have a productive week…

Hopefully that elusive job is not as hard to find as Bin Laden but sometimes it feels as if you need the same patience and diligence exhibited by the Navy Seals!

Of course that’s an exaggeration but these virtues will go a long way to helping you find your new job:

Equipment: Make sure you have right tools at your disposal for maximum effect, use business networks such as LinkedIn and access executive job market information researched by executive-i.com

Research: A lot of research is needed to sniff out those leads, who is your best link to that job either through a third party or preferably the key decision maker within the department/ target company. Use social media to research your target company/ market for the best contact for hiring decisions.

Preparation/ Strategy: Assess the environment and see where the land lies before you approach your contact and think about your ultimate goal to ensure you make the most of that lead. What can you offer them in return that matches your ultimate career goal.

Surveillance: Follow target employers/ companies, set up RSS feeds/ job alerts directly to your target employers where possible. This can also be useful when assessing the movements of present incumbents to the job (if appropriate).

Personality/ Human element: Regular contact using the good old telephone, not just tweets, pokes, mails etc.. Follow up your targets but don’t pester them or you’ll blow your cover and add some personality to your search. They will be more inclined to think of you when that elusive opportunity arises.

Strike: when the opportunity arises and the coast is clear, set up that face-to-face meeting for best results and land that job.

Have a productive week…

When embarking on your search it’s essential that you maximise your exposure in the job market. I speak to many senior executives who are very cautious about who they speak to, and rightly so, however this can be to the detriment of their search.

There are also some who overly flaunt themselves, firing their CV to every recruitment consultancy in the land however like most things in life, networking should be done in moderation, too much and you’ll do yourself more harm than good and too few and you won’t enjoy the kick you’re looking for.

You must ensure that you maximise your routes-to-market without flaunting yourself and looking desperate and sub-standard and there are a number of things to consider when building your search network:

1. Work your current network – ask your current peers who they’d recommend and use tools such as executive-i.com and LinkedIn to explore new contacts.
2. Personality – make sure you tailor your approach and make it as personable as possible – there’s nothing worse than a mass email approach, or an approach via your partner or PA (yes, it happens a lot)
3. Market/ skillset knowledge – approach search consultants or search firms with appropriate knowledge of your market and/ or skillsets, making sure they impact positively on your network.
4. Reputation – make sure the consultant/ consultants have a good reputation in the market (using the aforementioned tools)
5. References – does the consultant have good references from clients or candidates with similar experience (references from co-workers do not count)
6. Direct approach – identify target companies and approach the Decision Makers, bypassing the middlemen will ensure you get maximum effect and feedback as well as increasing desirability (you cost less) and therefore salary potential.
7. Jobboards/ Aggregators – scour the appropriate sites for companies advertising jobs in your market. Even if the job is not right, make a point of making a measured approach to the consultancy or company concerned to be considered for future opportunities.

Have a productive week…

Like it or not, your CV is the first glimpse that a recruiter gets into your professional world. This first impression can prejudice your application and enhance or ruin the perception of your personality and skills.

Unfortunately too many fall into the latter category – CVs are poorly structured, cramped and dated. As your CV is the first and (up to that point) only method of measuring/ ascertaining your suitability, recruiters will try to read into why you have presented yourself in this way. One question they could ask themselves is ‘Is this how you’d represent our company?’

This presumption is, in most cases, unfair as I’ve seen some of the best candidates have some of the worst CVs. However this stresses the importance that you get this right.

Most CVs have the feel that they are dated and have been added to over time, more recent experience being cramped in at the top to make sure it fits into one page. You want to give a fresh perception to prospective employers and give them confidence that you will bring new ideas and focus.

Use this process to your advantage and to reinvigorate your search and reinvent yourself. Take your old CV and cut and paste the headings/ structure and highlights into a new document. You must be strict with yourself, taking only the relevant information to your jobsearch and build round it. This can helps you align your strategy and set your strategic goals.

Less is more – a clean, well spaced and tidy document represents a well presented, professional executive. Shorter and less frequent bullets get the message across more succinctly and ensure the appropriate message is delivered without diluting it with less important information. Use direct language and provide tangibles to back up your achievements and set yourself aside from the competition.

A revamped CV will help you to set your strategy and reinvent yourself and can give you a psychological boost too, helping you to go the extra mile required in this market.

Have a productive week…

Your digital footprint grows with importance as the days roll on. When I consult with executives, my approach is as if I were advising on my own CV or the online profile of a close friend.

It’s therefore a particular bug bear of mine to continually witness some of the poor attempts to use the internet as a marketing channel.

I’ve seen some great examples of microsites dedicated to presenting executives’ skills and experience and these will serve them well and add gravitas to their candidature, but on the flip side I have seen some very shoddy attempts using web templates and blog software that undermines their profile and experience.

A CV microsite is still a very unique concept and one that’s structured tastefully and that covers all eventualities will give you an edge.

Ones that look shoddy will only serve to harm your profile and I would suggest having nothing at all is better than having a half baked effort.

Quality Profile Quality Candidate – As an executive the emphasis needs to be on quality and therefore if you are considering investing in your digital footprint then it should be done properly investing a little time and money. Free or low cost templates will more often than not rub off on you.

The same approach should be considered for your profile on social networks and job boards such as LinkedIn, Xing and executive-i.com.

Clear and Concise - Time should be spent making sure the content is concise and consistent, only mentioning the key salient points of experience and achievements, giving tangibles where possible.

Recommendations/ References - should be built using a quality rather than quantity perspective – don’t dilute the high profile recommendations with ‘I’ll scratch your back’ ones and make sure you have client references where appropriate.

Link and Sync - link between all of your online profiles where possible ensuring consistency throughout.

Offline – make sure you cater for those recruiters who prefer the traditional approach and make sure you provide a link to the Word or PDF version of  your CV.

The way I would approach my own jobhunt would be vastly different from even a year ago.

I would take a holistic approach and ensure that all platforms are catered for, constructing a digital CV (there are plenty of packages out there), that presents well online and offline.

Once the CV is finished it is essential to update all of your CVs on jobsite databases and with agencies. You could look into using CV template software available (e.g. iProfile) that will ensure that when you edit your CV it will edit every other that you’ve uploaded to job boards (personally I wouldn’t use this kind of software as it can be limiting both in terms of presentation and range of job boards).

Once you have invested time in getting this right it can be used and adapted for a long time to come.

Online profiles and CVs that are tablet and smart phone compatible are next….!

Have a productive week…

One of the most common grievance from executives is the time it is currently taking for companies to complete the hiring process. Decisions are still not being taken lightly these days it seems.

The market is growing in confidence with new mandates at an all time high since the downturn. In fact the rate of rise in new executive jobs in the commercial sector appears to be increasing at an impressive rate, thankfully counteracting the lower levels in the public sector.

However, companies are taking an inordinate amount of time to make a new hire, processes sometimes taking up to a year. One view, which I can understand, is that considering the redundancies over the past 2/ 3 years it is essential for the next hire in any department to be the right one, and there is still a little nervousness out there.

The other view and one that is expressed quite often by hiring managers, is the lack of outstanding talent on the market. My view is that it’s a mixture of both however I don’t believe there is a lack of talent – Executives just aren’t presenting their skills effectively enough.

In fact I know there is a lot of good talent out there but I am constantly frustrated by executives’ inability to present themselves and sell themselves in the most effective manner.

There are a number of ways to ensure you go some way to counteracting this:

• Research the scenario – what direction is the company going in strategically, technically, financially, etc etc
• Network – liaise with colleagues to maximise political sway and get the inside track (will also open up other avenues)
• Tailor – be direct in the presentation and marketing of your skillsets aligned to the mandate/ company profile
• Attention to detail – Be thorough and consistent with your online digital footprint and offline CVs
• Don’t just rely on your recruitment consultant, they will have their own agendas and won’t be as thorough as you.
• References - chose your referees according to relevance, hierachy, business potential etc etc

Have a productive week…

I saw an application for a job today that contained two pages of ramblings about how good said executive was for the job at hand. You should’ve seen the CV. This is just an example of what I continually see day in day out (albeit normally not so extreme) and it does more harm than good for your application.

Essentially the more you include in your application the less chance you have of effectively communicating the key experience you have and salient achievements. Less is more when it comes to succinctly promoting your experience. Heavy covering letters have the same effect as heavy CVs, they dilute your important experience.

There is an argument that covering letters have very little bearance on whether you are successful or not (with very few consultants reading them) however a very succinct introduction will cover your bases.

Duplicate your profile/ overview of experience that can normally be found at the top of your CV. I have covered this in previous blogs however to summarise, you want no more than two or three lines to introduce your overall experience/ role and then 4 or 5 bullets detailing your key achievments in order of importance and relevance to the job you are applying to.

This will enable you to effectively spell out the key reasons you are right for the job and offer your audience useful tangibles to effectively sell you onto their line manager or client. Tangibles quantify success e.g. X% increase in productivity/ turnover, X% reduction in costs etc etc…

Cutting and pasting this information into your covering letter with a pro forma greeting/ introduction will cover your bases, avoid duplication of effort, and tailor your application.

Have a productive week…