It’s Not About Job Search!
An executive job search is not about the job search – it’s about product marketing
Looking for your next executive position from the mindset of a job seeker doesn’t work well. Learning to market yourself as an executive brand and sought-after product is what gets you hired.
Qualified candidates that get placed in executive positions and negotiate the terms they want don’t look for jobs the traditional way nor do they see themselves as “job seekers.” Instead, they market themselves as a viable cost-effective product.
Instead of continuing to look for jobs the traditional way and not getting results, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my product or executive brand?
- Why is my product better than competitors?
- Who needs my product?
- Why do they need my product?
- What about my brand would excite companies that are hiring?
- How can I get my product in front of multiple buyers (employers)?
- How do I eliminate my competition?
- What is the best way to negotiate the best price for my product?
- How can I showcase my product’s long-term value?
If you weren’t able to answer these questions with certainty, then you are destined to leave money on the table and may even be dismissed from consideration by employers. You can begin the process by:
1. Understanding your executive product
You’re not a job seeker, you’re a professional, executive product. Know what your value proposition, functional and behavioral competencies, key skills, and price-earnings ratio are so you can easily market yourself.
2. Defining your professional edge
You know why you're a highly qualified asset who is better than your competition, but do hiring companies know this? Correctly define your professional edge so employers can identify what makes you better than your competition.
3. Targeting specific, individual companies
The shotgun approach doesn’t work. This approach violates every principle of conducting an effective job search. It is an important to know why you are targeting a company as it is to interview there.
4. Creating your executive brand
Your personal brand must be clear and unequivocal. It consists of five main concepts: resume, personal web site, LinkedIn profile, interview skills, and professional appearance.
5. Using a multi-channel marketing strategy
Each marketing channel must be laser focused and conquered, simultaneously. Knowing what to do, when to do it and how to manage the process will increase the likelihood of multiple offers.
6. Eliminating your competition
When you position your brand correctly, you can eradicate your competition before you are interviewed. Know how to stand out and rise to the top while leaving employers hungry to hire you.
7. Knowing how to negotiate successfully
Your objective is to secure a better offer. At the end of your employment negotiations, you want your new employer to think, “We are lucky to get her/him for only $20,000 more than we expected to pay.” Your price-earnings ratio must drive all negotiation sessions.
8. Developing your future long-term value
Gone are the days where you start working for a company right out of college and hold a 40-year tenure. Position yourself as valuable for future positions now, so you are ready for the multiple jobs your career will present.
