5 Executive Job Search Tactics You Need To Try - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

5 Executive Job Search Tactics You Need To Try Along with writing and cooking, gardening is a passion of mine. I don’t have a big garden, just a few dozen pots of assorted vegetables, herbs and flowers, protected on my deck from all the critters around here. Every year in early May I hit the local garden centers and linger over all the choices. I usually stick to the same proven herbs and veggies I know I’m going to want to have on hand for cooking, but I always try a new flower or two each year. This year, I’m trying angelonia (pictured here) for the first time. My ultimate goal is to improve my gardening experience from year to year. Sometimes those new flowers don’t work out. They’ll look great for maybe a month and then just fizzle. My hope is that I’ll discover a new proven winner â€" plants that will provide pleasure for the long run, and last throughout the growing season. I liken this to executive job seekers who stick to the same one or two search strategies that may or may NOT be helping them achieve their career goals. If, like many executives I speak with, youre limiting your search tactics to scouring the job boards, posting your resume all over the place and waiting for interviews to pour in, youre sticking with tactics that yield dismal results. Although youre actively searching, youre not PROactively searching. Your ultimate goal, of course, is to get plenty of quality interviews and land a good-fit job. Are you any closer to reaching that goal? Maybe it’s time to try something new, and keep your job search interesting. Here are 5 job search strategies that are not new to many, but they may be new to you: 1. Set up Google Alerts Google will help you with your company and industry research. They’ll send you an email with links to the highest-ranked latest news and information published on the Web relevant to the names and keywords you have chosen as Alerts. Some Alerts to set up: Your name Names of your target companies and/or those you want to be informed about Names of key decision makers in your target companies Job title(s) you’re seeking, i.e., COO Manufacturing Operations Key word phrases relevant to your niche Names of your target companies’ relevant products or services Names of subject matter experts in your niche Names of any people whose radar you want to get on. 2. Get involved with Groups Working from your list of hiring decision makers or people of influence at your target companies, look at their profiles and see which Groups they belong to. If they’re relevant to your niche, join them. At first, just watch. When you get a feel for the Group, jump in by starting your own discussions and commenting on existing discussions. 3. Join Twitter, noodle around and build your executive brand. Twitter allows you to listen in on conversations without having to formally connect with people, as you do on . If you have 15 to 20 minutes a day, or even every other day, you have enough time to derive value from Twitter. Follow those same hiring decision makers you’re watching on , and look for Twitter accounts of your target companies. Search relevant hashtags (#) for your niche to find people to follow, company/industry information and job opportunities. For instance, if you’re a CFO, search #CFO, #finance, #money, #business. 4. Write a book review on Amazon. Choose a book relevant to your own subject matter expertise, and one that might likely be read by the hiring decision makers at your target companies. The web page with your review will give you a high quality search result when people Google Your Name, and it demonstrates your thought leadership and writing ability. Set up a brand-reinforcing Amazon profile, too, so people can read about you and know how to contact you. 5. Write comments on relevant blogs. Along with building more quality search results for your name, blog commenting is a great way to build visibility and credibility for your subject matter expertise, and connect with people who can help you achieve your career goals. To find the right blogs, Google names of industry experts, relevant keyword phrases, names of your target companies, names of key decision makers at your target companies, etc. Your Google Alerts should send you links to some of the right blogs to comment on. Look for industry-leading sites and those being written or read by your target audience. Related posts: Today’s Executive Job Search Toolkit Top 10 Executive Resume Branding Tips 5 Key Elements of a Strong Online Personal Brand photo by Carl E. Lewis 00 0