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Question: Would you be interested in an
executive job search system that would guarantee
feedback so you can improve your results?
Answer: Of course you would.
In this
article, I share with you the top three mistakes
every $100K+ executive makes when looking for job
leads. I also show you how to change your job
hunting approach so that you can measure your
results every step of the way.
Mistake #1: Using the Wrong Executive Job Search
Model
Most
$100K+ executives, when looking for their next
career opportunity, fall back into old models that
were learned early in their careers. This is often
presented by an outplacement firm that still holds
onto the classic lead-generation approach and it
includes these elements:
-
create
a list of target companies that you would want to
work for,
-
contact your network to find people who work for
those companies currently,
-
call your network and ask for an "informational
interview," and
-
continue the process until you find a position.
But there
are real problems with this approach.
-
First,
this entails using a "front-door" approach, and
there are many gatekeepers whose responsibilities
include keeping you out.
-
Second,
many executives abandon their networks after a
while. And, many of those in their network that are
actually active are just peers. Regardless of how
well intentioned they are, peers are often unable
(or unwilling) to help you.
-
Third,
the informational interview approach is practically
dead. Although your network may want to give you
ten minutes of their time, in most cases they simply
can't afford to accommodate you. I know that if I
granted every informational interview request that
was asked of me, I'd have no time to do my real job!
What is
the answer to this traditional model of finding a
job?
The Solution: Use a New Executive Job Search Model
The model
I suggest using when looking for your next C-Level
executive position is the one I teach in my
MarketOne(TM) Executive system. It moves you from an
"activity-based" approach that the traditional model
employs to a "synergistic-positioning" approach
that:
-
Positions you as a top thought leader in your
industry.
-
Leverages your current job, network and career
for greater momentum.
-
Utilizes marketing and sales strategies to turn
strangers into interested parties.
Mistake #2: Not Having an Effective Executive Job
Search Message
The next
mistake most $100K executives make is how they
design their value proposition presentation - both
in print and in person. Traditionally, we are
taught to pull out our old resume, dust it off with
a few new bullet points that list new achievements
and adding in our last employer and job title. The
executive summary (and thereby the elevator pitch)
is a fluff piece that focuses on the most recent
achievement using flowery words in hopes of
impressing and wowing their next potential
employer.
The
problem is that the pitch is boring, flat and it
sounds like everyone else's pitch.
In
marketing terms, you are part of the cacophony of
noise that will not get you noticed. And this will
not get an interview. You haven't defined a
compelling message that engages, excites and
resonates with anyone - not even a recruiter!
The Solution: Shift Your Message
You want
to present yourself as a top talent that brings
thought leadership to a company. You want to show
how you will propel that company to its future. I
call that message "potential."
Potential
is THE question that is asked when CEOs and Boards
of Directors are looking to bring on top talent. It
is the difference between one candidate over the
other. I can't tell you how often a CEO has turned
to me and asked, "Which one of the two or three Vice
President candidates has the greatest potential for
our firm?"
To show
your potential you must shift your presentation to
your audience instead of you! You must show your
potential employers what's in it for them!
Mistake #3: Using the Wrong Executive Job Search
Method
The third
and BIGGEST mistake most $100K executive make in
finding job leads is using the wrong method.
Without a system or plan, the current wisdom is to
contact everyone (again, without a message that is
compelling or interesting) and blast their resume to
everyone they know. Then the follow-up is to
(embarrassingly) ask if the person they are
contacting knows of any openings. If the answer is
"no," then that's where it ends.
Unfortunately, that can keep an executive out of a
job for a long, long time.
What's
the answer?
The Solution: Develop a Measurable, Systematic Game
Plan
You need
to develop a systematic game plan that creates
metrics and benchmarks so that improvement can be
made along the way. This is the only way your job
search campaign will create results!
Most
$100K+ executives would never launch a new product,
service without a clear system.
Why
shouldn't our $100K+ job search campaign have the
same focus?
By simply
fixing these three BIG executive job search
mistakes, you will find your next C-Level executive
position A LOT quicker - even during a global
recession.
$100K+ Executive-Level Career Coach Karen Armon
prepares leaders around the world for their next
move. Her popular book, Market Your Potential,
Not Your Past is a hit among executives who want
a clear-cut, systematic game plan that drives
careers forward. Now get her new FREE eBook, "Ten
Micro-Trends that Impact Executive Careers Today"
at:
http://www.marketyourpotential.com/ebook.asp
and take a critical look at today's marketplace.
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