3 Critical Elements of an Executive Job Search
Your resume, LinkedIn profile and professional bio make up the triple jump that launches an executive job search, says career coach Ross Macpherson. He explains how each of these elements complement each other and offers advice on how to make them stand out.
CIO — More than a few worker bees figure top executives simply sail from one six-figure job to the next, whisked along by suave executive recruiters who coach them on secret job interview tricks and help them negotiate lush compensation packages. Right.
Executive-level IT job searches aren't nearly that easy.
For most IT executives, the job search is a lonely slog. It's an endless cycle of searching for openings on sites like TheLadders and ExecuNet, updating and submitting résumés, cold-calling executive recruiters, and pumping their networks for leads. In such a dispiriting process, it's easy to lose sight of what career coach Ross Macpherson calls the three fundamental elements of an executive job search: the résumé, the LinkedIn profile and the professional bio.
"These are the three must-haves," says Macpherson, president of CareerQuest. "They make up the foundation for your job search."
An IT executive's résumé, LinkedIn profile and professional bio also represent the core building blocks of his or her personal brand, adds Macpherson. They communicate an executive's singular value and differentiate an executive from his or her competition.
"You're not competing with the unqualified and unwashed," says Macpherson. "You're competing against the best. Your résumé, bio and LinkedIn profile have to position you to be the best."
Indeed, your résumé, LinkedIn profile and bio are such critical elements of your job search that if you haven't perfected all three of them, you may never land a new job. That's why, if your job search is flagging, you may want to refocus your efforts on these three key elements.
Here, Macpherson explains the unique role that your résumé, LinkedIn profile and bio play in your job search, how they complement each other, and how IT executives can make them sing to recruiters and prospective employers.
Your Résumé
Why it's important: "The résumé is still the number one job search currency out there," says Macpherson. "No matter how you get in front of a potential opportunity, at some point, everyone wants to see a résumé, and it has to be spectacular, especially at the senior level."
How to make it stand out: When you write or update your résumé, instead of thinking structurally—that is, contact information goes here, experience goes here, education goes here—Macpherson advises his clients to think strategically, in terms of their target audience. What's important to them? What do they need to know about your experience? When you start thinking about their needs, you're better able to sell them on your value, says Macpherson. "It does make a difference," he says. "It's worth investing the time to get it right."
