The labor market is getting more and more difficult and "tight", due to the economic downturn, companies have to reduce production and business. The labor market is "flooded" with experienced and skilled people who still cannot find jobs. So if you want to apply for a high position in the present time, you need to have other tools besides the basic and inevitable factors of capacity and experience. In the book “Executive's Pocket Guide to ROI Résumés and Job Search”, Authors Louise Kursmark and Jan Melnik, encourage job seekers pursuing senior positions to follow these steps during their job search:
1. Write a personal statement
According to Kursmark and Melnik, a good candidate must be able to write a 30-second summary of himself or herself that includes the following four main components: “Who am I? What do I do? What am I looking for? And some information about my experience and career goals?”.
Knowing these 4 elements is not enough, you need to know how to maximize its effectiveness. A good, talented candidate is someone who always has such a speech ready to use when necessary. You can practice it at social activities, meetings, or parties, ... it both shows your own value and demonstrates your ability to communicate in front of a crowd.
2. Leverage and develop relationships
The wider your network, the quicker and easier it will be to find a job. Therefore, having a plan for developing relationships is essential.
Relationships in many different fields and professions will help you answer your own questions such as: What field do you want to work in? Which field currently has the most potential? What are the promotion opportunities? What level of information can the people you know help you get?… All of these will create a foundation for you to make decisions and develop strategies to implement them.
3. A document about your leadership abilities
A 1-2 page document is a fairly new tool in job searching that helps candidates market themselves about their leadership abilities and experience. It is as simple as listing 3-5 stories describing specific situations or difficult challenges that you have experienced and the results. From these stories, will you show whether you have what the employer is looking for or not?
Once you’ve completed your resume, you can send it to the hiring manager in a number of ways. You can hand it to the hiring manager after an interview or meeting, or attach it to your cover letter and resume.
4. Create an impressive and professional profile
This is where you give the employer a more specific and in-depth understanding of yourself. Make it like a personal website or a portfolio of each period in a person’s life, from school to work, etc. The more professional and proficiently you write it, the more the employer will appreciate you.
5. Summary of career goals
Thanks to this section, you will find out for yourself what type of employer and what industry you are applying for. You can use it to discuss and talk with people you know in many different fields when meeting or having meetings. They can give you ideas to improve. Because career goals are also one of the important factors for employers to decide whether you are suitable for a high leadership position or not? It shows your passion and long-term commitment to the profession.
By following these steps, you may be on your way to success more quickly and easily. However, Kursmark and Melnik also advise that “Being selective about your information and only presenting what you think is interesting and unique will be much more effective in creating curiosity and interest in the employer.”
MSN
