The Executive Update

Ask the Coach: Getting Recruiter Attention

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 career management consultant Randy Block.

We had a number of queries in this week’s coach call from executives looking for a new position and in transition. The common theme seemed to be how best to deal with recruiters.

One employed executive asked about the most productive way to reach retained recruiters. Randy’s response was to address your correspondence only to those recruiters who conduct searches in your target market or discipline. Also be sure to narrow your search by geography and other factors. If you can, get a friend or associate to introduce you, but before you reach out, be sure to have a clear idea of where you want to go with your career. If you are looking in “stealth” mode, the next session of Experts Connection is focused on “The Undercover Job Search: Stealth Tactics for Employed Executives,” and will include tips and techniques on how to work with recruiters and stay under the radar.

Another caller in transition asked about the value of signing with an outplacement firm. Are they worth the money? Randy noted that these firms are used to soften the blow during a layoff, but they charge between $20,000 and $25,000 for their services. They have started marketing to individuals as a sign of hard economic times. You want to assess the value of working with an outplacement firm versus a personal career coach who will work with you one-on-one. Both have to bring personal accountability to the process and help keep you on track with your job search, but beyond that you have to assess their real value for yourself.

A third caller asked why he wasn’t getting any positive responses to his cover letters and resume. He notes that he spends considerable time research each target company and targeting his marketing materials. Randy replied there can be any number of factors, but in the current job climate you need to match what the recruiter or hiring company is looking for pretty closely. If you are not a 90-percent match to the job specification, then you may not get a response. If, however, you are a close match to the job criteria and you still aren’t getting a response, then go directly to the hiring manager who needs the position filled. He or she may have a more precise set of hiring criteria than the recruiter or HR department.

Remember that NETSHARE hosts an Ask the Coach call for NETSHARE members on Monday at 2:00 Pacific time. The next Ask the Coach call is scheduled for January 23.

Some New Year’s Resolutions for Your Career in 2012

It’s a new year, and that means a renewed effort to manage your career. If you are like most people, you have made some New Year’s resolutions to improve performance for the coming year, and you may abandon those resolutions before January is over. However, if you are serious about making a positive career move in 2012, consider hanging on to some of these New Year’s resolutions:

1. Complete your LinkedIn Profile – If you haven’t done it already, complete your LinkedIn profile, and if you have completed it, consider revising it. Spend some effort reworking your profile to integrate the right key words and make it compelling. Talk to co-workers and others who can offer recommendations. Add a professional photo. Think like a hiring manager and look at your profile and ask yourself, “Would I contact this person?”
2. Network with a Purpose – Networking is important, and with social media it’s easy and it’s free! However, remember that you get what you pay for. Making thousands of LinkedIn connections has no value unless you know what those contacts can do for you. Identify a handful of networking groups and dig in so they know who you are. If you identify four LinkedIn groups, for example, each with 50 members, and you target those four groups, you emerge with 200 people who know who you are and what you have to offer.
3. Clean up your digital dirt – It’s time to do some housekeeping. Look at some of those old accounts you never use and close them, or refresh them if you have to. Do a Google search on yourself and see where you might have to do damage control, or where you might have to focus your energies to improve the rankings for content that matters to your personal brand. Try to remove those embarrassing photos on Facebook and check for past rants about your coworkers and your boss on Twitter and elsewhere. Resolve to be a clean and sober cybercitizen this year.
4. Determine your true value – Times have changed. Rather than chasing the salary you used to get three or four years ago, determine what your true market value is today. What are your skills worth today’s market, and how can you maximize your value? Check out Payscale.com, Glassdoor.com, Salary.com, and your peers and network contacts to reset your market value.
5. Focus Your Efforts – Don’t throw your resume at any job that appears. Don’t pursue arbitrary networking opportunities to build your contact list. Focus. Determine where you are going to get the most traction. Identify your skills, what market you want to work in, and focus your efforts to network into that industry, targeting company and people who can help you achieve your goals. Apply laser-like focus to your career goals.

Of course, these aren’t just New Year’s resolutions but are useful the year round. The beginning of a new year is a good time to re-think your career objectives, and how best to achieve them.

“I Know We’re Connected on Facebook. Who Are You Again?”

So can you identify every one of your contacts in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? Do you know who they are? What they do? Where they work? How you know them?

Social networking has overwhelmed us with contacts, but those connections don’t have much value to you unless you understand where they fit in your universe. As Keith Ferrazzi said in Never Eat Alone, “it’s not enough to collect names and numbers (and email addresses), we should know how strong the relationship is with our contacts” (with thanks to Jason Alba at JibberJobber for the reminder).

You should understand how each contact has value to you and your job search, and how you can assist them in return. Some networking systems like JibberJobber give you a star ranking system, with five stars being highly connected. Facebook has a new way of tagging friends, family, and acquaintances, and Google+ lets you create circles of contacts to help you stay organized. You can come up with your own system but you should be able to understand where every one of your contacts fits in your world.

If you want to use a ranking system from 1 to 5, 5 being your best contacts, consider this approach:

1. Someone you met, either in person or via email, but you aren’t sure where they fit in the greater scheme of things.
2. Someone you met and you had a good conversation. This could be the start of something valuable to both of you, but you need to see what that might be.
3. This contact is someone you have spoken to more than once and who is interested in networking because you can assist one another. This is a contact worth getting to know better because you are confident you can help each other.
4. This is a contact that is worth cultivating and you feel really good about developing a stronger relationship. Your goals align and this contact could prove to be an ally or champion in the future, and you may have contacts that are valuable in return.
5. You are lifelong chums and this contact will come to birthday parties, hang out at the ballpark, and give you the shirt off of his or her back. These are the close contacts you can call on at any time for help or advice.

If you have emails and phone numbers for people you don’t remember, then you can probably purge them from your database, or at least push them to the bottom of your contact list. Keep your contacts up to date, and remember how you know them and why you are connected to them and you will be able to do more with your network than shouting at unknown faces on the online crowd.

“Creative” No Longer Cuts It – the Most Overused Words on LinkedIn

We spend a lot of time and space on this weblog talking about the need to network and how important your online profile is. In fact, today we sponsored an Experts Connection webinar with social media expert Glenn Raines talking about how to create professional social media profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google. As part of that process, it is becoming increasingly important to stand out from the crowd. Hiring managers and recruiters are using social media outlets to find fresh talent, and they are using proactive search terms. That means you need to keep your social media profiles fresh as well.

According to the latest poll from LinkedIn, users continue to use the same hackneyed adjectives in their profiles. “Creativity” is the most overused buzzword for 2011, followed by “organizational” and “effective.” The problem with all these buzzwords is they do not differentiate you or your expertise. Everyone can make claims about vague capabilities like “creativity” and “effectiveness.” And such platitudes don’t promote searchability. No hiring manager is going to search for the term “creativity” or “effective.” They will search for nouns, such as “sales manager,” “telecommunications,” “top seller,” “Ruby on Rails,” and other specific terms that will help narrow their search. In his Experts Connection presentation, Glenn Raines noted that you need to keep your keyword density at 3 percent if you want your profile optimized for the search algorithms.

So don’t waste precious space on adjectives that are meaningless, actually less than meaningless because they just make you part of the herd. Try to use terms that differentiate you, and your expertise. Identify key phrases and terms that speak to your expertise and your profession. Think like a hiring manager. How would you find, well, you? What search terms would you use to find a hot property like yourself? If you can describe yourself as you want others to find you, you can build a solid social media profile without falling prey to buzzword bingo.

Five of the Biggest Blunders of Online Job Search

We have been talking a lot about networking lately, and I thought it was time to get back to basics with a short blog post on some of the most common blunders job applicants make when submitting their resume or other credentials electronically. These five points seem basic, but it’s amazing how often even the most experienced professionals forget the basics, whether they are looking for full-time or consulting work:

1. Keep it relevant. When searching for work, the natural tendency is to want to make things easy on ourselves. Often we reuse cover letters, resumes, or other content to apply for a position, which means we often fail to customize the message to suit the situation. If you insist on using cut and paste, review your text to make sure it’s on target. If you are asked for work samples or examples of your expertise, keep them relevant to the role. If you are using an online portfolio, consider splitting it into sections to keep your samples focused. Take the time to focus and give your prospect the information they are looking for, not just what’s at hand.

2. Use the subject line. Most of our communications these days is electronic, which means it’s easy to create and just as easy to ignore. Electronic mailboxes fill up fast with junk mail, and it’s easy for your communications to be lost or ignored. You can overcome that with a strong email message, starting with a catchy subject line. Sometimes companies specify the topic of their email correspondence to help filter email messages. Keep the subject line relevant, interesting, and be sure to check your spelling.

3. Ask simple questions. Show your interest by posing one or two leading questions to help promote a dialogue, but keep it simple. Don’t ask obvious or annoying questions, or questions that require a long explanation. Those are better left for an interview. Instead, use simple questions such as “can you tell me more about your company’s specific goals?”

4. If you are overqualified. Portraying yourself as qualified but not overqualified can be tricky, especially if it’s clear you have more experience than the job requires. Don’t sound arrogant or dismissive; “Of course I can do this…” Don’t offer a long list of relevant achievements. Instead, be focused, be positive, and let your marketing documents speak for themselves.

5. Follow directions. If you are applying for a specific position or if an ad or request has specific criteria, follow them! It’s amazing how many people fail to follow simple directions. If you don’t, it shows you lack an attention to detail and it could offer a precursor to your on-the-job performance. Be sure you provide the information requested, or at least acknowledge there is information missing to demonstrate you understand the directions.

Common sense counts for a lot when you are looking for a new job or contract, but we often get so busy that we forget the basics and overlook the details. When you are looking for a job, the details matter so slow down, take a moment, review what you are sending, and think before you click the “send” button.

Ask the Coach: In Job Search, Perception is Reality

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 Nicola James, Managing Partner of Thomas Brooke International.

This week’s career coach, Nicola James, emphasized the importance of projecting the right image, whether on the phone, in person, or in your marketing documents. You only have an opportunity to make the right impression once, so how do you portray the real you?

To illustrate her point, Nicola related a story:

It seems that aliens were studying the earth and saw how everyone was interested in the daily newspaper. So they bought a paper, analyzed it, and all they found were wood pulp and ink. They couldn’t understand what all the excitement was about.

So when you meet new people, either in person or online, are they seeing the real you, the you that you want them to see, or are they seeing a two-dimensional representation of who you are? It’s important to have the right message, but it’s equally important to know how to convey that message correctly. You need to leave an impression of not only who you are but what you represent.

Nicola reminded the callers then when you are selling anything, including yourself, you never know if the prospect is ready to buy until you communicate with them. You can’t turn a “no” into a “yes” if the perceived fit or need isn’t there. You can, however, have an impact on how you are remembered. But to have an impact, you have to listen! Listen closely to what the other party is saying. Don’t assume that you understand. Be responsive to their needs rather than trying to push your own personal brand first.

Nicola urged everyone to hone their listening and questioning skills. You need to listen before you can present yourself in an engaging manner.

When you make a new connection, try to offer information as well as ask for it. You should be sure the other party doesn’t leave empty-handed. Make it easy for them to help you, and offer whatever help you can in return. Also be sure to close your conversation like you would close a deal, with a question that requires an answer, such as “Who can offer me more insight?” or “Who would you suggest I contact?”

The objective is to present a clear understanding of what you represent and where you offer value, leave a lasting impression with a thoughtful conversation based on carefully listening to the other party, then parting with information that cements the relationship and leaves the door open for future conversations. You want to make a lasting first impression because, in job search, perception truly is reality.

Online Networking Hinges in the Right Questions

Most people have poor online networking skills. That’s not because they are antisocial or unable to hold a conversation, but making a connection online is different from meeting someone at a conference or a cocktail party. And those who master the art of online networking find a multitude of rewards.

Consider that there are 500 million Facebook users. That is one out of every 13 people on the planet. And each of those users has an average of 130 friends. So when you think about the exponential possibilities of tapping into the larger Facebook network, you can understand why online networking has become such an important part of job search. With the right series of introductions you can meet almost anyone online.

The challenge is using the proper approach to get the desired results. The right exchange of information can open the right doors to your next career move. However, most job seekers don’t understand their networking needs. They don’t understand that nurturing connections leads to other connections that lead to desired contacts. Job seekers are too quick to say “hire me” and not open to exchanging information to deepen a relationship. You have to ask the right questions and have a clear idea of what you need to get from those questions. You can use questions to move the conversation from casual chat to information sharing. However, you also want to keep the questions friendly to build a rapport and not make the other party uncomfortable.

The best approach is to pose open-ended questions, rather than “yes or no” questions. You want to enter into a dialogue and give the other party a chance to demonstrate his or her interests and expertise. If you put these open-ended questions to work in the right way, you can forge a connection that can be valuable in your job search and in other aspects of your career. Try questions such as “What advice would you give someone starting in this business?”or “What credentials to you look for in this position?”

At some point in the exchange that follows, you will be able to steer the question to getting the insights you want for your job search. Don’t ask “Do you know anyone…?” That’s too direct and will turn off a potential contact. Back into the question by asking “who do you know…?” instead. A lot depends on how you ask the question. If you pose it in the right way, you are more likely to get the right answers.

Of course, you can’t make the conversation all about you and consider it a dialogue. You need to be able to offer assistance and information in return. Find out what your contacts are interested in. What are their networking objectives? And offer what assistance you can from your network of contacts or whatever resources you can provide.

Ask the Coach: There Is No Shame in Networking

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 career management consultant Randy Block.

A common fear among those who are working is that if they start networking, their bosses will suspect them of “looking.” What if you boss spots you on LinkedIn networking with another company, or even a competitor?

As Randy told callers this week, relax! LinkedIn is the place to be. Everyone is there (or anyone you probably care about). LinkedIn now has more than 100 million members, and only 25 percent are actively looking for a new position. The other 75 million are building their professional network for other purposes, although many are probably passively looking for greener pastures as well. There are a lot of people out there worth connecting to since they, in turn, can connect you to their professional networks and help build your personal network.

Even if you are not actively looking, you need to be nurturing your personal network. Start by reaching out to the first connection. Make yourself known. Once you start each step becomes easier. Just remember that with all your networking activities, be transparent and authentic. You want to build a solid base from which you can build your business network, and that you can tap for new career opportunities in the future, so make sure those in your network know you and your personal brand.

Build your online presence by commenting in the LinkedIn forums. Comment on the blogs, or even start your own blog. Be sure you are branding your expertise in a way that you show you know your stuff, and in a way that will attract the kinds of companies you want to work for. And don’t worry about your boss spotting your online activity. Tell them you are building your professional presence so you can do a more effective job. It’s true, after all. Social media is here to stay, and all professionals are engaging.

If you can, engage in a face-to-face meeting once a week. Check out local meet-ups, meetings of professional associations or the Chamber of Commerce, or meetings of local business groups. Make connections and be social; break the ice and talk about sports, local business conditions, whatever works to forge the connection. Once you connect you can deepen the relationship over lunch or coffee. In turn, your new contacts will Google you, check out your LinkedIn profile, and your blog, and if you have laid the proper foundation, they will understand your personal brand.

Now you aren’t just an e-mail address or a resume or online bio; you are seen as a three-dimensional contact with a unique value proposition. That will be to your advantage when the time comes to change jobs.

Ask the Coach: Getting a Stake in the Private Equity Game

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 Nicola James, Managing Partner of Thomas Brooke International.

Private Equity firms have always had an allure for many executives. The challenge is how to get on their radar? This week’s career coach, Nicola James, has a lot of experience working with private equity firms and was able to provide some meaningful responses to NETSHARE member questions.

The first caller noted that he had worked with private equity firms in the past at a senior level. How should he re-engage with the private equity market? Nicola replied that his previous experience would give him some standing with those who have hiring authority.

Nicola reminded the callers that there are two different levels of hiring within a private equity firm. If they are hiring at the C-level, then that is usually done by the portfolio company, by the partners. In this case they usually look to their own personal networks for hiring candidates. This gives you an advantage since you can identify those partners and build your connections through your own networks. Determine their outside interests. Find different ways to approach them and get to know them. That way, when they start looking to fill a new position, you will be there. The challenge with working with partners, however, is they often tend to be disorganized and don’t have a formal process for managing their contacts, so you have to maintain regular contact to put yourself in the right place at the right time for the right opportunity.

Below the C-level, recruiting is usually handled by the Vice President of Recruiting. These guys are professionals, with better contacts and better contact management systems than you typically find at the partner level. The way the vice president will keep track of their candidates is better organized so being “top of mind” is less important, but they also don’t maintain that same personal connection. They tend to work from resumes and information in their database and they may or may not understand the real parameters of the job.

In either case, you need to have the right market connections of the “investment backed” background to make sure you can get traction in the job search. You also will have to be more flexible about compensation. Private equity opportunities usually don’t have the same salaries and you need to be prepared to take less compensation on the front end and look for an equity payout later.

If you have background in a specific market, then it’s best to search our private equity firms that work in those areas conducting searches for professionals with your background. You will need to determine where the gaps are in their knowledge base and demonstrate how you can fill the void. Show your value. If you can’t demonstrate your market value, then demonstrate what specialization you have that matches the company’s need- working with start-ups, working with underperforming companies, etc.

You need to help the private equity company connect the dots to show them why you are a great candidate. If you don’t connect the dots for them, they won’t do it themselves or they will do it wrong.

Ask the Coach: Where are the Holes in Your Job Search Template?

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 Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers based in New York City.

Do you have a job search template?

This is a very common question that was raised again this week. You are entering the marketing phase of your job search. What is the schedule you should follow now?

There are templates or procedures that can help you on the way; that can assist you in staying “on top” of things. However, there is no “one-size-fits-all” template. There are basics that everyone needs to follow, but depending on your executive level, how long it has been since you last looked for a job, and how strong your professional network is, your needs will vary. If you have been maintaining your professional network and maintaining your personal brand, then your list will be shorter.

Networking is your most important step. Barbara could not emphasize this enough. Every one you have worked with, worked for, or who has worked for you is potentially a valuable contact. You could get assistance from an old schoolmate, parents from your kid’s soccer team, your mailman – you never know what might lead to your next job. Take five minutes each day to connect with someone from your past. Never ask for a job, but ask how they are doing and make the connection personal. Start a dialogue.

Prepare your marketing documents. Before others can understand your value, you must understand it yourself and be able to articulate it. What is it that you do better than anyone else? That is the essence of your personal brand, and it should be the cohesive glue that holds together all your marketing materials. Step one is to identify the components that make up your personal brand.

Your marketing documents include a resume and cover letter, but you also need an executive bio. Create an online profile that summarizes your value for use on online networking organization such as NETSHARE, LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Facebook, Google+, Plaxo, Ziggs, Spoke, and Naymz. If you have a common name, such as Barbara, you can use Vizibility.com to fine-tune search results that lead to you. But whatever you do, make sure your brand is consistent throughout.

Promote your personal brand online by writing articles, commenting on industry forums and blogs, and if you have the inclination, start your own blog. Remember that companies want to find you, so leave an online trail for them to follow back to your posted branding materials, like your LinkedIn profile.

And you should have replying to job listings posted in targeted web sites as part of your job search strategy, but only devote about 5 percent of your time. You will get more results from proactive outreach rather than competing with everyone else for jobs posted on the web.

Where you need to focus your energy depends on your situation, but the basic elements are the same for everyone.

If you want more insight into how to take charge of your job search, join our Experts Connection teleseminar next week with Randy Block on how to handle face-to-face interviews. As Randy notes, most jobs don’t go to the most qualified, but they do go to those who interview the best.