The Executive Update

Ask the Coach: Harnessing the Web to Get the Attention You Want

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from this week’s session with our newest expert to join Ask the Coach, Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers based in New York City.

The World Wide Web has become such an engrained part of our lives and our careers that everyone is trying to come up with creative new strategies to harness the power of the Web. Some job seekers are thinking outside the box when it comes to the Web – way outside.

Barbara cited the example of one marketing executive who wanted to get attention of specific industry movers and shakers. He bought their names and started a banner ad campaign, so every time the executive conducted a search for him or herself, an ad would appear congratulating them on their achievements and introducing them to a similarly skilled executive, himself. You could click through on the banner to view his profile and accomplishments. The campaign worked, and this marketing executive landed in a very short time.

Then there are other approaches that are just as effective. Other coaches have talked about the power of blogging. Barbara also is a believer in using a web log to set yourself apart from the herd. If your goal is to be seen as a subject matter expert, then a blog can be a great tool. For the sake of your personal brand, a blog can’t be a diary of your daily personal experience and opinions on a variety of topics. Facebook might be a better venue for that. Instead, a blog is a place where you can share your knowledge and expertise, and increase your digital footprint. Use the blog to discuss relevant problems or industry trends, and improvements in your field. Share insights that will attract others to you.

The objective is to attract other professionals and interested parties to learn more about you. Many of those who comment on blogs are open to contact in other forums and forms, and this gives you an opening to expand your personal network. If you are interested in a specific company, blog about them to get their attention.

If you want to learn more about blogging to build your personal brand, join Jim Durbin, the social media headhunter, at our next Experts Connection teleseminar entitled, “Executives: Get Noticed for the Right Reasons.” If you can’t join the discussion, an archive of the teleseminar will also be available.

However, blogging is not for everyone. If you aren’t prepared to set aside time each week to add new content to your blog site, then you aren’t really ready to blog. But you can comment on other relevant blogs and follow other professionals in your field. Remember that each comment and post is searchable and associated with your name, so even commenting is a create way to expand your presence as an industry expert.

Ask the Coach: Strategizing Your Career Transition

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from the most recent session with Nicola James, Managing Partner of Thomas Brooke International.

During this week’s coach call, Nicola fielded a lot of questions about career transition. One caller in the luxury real estate market is trying to transition into another career (for obvious reasons). This poses a double problem since their compensation package is out of line with what they can realistically expect to get in a job transition.

Nicola’s view is that is possible to make a transition, even in the current job climate. All hires are being made based on perceived value. When you stay in your comfort zone, it’s much easier to show your value and for the party on the hiring side to perceive that value and understand it. When you are in transition, you are outside that comfort zone which means you need to try a different approach. First you have to do a lot of soul-searching and determine who you are at heart. What makes you tick? Once you know understand what really motivates you, you can more easily present your value as it relates to a company or position you are considering.

As part of the self-assessment, you will need to determine what your characteristics and skill sets are. List those characteristics that are not industry-specific or require special knowledge or expertise. Make a list of those abilities that are common to the job or company in which you are interested. These are your transferrable values. Nicola compared the process to creating Lego blocks; breaking your expertise into components that can be reassembled to see what else you can build. Now you can present these innate values to managers at the hiring company in a form that makes it easy to show how you can be of value to them. Don’t leave them questioning how you fit. 

Once you have identified your basic value proposition, you can start looking at adjacent business segments; those with the same sell cycles. Showing common ground between your experience and the needs of your target company makes the hiring authority more comfortable and open. Remember that companies are looking for someone who offers something with a bit of a difference; someone who understand their needs but with a fresh perspective.

Compensation was also central to this discussion. One caller noted that many job sites and applications require a compensation figure. What’s the best tack to take? Base comp? Total comp? With or without benefits? Nicola’s advice was to cite base comp but make sure it’s the minimum you need. If you can demonstrate your value then companies will discuss compensation. If you are unsure about salaries for a new arena look at resources such as www.salary.com.

Ask the Coach: Harness the Power of the Blog

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from this week’s session with career transition coach and consultant Randy Block.

 

This week, seasoned career coach Randy Block hosted the Ask the Coach call. As always, Randy was prepared with insight and pragmatic advice about finding work. His most practical advice to job seekers was find new ways to get noticed. Find ways to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Make yourself unique.

 

Not long ago, noting on your resume that you were prepared to stand apart as a “team player” or by being “results oriented” was more than enough to get a foot in the door. These days, such catch phrases are listed as the seven deadly words or phrases on your resume. You need to make yourself unique. You need to find the personal brand that differentiates you and your value proposition, and then back it up with concrete proof.

 

To help you build that unique value proposition, consider tapping the power of blogging. Creating a weblog where you can share your insight and industry knowledge is an ideal means to create an online brand presence; a foundation from which to launch your personal brand. If you have target companies that you are truly interested in, blog about them! Apply your experience to comment on what they are doing well and where they need help. Offer suggestions and ideas to improve things.

 

Most companies have watchdogs assigned to keep track of all Web references about the company. Your posts will come to their attention. But don’t wait to be discovered. Take matters into your own hands and proactively send links to your blog to hiring authorities, such as the department managers, the HR department, or the CEO. And don’t just say, “See, I am writing about you,” but rather use your blog to engage them in conversation about topics of interest. Ask what they think. Provide a URL and invite them to comment.

 

This is a great way to get a dialogue going and make a positive connection with executives who can positively influence your career. But remember, this is a conversation, not a sales pitch. You need to engage the parties involved. Make sure they are heard, and that they see your unique value and what you bring to the table. Over time, it will become obvious that your skills and expertise will be an asset to the company. At that point you can start talking about possible work. But if you try to rush the process without engaging in the conversation, then you will appear disingenuous and the strategy will fail.

 

If you want to learn more about how to harness blogging as a means to building your personal brand, be sure to attend this month’s Experts Connection teleseminar,  “Executives: Get Noticed for the Right Reasons,” with recruiter and master blogger Jim Durbin. Jim knows as the Social Media Headhunter because he understands how to help you harness the power of the blog to build brand awareness that will help you land your next job.

Ask the Coach: Be Proactive About Your Online Brand

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from a recent session with our newest career coach, Kristin Speer of Accelerated Search Consulting.

This week, Coach Kristin Speer addressed a number of issues including the need to proactively present your personal brand. You need to be seen online, which means you need to take charge of presenting your online persona. NETSHARE members agree that although there are services out there that will guarantee to help you a job and uncover those “hidden” openings for fees up to $25,000, you should save your money. You’ll get farther by building your own online presence, and no one understands your personal brand better than you do. So you are the one to take control of your future.

In the world of the Web, it’s better to be seen as an expert and have others seek you out. Those in decision-making roles need to be able to find you and your information online, and the online trail you have laid needs to back up your personal band value.

Kris, like her peers, recommends starting with a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn has become the pre-eminent business networking tool, and it’s important that you can be found here, not just for your current position, but to help you with future opportunities as well. Contacts made on LinkedIn help solidify your sphere of influence. You want to create a steady level of activity (since those who are recently unemployed will often burst on the scene with a suspiciously high level of activity). LinkedIn Groups including NETSHARE’s group) can be valuable in helping you build a presence and demonstrate your expertise.

You also need to reach out to recruiters. Make sure that you are in the databases of the "big" executive search firms. All search firms work in basically the same way; the partners go after the searches. The senior associates will then go through the databases to see who they have in their systems who might be a match. These matches are then sent back to the partners. Your objective is to get the attention of the senior associates! Ask the receptionist which associate handles your type of search and get your information to that person. Your best strategy is to offer assistance by offering referrals and recommendations. It helps you to help them.

And don’t overlook the resources available at your local library and alumni associations.

For more insight in how to get noticed online, don’t miss the next session of Experts Connection on May 26, where Jim Durbin will share his insights in a session entitled, “EXECUTIVES: Get Noticed For The Right Reasons.”