Why do you care about executive personal branding (again)?

Here's a refresher - a personal brand is a composite message that represents who you are, what you do, and how well you do it.

Why should you care about personal branding when it comes to an executive resume? More than ever, standing out in the job market requires an extra edge.

Far exceeding any traditional resume content or even achievement bullets, personal branding has taken on a life of its own in the careers industry.

A personal brand represents your unique promise of value—in other words, the distinct set of natural strengths-plus-skills that employers get when they hire YOU instead of your competition and precisely the message you want to convey to employers.

Think about some well-known brands, such as McDonald's, Target, or Nike. Most consumers can immediately envision the product(s), logo, and brand feel upon hearing the name.

The same is true of a brand message within a resume. In fact, a well-crafted resume will give an immediate picture of YOUR value to the reader, allowing employers to quickly see why they need to call you for an interview.

A favorite (soapbox!) topic of mine, I believe in the value of injecting your personal brand into your executive resume, since it's vitally important to the reaction you'll receive (and the number of interviews you'll win).

Be sure to check out articles and blogs by William Arruda or Tom Peters, both considered foremost experts in the field of personal branding, to get an insider's view on this aspect of your job search.

Why Networking Works for Executives... from Secrets of the Job Hunt

If you've tried (and failed) to understand what the phrase "hidden job market" is really referring to, check out Hannah Morgan's post at Secrets of the Job Hunt.

Based on research from both job hunters and hiring authorities, networking really means creating a presence that puts you out there--ALL the time--for someone to discover.

In fact, online networking makes this so much easier than ever before. Many executives still don't realize that employers like to source directly from LinkedIn.

Think of the savings in terms of dollars and time. What a talent pool!

Who is REALLY reading your executive resume, and why does it matter?

One of the big mysteries that confounds job hunters is that they see a great job posting, apply to it, and then... nothing. Why isn't the phone ringing? It's often that automated systems are "reading" your executive resume--and they don't like what they see.

Under siege, employers are trying to filter out unqualified applicants for executive roles as hard as they're trying to get IN. If you're not receiving a response from your resume, there are a number of ways you can look at changing it, and this should start with keyword content.

Keywords are simply terms for skills, certifications, and other qualifications that are required for each job. Automated systems make looking for keywords on resumes much easier, and these applications are designed to count the number of times that crucial terms appear in each document.

To ensure that your resume gets read by your desired audience (meaning that picky scanning system!), alter the keyword count using these strategies:

1 - Take out irrelevant terms.

If you possess skills that are transferable to more than one career, consider creating more than one resume version, and then take OUT the keywords that don't apply to that field.

Be aware that including extraneous information can confuse the HUMAN reader too. Like any other marketing document, your resume gives the reader an impression of what you offer... and when it's filled with phrases that relate to a different type of job, employers often react by taking a pass.

Executives can often fall into the trap of retaining key words for their resumes that relate more to lower-level jobs. A great example is the CIO who should leave the tech industry jargon, such as programming skills, off the resume for a leadership role.

One way to gauge whether to take out certain words is to look carefully at the jobs to which you are applying. If your resume contains a large number of skills that are NOT in these descriptions, then it's time to remove them.

2 - Add new keyword content that fits your executive skills and goals.

Another reason to take a second look at your desired jobs is to see the type of keywords you SHOULD be using.

Many sales leaders, for example, don't give a second thought to mentioning that their skills include prospecting, relationship management, or business development. Yet, the positions they apply to may contain these terms, and the scanner can reject their resumes if it doesn't find a match.

A good rule of thumb is to make a composite list of terms commonly appearing in leadership roles you are targeting, and then ensure that your resume contains a representative cross-section of the keywords that apply to your background.

3 - Keep in mind that keywords can also communicate the breadth of your skills.

Often, scanning systems will account for synonyms, and may ferret out your resume into a different sub-section reserved for more advanced professionals.

For example, a new account executive might put "relationship management" on a r‚sum‚, but a more experienced sales representative could add "revenue improvement" and "profit growth."

By the same token, an operations manager may add tactical skills such as "production capacity," while a COO can sharpen the focus to add "strategic production planning."

The bottom line? It's important to stand out by backing your resume achievements up with a host of skills that employers seek-meaning keywords. This is a crucial step for any executive who wants to increase results and distinguish themselves from lesser-qualified competitors.

Taking Your Executive Networking Offline

One of my favorite job-search strategies is talking about WHERE you can find networking leads. Sure, everyone knows they should be networking... but if you've neglected to keep your circle "warm," then what should you do?

Professional associations and user conferences are a great place to start, since you'll be tapping into others whose industry interests match yours, plus most people you meet there will likely be employed.

If you've been to a job search networking event and felt dragged down by all the unemployment stories, you know what I mean: this is a huge plus. Of course, it goes without saying that people who are working now are more likely to refer you for a new job at their company--rather than compete with you for that perfect position.

Remember to hang out where your target audience does... meaning that trade shows or industry events can be a good source of leads. To meet someone who is hiring at your level, think like they do. What do they read? What interests them? For an aspiring IT Director, for example, this might be trade events that attract CIOs. For a technical sales executive, this could be a vendor conference.

These strategies can help spark ideas on where to network... and what kind of resources you can tap for a leadership job hunt.

Executive Resume Writer featured on Secrets of the Job Hunt and JobRadio.fm

Spilling resume secrets to Chris Russell at Secrets of the Job Hunt here... Check it out for great advice that applies to every job seeker, from executives to IT and sales professionals.

In case you have yet to visit SOTJH, you're in for a welcome surprise. Career experts (including yours truly, of course) drop by frequently to give extensive, in-depth, and HELPFUL advice on all aspects of job hunting.

Frequently featured on accompanying online radio site JobRadio.fm, these are high-profile authorities on resumes, cover letters, interviews, LinkedIn profiles, and just about any topic you can encounter in today's competitive market.

Put this advice to good use!

3 Reasons to Keep Your Job Search Alive Over the Holidays

“Why job search now? I’m planning to relax over the holidays,” is a common refrain. Of course, it’s easy to get caught up in holiday fever this time of year, concentrating on family, travel plans, holiday décor, and all the traditions.

However, savvy job hunters and networkers know there’s NOTHING like the magic of the holiday season to invigorate a job search.

Don’t believe those who tell you to wait until January, or that employers are too busy to talk with you. By ignoring the conventional wisdom and putting yourself out there during the holidays, you can find jobs that others simply didn’t realize were available.

Each year, thousands of professionals are hired during December, and here are some key reasons why:

There’s less applicants in circulation.
You’ll find that, with many professionals taking a breather from the job hunt, there simply aren’t as many people looking for work.

Use this fact to your advantage by staying in front of employers in any way possible throughout the holiday season. You’ll gain a much stronger reception when you don’t have to compete with so many other job hunters.

Of course, it’s a long-standing myth that employers hiring needs are at a peak during the January-to-May timeframe. Business needs are different from industry to industry, and you can find that some companies actually need MORE people this time of year.

So, go ahead and get in front of everyone else by being prepared and ready to land the perfect job long before your colleagues catch on. Prepare your resume, get in top interviewing form, and dust off that interview suit, just in case Santa comes early with a new job for YOU.


Year-end budgets often dictate hiring needs.

Given that businesses often don’t stop production during the holidays, there’s still a ton of job openings to go around during the last few months of the year.

In addition, some hiring budgets operate on an annual basis, meaning that Human Resources needs to find a new employee before the year is out.

In other words, you could be the answer to a hiring manager’s holiday wishes by simply maintaining the momentum in your job hunt and keeping an eye out for new potential opportunities.


Holiday events are perfect for networking.
Your next job lead could come from the literally dozens of people you can meet—some of them key decision-makers, or those with access to them—at holiday events.

Get in the right mindset by thinking about the long-term effects of building these relationships, and how they can help your career over time.

Aim to seek out and engage prospective colleagues who might work at your ideal employers, as much as the leaders in your desired industry.

Remember that networking is all about developing relationships that will produce business contacts. Focus on how you can introduce yourself and who you can get to know, rather than on your job situation, thus turning nearly any community, family, or business event into a networking opportunity.

This is also the perfect time of year to polish an “elevator speech” that tells your new contacts who you are professionally and the type of results you gain in your work.

Strong companies are always on the lookout for the perfect candidate, and that includes those diligent enough remain focused on a job search, despite what you hear from others who are waiting for January to arrive. Continuing to market your skills and network with a purpose could mean that you’ll soon ring in the New Year with a new job to match it.

Executive Job Search for the $300K to $1M Candidate

So, you're dusting off the resume and planning to sharpen your network in preparation for an executive job search? Not so fast.

You may not realize it, but at the upper echelon, job search doesn't work the same way. In fact, there are several companies devoted to precisely helping the executive job seeker that espouse some groundbreaking theories.

For example, direct mail campaigns offer a way for top-level executives to target the desired audience, plus make a professional, value-driven presentation in the process. They post statistics that show that the MAJORITY of C-suite executives will find a better role when using this method.

A caveat: be sure to put off updating your executive resume until after you've explored this process. To get more information, email me at laura@executiveresumeexpert.com and ask about executive mail campaigns.