Attract More Job Offers by Dissolving These 3 Common Executive Job Search Roadblocks
When it is time to launch a job search, you need more than an executive resume. You need a job search strategy that will help you take control and give you the power to attract the best opportunities.
The job search landscape has evolved, and, at the executive level, there is a war for talent. The stakes are high, and executive-level candidates must overcome these three roadblocks in order to navigate today’s job market.
Roadblock #1: Failing to Clearly Communicate Your Value Offer
Landing a C-level position takes a strategy beyond putting your work experience down on paper. You must clearly communicate your ‘brand’s value offer’ and promise of ROI of your hire.
To shape your executive value offer, think about:
• How you have driven transformation.
• How your career milestones have paved the way to the next level, set the foundation, delivered hyper-growth, saved the company from monetary declines.
No matter the industry, companies are searching for leadership that can help their organization advance into the future. A modern executive resume chronicles more than your employment details and achievements.
At the executive level, EVERY candidate has proven themselves competent and successful; therefore your resume MUST articulate + market your differentiating value offer.
To clearly communicate your value, go beyond simply listing employment details and promote your unique value offer by weaving your career experience into a personal, engaging, and differentiating tale.
Roadblock #2: Lack of Visibility
Many senior-level leaders hesitate to incorporate social media in their job search, and this can cost them time and opportunities. Universally, employers have adopted social media as a hiring tool with more than 90% of recruiters using it as part of the process to find and vet qualified candidates. If you’ve overlooked your online presence, now is the time to course-correct.
To land your next role faster, you will need to promote your executive brand and that means leveraging social media to build credibility and bolster your findability.
• Ensuring your LinkedIn profile is complete immediately boosts your visibility 40% as there is a direct association between how complete your profile is and higher search ranking! The higher your ranking in search results translates to more opportunities, potential job offers, and connections to influencers.
• Taking steps to optimize your headline with keywords will help attract your target audience and make you stand out from others. When crafting your headline, weave together your value + expertise using keywords that will make you easy to find and magnetically attract the reader and make them want to read more about you.
Here is the formula I use: Target title (CEO) + value offer (Competitive Market Presence) + keywords (Marketing Leadership & Business Development for $1B Technology Companies = SEO-optimized headline
• Your summary section should open with an engaging statement that will spark interest and draw the reader in. Craft your executive resume summary around your value offer by highlighting how you’ve made a difference.
• Build + Interact with your connections. In today’s competitive market, it isn’t enough to have a LinkedIn account, you MUST build your connections and then engage with them by interacting with their posts – ‘liking’, commenting, and sharing.
• Use a variety of content to keep your followers engaged. Write a LinkedIn article. Share photos on Facebook. Participate in trending conversations that resonate with your industry / professional brand.
– When you find industry content that interests you, save it and think about another angle you can take on the topic – do you agree or disagree with the post? Use the topic to create an interesting piece of content that you can share with your connections.
Roadblock #3: An Unfocused Approach
The right strategy can help you open doors to more opportunities and six- and seven-figure job offers. Making the right move means taking a thoughtful approach to your job search. A successful job search starts with:
• Targeting the role/industry/company you are interested in pursuing.
• Determining what skills and experiences you have that your target audience is seeking in a candidate.
• Optimizing your social media profiles with appropriate keywords to ensure your name will come up in searches.
• Sending a value proposition letter to the decision-maker (with or without your resume).
Taking a proactive approach will help you stay in alignment with your goals, ensure you are marketing to the RIGHT audience and aid in attracting the best opportunities.
