Are you in a full-time job search? Many job seekers who are, find that supplementing their income until they land their next job takes a lot of pressure and anxiety off of them and helps to build their confidence and keep their energy and motivation up.

You can create one or more temporary income streams using the following strategies:

1. Management Consulting – Jobs in management consulting (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) have DOUBLED over the last 10 years. If you are experienced in your niche, this can make exceptional additional income! Guru and Elance are great sites for getting the word out and giving you the ability to instantly bid on projects. Flexjobs has an annual fee of $49, or you can sign up by the month – word from my clients is that this is an excellent site and resource. RealMatch is yet another option. 
2. Higher Ed Adjunct Teaching – Teach part-time in your area of expertise and get paid for it! Adjunct teaching is increasingly popular with state and local colleges as they do not have to cover benefits. 
3. Ebay/Craigslist – The business you can do using these mediums is pretty phenomenal. I know many people who generate significant passive income off these sites. 
4. Interim Executives – Many companies are looking for interim executives for various reasons. Most of the largest recruitment firms in the U.S., including Heidrick and Struggles, Russell Reynolds, Spencer Stuart and Spherion, now have specialized practice areas for interim executive placement. 
5. Corporate Project Assignments – Gear a version of your resume toward project assignments, highlighting the key skills/strengths you are really experienced in. This strategy appeals to companies (even for some full-time positions) because these positions don’t require automatic long-term commitments or benefit packages, and contracting projects can generally meet many corporate challenges at significant savings to them. The benefits to you are clear, including getting your foot in the door for more permanent work and giving you a chance to see if you and said company are a fit! 
6. Register With Your Local Temporary Agency – Employers hire entry AND mid-level professionals for project assignments through temp firms. 
7. Earn Income From Your Hobby – A few things I have seen people do in the past include selling fresh baked bread or veggies at their local farmers market, dog boarding, day care, ghostwriting, graphic design, selling antiques, equestrian lessons and photography.

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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.

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Guest post by Stanley Albrighton

The past few decades have borne witness to a great number of changes in the Middle East. Many will associate the region with internal religious and political turmoil, however it is essential to understand that socioeconomic progress has ushered in a new era of advancement for the region. For this reason, the once-thought standard policies of executive recruitment have experienced a drastic shift in recent times. Let us first examine some of the changes occurring, and then apply these changes to noted shifts in recruitment policies.

Integration and Economic Factors

One of the most pivotal variables that has brought about changes in recruitment policies has to do with the fact that through technology, the Middle East is becoming increasingly integrated. If we then combine this with the rising wealth from oil and outside investments, it should come as no surprise that regional executive recruitment techniques have changed. Therefore, let us highlight some of the key points that have begun to affect recruitment policies.

A Lessened Desire for Western Talent

Although western expertise was once prized in this region, one must now take into account the fact that the internet age has produced a sizable number of trained professionals from other markets. Indeed, the Middle East is producing a large amount of experts in numerous fields. Notwithstanding the internally trained sector, the cost of western specialists has become prohibitively expensive for many corporations. Developing nations and those that have undergone significant economic distress are now offering up their expertise as well as many professionals that seek life outside of their respective countries. Therefore, this presents a valuable source of affordable executives while not sacrificing quality.

Arabic Speakers Needed

As the Middle East continues to gain a stronger foothold in the global economy, those who are fluent in Arabic are considered a commodity. In the past this was necessary for outside communications, but as this region has steadily become more integrated, Arabic speakers can increase intra-region communication effectively. As relatively few westerners have a sufficient grasp of Arabic (although the numbers are indeed on the rise), this illustrates another reason for a change in recruitment policy.

Attractive Financial Opportunities for Other Nations

Another key variable has to do with the fact that the Middle East’s domestic economies are largely tied to oil and natural gas production. As we have seen steady increases in the middle to long-term pricing in this sector, a large amount of liquidity is tied into the regional economy. Therefore, the Middle East represents an attractive foreign investment opportunity for the countries that can capitalize on such movement. This is one reason why executives looking to be recruited are experiencing a great deal of competition from countries such as India and China.

A Fertile Technological Hub

Although in the past the Middle East was seen as a source for raw materials alone, it is rapidly becoming one of the largest technological hubs in the world. Countries such as Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have seen a great deal of technological companies seek to locate regional or global office in these regions. They realize that the burgeoning population, liquid capital and an increasingly specialized domestic workforce all represent attractive investment opportunities. Thus, they are more willing to recruit within the region than from abroad.

Lasting Effects of the Global Crisis

Lastly, it is important to recognize that many multinational corporations are still not recruiting at the levels they were prior to 2007. They prefer to keep expertise in-house as opposed to outsourcing capital. Unsurprisingly, this has been witnessed in the global corporations centered in the Middle East.

This paradigm shift reflects not only the growing influence the Middle East has on recruitment policies, but it signals a world that is becoming less defined by political and social borders than ever before. With further regional integration, a more professional workforce and access to cheaper labor from abroad, the westerner is not nearly in demand in the region as he or she was only a handful of years ago. While it may be argued that the Middle East still needs to deal with various regional tensions, it is nonetheless a fact that the landscape of executive recruitment due to economic progress has profoundly changed in this region.

About the Author:

Stanley Albrighton has worked with executive search firms for a number of years and has been lucky enough to recruit for various international and local organizations. He currently works for Marble Hill Partners, who help provide interim management.

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7 Step Checklist to Job Search Success

1. Get focused. Write down your preferred industry, geographic preferences, salary requirements, job search time frame, and brainstorm on what kind of company you see yourself working for. In other words, you must begin your job search at the end and work backwards. Get a crystal clear vision of what your outcome should be and what your focus is. A bullseye makes a great target. Passively jumping at things that come along on job boards hasn’t worked for a long time.
2. Create your marketing collateral. A great resume and value proposition letter are essential. If you can afford to invest in yourself, hire a TOP certified resume writer. Your effort will pay off here.
3. Create or update your LinkedIn profile. A quick tip about LinkedIn: keyword optimization is one of the primary ways to get more of the right eyes looking at your profile. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is keyword optimized to your next career move!
4. Create a list of people you know to network with. Learn to network smart – don’t ask for a job; ask for information and contacts in your industry of interest. Tip: when you are networking, you are not job searching. Embrace this so you don’t feel like you are tricking anyone. True networking has great rewards. One being that jobs, contacts and information come to you.
5. Define the best job search strategies for YOU. Recruiters can be helpful if you have a stellar track record and are staying in the same industry. Direct mail campaigns work on all levels, from entry to executive – done right, they can cut a line right to the decision-maker and land you interviews quickly. Networking works best when combined with other strategies. Job boards can yield some results if you are in a highly specialized position and industry – otherwise, you might just be wasting your time. Private equity and venture capital distributions can work for certain executives. You need to invest some time figuring out what strategies will work best for your particular situation. Need help? Get my book on the Hidden Job Market, invest in the Job Search Success System or call me at 830-331-9398.
6. Create a schedule and keep it. Assign certain hours and certain days to commit to focusing on your job search. Personally, I prefer you create a modest schedule that you are always able to keep and also ensures you get enough time off. In a job search you want to leave extra time for relaxation and rest (just trust me – it works). Batch your activities so that certain days are devoted to ONE main activity. These may include sending out letters, research, making phone calls, or following up with people, such as recruiters. You will take the overwhelm out of your job search and get a lot more done in less time by doing this.
7. BONUS tip. Automate your search to save you even more time. You can set up news alerts and email alerts to save yourself hours and hours so that all the information you want and need relative to your job search comes to you via your inbox. When I help my clients do this they tell me they go from surfing the net 20 to 40 hours a week to spending just a few hours, with more productivity and better results!

***You can purchase my e-books on Amazon for just a few dollars. E-books can be read on your computer, iPad or smartphone (you don’t need a Kindle!) The Career Artisan Series.

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Guest post by Joe Franklin

Writing a resume that will stand out like a firecracker on the Fourth of July is certainly no easy task. With nearly any job today, there are always more qualified applicants than there are positions to fill. The ongoing challenging economic times are making the job market more competitive, as is the advent of computer scanning technology that can screen resumes just by looking for pre-set keywords.

No matter how great a candidate’s resume may be, since the first set of “eyes” that will likely view it will be electronic, knowing how to write a great business resume will make all the difference between getting left out in the cold and getting a shot at interviewing for the position you want. Luckily, with the use of resume scanning technology has also come a more formulaic approach to resume writing that takes away some of the guess work from the pre-computer resume screening days. Learning how to write a perfect resume for business can make a world of difference.

Perfect Resumes are Specific and Keyword-Driven

The first thing you need to remember when writing your resume is that today’s resume reviews are highly specific. In particular, they are all about keywords. Keywords encompass skill sets, strengths, job experience, prior titles and education, including specific information about degrees, certifications and grade point average (GPA). As an example, if you attended an online university based in Scranton, PA for your undergraduate and graduate degrees, writing “online Scranton University degrees” on your resume is not sufficient. You need to write the specific name of the university you attended, the year you graduated and your GPA, as well as the city and state. Do this for both your graduate and undergraduate degree.

In the same way, if your degree comes from a program that is an AACSB accredited online MBA program, if you use the acronym AACSB be sure to add in parentheses (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International). Don’t make the recruiter hunt for this information; they don’t have time and because of this, they will probably just put your resume in the “no” pile and move on. In terms of using specific keywords, often you can find critical position-specific keywords by reading the job description itself. Once you have found them, you can insert these keywords throughout your resume wherever they fit in naturally and then a computer will pick them up. As a result, your resume will be placed in the “short stack” to be reviewed by a real person.

Content Order

The next important step in writing the perfect resume is content order. Each recruiter is going to need certain pieces of information in order to even rule you as a candidate. They will need to know your education level and GPA. They will need to know about prior work experience, including the position(s) you have held and your job titles, in addition to what you did at each job. They will also need to know about any relevant certifications, volunteer positions or other credentials that are pertinent.

They will then look for something called an “objective statement,” which tells them why you are applying for their particular position and why you are a good fit. Having all of these elements present and in their proper order will give you a leg up over other candidates, because you will make the recruiter’s job of screening resumes easier. Also, a word about sharing past job roles – for business candidates in particular, using the “STAR” system can really aid in making your resume shine. STAR stands for “situations, tasks, actions, results.” Be as concise as possible, but explain about each aspect when describing relevant work or volunteer experience.

Brevity and Professionalism is Key

Finally, remember that in today’s job market, for every position that is announced, a recruiter might get 100 or 1,000 resumes for that position. While computer scanners can simplify the process, the recruiter will still not want to waste time scrolling through pages of your resume to find the information they need to prescreen you for the position. While a resume up to two pages long can work if you are applying for an executive-level job, for any position lower than that, keeping your resume to one page is best.

Statistics state that the average amount of time a recruiter spends reviewing each individual resume can be 30 seconds or less. Be brief, be succinct by following the STAR system, be sure to proofread your resume and have a second set of eyes do so as well. Finally, strive to make your overall presentation and contact information professional, which includes checking your voicemail message and choosing a professional-sounding email address. If you follow each of these steps to the letter, you improve your chances of writing a resume that can pave your way to landing any business job you want.

About the Author: Joe Franklin is a business school student who has written and re-written his own personal resume several times. It wasn’t until he brought his resume to his student career services office that he discovered the key elements he was missing.

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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.

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CIO just released an interesting article on what I have been saying for

years – which is December is a great time to conduct a job search! The

article gives some nice quick tips for using LinkedIn to do this. I would

add learning how to tap the hidden job market is a fantastic way to make

valuable connections and land interviews and offers during the holidays.

Read the article here.

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****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

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I hope you were able to make the call this morning but if not – just click on this link below to listen to the audio recording:
http://careerartisan.audioacrobat.com/download/3b572733-a7fa-f2be-fa0f-84b9baa9f955.mp3

THANK YOU to everyone who has been emailing me and posting their enthusiasm about this call!

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I just decided to host a call this Saturday morning (yes…tomorrow!)titled:

Secrets to a Wildly Successful Job Search for High Five-, Six-(and even Seven-) Figure Professionals

I know you have heard it all (to death): you must use social networking, recruiters, paid job boards etc. in your job search.

But I want to give you (at no cost) some amazing tips and resources to help you get much faster and far better results in your job search.

What I teach my clients is something they end up using over and over again in their careers . . . making their job searches less stressful, less time consuming, and more fruitful.

I don’t know WHY more career professionals aren’t teaching this to their clients.  Hint: It’s all about the hidden job market.

No fancy sign-up pages—just the call-in info here below:

Saturday, September 18, 2010
10AM Central Time
(that’s 11AM Eastern (NY) time, 8AM Pacific and 9AM Mountain)

BRIDGE LINE: 1-218-936-7999

PASS CODE: 292-4192#

My bridge line only holds about 200 callers so call in early to get a spot! If you can’t get on – dont worry becuase I will post an audio recording of the call here on blog. But I hope to “see” you live!

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