It is essential to go the extra mile during a job search. Here are a few tips that can help you get noticed by recruiters during the job hunt.
If you’re searching for a high-level job, the greatest advantage you have is an extensive resume detailing high-profile jobs and major responsibilities. Your greatest disadvantage? Everyone you’re competing with has something similar. You can’t afford to simply rely on your experience and skills to get the position you want. You have to find a way to stand out.
Just because this advice is often given to recent graduates and young professionals, it doesn’t mean that it stops being relevant once you reach the peak of your career and start aspiring to director, vice president and executive positions. With remote working becoming more prevalent and the world more globalized, you’re now potentially competing with people from all over the world. Going the extra mile is essential. Here are four ways to do it.
1. Optimize your LinkedIn and Social Media Profiles.
LinkedIn has almost 800 million members, and many of them are accomplished professionals, including business owners and executives. It’s the perfect place to land your next role.
Having an account on LinkedIn means that when a recruiter or company is searching for their next VP (or whatever other role you’re looking for), there’s a chance they’ll stumble across your profile. For example, they might type “VP of cyber security,” see you in the search results and decide to send you a message inviting you to apply to their vacancy. Doesn’t that sound easier than having to identify and apply for opportunities manually or through third parties?
There are two things you can do to increase the chances of this happening: optimize your profile by using the right keywords (meaning recruiters are more likely to find you) and expand your network (if you have mutual connections with a recruiter, you’ll appear higher up in searches).
Although LinkedIn is the most important social media site for professional networking, other platforms can be more effective than you might expect. For instance, Facebook is more than just a site to see which of your distant relatives and old work colleagues are expanding their family or going on holiday — Facebook groups are a goldmine for professional networking. Considering that Facebook has close to 3 billion users, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it counts plenty of powerful people among its users.
Look for Facebook groups dedicated to executives — especially in a specific industry or location. Some are dedicated to job seeking, others to business owners or sharing industry tips, so you might need to kiss a few frogs before you find the right group for you, but it can pay dividends when you do.
2. Craft Your Elevator Pitch (And Start Using It).
Elevator pitches aren’t just for businesses — they’re also useful tools for communicating the business value of individuals. Instead of thinking about yourself and what you offer in terms of the dozens of skills and positions you have listed on your resume, try to whittle everything down into a few sentences that truly encapsulate your value.
How can you get to the crux of what makes you different from everyone else with a similar resume in under 30 seconds? Does it come down to an award you’ve won, a new process you implemented in a previous position, your personal values?
You’ll get an idea of how effective your pitch is once you start using it on people. The next time you attend a networking event or even bump into an acquaintance at a grocery store, practice using your elevator pitch on them instead of telling them you’re looking for work or simply explaining the kind of work you do in simple terms. It’s far more likely to have an impact.
3. Expand Your Network.
The first piece of advice for standing out was to optimize your LinkedIn and social media profiles, and I mentioned briefly that expanding your network is a great way to maximize the effect of networks like LinkedIn. But how exactly should you approach this task?
Digitally, it’s not a good idea to send connection requests to random people (this will make you look spammy). But commenting on other users’ posts and being active in LinkedIn groups is a great way to connect with others and gradually build your network.
Alternatively, get into the habit of asking to connect with people you meet in the “real world” on LinkedIn. The next time you attend a conference, networking event or a similar professional get-together, collect the details of everyone you speak to. Or why not take advantage of automation by using tools to grow your network on autopilot as you go about your day?
4. Hire An Executive Career Coach.
We’re living in an era of coaches. Life coaches, fitness coaches, dating coaches; you name it. There are also executive career coaches who specialize in helping high-level professionals meet their career goals.
No matter how successful you’ve been so far, there’s always someone ahead of you who you can learn from, trust to tell you about your blind spots and weaknesses and help you gain clarity about your goals for the future. Wouldn’t it be great to have a sounding board to go to for every doubt you have during your job search? To find a good coach, reach out to your network to see if they have any recommendations from personal experience.
It’s Time To Get Noticed.
To stand out, you have to do things that your peers aren’t doing, which usually means working a little harder or (in the case of getting a coach) spending a little money. While this seems like a big investment of time and resources upfront, it’s more than worth it if it helps you land a better position more quickly. So, choose the area you’re going to focus on to start with and make your first move tomorrow.
(Source: www.forbes.com)