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LIVE your “brand” more than you SAY it
Word count: 429; time to read: just over 1.5 minutes
Everyone knows that ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS. But why???
There may be many reasons, but near the top of the list is that we are bombarded by brand promises…most of which are not true or never proven.
Today, however, I heard an exception…and it REALLY stood out.
While listening to the car radio, the announcer gave the Wall Street update. He said, “…the Dow Jones average is up 3 points this morning…wait…no…actually, it just took a jump up…so it’s now up THIRTEEN points for the day.”
Wow! If this station wants me to think of them as having the most up-to-the-minute financial news, then this was powerful. My mental image as they shared this stock report was of them having a live feed from Wall Street and glancing at it in MID sentence…to make sure the news they delivered wasn’t even 2 minutes old.
When there’s a job opening, is your name on the short-list?
Word count: 812; time to read: about 3 minutes
Being the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) must no doubt be one of THE most difficult jobs in the country. Responsibility for the safety of millions, unspeakable scrutiny and pressure, 15+ hour days and on-call 24×7, etc.
As the current Director resigns this week, the White House will want to quickly find a replacement. But with such unique requirements, how will they find candidates?
Or the more relevant analogy to you as a job seeker…how would you go about POSITIONING yourself for the role?
Sure, you could send your resume and try to call in a favor from your most networked friend to dig up a referral. But trying to do so AFTER you found out about the opening would be futile.
Are you a “older” exec trying to find a job?
Word count: 649; time to read: less than 3 minutes
An executive recently emailed me the following. “Do you have any thoughts/suggestions for me? I am 57 years old and eminently qualified for a CEO/COO role…but have found that most organizations are looking for that 40-something exec. I can tell from their reaction to me that age is a factor.”
My response? It can certainly be harder to get a job at 57 than at 42…but it’s very doable.
The biggest key is to discern WHY age might be a factor in a specific situation. You can then determine how best to PRESENT yourself in relation to the issue.
Get Creative…But Not TOO Creative
Word count: 403; approximate time to read: just under 2 minutes
I’m usually not a big fan of executive-level candidates using “gimmicks” to garner attention for their job search.
If the SUBSTANCE is there, you can find plenty of “normal” ways to get noticed and differentiate yourself from the crowd.
That said, there are some exceptions. For example…if your ideal role is Chief Innovation Officer. Then you have much more latitude…and your antics may SUPPORT your brand.
Assuming, however, that you choose to NOT go the wild & crazy route for exposure, I think seeing examples that OTHERS have used can do wonders for increasing your own creativity. During stressful times – like when you REALLY need a paycheck – your creativity tends to be even MORE stifled.
Are you maximizing the effectiveness of referrals?
Word count: 825; approximate time to read: just over 3 minutes
In a post titled, “Referrals: when to use them…and when to pass”, I wrote about a helpful guideline for deciding when to use a referral source, and when to bypass the referral and make the contact yourself as a “cold call.”
Because of the importance and prevalence of referrals in the hiring process, you may want to make sure you’re up on a few other important aspects that were not covered in the previous post.
The giving and receiving of referrals has inherent risks for all parties that I won’t dwell on. Suffice it to say that you need to choose a sponsor that will help your cause more than hurt.
Referrals: when to use them…and when to pass
Word count: 313; approximate time to read: 90 seconds
When initiating contact with a decision-maker, you sometimes have the choice of getting a “referral” that will hopefully give you an advantage.
Often this takes the form of either getting permission to use the referral’s name…or having them initiate contact on your behalf to provide an “endorsement.”
The common teaching is that securing a referral is ALWAYS better…to help turn a “cold call” into a “warm call.” And intuitively, this seems to make sense.
When it comes to using referrals, Kevin Kermes has an important perspective. Kevin is the founder of Build the Career You Deserve (http://www.kevinkermes.com), and consistently shares some of the best job-search advice I see. (Over 20,000 people have subscribed his blog.)
Difficulty Getting Motivated?
Word count: 1,045; approximate time to read: just under 4 minutes
An executive recently confided that, after being unemployed twice in a relatively short period of time (and for too long), “I am in a ‘malaise’ that I’m having trouble pulling myself out of.” He wanted to know my suggestions.
It is common for people in a prolonged job search to have trouble staying motivated.
While there are some foundational aspects of an effective search that you must inspect for flaws, I told him that the key is to go about your search in a DIFFERENT way that will breathe NEW ENERGY into your search and pull you out of your “funk.”
Do Others Recognize Your Value?
Word count: 423, approximate time to read: 2 minutes
Are you GREAT at what you do? I mean one of the top 10% in your field?
If not, you may want to take a closer, more realistic look at how you add value to a business and why they should pay you the money you want. But even if you really ARE great, do you think people will want to hire you quickly…and pay you what you’re worth?
The answer is yes…and no.
It’s not that companies don’t want to hire you and pay you what you’re worth…but if you leave it up to others to understand the value you bring to the table, they will always so no and/or pay you less.
BUT, if the value is really there, then you will be in-demand and paid what you’re worth. The catch is you need to properly POSITION yourself…and you need to TARGET the right audience.
How Using Your Resume May Actually Hurt Your Job Search
Word count: 1,058; approximate time to read: 4 minutes
By far the most common and costly mistake I see executives making with their resume has nothing to do with the format, the wording or the length. It has to do with WHEN they share it!
The powerful principle is, “Your resume can’t GET you the job…but it can ELIMINATE you.”
The simple but unconventional solution? DO NOT SEND A RESUME!
Note that I did not say, “don’t WRITE a resume.” CREATING your resume is a valuable and important exercise. And most executives should even enlist the help of a good resume writer. Portions of the content you create will serve as strategic “bait” for your successful job search.
But if your entire resume is perfectly polished and you share it at the wrong time…you might as well be rearranging deck chairs on the proverbial Titanic.