Make no mistake about it: job boards are a thing of the past. In the past, you may have posted your resume on a job board and had a reasonable shot at getting a new job opportunity; however, the way skilled workers find jobs has changed. The vast majority of these boards have become black holes for your executive bio and resume.
Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and, most notably, LinkedIn are beginning to make traditional job boards obsolete. Recently, around 2-4% of people posting resumes on a traditional job board found employment. Individuals employing networking tactics on various social media sites found a career 40-50% of the time.
We’re not mathematicians, but it seems like networking is just a little bit more successful for most seeking employment. If you look at things from a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s standpoint, we can see why. Would you rather hire someone you only know from a piece of paper or an individual who has been personally recommended to you by someone you know and respect?
Your job search doesn’t have to be rocket science. Here are a few more reasons why traditional job boards don’t work:
The Black Hole
Companies get hundreds, if not, thousands, of responses to online job board postings. Then they send every resume to a system that reviews and ranks their skills, experience and more. The hiring manager only looks through the top 10-20% of resumes sent in. The vast majority of resumes never even see human eyes when you submit via a job board.
Not the Best Gigs
Most of the best jobs never even hit the jobs boards. Many hiring managers have stopped posting on these boards altogether. Companies have started using recruiters and networking to find the right type of talent without having to spend days under hundreds of resumes.
The Wrong People
When you submit your executive profile to a job board, you’re not putting your information in front of any decision makers whatsoever. Your resume ends up in front of a lackey whose job is to reject you for any reason. If you want to get in touch with someone who can make a decision, you’re much better off using social media sites and developing your networking skills.
LinkedIn is King
If you get a hiring manager to speak honestly, they prefer to find candidates through LinkedIn more than any other way. LinkedIn is up-to-date and current. Successful employees use LinkedIn to further their career. People with decision-making power know this. That’s why they use the site to find the people they really want to hire before aggressively pursuing the candidate. Getting Back in the Game?
Are you looking for employment? Ready to dust off the ole’ executive bio and profile? If so, you’ll want to be on the top of your game. It’s a competitive job marketplace out there, it’s important to give yourself an edge whenever you can. Successful job seekers know how to work their network and find the best job.
Consider These 2016 Job Trends as You Transition Into New Work!
Are you ready to wipe off the old resume and update your executive bio? Before you do, you’ll want to pay attention to a few things. Each and every year brings new trends in the job market. One industry’s demand rises while another is on the brink of extinction. This is simply the nature of the job market.
If you haven’t been looking to change jobs for some time, you may notice a lot has changed since the last time you searched for work. While it can be tempting to completely change careers and reinvent yourself, most find a company culture change is all that’s needed to ramp up their enthusiasm for work.
No matter your situation, here’s a few things to consider when transitioning to a new company or career: Skills Pay the Bills
While a degree used to mean many things, times have changed. Most employers aren’t as concerned with your degree so much as what you can do with it. In the modern job marketplace, your skills will ultimately pay your bills. The university you graduated from is less important than the critical skills you need to succeed in a career.
If you haven’t been in school for some time now, continuing to develop your industry-related skills is essential to changing jobs and improving your earning potential. Investing in a cover letter writing service before you start applying elsewhere could help you highlight the skills you’ve worked so hard to hone over your career. Tech Still Growing
Many experts are sure the tech bubble is due to pop at any moment, but couldn’t have been further from the truth. The tech bubble hasn’t popped; it has simply evolved into bigger and better things. The mobile and analytics sector is booming, and the opportunities in these areas are endless. Automation has been rising in popularity as well, opening up great new opportunities for highly skilled employees and executives. Health care is one area in the technology industry that will always require more skilled employees and innovators. Mobile is Where the Money
As we discussed, mobile is growing – rapidly! In fact, if you’re looking for new work you’ve probably used some great new mobile job search tools. Similar to Tinder, people looking for jobs (not dates) can swipe left or right on jobs they like or don’t. If they’re interested, and the company is too, then communication can begin between the two parties. Two popular job search mobile apps include Jobr and Switch. Talent Trumps Career
Talent communities have popped up in nearly every industry. These communities allow industry professionals and recruiters to communicate, share information and more. Many of these communities have become the go-to source for information in their fields for individuals in the industry. Recruiters have found they prefer these boards much more than general job posting sites. Most people looking to switch careers or companies love these communities as they give them a chance to “search” for a job – without actually looking for one. Unbounded Opportunities
If you’re struggling to find work in your exact location, you may want to look around for virtual work. As the freelancer economy comes into play, it’s important to open your eyes to the possibly of working virtually. If you have the right skills, this will open your job search up to unlimited opportunities and, potentially, a pay raise! Just understand: the competition is fierce for some of these positions, which is why you may want to hire the best executive writing service to give yourself an edge.
Beware of These Myths About the Job Hunting Process!
The best executive resume writers help you avoid these myths.
As everyone knows, job hunting is a strenuous and arduous process. Everyone has their stories, and most people are good-natured enough to try to help other people in their position by spreading the word on what and what not to do. This has led to a tangled mass of information that continues to spread beyond control. Don’t believe the hype! Let us highlight what information you should disregard.
Be as Distinct as Possible
While you want to distinguish yourself from the competition, there’s a certain way to go about it. Being flashy is not the way to leave a great impression on your potential employers. If you’re considering doing something quirky to capture attention, such as making bold, sweeping statements about yourself and your abilities or changing your resume’s background from the standard white to hot pink, don’t do it! There’s a much better approach. Coach yourself on how to best prepare for meeting people you hope will employ you. Project an optimistic, collected demeanor and learn how to create the best executive resume biographies and you’ll go much farther!
Skills Are the Most Important Element to Getting Hired
This isn’t necessarily true! While employers want people with plenty of experience who know what they’re doing, there are some other traits employers seek out. They want to be sure you match up with the rest of the company in terms of personality, for one thing. You’ll have to fit in well with the company’s pre-existing culture. Skills can always be fleshed out later on during your career, but a highly skilled professional who disrupts the office environment cannot be helped much. You can always learn how to build up the way you market your skills by brushing up on your executive resume writing abilities.
The Salary Discussion Must Unfold In Person and Immediately
In this day and age, no. You have the option of describing how much you would like to earn on your application. However, you don’t want to do this right away. Say your salary is “negotiable” or something similar. This will give you some time to do your research and also shows you’re considerate of the company’s needs by putting them before your desire to get paid for your work. This will leave a favorable impression on hiring agents.
Send Out Applications to Multiple Locations at Once
If you simply apply to every job that’s hiring, you could easily be stuck with a position that doesn’t fit your skill level and/or industry. Instead, you want to look for jobs that cater to your experiences and skills. Once you’ve found jobs that do this, you can then rely on the best executive resume writers to help you create an appealing resume!
Be Careful to Avoid These Common Executive Job Hunting Mistakes!
Writing an executive bio properly can improve your job hunt.
Senior-level job hunting can be an incredibly difficult endeavor. The longer it’s been since you’ve searched for a job, the more out of touch and inexperienced you are with staying afloat in today’s job market. What employers are looking for and how you will interact with them have changed drastically within recent years. If you’re an executive who’s struggling to interact properly with today’s hiring professionals, you aren’t alone. We can offer tips on how to handle this new stage of life by letting you know what and what not to do as you search.
Check Your Ego
We aren’t saying this to be cruel, anything but! The issue is when you approach a potential employer with the attitude you are the end-all, be-all within your respective field, this presents a turnoff. You are far from the only person in your field who is suitable for that particular job. Inevitably, you are just one of many other applicants being considered. Your job is to explain how you stand out from the rest, not in terms of uniqueness, but in terms of what you can bring to the company for their benefit. Many executive resume writing services can help you learn how to market yourself more tactfully to prospective employers.
Consider the Relationship Potential
Rather than approaching the position as a means of income, do so in the same way you’d approach a blind date. By meeting and maintaining contact with an employer, you are fostering a valuable first impression and reputation, even if you don’t land the job! Being dismissive or unpleasant in any capacity will create a harmful ripple effect on the future of your job search, especially if you wind up back in contact with a particular employer you didn’t treat well. Every employer you talk to could serve as an invaluable contact toward helping you land a job so be as considerate as you can!
Think About the Employer’s Needs
This is an incredibly important step throughout the job hunting process, from writing an executive bio onward. Never approach an employer with the attitude of how they can benefit you. Rather, keep in mind what you can offer the company you’re looking to be hired by in terms of your skills and what the position requires. Don’t be too focused on finding out everything you can about the company just yet. That can be reserved for further meetings, where you’ll have more time to get to know more about the company and whether they’re the best match.
Executive LinkedIn profiles can help your job search.
There are a few classic elements of job searching that will always remain: resumes, cover letters and making a good first impression on the people in charge of hiring. It is the approach to many job hunting principles that has changed, all thanks to today’s technology, which has made it far easier to communicate than it was in the past. In order to succeed in today’s job market, you’ll have to know how to navigate it.
You Have to Know How to Type
The common QWERTY keyboard is a staple in today’s world, so much so you will be expected to know how to use it. No longer is the ability to type efficiently highly coveted! Instead, other skills are much more important to today’s jobs. It will be on you to figure out which skills you have that are most relevant to the job you want,and how you can tailor them to appeal to different employers. Consulting with executive resume writing services is one way to learn the ropes.
Google Is Important!
Google is a far more powerful tool now than it was a decade ago, evidenced by its position within the workplace. You will have to stay on top of your online presence and make sure its squeaky clean in order to get ahead. Quite a few employers run searches on individuals they’re considering hiring or even to find the right people to hire in the first place! Since the first page of a Google search is the one people pay the most attention to, focus your efforts on doing some spring cleaning there. This tip is especially relevant to senior-level executives with established brands.
Establish or Edit Your Brand
If you don’t have a brand already, it’s important you set one up for yourself. Your online presence is a major part of your brand because all a brand does is display who you are to employers and to the world. Make sure your brand is stable and easy to interpret. This is easiest to do by simply monitoring how you interact online. Setting up executive LinkedIn profiles is a great way to start customizing your brand for employers.
Be Brief!
Remember: employers don’t have a lot of time to spend on your application! The most they will be able to devote to your resume is about half a minute, or 30 seconds. Your resume should only summarize your employment history and experiences as efficiently as possible. As the old adage goes, less is more! Any number of top rated resume writing services can help you figure out how to pare your resume down into something that will appeal to employers.
Resumes and cover letters are made better with technology.
As you and nearly everyone else in the world have realized and are experiencing as we speak, technology has drastically changed the way people interact with one another. This goes not only for casual conversation, such as through social media, but through the way customers and businesses interact and even how people seek out jobs. If you’re a senior-level professional on the hunt for a new position, you’re probably taking in just how much job hunting has changed since the last time you had to look for work. However, many of the changes delivered by technology are quite beneficial to job seekers!
Social Media
You’ve likely had some experience with social media sites, either through your prior job positions or on a personal level. Facebook is one of the most popular social media sites, as well as LinkedIn, which is great for professional networking. However, if you’re on the hunt for a new job, you’ll want to evaluate your social media profiles and what image they’re presenting about you. You never know who will want to take a look at your profile. Many prospective businesses looking to hire you could end up searching for you on social media just to get a sense of who you are as a person and a professional. A stellar social media profile will do you a whole host of favors! You can consult with any number of top resume writing services to help even out your online presence.
Communicating with Higher Ups
Before the Internet became mainstream, reaching out to those in charge of hiring you was an ordeal. Originally, all that could be done was to send out a physical letter, hoping it reached the hiring manager and earned a response. The process was much slower back then in every sense of the word. Thanks to email, instant messaging and video chat services, however, this is no longer the case. Communications are far faster now than ever before, enabling you to easily get in touch with higher level professionals and hold a constructive conversation with each other about your prospects.
More Convenient Interviewing Procedures
As stated before, the advent of today’s technology makes communication easier than it ever was in the past. This includes the interviewing process, made convenient thanks to Skype and other video chatting clients. Nowadays, you’ll likely be first exposed to prospective employers through a telephone or video chat conversation. Because of its increasing prominence, it would be a good idea to gain some experience with software of this variety. A team of professional executive resume writers can help you with this as part of their services. A web interview works similarly to a physical interview. Be sure to keep this in mind as you prepare for one by dressing professionally, making sure your space has sufficient lighting and tidying it up if need be. Resumes and cover letters are elements of the job hunting process that haven’t changed as far as importance! Once these pieces have done their job, however, times have certainly changed.
Make no mistake about it: job boards are a thing of the past. In the past, you may have posted your resume on a job board and had a reasonable shot at getting a new job opportunity; however, the way skilled workers find jobs has changed. The vast majority of these boards have become black holes for your executive bio and resume.
