Still on the Fence about Networking's Critical Importance for Your Job Search?

If there were still any doubts about networking being a critical element in executive job search, statistics gathered recently by ExecuNet (an outstanding private executive networking organization) should quell them.

ExecuNet conducted a survey of 697 search firms and HR professionals that revealed only 22% of $200K+ positions are now posted on job boards or corporate websites. (The figures were 30% in 2008 and 24% in 2009.) Ninety-two percent of 168 recruiters who were surveyed separately believe there is a robust hidden job market for executive level opportunities, and ExecuNet corroborates this by stating that almost 80% of opportunities at this level are not publicized via methods such as job sites.

Identifying and leveraging the most effective job search approaches becomes particularly critical with the official unemployment rate stubbornly remaining near double digits. (The "real" unemployment rate is believed by many credible sources to be 17% or more when the long-term unemployed, those who have given up, and those who are underemployed are taken into account.)

The top three methods that recruiters and hiring executives use to source candidates are networking (44%), internal databases (21%), and research (14%). When you consider these three, they are all directly or indirectly related to networking.

Does this mean that it is worthless to post your resume on executive job sites or to peruse listings? Certainly not. After all, 22% of high level positions ARE posted and recruiters do still source candidates in this manner. However, with nearly 80% of opportunities to be found elsewhere, clearly the best strategy to shorten your job search is to focus your efforts on these versus the one in five positions to be found through job sites.

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Wondering What Industries ARE Hiring?

Executives in job search mode need not only powerful marketing tools (executive resumes, bios, cover letters, etc.) but also solid job market intelligence to facilitate targeting of functional roles and industry segments with the highest current potential.

ExecuNet regularly conducts some of that intelligence gathering so you don't have to.

Though there are certainly industries suffering greatly in our current economic climate such as Construction, all is not doom and gloom. Below is a list of the top industries for 2010:

1. Healthcare
2. Clean/Green Technology
3. High Technology
4. Pharma/Medical/Biotech
5. Energy/Utilities
6. Business Services
7. Financial Services/Banking/Insurance
8. Government/Nonprofit/Education
9. Environmental Products/Services
10. Manufacturing

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Executive Resumes: The Times They Are a-Changin'

Executive resumes remain a powerful and essential tool in executive job search. However, with the changing landscape of job search, a new role for the executive resume is emerging--along with new challenges in making it visible in the marketplace. I invite you to explore this topic with me in two articles I have posted on other blogs:

How to Shed Your Resume's Invisibility Cloak

The Executive Resume: Key Actor, Playing a Different Role

As important as having a powerful executive resume is in an executive job search, knowing how and when to use it will ultimately be critical to your success.

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The Dysfunctional "Functional" Resume

I received yet another executive resume for review today that for reasons that are completely a mystery to me was prepared using a functional format. The candidate is a highly experienced CFO with a solid work history showing increasingly challenging and responsible positions. His current resume falls so short of doing his career justice that I was shocked to learn that he had paid a professional resume writer to develop it.

As you may know, a functional resume allows you to highlight major accomplishments up front regardless of where in your work history they occurred, categorizes accomplishments from different positions, and eliminates repetitiveness in a work history consisting of very similar positions. It also permits de-emphasizing current or recent positions not related to your career objective, frequent job changes or gaps, or apparent demotions in responsibility. These last characteristics of the functional resume are, of course, the very reason that employers and recruiters almost universally do not like them!

Generally I recommend preparing a chronological resume unless there is an extremely compelling reason to do otherwise. If a functional format is used, you will want at the very least to include a brief employment chronology after your functional presentation of experience and accomplishments.

There is another option which allows you to have the best of both worlds: the combination or hybrid style resume. In this style, you create a powerful profile or overview section which states up front your skills, knowledge, and capabilities in such a way that you make a "business case" for why an employer should consider hiring you. It can also be very effective to highlight a small handful of accomplishments you are particularly proud of and which exemplify the potential value you bring to the table. Then your work history backs up the claims made in the opening section of the resume, providing specific examples of when, where, and how you have applied your skills, knowledge, and capabilities to benefit your employers.

Check out this article that provides further reasons from the recruiter/hiring manager's side of the table for why you really want to avoid a functional resume if at all possible:

http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2010/01/in-memoriam-obituary-of-the-dys-functional-resume.html

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What is YOUR Perfect Job?

In a job market where it can be hard to keep a positive attitude, a little detour to the lighter side is good for the soul. It can bring a some much-needed cheer to your day and give you renewed enthusiasm for your job search.

So I couldn't resist passing along this clever list that an executive client forwarded to me today. (Whoever wrote this enjoys working creatively with words as much as I do.)

My readers can expect amusing job search and career-related anecdotes and jokes periodically from now on.


MY JOB HUNT

1. My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I got canned. Couldn't concentrate.

2. Then I worked in the woods as a Lumberjack, but just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

3. After that, I tried being a Tailor, but wasn't suited for it -- mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

4. Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factory, but that was too exhausting.

5. Then, tried being a Chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but just didn't have the thyme.

6. Next, I attempted being a Deli Worker, but any way I sliced it...couldn't cut the mustard.

7. My best job was a Musician, but eventually found I wasn't noteworthy.

8. I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but didn't have any patience.

9. Next, was a job in a Shoe Factory. Tried hard but just didn't fit in.

10. I became a Professional Fisherman, but discovered I couldn't live on my net income.

11. Managed to get a good job working for a Pool Maintenance Company, but the work was just too draining

12. So then I got a job in a Workout Center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

13. After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as an Historian - until I realized there was no future in it.

14. My last job was working in Starbucks, but had to quit because it was the same old grind.

15. SO, I TRIED Retirement AND FOUND I'M PERFECT FOR THE JOB



(This was one of those anonymous "viral" e-mails. If anyone can identify the author, I'll be happy to provide appropriate credit.)


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First Interviewee/Last Interviewee - Who Has the Advantage?

An interesting discussion has been underway among members of the Career Management Alliance's e-list/forum this week. The question surrounds whether, given the chance to choose, one is better off scheduling a job interview at the beginning, middle, or end of the screening process.

One member who is a former recruiter observes that the first and sometimes the second candidate interviewed rarely receives an offer. He suggests to his clients that they want to be at least third or fourth in the interview order to maximize their chances.

It is also a consideration that many times hiring managers will modify the position specifications as the interviewing process progresses. This is because they are better able to crystallize the company's needs based on what is learned through conducting several interviews. This, of course, places the early interviewee at a competitive disadvantage.

Another factor is that the competition is so high in today's job market that it is extremely difficult to get hiring managers to make a decision. The prevailing attitude seems to be that they have the luxury of reviewing numerous candidates until they find the "perfect" match. So eliciting an offer if you interview early in a slate of potential candidates can be tough.

Then again, there is some logic to what another member recalls a professor/mentor telling her: If yours is the best candidacy and fit, and you eclipse everyone else in your interview, the order will not matter.

The overwhelming consensus seems to be that your odds improve if you interview last or near last among your competitors. This dovetails with what I have advised my clients who were wondering if it was worthwhile to submit their executive resume for a position well into the candidate screening process. The company may well have worked its way through a collection of disappointing or "not quite right" candidates, and maybe even re-thought their position requirements based on interviews to date. Then along comes the answer to their prayers--YOU!

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Out of Work? Chin Up! All It Takes is One 'Yes'

I find my work helping clients put their best foot forward with compelling executive resumes very rewarding in general, but it can also be distressing to see people suffering from the stressful, confidence-crashing effects of job loss, especially when unemployment has continued for an extended period. This is why Nick Corcodilos' Ask the Headhunter column this morning especially struck a chord.

He encourages us, especially in this holiday season, to reach out to someone we know who is distressed, feeling alone or depressed due to the trials of unemployment in today's economic climate. He relates the tragic story of his correspondence with a woman whose husband had been long-term unemployed and was sinking ever deeper into despair and seemingly paralyzed to continue his job search. One day he walked out and disappeared, to be found weeks later on a mountain trail--an apparent suicide.

As Nick reminds us in his article, though the job market circumstances are bad, this is no reflection on your worth--you are still good at your work. This down economy can produce successes, too--with perseverance. "You will hear 'No' a thousand times. You need just one 'Yes,' but you also need the perseverance to get to it."

In this season in which we remember and are thankful for the unparalleled gift mankind received a little over 2000 years ago, give a friend or neighbor who is unemployed your gift of love in the form of encouragement. Help them to remember that there are other blessings in their lives such as their loved ones, and that this time of trial will pass.

P.S. You can view Nick's full article at: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/newsletter/OE20091222.htm