Execunet Best Tips for a new career opportunity

I want to share a few of the best tips that could help as you seek or prepare
for a new career opportunity:

• Invest (time and/or money) in a well-done résumé and
  compelling social/business network profile. Research job descriptions that match
  your skills and interests and load those keywords into your documents. Post a
  profile on both large, open networks and more specialized, closed networks.
  These documents will represent your brand, and help build your Internet presence
  so others can find you. Seventy percent of executive recruiters reported to
  ExecuNet that uncovering positive information online improves candidates' job
  prospects, and can therefore elevate them to the top of the consideration
  list.
  
  
  


• Go to every networking meeting, conference, association
  lunch, industry event - anyplace where professionals are gathering. But attend
  with these specific intentions: to gather market information and help someone
  else. If you go with the expectation that you need to meet someone who will find
  you a job, you're going to subconsciously sell yourself and not be relaxed.
  You'll also set yourself up for disappointment when you don't leave with the
  desired outcome.
  
  
  


• Spend time online and visit job boards - but not for the
  sole purpose of attaching and sending résumés. Just a very small portion of
  search firm and HR recruiters reportedly find executive candidates through
  online job postings and advertising, according to an ExecuNet survey, and the
  overwhelming majority of positions with an annual salary of $200,000+ are not
  posted on the wide open web anyway. Instead, build your target list by
  researching companies that are hiring, growing, winning new contracts,
  developing new products and facing problems that your skills can solve. Don't
  forget to learn about the work environment too - "good cultural fit" is one of
  the top reasons executives are satisfied with their jobs.
  
  
  


• Be prepared to uncover and maximize opportunities. In a
  market like this one, you don't want to be hunkered down. You do want to be
  meeting colleagues from around your organization, industry and town. You want to
  see what you can offer to organizations you belong to that might be having a
  hard time managing with less revenue. If your skill or talent can be put to use,
  you'll find that others will remember and refer you when they hear of
  opportunities. Don't wait for the recovery to be obvious and the market floods
  with all the talent that was biding its time - be there first!
  
  
  


• Consider reinvention as an option. The economic
  instability has been a motivator for reassessing financial allocations and
  spending habits, and many are finding they are able to live comfortably for less
  money. You might discover that trading some income for the career you've always
  wanted is well worth it.
  
  

Robyn Greenspan
Editor-in-Chief
ExecuNet