Do you know how to catch a 100 pound sturgeon?
Do you venture into deep waters where there are sharks, deep sea anglers and dragon fish; lots of activity where many others fish in hopes of snagging a big sturgeon? Do you follow their lead. By day’s end, you are worn out and demoralized from trying. You used your best equipment and you know you know how to fish; but still, no sturgeon.
Sturgeon don’t live in the ocean. They swim in cold water lakes and rivers. To reel one in, you must fish where the sturgeon live. Submitting your resume to job boards, corporate websites and all those LinkedIn recruiting sites is a bit like fishing for sturgeon in deep ocean water.
If you chum the waters with resumes to countless job boards, resume sites and corporate websites, you become prey for sharks. Those public resume aggregators receive thousands of resumes from job seekers; you have no opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to be seen. And many are scams, identity thieves and just plain bogus.
Big fish get caught by the best fishermen. Executives and technology leaders are sought by hiring authorities in a different manner from others. They are not placed in jobs by those recruiters who cast gill nets for new connections and make an appearance on every public forum trolling for submissions. Recruiters who can place you are not to be found in their ranks.
Many jobs are filled by the hiring authorities themselves through their network and on-line efforts. They use the same techniques and vetting options recruiters use. They look for successful executives and technology leaders from their network of long-term connections.
These recruiters and in-house HR professionals are not hit and run artists who collect (and ignore) resumes. They are professionals who make anywhere from 20-30% of all executive level placements. To be found by them, you have to swim in waters where they fish.
How they use blogs. Many experienced recruiters set alerts and search blogs for quality candidates. They use Boolean strings to isolate exactly the skills and requirements they need. They look for comments made on specific topics and they look for blogs on-point to their client’s needs.
You want to be found on blogs. Here’s how to make that happen.
• Answer questions using your full signature and LinkedIn profile address.
• Write a blog of your own and keep it professional and on topic for your brand identity.
• Create strategic alliances with other bloggers topic-adjacent and share links to each others sites.
• Answer questions, start discussions and link to your site as a news article on LinkedIn and use your blog as part of your signature.
Use social networking sites: Your LinkedIn profile is the first place people look once they have your name. And some crafty employers use LinkedIn search tools to find people with certain former employers, titles and skill sets. Make yours compelling.
Maintain your profiles on all social networking sites and use the tools for finding connections and promote your personal brand. For a variety of tools, use a search engine to find hundreds of resources for your selected sites. For an extensive rework of your LinkedIn presence download LinkedIn for Job Search, a free white paper found at Job Search Debugged.
Go to conferences and trade shows: Companies are fragile these days and hedge their bets by hiring only industry experts. One of the best places to find those experts is at industry-specific trade shows and conferences. Resources are spent at conferences to locate industry-specific experts. Be one.
• Attend all conferences, trade shows and seminars where your target employers may be.
• Volunteer to promote or organize the event
• Offer a strategic employer your services to assist with booth duty
• Attend your brand-specific topics and ask provocative questions
• Come to each session early and linger to meet people
• Stay in the radar of conference organizers as a prospective speaker or moderator
• Write a brand-specific white paper to present or have available to attendees
Who is in your community? Executives look to their community for prospective employees. They want to connect with people with shared values and interests.
• Volunteer in organizations for which you are passionate
• Attend business community events and engage. Working to create and lead programs is a better advertisement for your brand than simply attending.
• Participate in every and all alumni group for which you qualify
• Become a mentor. Get better visibility by helping others who succeed.
Don’t overlook your network: Employers ask the people they know and trust for referrals. Big fish swim with other big fish. Let your connections know you are looking for a new job and exactly how they can help.
• Hone your elevator pitch so everyone knows what you will be hired to do
• Ask only for what your connection can deliver easily
• Remember to return the favor
• Stay connected but don’t badger; pay attention to their needs not just yours
• Connect with and maintain relationships with a few good recruiters
• Contentiously maintain your personal brand
Maintain a big-fish attitude. Keep your spirits up; unemployment didn’t change your credentials or the value of your experience. Just like that 100 lb sturgeon, focus on what you are going toward, not what you are going away from.
[Networking seem daunting? Worn out? Look for the revised edition of Networking Debugged - Solutions for people who don't like to network. Contact me for news of publication. Use 'Networking' or 'book' in your subject line.]
