As a job candidate, you have to know what works and what doesn’t work with your job search to ensure you make progress every single day. One of the most effective strategies for any job search is networking. With quality c-level personal branding, networking can lead you to many new connections, as well as the possibility of being referred to a company’s hiring manager. This relationship between networking and referrals is underestimated by many professionals, but the truth is companies would much rather pick from referrals than random job candidates.
Why Companies Prefer Referrals
In most cases, the speed of the hiring process is much faster when working with referrals. From an employer’s standpoint, if one of their employees refers a potential candidate, chances are they will be a high quality candidate, a good fit, have a better chance of hiring them quickly and may even lead to other quality candidates. This is especially true if the employee who made the referral understands the importance of c-level personal branding. A hiring manager is more willing to trust one of their own employees rather than a resume they received from other outlets.
Can Networking Make You A Referral?
So now that you know how important being a referral is to a potential employer, how do you become one? Networking is the easy answer. You can start by working with an executive LinkedIn profile writer to ensure your online brand is represented appropriately. You can then use the LinkedIn platform to re-engage with current connections or make new connections based on your interests. One misconception many people have is that networking is all about asking for a job. The reality is networking is about building relationships and seeing where they lead. It never hurts to let your connections know you’re looking for a job and explain your qualifications, though. While companies tend to hire referrals quicker, from a candidate standpoint, becoming a referral may take a little longer since you have to build a strong relationship with your network.
Remember A Referral Only Gets Your Foot In The Door
When you’ve ultimately been referred to a company for a position of interest, it doesn’t mean you have the job wrapped up. You have to remember there are likely other referrals that are candidates as well. Don’t put off visiting the top resume writing services, since it could be the difference in you getting the job or not. Being a referral definitely gives you a better chance of getting the job, but it’s far from a guarantee. Professional Resume Services is known as one of the top resume writing services, but we also help professionals in many other ways. Building your network and earning referrals can open the door to many opportunities, whether you’re looking for them or not. To learn more about this relationship and how you can use it to enhance your career, feel free to contact us at any time.
Is Your Lack of Personal Branding Holding You Back From the Perfect Job?
There are many things that could potentially hold you back from landing your dream job, and none of them are more notable than a lack of c-level personal branding. Having a perfect resume is still essential today, but it won’t get you a job on its own in most cases. You have the opportunity to shape your personal brand however you want. Every action you take or don’t take has an impact on your personal brand, so it’s always a good idea to keep this at the forefront of your mind. Here are some tips for effective c-level personal branding to help you land the job you desire.
Narrow Down Your Personal Brand
When you’re searching for the perfect job, it’s important to understand what the particular company values. You may be a good overall person, but companies want to know exactly what you bring to the table. Find out what the company needs and shape your c-level personal branding around it. This can include shaping your resume, LinkedIn profile, executive profile and more to ensure consistency throughout. When you narrow down your personal brand, you’ll also be able to conduct a more targeted job search and give yourself a better opportunity to land the perfect job.
A Strong Personal Brand Doesn’t Mean Boasting
A common misconception among executives is personal branding requires you to brag on yourself. The reality is the opposite is true. No one likes to work with someone who constantly brags on themselves. The key to personal branding for senior level managers is showing your authenticity. Present yourself in a way that demonstrates the value you bring to the table, rather than telling everyone why you are better than them. Let the employer decide that part, but your role is to be confident in what you offer and stand behind it completely.
Improving Personal Branding Every Day
When you have an understanding that every action impacts your c-level personal branding, it will be easier to improve it. You don’t have to attend a networking event every day to boost your brand. Being conscious about the conversations you have with anyone, inside or outside of the office, can help you maintain your brand. You never know what conversation will lead to a new opportunity, so it’s always important to keep your personal brand at the top of your mind. Professional Resume Services helps executives with their c-level personal branding efforts every day. It’s one of the most important aspects of a job search, along with crafting a perfect resume. The two go hand-in-hand for any job search, and we can help you with both. Feel free to contact us at any time to see how we can help you in all areas of your job search.
3 Strategies for a Successful Executive Job Search
Going through an executive job search today is much different than it was a decade ago. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the need for a quality resume. With the competition and the tools used by companies to filter out resumes, many professionals rely on the best executive resume writers to help them out. In fact, this is one of the first things anyone should do to help get their job search started correctly. Once you have a perfect resume, you can incorporate these three strategies to give your job search efforts a boost.
Avoid Online Job Boards
It’s tempting to jump on online job boards after the best executive resume writers finish up your resume. However, even those resume writers will tell you it’s probably not the best idea. Online job boards often times have old job postings or inaccurate job descriptions, not to mention the hundreds or thousands of applicants they receive every single day. Your chances of even having your resume viewed with human eyes are slim-to-none. There’s nothing wrong with looking at online job boards to get an idea of what openings companies of interest may have, but actually applying for those jobs online isn’t usually the best option.
Incorporate Networking
Find local networking events and attend them regularly if you can. Start by brushing up your LinkedIn profile and connecting with people through it. You can even use your findings from online job boards to search for people who work at the companies that interest you. Many executives aren’t natural networkers, so starting off a conversation through LinkedIn is a great way to break the ice, make the face-to-face interactions much easier and define your c-level personal branding. Always have a business card ready and hand them out to the people you connect with the most.
Target Companies of Interest
Make a list of several companies you’re interested in working for, then do extensive research on them. The best executive resume writers will ask you what companies you believe you are a good fit for, so they can tailor your resume to them. Your list of companies can come from your networking efforts, online research, past co-workers and more. When you hand over a resume to a potential employer, they want to see what value you will bring to them. A general resume won’t give them the information they want to see, so targeting the company in your resume will yield the best results. Professional Resume Services is here to help executives have a seamless job search. We understand going through a job search can be stressful, time consuming and sometimes frustrating. Whether you need tips on improving your c-level personal branding, updating your resume or anything else related to your search, always feel free to contact us at any time and we would be happy to help.
Feeling Distracted? Follow These Easy Productivity Tips
Distractions are always plentiful, no matter where you work or what you do. Sometimes distractions can get to the point where your work day has ended and you realize you hardly got anything done. This is a real problem today, especially with the technology we have available to us. If your productivity takes a significant dip, then you may have to work with executive resume writing services pretty soon to help you find a new job. But before it gets to that point, here are a few tips to help boost your productivity and eliminate distractions.
Identify Distractions And Eliminate Them
The first step in eliminating distractions is to identify them. You may be surprised at how much time you spend on your smartphone throughout the day. Some apps are available to help you track what you view on your phone and how much time you spend on it. The results can be astonishing sometimes. When you realize how much time you spend on social media, your LinkedIn profile or other apps, you can work to decrease it. If it means leaving your phone with a co-worker so you aren’t tempted to pick it up, then do so.
Become Task-Oriented
Some people work better when they have a list of tasks to get accomplished, and they can’t do anything else until each task is completed. This can help you stay focused on what you need to get done, and the list can be revised if you complete the tasks more quickly than you thought. Becoming task-oriented may take some time and effort if it’s not your current personality, but it can lead to more productive days at work.
Take Occasional Breaks
Sitting at your desk for several consecutive hours at a time isn’t always ideal. You’re bound to find something to distract you as you’re working, and those distractions may take up more time than you think. Instead, take a five or ten minute break every hour to simply walk around and clear your mind. Find someone to talk to in the breakroom or elsewhere to just have a friendly conversation, and maybe even work on your c-level personal branding. Breaks can help the mind refocus on the task you’re working on and be more productive as a result.
Change Up Your Routine
It’s easy to get into a daily routine if you have a 9-5 job. The same distractions could pop up every day, and if they are part of the routine, then they become part of what you expect to happen every day. Changing up your routine can be valuable to eliminate the usual distractions. If your routine is to check your email, social media accounts or other apps at a certain time, try disconnecting for a bit. You may find even subtle changes can help you become more productive overall. Professional Resume Services provides executive resume writing services to help people land the best jobs possible. However, we are more than just that. We also enjoy helping people work on their c-level personal branding, optimize their LinkedIn profile and more. If you’ve been feeling distracted at work lately and don’t know how to become productive again, give us a call and we may be able to help you get motivated and back on track.
Why You Need Both Personal SEO and Personal Branding During an Executive Job Search
Getting discovered online is a critical component of any job search. In fact, the best executive resume writers will sometimes tailor your resume to incorporate more SEO (search engine optimization) terms to help your name show up more frequently in search results. But what about c-level personal branding? This is also an important piece of a job search that can’t be overlooked. Here are some reasons why you need both personal SEO and personal branding when searching for your next job.
Personal SEO And Personal Branding Go Hand-In-Hand
In order to optimize your personal SEO, you need to incorporate keywords and phrases relevant to the particular job you’re searching for. These keywords typically involve the hard skills and technical expertise required to do the job. From a personal branding perspective, employers want to know about your personal qualities to determine whether you will be a cultural fit within their organization. This could include leadership experience, how well you work with a team and individually and other personality traits. When your online presence includes both personal SEO and c-level personal branding, you’ll have a better chance of being discovered by the top recruiters and employers.
Use Both To Differentiate Yourself
While both are needed to be discovered, you can also use them to differentiate yourself from other job candidates. You may choose to work with a LinkedIn profile development expert to incorporate certain keywords to make yourself stand out, while still using proper SEO terms to be discovered. It’s a fine line between being just like everyone else and differentiating yourself online, but it’s possible to find the perfect balance when you incorporate both aspects.
Never Sacrifice Authenticity
When you think about your LinkedIn profile development and how to incorporate personal SEO and personal branding, it can become easy to fall into the trap of writing content to be discovered rather than being authentic. Sacrificing authenticity is never a good idea for your long-term job prospects, since employers will almost always ask you to validate any of your claims. When you have all the soft skills and hard skills required to land the job you desire, sometimes it just takes working with the best executive resume writers to tweak the wording to help you become discovered more naturally. Professional Resume Services understands the challenges executives face in the digital world we live in today. One minor mistake or omission can derail your executive job search, so we are here to help ensure all of your bases are covered. Whether you need a LinkedIn profile development expert or someone to proofread your resume, we are here for you. Never hesitate to contact us at any time if we can be of any assistance with your job search.
Essential Elements to Include on Your Career Changing Resume
Going through a career change can be difficult to wrap your mind around. This is especially true if you’ve been in the same industry or worked at the same company for several years. However, ask any professional resume writing services and they will tell you changing careers is becoming more of a norm today. How you present yourself on your resume will make a big difference in how successful you are with your transition. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch, but you do need to do some tweaking and ensure these essential elements are included in your resume.
Clearly Demonstrate Your Goals
The best executive resume format will be easy to read and display information clearly. However, when you’re changing careers you need to take it a step further. The potential employer needs to know you are seeking a career change and why you think you are qualified for the job with minimal industry experience. You can do this by highlighting relevant achievements, certifications and summarizing your most important responsibilities and how they relate to the new job you’re applying for.
Highlight Applicable Skills and Positives
Some of your skills and achievements from the past may not necessarily apply to your new desired position. Don’t try to force this information into your resume, since it can seem like you’re trying too hard and can hurt your c-level personal branding in the long run. Instead, highlight the most relevant achievements and quantify them. Use numbers and statistics to show how you cut costs or turned a profit for your previous company. Every company can relate to these aspects, so they are the most applicable skills to show on your resume.
Optimize The Resume For ATS
Your professional resume writing services can help you optimize your resume for ATS. You may not have the exact experience required in the job requirement listing, but if your resume has the right keywords, chances are it will get recognized. Not including these keywords may not even get your resume in the hands of a human.
Be Specific With Achievements
As an executive, some achievements are impressive across multiple industries. It’s always better to be specific rather than general. Use dollar amounts, percentages and other numbers as needed to clearly show your success at previous jobs. The more specific you are, the higher likelihood of your resume getting noticed. Professional Resume Services is here to help you with all aspects of your job search. Whether it’s writing a resume from scratch, helping improve your c-level personal branding or providing interview tips, we are here for you every step of the way. A career change can be stressful due to the unknown, but we can help make your path a little clearer. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time for advice on how to put yourself in a position for success in your efforts to change careers.
As important as a well-crafted executive resume is, it’s far from being the one component of your brand that will help you stand out. The times have changed significantly over the last decade or so, and the importance of personal branding for senior level managers has never been higher. This is especially true when it comes to online branding. You may have a LinkedIn profile, a website, blog, social media accounts or a combination of them, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a strong online brand. Here are some ways to help you determine whether your online brand is strong enough to compete in the job market today.
Search For Your Name And View The Results
It doesn’t take much effort to search for your name on the Internet, but what you find could prove valuable. If you have to scroll through several pages of results to find anything about yourself, then you need to work on your online brand. The type of information you do see about yourself is what makes up your online brand, whether you like it or not. In order to improve your image, you could start with a LinkedIn profile service to help you at least get your LinkedIn profile stronger. From that point, you can slowly work on reshaping your image.
Create Engaging Content Regularly
One way to start the process of strengthening your online brand is to create engaging content on a regular basis. Post thoughtful and original articles on your social media accounts or website and promote engagement with others. It’s valuable to visit a LinkedIn profile service from this aspect, since the professionals there can help make your content reach as many people as possible. When you are consistent with creating unique content and providing valuable information, people will start recognizing you and your online brand will start taking shape.
Be Consistent Across All Platforms
Consistency is critical when it comes to personal branding for senior level managers. A recruiter or hiring manager wants to look at your LinkedIn profile, your website and social media accounts and see the same overall message. If there are any doubts or concerns about your actual brand, you may be hurting your chances of landing the job you desire or even being recognized by the right people. Professional Resume Services does more than just help you with your executive bio. We want to help you make your name relevant by providing tips and advice on unique content, brushing up your resume, LinkedIn profile and much more. The importance of a strong online brand can never be understated, and we always keep it in mind when working with executives. If you ever need help shaping your online brand, feel free to reach out to us at any time for advice.
One of the main concerns executives have regarding their network is how to restore it when they’ve neglected it for a while. It’s typical for this to happen when you have a steady job you’re comfortable in. However, not all is lost, you can restore and strengthen your current network at any time. Updating your LinkedIn profile is a good place to start, and then you can go from there. Here are some of the best ways to restore and strengthen your network if it has gone stale.
Begin With Personal Branding
Don’t reach out to people in your network until you’ve solidified your personal branding strategy. This involves targeting and researching other professionals to determine whether what you have to offer will meet their specific needs. And you also have to know what you want in return. People enjoy helping people, so provide value and you will receive the rewards you want in return.
Reach Out To Current Connections
You’ll quickly realize other executives understand when you haven’t reached out to them in a while. A quick apology for not staying connected is sometimes all it takes to rekindle the relationship. Of course, if your intentions are to eventually ask them about possible job or business opportunities, then don’t waste a lot of time with small talk. Finding some balance in your communications is important and can improve your personal branding when you do it the right way.
Build New Relationships
Once you’ve reconnected with several professionals, start expanding your network to include new people. View the LinkedIn profile of different people in your industry and see if you have similar interests. Don’t hesitate to invite them to connect, as other professionals are usually always willing to expand their network as well.
Be Active on LinkedIn
Having a stale LinkedIn profile isn’t a good idea if you want to have a strong network. Being active on LinkedIn simply means talking to people privately, communicating in LinkedIn groups, sharing updates, posting new content and more. You don’t have to spend a significant amount of time on a daily basis with your LinkedIn actions, but when people know you’re engaged, they will more likely connect with you. Professional Resume Services has a team of professional executive resume writers ready to help you with every aspect of your job search. The importance of having a large network today can’t be understated. Sometimes revamping your LinkedIn profile is all you need to get back on the right track of having a strong network. To learn more about how we can help you strengthen your network and boost your personal brand, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.
Identify Distractions And Eliminate Them
