I have the distinct honor of advising many top executives from around the world on executive job search strategies. You see, networking and “job searching” for a top executive does pose unique challenges. A C-level executive in a job search typically isn’t going to get much traction from calling up their friends and asking if their company might need a new President or COO.

Historically, executives have relied on executive recruiters to bring them opportunities – or networking; a painfully slow process at the top executive level. Recruiters can bring the occasional opportunity, but it usually comes with built in competition. Truthfully, executive recruiters only receive a certain amount of President and CXO job search orders to fill each year.

So here are some additional tips and alternatives for your executive job search as you strategize on the best method for yourself.

Direct Mail for High Visibility Executives

I have seen many high visibility executives successfully conduct direct mail campaigns. (I have a reputable direct mail service so if you want a personal introduction to the president of that company, please call me at 830-331-9398.)

If you are a highly visible key executive who is presently employed, you are probably interested in protecting your interests and identity. There are many ways I advise my senior level clients to do this. If you have your own website (yourname.com), you can password protect it. You can also use a mediator when sending letters to targeted companies in your industry of interest, hiding your identity and vetting interested party calls through a trusted third party who doesn’t mind screening calls on your behalf. Once the company and opportunity are known, and provided you are interested, you may divulge your identity at that time.

Private Agents

There are two companies in the US that I know of who are both reputable and work to represent clients (meaning you, the executive job seeker). In other words, the difference between a “private agent” and a recruiter is that the company pays the recruiter (thus, they represent the company, not you in terms of their interests). YOU pay an executive agent, and that agent will actually make calls and work on your behalf to get you interviews. They will help you develop your marketing strategy, develop your marketing collateral, prep you for interviews, and act as your private sounding board as you are negotiating your compensation package. They can help your leverage yourself in the market and your return on investment can be very, very lucrative. However it is expensive to hire someone who is qualified to perform all these duties on your behalf, so consider this fair warning. *INSERT SMILEY* Many executives use these services with great success. If you want me to connect you to my sources, just give me a call.

Top Retained Executive Recruiting Firms

I have a list I give to my executive clients of top recruiting firms. There are two ways I generally suggest that you reach out to them:

1. If you are conducting a private, passive search, then call the top 10 firms (like your “Korn/Ferry’s”) and let them know you are considering moving and would like to speak to one of the firm principals confidentially. Do this, one by one, with each top firm on your list.
2. If you are less concerned about privacy issues, you can set up an email distribution and send your resume and a value proposition letter to a wider group of retained recruiters that place top executives. I have a large list that I send out for my clients for $249. It’s a painless and relatively inexpensive way to cover a lot of ground at once with the reputable recruiting firms both in the US and if needed, internationally.

I hope this insight empowers you and ignites your enthusiasm for your job search! There are many ways for executives to keep control of the job search process and many strategies from DIY to DFY (Done-for-You), depending on your time and budget, that can yield powerful results.

Read the original article, Best Job Search Strategies for Executive Level & C-Level Jobs.

Share this:

Why is it important for you to care about creating mini celebrity status and becoming a thought leader when it comes to your career? Simply because self-marketing in your area of expertise can have multiple career benefits for you including:

1. Potential exposure to future “dream” positions – they contact YOU!
2. More quality opportunities, better pay and quicker promotions.
3. Establishment as an expert in your industry.
4. Wider networks.
5. Greater ability to garner positive references and testimonials.
6. More control over who you work with and how you work.

Different benefits will stand out as meaningful to different people. The real point is, managing your career gives you options… options you may not have had otherwise.

So where do you start? Here are three quick and easy tips:

Tip #1: Get a Platform

It’s easy to get a platform to express your opinion and ideas about your area of interest in your industry – just start a blog! WordPress.com is a free site where you can set up your blog in minutes (very easily by the way – even if you are like me and not technical).

Another option is to get involved in your industries association and ask them if you can volunteer to write short articles for their blogs and/or newsletters on topics you are knowledgeable and passionate about. Associations are ALWAYS looking for content for their newsletters/ezines and blogs. You can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry quickly this way! Years ago, I began writing short articles for Career Directors International on job search cold calling, and those articles led to my being published in The Business Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and MSN.

A third option is to sign up for a LinkedIn account (email me and I will invite you to my list!). LinkedIn is a business-oriented networking site. Once you’ve set up your profile, you can answer questions other business people are asking on various topics by joining discussions in LinkedIn groups – a quick way to establish your credibility!

Tip #2: Rub Shoulders with High Performers in Your Industry

Get involved in a corporate volunteer group or industry association. These are two wonderful portals filled with people that care deeply about industries and issues – just like you! Not only will this broaden your networking circle, but it will keep you growing in your career!

And remember, if you attend an industry luncheon to listen to a great speaker, introduce yourself to him or her after their presentation. Give them your business card as well – and gulp – ask for theirs! It’s the little things you do as you “put yourself out there” to be open to new opportunities, friendships and possibilities that will pay off in the long run.

Tip #3: Grow Your Knowledge Base

What was the last certification you received? How about ongoing training? I recommend making sure that each year you commit to 2-3 actions that result in your learning a new tool for your trade. To make sure you will be motivated to do this, make it that one training, certification or learning experience that has been in the back of your mind to master – you know the one I’m talking about! Check with your employer’s ongoing education benefits to find out if your training might be a covered expense.

Establishing mini celebrity status doesn’t mean you have a gigantic ego. It’s simply a wise business move that opens doors of possibility for you. You will be amazed how putting these simple tips into action will quickly change up your career status!

A Saratoga Institute survey of more than 1,000 U.S. workers asked employees to identify factors that would make them more likely to remain with their current employers. The top three responses were:

1. Training and mentoring
2. Earnings potential
3. Positive work relations

If you love your job and your company but there are management issues that bring you down, consider sending your human resources or operations director a complimentary copy of the “manageBetter Insider.” This little newsletter is packed with positive tips and tactics that the best companies in the U.S use to keep their employees happy. I personally love it and would recommend it to any company. Check out www.managementresources.com and sign up.

Share this:

Executive level jobs and C-level jobs require very specific job search strategies and some work better than others! In this article I am going to go over the main executive level job search strategies, including the pros and cons of each. Hopefully this information will help you decide what job search methods are best for your particular situation.

RECRUITERS

Most C-level executives believe they are bound to recruiting firms to bring them opportunities – but this is not necessarily true. Getting your resume to the top recruiting firms can open up potential opportunities for you!

Pros: The job comes to you and there is a lot of cache. Executives enjoy believing that they have been handpicked by a recruiter to represent them to a company. The truth is that the recruiter represents the company, not you, the candidate, no matter what they are telling you or how they are making you feel.

Cons: A recruiter has the company’s best interest at heart since it is the company who pays them in the end. And sometimes the recruiter is paid so much (20% to 30% of your salary) that I believe it can cut into your ability to fully leverage your compensation negotiations.

Recruiters limit your opportunities because:

1. C-level searches are rare and a recruiter can generally only bring you an existing search – one at a time.
2. Usually the recruiter will be asked to bring in at least 3 qualified candidates – so you have built in competition.
3. You may be constrained from speaking to the company directly as the recruiter will want to mediate and many times negotiate your offer on your behalf (even though his or her loyalty is to the company).

Your Best Move? Make sure if you do a recruiter distribution, you find someone with a good list of top recruiters (hint: I have one!). Treat the recruiter and the company with the same discernment. Don’t open up to the recruiter as if he or she is being retained by you. They are not. You need to “sell” the recruiters on the value you bring to the company just as if you were “selling” directly to the company.

NETWORKING

Networking can open up opportunities for jobs that are not advertised. If you are well connected – or you know how to take initiative and “make rain” – this is a viable option for you.

Pros: You can tap into hidden opportunities. Get third party endorsements from people that you know and that trust and respect you – that can be invaluable!

Cons: Networking can be tough for executives who don’t know how to do it. After all, how does an executive ask their associates if they know anyone who is hiring or who might be interested in them? This is largely demeaning for a powerful executive who is used to being a leader and in control. It can also take an average of 18 months to complete your job search if all you do is “network” in the traditional sense of the word and your income is over 6 or 7 figures.

Your Best Move? Learn how to network without asking for a job. There are executive level strategies and communication techniques that approach these conversations in more of a fact-finding and consulting spirit. You need to learn how to do it so you can network confidently. I show executives how to do this both through private coaching and through my DIY home study program, the Job Search Success System.

VENTURE CAPITAL AND PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS

Executives who are looking at management consulting or an interim position, helping turn around a poor performing company, or are interested in a startup, may be interested in connecting with VC and PE firms.

Pros: If you are a C-level executive, it may be a pretty good move for you to send a distribution to these firms. There are companies that do this (including mine).

Cons: I have found that if you are below the C-level, distribution to these firms is less effective.

Your Best Move? If you are a C-level executive, you can send out a VC/PE email distribution for around $300 and it might land you a handful of good leads if you sell your skills correctly. Smart move!

DIRECT MAIL

I personally believe that understanding how to reach out to companies directly is the most powerful strategy for success. Direct mail means sending an actual letter to the key decision maker in a company. Not an email, an actual letter – preferably on engraved stationery and high quality Cranes paper. You will invest a little money up front marketing yourself like this, but the ROI blows away any other job search strategy I know of in this job market climate.

Pros: you can identify and isolate your industry and cherry pick who you want to reach out to. You can even do this for free using Google maps. Lists are free or cheap if you know where to look.

With the power of the internet you can use Google news alerts to have information on companies or industries that are growing sent right to your inbox. Companies that are growing are often hiring.

At a salary of $250k+, over 90% of jobs are filled in the hidden job market and never advertised. That means reverse engineering your job search and going after what you want vs. waiting and waiting for the right job to come to you – and competing with dozens or hundreds of other executive job seekers for the same position – makes logical sense for executives.

Learn how to tap the hidden job market once and use this method for the rest of your career. People tap the HJM when they want to leverage themselves in the job market, command more money, minimize their competition and shorten their job search.

Cons: Your success in terms of how many interviews/offers you land is predicated on your industry, supply and demand and is hard to predict. Between 2% and 5% is average. But I have also seen executives send out 20 letters and land 5 interviews. It depends on many factors. This still beats job boards, but if you don’t understand marketing numbers this can be discouraging to you.

You must be the type of person who can take initiative and “make things happen” to successfully manage this entrepreneurial driven strategy.

These methods at the executive level generally require some help from an experienced career professional who can be your sounding board and show you the shortcuts to using HJM strategies successfully. You will have to hire some help or at least do some self-study, otherwise be prepared for some frustration and roadblocks.

Your Best Move? I think everybody, not just executives, should learn how to find and capitalize on companies that are growing and know how to approach companies in an industry they potentially want to work for. I have seen executives grind away for a year in a fruitless job search – wasting precious time, losing confidence and often tens of thousands of dollars in income for those who were in between jobs – only to land multiple interviews in the first 30 days of refocusing their job search on the HJM (and often hiring a professional resume writer to beef up their marketing message). They all say the same thing in retrospect: my only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner for myself!

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

If you are a boomer executive that wants more flexibility you might want to consider your own consulting business. Management and technical consulting is one of the fastest growing industries. At 44% in 10 years, it’s grown four times faster than the workforce growth rate.

Pros: Consulting can be a nice “bridge” job and you might find the flexibility suits you. Many companies prefer hiring consultants – it’s safer for them and they can check you out first before they consider hiring you full time.

You can consult from anywhere. You don’t necessarily have to be a road warrior either. You can do much of your consulting via phone and internet (I myself have done this for years and rarely even meet my clients face to face).

You can consult in almost any field. One of our $500k+ CEO clients found businesses who could not afford to engage him full time as a CEO, but wanted his expertise. He negotiated a handful of engagements with several businesses – some one day a week, some for a few hours a week, and some for a couple days a month. He is now working fewer hours and making more than $500k per year. In one of our conversations, he remarked that he would never go back to a full-time job. (Courtesy: jobbait.com.)

You can generally charge about two and a half to three times your hourly rate (you will have to break down your salary to get this figure).

Cons: You will have to market your business and this may or may not be something you like to do. Be prepared to invest 15% to 25% of your revenue on marketing. But of course, if it brings you business and you don’t have a lot of other overhead, this is probably a pro not a con.

Interim full-time consulting gigs can leave you scrambling for new assignments and are problematic. Avoid them and try to find a few clients who need your help part time. This is safer relative to your income streams and it’s easier to land these gigs in general. If you find 2 clients who need you just one day a week, you might find yourself making as much as you made in your past full-time job. Many companies desperately need heavy-weight talent, but can’t afford a full-time person.

Your Best Move? If you are an executive with any kind of entrepreneurial desires, this could be an excellent move for you! You can learn more here.

Share this:

Guest post by Brent Jones

I previously composed an article on recruitment agencies. It outlined some simple ways to safeguard yourself against potential unethical practices you may encounter. Having spent the majority of my professional career in recruiting, coaching and development, I have unfortunately seen my fair share of unscrupulous practices many job-seekers face when working with recruitment agencies.

That said, when I consulted with Mary Elizabeth Bradford about a potential guest-blogging opportunity, I was thrilled when she suggested that this topic may be of interest to you, her readers.

There certainly are benefits to working with recruitment agencies:

• You can leverage the contacts of one professional to potentially get yourself in front of multiple hiring managers and prospective employers.
• You can substantially reduce the hours invested in your job search.
• You will have access to a coach who has every vested interest in helping you to improve your resume, job searching skills, interviewing techniques, etc.
• You may interview for jobs that are otherwise not advertised to the general public.

Of course, there are potential drawbacks to recruitment agencies, as well:

• You risk wasting time on applying to fake or misleading job ads.
• A recruiter may be more interested in optimizing his or her opportunity for commissions than doing what is right for you, the job-seeker.
• A recruiter is more likely to be loyal first to his or her clients since they offer continued business – as opposed to you as a job-seeker who serves as a one-time placement.

There is a lot of merit to the argument that a job-seeker may be best to apply directly for work thus avoiding working with recruitment agencies altogether.

Here are four great reasons why you may want to consider representing yourself throughout your job search:

1. You will know exactly where and for what you are applying.Since recruiters will seldom disclose the name of their client too far in advance of your interview, you may be ill-prepared. You will have less time to research the organization to which you are applying, and often you will be presented with an ambiguous job description.By applying directly for work, you will be able to do a better job of pre-screening the prospective employer for a potential fit with your desired work environment and skill sets. You will also have a better opportunity to customize your resume and cover letter for the available position before applying.
2. You will be able to skill-sell yourself.Recruiters do a great job of skill-selling you. In fact, they are very likely to say that you are an expert in every way their client desires.When you apply directly for work, you can offer full disclosure about your core strengths. This helps to reduce the likelihood of a poor hiring decision.
3. You and your prospective employer are not paid a commission.Your recruiter has every vested interest to make a square peg fit in a round hole so-to-speak. Of course, not all recruiters are selfish, but any time large commissions and bonuses are involved, the legitimacy of motives are called into question.When you apply directly for work, your prospective employer gets to assess if you would be a fit with their corporate culture – but you also get to do the same. There’s no additional pressure of trying to take into consideration the wishes and desires of your recruiter.
4. Less points of contact make your job search more efficient.Some recruiters will try to discourage you from communicating directly with their client. For example, you may wish to follow up with the hiring manager after the interview. He or she may also wish to follow up with you to ask some additional questions. Often this is frowned upon and a recruitment agency will insist that all communication must go through them.When you apply for an opening on your own, you have immediate access to all contacts. It cuts time and inefficiency out of your job search while reducing the risk of miscommunication via the “telephone game.”

I am by no means suggesting that you should avoid working with recruitment agencies – but I am saying there are strong incentives to apply directly for work.

I suggest if you are going to use a recruiter that you find one with whom you feel comfortable. Recruitment agencies will sometimes ask job-seekers to sign an exclusivity agreement – that you will not work with any other agencies in your job search. I recommend contacting several agencies before signing anything. Try to meet at least 3-4 different recruiters. Make your own judgments in terms of whom you feel has the best prospective job opportunities for you, and whom you feel will do the best job representing you in your search.

Happy hunting!

My name is Brent Jones. I am a recruiter living in Toronto, Canada and the author of the successful resource ’7 Fatal Mistakes Made by Most Job Applicants.’ You can read it for free by clicking here.

For more articles and other tools to help with your job search, I recommend you visit my blog at JobGettingTips.com. There you can subscribe to get updates and find other valuable resources.

Share this:

Global Wealth Management, Financial Advisors

One of the top names in private wealth management is seeking Financial Advisors for their Boston office. This Global Wealth Management Group, a unit of an Internationally recognized investment company, oversees close to $100 billion in private capital for families, individuals, foundations & endowments.

The Financial Advisor is a critical position since he or she plays the central role in cultivating new clients and advising existing ones. Our client company therefore seeks intelligent, well-educated, and seasoned professionals, with a proven track record of building relationships based on advice of the highest quality and deep mutual trust.

Before joining our client company, most Advisors have excelled at developing business for over ten years on average. While sales is the ideal background, successful Advisors have also come from accounting, law, consulting, and commercial real estate.

To be successful, an Advisor must:

• Build deep relationships with a range of high net worth clients
• Establish credibility as a source of trustworthy advice
• Excel at building a business
• Demonstrate excellence at client service
• Develop a consultative, rather than a transaction-oriented, approach toward clients and prospects
• Cultivate relationships with third party referral sources, e.g. attorneys

The role of the Advisor is to understand the needs of clients and guide them in making proper portfolio allocations. Moreover, the Advisors often work in concert with client’s other professional advisors to help clients address critical planning issues, such as transferring wealth, giving to charities, and selling a business. 

In building their business, Financial Advisors have access to extensive resources. They identify prospective clients primarily through introductions from other clients as well as accountants, attorneys and other professionals. We therefore place a premium on nurturing the Advisors knowledge and skills throughout their careers.

All Advisors complete an intensive training program. The training in a broad investment and planning-based curriculum continues over the ensuing two years. (All Advisors must pass the Series 7, 31, and 66 securities exams.)

Throughout their careers, Advisors partner with investment & planning professionals to bring world class advice to clients specific circumstances.

Advisors report to Managing Directors, whose role is to ensure an Advisor’s success and who can guide Advisors in developing sales strategies, implementing a business plan, cultivating sales and servicing skills, and capitalizing on meetings with clients, professionals, and prospects. Each Advisor is supported by a group of highly qualified Private Client Associates who become an extension of the Advisor in handling a significant proportion of routine client inquiries and other logistical matters. The Financial Advisors do not function in the traditional role of brokers by selecting securities. Rather, investment decisions are made by Investment Policy Groups, who have an outstanding long-term record.

What truly makes this opportunity unique is the fact that our client will compensate all new Advisors with a base salary of $150,000 plus variable pay for the first three years. At the end of the three years the Advisor should have a portfolio of clients which would allow them to come off of a base salary.

For immediate consideration, please contact:

Bruce Peck
Senior Search Consultant
Daley And Associates, LLC
Website: http://www.daleyaa.com/
Email: bpeck@daleyaa.com
T: 781 923 1180 / C: 617 835 2905

Share this:

Are you an executive in the job market? Executive-level job changers seem to have the most difficult time out in the job market. Their reasons range from never having to actively look for a job before to simply not knowing where to start.  Typically executives begin by contacting a recruiter, connecting with one or two industry peers and maybe answering a few executive job ads they found on a major job board. Because these efforts rarely produce any significant results, they soon begin to feel a range of negative emotions and the downward spiral begins.

So where are the executive jobs? Well, that’s the million dollar question. In short, to receive multiple, high quality interviews for key executive positions you must have a clear plan followed by a significant level of market exposure. Here are several highly effective techniques and  resources to get your phone ringing in no time:

 et Focused

Every successful project starts with a great plan. Focus on one or two industries and one or two positions that interest you. You need to know this information before you can penetrate your market, design a compelling resume or know what you are going to emphasize in your interviews…it all starts with your focus of direction. If your target industries are in significant growth mode, you stand to do even better in the job market.

 Get Noticed

Now you need to figure out where to invest your job search efforts. If you plan to remain in the same industry and/or function….recruiters are well worth contacting! And since recruiters are generally driven by industry vs. geography, don’t forget to connect with those recruiters that match your industry, but may be out of State.

Resources:  For FREE you can find recruiters by industry at www.i-recruit.com. For a relatively small investment you can access lists at The association of executive search consultants www.aesc.org. And for top executives try www.ritesite.com. John Lucht is the author of Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+…  He has an affordable and easy system for connecting with the right recruiters.

 Get Informed:

Did you know approximately 80% of key positions are filled before they are ever advertised? Contacting companies and their respective decision makers is a great way to gain in roads and initiate discussions that lead to interviews. Better yet, contact companies who are in a growth mode. Want to add some rocket fuel to that? Introduce a value proposition (letter) to help them in their growth mode. Are you a turnaround or start up expert? Send your resume to venture capital firms. Here is another tip: nationwide, the industries expected to generate the highest number of future executive-level jobs are high-tech, healthcare, business services, pharmaceutical/medical/biotech, and     energy/utilities.

Resources: For FREE you can find articles about growth companies at www.findarticles.com. To find or research smaller companies; www.manta.com is a great source. Want an expert to run custom company research FOR you? Try: Fast Track Transition Career www.fttresearch.com. For Venture Capital and Private Equity firm lists check out my services here: http://www.maryelizabethbradford.com/products.php

 Get Online

There ARE benefits to searching on line as long as you aren’t spending hours and hours each week surfing for that lone executive job! Save yourself a whole lot of time and use a combination of  job aggregators and niche executive job boards to locate senior level jobs quickly and easily.

Resources: For FREE – try job aggregator www.indeed.com. For a modest monthly fee

you can try www.excunet.com or www.netshare.com. Both are good executive

membership sites with exclusive member-only job listings .

Landing a great executive job is a combination of timing, common sense strategies and

the right resources. You will increase your success with these powerful tips and tools!

Share this:

This week only I am offering two of my ebooks on Amazon for FR’EE!

Thank you for the opportunity to help you in your job search!

Here are your two free ebooks:

The Career Artisan Series – The Hidden Job Market – Proven Strategies, Done-For-You Letters & Phone Scripts

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Market-Perplexed-Artisan-ebook/dp/B0050VRNCC

The Career Artisan Series – Interview Follow Up Guide For The Perplexed (With Custom Letter Templates)

http://www.amazon.com/Career-Artisan-Interview-Perplexed-ebook/dp/B004ZZMIZ6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Tell a friend! Feel free to pass this on to others!

Review me! If my information helps you please consider writing a quick review and rating on Amazon!

*Don’t have an eReader? No problem! Download Amazon’s fr’ee reading apps (PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry etc..) here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_352814002_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-9&pf_rd_r=127DFZHM64E9R1ZZFKX3&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1348203102&pf_rd_i=1000426311

Share this:

****HURRY – LESS THAN 100 SEATS LEFT!!****

I am so excited to share with you that brand new for 2012, I am personally

hosting a f-r-e-e monthly teleseminar series on various job search topics.

*all topics were directly selected by you, my e-zine subscribers!

My first info-packed teleseminar is THIS Saturday and it is titled:

How to Brand & Market Yourself to Compete in Today’s Job Market

You can sign up here:http://www.job-searchsystem.com/teleseminar.html

BUT there IS a catch:

these calls will NOT be recorded

and there are only 250 seats on the bridge line.

That means if this call is for you, you must act fast.

Get the call details and grab your seat now:

http://www.job-searchsystem.com/teleseminar.html

Inspiring your success,

Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CERW, MCD

The Career Artisan

www.maryelizabethbradford.com

Share this:

There is a multitude of job options for the attorney who no longer wishes to work in a law firm environment.

If you are considering an industry change, the following valuable tips will help you take action:

Make a Plan

First comes the soul-searching. What do you want to do?

Do you like research and dislike litigating? Are you drawn towards conflict resolution? Love rain-making and billable hours? (I was just seeing if you are paying attention!) In other words, what motivates you? Know yourself — write down your strengths and begin to crystallize your core competencies.

Have you evaluated your law-related career options? Did you know that many lawyers make very successful transitions into roles such as:

• Alternative dispute resolution specialist

• Association executive

• Human resources manager

• (Legal) executive recruiter

• Risk manager

• Bar association professional

• International trade and investment consultant

• Social legislation analyst

• Acquisitions/divestitures professional

• Economic development specialist.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Put the Plan into Action

Once you have your goals clear, develop a strategic plan to discover opportunities to move your dreams to reality.

Uncover the jobs both in advertised and unadvertised markets. The best jobs are not necessarily easily found, but the best career marketing approach that gives you the greatest marketing exposure is to use multiple strategies, simultaneously. For example, consider open positions (found on the Internet); somewhat hidden positions (recruiters/trade associations and networking); and unadvertised positions (identification of companies within your industry of choice that have indications of growth, which could expose a need for someone like you to fill).

There are many ways to do this. To do it well, the busy attorney often times needs help. But, if you choose to go it alone, here are some ideas to help you use your time wisely.

Respond to open jobs by having jobs come to you 24/7. Set up e-mail agents so the jobs come to your e-mail inbox through a job search engine. Resist the temptation to get lost on the Internet for hours, only to feel frustrated in the end..com.

Network with the right people. Activity is no substitute for progress. Most job searchers have heard the long-standing advice about the benefits of networking. There is an erroneous understanding that building contacts and networking with friends, family and associates reaps the greatest reward.

Make a positive first impression. Your resume and career marketing correspondence must be written to the target audience. Law resumes, CVs and business resumes have dramatically different elements. Here’s where a little consultation with a professional consultant might prove valuable, as he or she will likely know how to specifically-tailor your resume to showcase your best strengths, capabilities and transferable skills.

On a positive note, it may help you to know that most employers are always on the lookout for good people. They are appreciative of foresight and ingenuity. And most are willing to look in unconventional places (trade associations, referrals, etc.) before they “post an ad” for an open position.

With clear goals and a strategic plan, followed consistently, you will increase your chances of landing your dream job exponentially.

Share this:

Job seekers beware. Inside the career services industry there has been a lot of negative rumblings about The Ladders…a paid job board that gives “free resume critiques” infamous for trashing even well written resumes and charging top dollar to “rewrite it for you”. Now there is a new black sheep (Fox?) on the block: Jobfox.com.

Same game, same scam and same advice…

I feel there is something especially shameful about preying on job seekers who are just trying to discern the next best moves for themselves – trying to make sure their resume is doing its job and the job search methods they employ are the right ones for them.

The Ladders has been written about extensively. Jason Alba of Jibber Jobber blogs about it here

And Nick Corcodilos rakes them over the coals here.comments section here.

I don’t like to say negative things about other people or companies. In fact this is the first post I have ever written in this tone. But companies with a significant online presence that beguile job seekers and/or operate in the grey need to be exposed…period.

I found this eye opening page describing JobFox’s services. Check out the

The BEST way to figure if your resume is doing its job in my opinion is to contact either Career Directors International or Career Management Alliance - both are big, gold standard Associations in the career services industry where a job seeker can quickly find a certified resume writer that can help them. Some of these resume writers offer free critiques and some charge a small amount for their review. There are no 100% guarantees, but by far this is the most discerning step a job seeker can take and one that serves to best shield against unscrupulous companies and practices.

Share this: