Just when I thought most all executives knew the importance of having a LinkedIn profile during job search, I ran into Fletch Jones (not his real name). Fletch doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile, nor does he think it is important. In fact, he told me he was a very private person and stayed away from social media altogether. I asked him how that was working for him, and he said (and I quote), “No one is contacting me. I do not...

Several sources are reporting that the economy is on the upswing, and the job market is opening up. New federal data recently recorded the biggest year-over-year unemployment decline. California and Rhode Island tied for highest unemployment rate (9.8%), while North Dakota reported the lowest unemployment rate of any state (3.3%) in the U.S.Are you experiencing more activity in your job search? Are recruiters and hiring man...

Scenario: you are thrilled that you have a job offer and are excited to start your new position. What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing really, except that sometimes executives are so ready to jump into their new job, they may ignore the red flags that exist. Of course no company is perfect, but before you accept that job offer, look at these issues that could spell disaster. Bad vibrations. You know when you walk into a b...

It’s that time of year when smart executives take a look at their resumes to update. What has changed over the last year? New email address? Changed jobs? Successfully completed new projects? Overcame challenging business issues? Whatever the circumstances, your resume needs to be refreshed at least once a year. What’s one of the biggest changes a resume should display when refreshed? New accomplishments—your succes...

Capturing the attention of a recruiter with your cover letter is challenging to say the least. It is common knowledge that cover letters need to be customized for each position. But what details do recruiters really want to read in a cover letter? What format do they like best? Customize A cover letter should indicate that you are familiar with the company, and/or job, and show how you would be a great fit. Include some rel...

When you get that call from the recruiter or hiring manager that they would like to set up a phone interview, pat yourself on the back. You have made it to the first step. But, don’t think this a relaxed and laid-back conversation. This is a very important phone call because the interviewer will be developing a profile on you. You will be judged on your attitude, personality, ability to communicate effectively, and how well...

Executives beware! Recruiters are speaking out about what irritates them and what could possibly get you blacklisted. A survey of 1,500 recruiters by Bullhorn, a recruiting software company, recently shared its results: 1. Applying to positions you are clearly not qualified for. 43% of recruiters might blacklist a candidate for continually sending resumes in for dissimilar positions. They will pull an executive’s na...

As an executive you may have experienced many changes in the job market over the years. Predictions have been formulating for some time now about big changes in careers and the traditional workforce. The experts forecast an exponential growth in the number of self-employed, independent service firms, solopreneuers, and temporary workers by 2020 with 40% or 65 million people who will not work in traditional jobs as we know...

Okay executives, no matter what phase of your job search you are in, a time will come when you will cross paths with a recruiter, whether it is an in-house recruiter, retained recruiter or contingent recruiter. A quick review of the three types of recruiters: In-house recruiter is an employee of the company whose job is to recruit employees for job openings. This recruiter may have other HR duties or talent management respo...

Wikipedia describes competitive intelligence as the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization. How does this relate to an executive in job search? Your competitive intelligence is where you demonstrate to potential employers your kn...