Posts Tagged ‘executive careers’

When Headhunters were Cannibals…

Monday, June 7th, 2010

It’s incredible how many highly talented executives I speak to each week that have little to no experience of searching for a job themselves.

Of course, historically jobs have landed on their laps having received calls daily from headhunters looking to lure them into their next role. All they needed to do was show up to the interviews.

These days, of course, the market paints a different picture and now executives looking for their next role typically don’t know where to start.

There are a multitude of ways to kick off the process however I’ve amalgamated some pointers that have proved extremely useful for our premium clients:

  • Strategy & Goals – identify your essential career goals and set out some structure to maintain your focus in what can be a long winded process.
  • Research – identify the key protagonists in your market, pick up the phone and find out about your market, there may be skillsets you have that are particularly in demand.
  • Differentiators – identify key unique selling points that set you aside from your competition
  • CV – it’s good practice to put your CV together yourself. By all means use CV consultancy services to fine tune it and get an informed opinion, but it is an essential exercise to help define your personal marketing strategy.
  • Cover letter – not many recruiters read the cover letter so make sure your overview is also covered at the beginning of your CV and tailored to the job.
  • Network – make sure you build your network with key, relevant and reputable contacts (good contacts will lead to good jobs)
  • Direct employers – make yourself even more attractive by approaching companies directly, limiting the cost of your hire whilst exhibiting a proactive approach.
  • Do not bulk email your CV, it’s tacky, desperate and untargeted.
  • Endorsements – only seek references/ endorsements from reputable contacts (if you can get clients even better)
  • Review and Innovate – make sure you review your approach to keep it fresh and reset your goals at regular intervals.
  • Open relationship – Make sure you show you’re in demand from other suitors and keep your options open, it’s more effective than playing hard to get.
  • Keep Active – And most importantly if you are unemployed whilst looking, make sure you get on some courses and mix up your week with additional activities and keep active. This will help you maintain your focus and sanity!

Have a productive week…

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Private sector must insulate against Civil Service freeze

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Last year, recruitment and expenditure in the public sector (albeit unaffordable) went a little way to limiting the effects of a harsh recession.

Now it’s essential that the private sector takes the reins to help the economy along and negate the effects of the cuts announced by George Osborne today, but there must also be moves from the government to help businesses create jobs and boost economic growth.

I’m not certain that Brendan Barber’s fears, warning against cuts, will transpire as positive signs are appearing (as covered in previous blogs) and one report from the CBI seems to confirm this (despite what the REC says). According to the report “A year ago nearly two-thirds of companies had a recruitment freeze in place. This fell to 37% six months ago and now stands at just 5%.”

For those looking for work in the public sector, what does the freeze mean for you?

Of course this is not good news for jobseekers working or looking to work in Central Government, however on closer inspection the government have allowed some room for manoeuvre:

There will be a civil service recruitment freeze across Government departments and agencies, with only limited exceptions for frontline and business critical staff, requiring the personal sign off of the relevant Secretary of State or Chief Executive.

In other words business critical appointments will be made and I’d imagine this would cover senior level appointments, there would have to be a good business case for an appointment or a replacement for an essential position, in which case it sounds like any recruitment could be a protracted process.

It may be an idea to look at your core transferrable skills and market them accordingly if these changes directly affect you. Of course not all areas of the public sector will be affected but it highlights the necessity to ensure you continually look at ways to stand out from other jobseekers and maintain your edge.

Have a productive week…

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Shifting goal posts require goal rethink

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

It’s amazing how many senior executives I speak to who haven’t set clear goals, not only for short term job searching purposes but also for their overall long term career strategy.

Now you may feel that your short term goal is an obvious one, to land a top executive job, but you need to set goals along the way otherwise this process can be unrelenting and aimless. It is particularly important to set goals regularly to quantify and evaluate success, especially in your job search.

This allows you to identify how you are going to achieve those goals,  it gives you direction and enables you to identify the need to adapt your strategy. Your goal doesn’t necessarily have to be accepting an offer, it can be key milestones along the way (such as your opportunity pipeline or network) or it can be the number offers from certain companies.

The key to maintaining a thriving executive jobsearch is to continue setting goals once others have been met and it is essential to rethink your goals when they aren’t met, to discover ways to improve the process.

The job market fluctuates rapidly, your competitors adapt and you need to shift your goal posts accordingly, particularly in the current market.

This holiday period is a great opportunity to give your job search a good Spring clean and set your strategy.

Have a great Easter!

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Cover me, I’m going in! Executive job search application…

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Having worked in recruitment since the ‘paper age’, I have always been one for formalities. My consultant and company details would be listed in the Grapevine rather than on the 100s of internet networking channels available today; jobs would be advertised in traditional media solely; research conducted through nurturing of contacts and applications would be received through the post.

Quaint eh? Those were the days… well not really, the internet has made marketing much easier, job advertising more targeted, professionals more transparent and communication (applications) instant. However all of these benefits have led to bad habits creeping in and traditions lost and you need to adapt to these changing working practices.

Senior executives brought up with these traditions can be forgiven for assuming that it is just the medium that has changed. For example it would be nice to think that taking the time to tailor a well drafted opening email (letter) would highlight your key experience for the job and give you the edge… alas I believe that the detail in covering letters will be missed 95% of the time, with the more traditional recruiters making up the 5% of those who will read it (with some demanding it).

The emphasis on your CV is now more important than ever. I hesitate to say that recruiters have become CV administrators, however CVs are the commodity and they drop into recruiters inboxes all too easily. Unless the recruiter is retained for a particular mandate, the huge amount of competition can drive a quantity rather than quality approach, pushing CVs around the ether at a rate of knots. There is no time to read an opening letter or email, they will go straight for the money shot.

It is now more important than ever that your CV communicates key tangibles more effectively. Your message still needs to be communicated the shift in emphasis now means it’s just a matter of where rather than whether you should include it.

The first page is the most important part of your CV, it’s your shop window display, and an opening profile with key skills and quantifiable achievements is often the best place to showcase the skills relevant to the mandate. The aim of the game is the same, it’s just the tactical positioning that has changed.

You need to cover your bases so make sure you use this tailored summary in your opening email and will also increase the chances of the message being communicated.

I hope you have a productive week…

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It’s not rocket science: Two positives don’t make a negative job search

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.” Zig Zigler

OK so I decided to google some quotes for this blog and I found the most suitable one from someone I hadn’t heard of before last week. In fact this is just one quote from many others I could have chosen from him. What is patently obvious is that as a motivational speaker, Zig delivers a positive message in almost every sentence.

It not only exudes a positive message about what he is saying, it also exudes a positive message about him. He appears credible even though I don’t know anything about him.

Depending on the situation you find yourself in, it can be extremely difficult to be positive during a job search. I spoke to an executive yesterday who had been looking for a job for just over a year and I could tell, she didn’t even have to say it.

Throughout all aspects of your job search you must maintain a positive theme, from the positive (active) language you use in your CV to the positive message you’ll deliver at interview. You must take the monotony out of the search and look for any positive slants you can get from any introduction or job opportunity:

  • Give yourself a little time to get into a positive mindset for the search. The last thing you want to do is come across negatively especially as you will set the foundations of your network during the first few weeks of the search.
  • Look for the positives in any aspect of your career that you may perceive as negative, go through this diligently and you’ll avoid surprises at interview.
  • Research and understand not only the requirement but the company dynamic. Network, if you can, to find out if there is a particular issue that you are qualified to address or if there’s a particular reason the previous incumbent is vacating the position.
  • Adapt to the market and tailor your application to each position, bringing out the positive salient aspects of your career in your CV to meet their requirements.
  • Provide positive and quantifiable tangibles where possible not watery descriptions such as ‘driven’ ‘results oriented’ etc… anyone can claim this so you need to set yourself aside from the competition.In this market you need to work for the position otherwise the position won’t work for you.
  • Deliver a positive message about your job search at interview and avoid mentioning any negative experiences, give the impression that you have many irons in the fire.

This may seem obvious to some, however I want to hit home the importance of applying positive spin, negating the negatives to avoid any misconceived prejudices during your search.

I hope you have a productive week…

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    Bring order to a chaotic executive career

    Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

    Every week I talk to experienced executives that are struggling to receive any positive feedback on their CVs, let alone responses to applications.

    After reviewing their CV, there is often a recurring trend… chaotic presentation and formatting gives the impression of an unorganised executive and a poor communicator. If you can’t represent yourself effectively, how can you represent the client? Moreover, unstructured and confusing presentation will result in your audience missing the key salient points of your career.

    In fact, presentation is the key. It is key when delivering anything in business, whether it be a speech, a report, a product or a service; therefore it stands to reason that presentation is key to communicate tangibles and achievements, as well as positive spin!

    More often than not, it’s easier to start again – CVs can be added to and redrafted so much over time, just slotting in your latest experience can tip the balance.

    Keep it simple, with subtle formatting; use bullets sparingly to maximise their effectiveness and don’t overcrowd your sentences/ paragraphs with too much information otherwise the important points will be missed.

    If you’d like to speak to an experienced career consultant about the presentation of your CV or any other aspect of your CV, please go to executive-i.com for details on our popular premium service.

    I hope you have a productive week…

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    Whatta mistaka to maka!

    Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

    When first deliberating the make up of this blog I was determined to avoid providing the same old “Top 5″ or “Top 10″ lists however I’m finding it difficult to avoid running down some “Mistakes to avoid” following a consult I conducted last week.

    In fact I come across examples most weeks – the executive job search can be a laborious process and bad habits can creep in; the longer the search goes on the more important it it to freshen up the process, avoid basic errors that can prejudice your search and, as we touched on last week, work with your contacts to positively impact on your search.

    Omitting key information

    Whilst the inclusion of too much information can dilute the message, if you choose to omit information – including important details that you feel may rule you out – be aware that this can be to the detriment of trust, can scar your relationship with your consultant and can waste everyone’s time including your own.

    Spam applications

    It’s important to keep a fairly regular dialogue with your contacts but there is a fine line between keeping them warm and receiving a restraining order! Companies track applications and applicants, recruiters will keep your details on file and the market can be incestuous. They will most likely have searched their database for applicable suitors before they advertise and will not need reminding every day – it looks desperate and you won’t be remembered in a favourable light.

    Quality control

    Make sure you apply to jobs in relevant disciplines and markets or that use transferable skills, especially in this market. It will not only focus your mind and ensure you put the necessary energy into each application but it will save everybodys time and energy and avoids the perception of ‘hit and hope’, keeping your integrity intact.

    Mass mailouts/ speculative applications

    Opening up your network is an absolute necessity to build up leads, however this must be done in a measured fashion. Sending mass emails to every recruiter under the sun can impact greatly on your marketability – why would a recruiter put time into your career if you’re known to every competitor under the sun. You must maintain the perception of exclusivity and professionalism – tailoring your approaches will not only make the recruiter feel valued but it will ensure you get the maximum feedback – why not pick up the phone.

    Don’t burn your bridges

    This can be an extremely frustrating process for the jobseeker but also for the recruiter. Assignments can be shelved for no good reason, recruiters can’t always get back to you straight away and, rightly or wrongly, they are focused on the requirements laid out by their client. There will always be another opportunity so always maintain good relations with consultants, communicate your skills positively and recruiters may be open to thinking outside the box.

    I hope you have a productive week….

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    Not another blog…

    Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

    When it dawned on me that I was about to write a blog… that I actually had to put text to screen… my mind went blank.

    This didn’t bode well for my (prospective) readers I thought; what could I possibly write that would interest people. I’ve probably already lost you…

    But then I thought it’s not just about creating interesting content, having outlandish thought provoking views. The main aim of this blog (and my job description for that matter) is to help people secure their next position, and if I can make it interesting then that’s a bonus.

    So I got to work on researching other career blogs that focus on careers, with the aim of creating my own angle to offer advice in a unique way.

    It turns out there’s not a lot of inspiration in the internet ether when it comes to career advice. A lot of commentators offer the same basic advice. Now I’m not knocking this as “5 tips on writing an effective cover letter” and “10 tips on the perfect CV” offer useful basics.

    However, it is imperative to develop a unique approach to marketing your career, after all employers (in the main) want to recruit a unique individual and not a clone.

    Therefore our aim will reflect yours, to offer unique advice and opinion to help you to stand out from the crowd and blow away the competition.

    We’ll also have comment from leading industry practitioners to keep it fresh and add some different perspectives.

    Have a great week…

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