In a recent article for ERE Daily, Lou Adler contrasted the differences in two recent searches his company conducted. While the article was interesting, what should be interesting to you is this ….
Of the seven candidates he presented, six were found on Linked In and Zoom Info.
Do you have a branded, visible presence where recruiters are looking for candidates?
At the Kennedy Conference last week, our recruiter panel offered up the following thoughts on what they wanted to see in a resume:
––Results–driven contributions, not a listing of job descriptions
––Enthusiasm & passion (this is where branding becomes so important)
––Polished presentation
––Vision (strategic initiatives – start to finish)
––The ability to clearly communicate
––Reverse chronological format
––Tailored cover letter
One panelist said he loves the concept of personal branding as it "provides evidence that the candidate can get the job and do the job.”
One other speaker at the conference said this, and it speaks to the first item in the list … “candidates confuse performance with experience … without performance experience doesn’t mean much.”
Are you aware that …
–85% of recruiters use online resources to uncover “information” about candidates
–35% of recruiters eliminate candidates based on what they find (Business Week June 2006)
— Blogs are becoming an executive accessory (Debbie Weil)
–6 degrees of separation is now 5 degrees (Columbia University)
–70% of recruiters said their opinion of candidates improves when the find evidence of community service, leadership, awards, and published articles. Opinions decrease when the find candidates own their own business, misstatements and inconsistencies, ethics issues, or are invisible
–76% of executives expect to be Googled; 8% said they found information they wished wasn’t available, 4% posted controversial (up 150% in last year)
–20% of executives have a web presence
If you would like to learn where recruiters are looking for top talent and how to be found by those recruiters, please join Recruiter Bill Vick in the CFO–Career–Forum on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.
To get the inside scoop, sign up TODAY!
If you are a member of the CFO–Career–Forum, log in and register today for our conversation on October 23 at 4:00 Eastern. If you are not a member of the CFO–Career–Forum but want to join the call … register here!
If you read my column regularly, you know I talk frequently about Google and your online identity. In today’s PhillyBurbs.com, Lou Sessinger discusses … guess what … the importance of a web presence in relation to a job search.
Google your name and then jump to the Career Distinction blog to use the GQ calculator to obtain your Google rating. And then evaluate your digital footprint. Are you digitally distinct? Digitally dabbling? Or, are you a digital dinosaur on the verge of extinction?
What is the relevance quotient? What message are you sending about yourself, and is it the message you want people to receive?
In a recent ERE.net newsletter, Recruiter Mike Nale authored “Progressive Referral–Base Networking: five things to remember when building your contact list.” Read the full article if you want an inside look at what recruiters are doing to find top talent.
In a nutshell though, Nale advises levering a network by …
––following the latest trends. Notice the list where recruiters look for candidates … the majority are NOT job boards.
––creating a plan, and then working your plan. My advice would be to extend this to your career as well.
––branding yourself. Candidates are more alike than they are different … so what is your difference? It’s not “what” you do, it’s “how” you do it and the resulting impact.
––maintaining a global network. In our mobile world, never discount who might be able to assist you.
––exercising Giver’s Gain. You will reap what you sow.
"According to The Conference Board, “trends indicate there is a greater supply of employees than there is organizational demand; but The Conference Board analysis paints an incomplete picture, as positions with total annual compensation above $200,000 are rarely found on the open web. According to ExecuNet’s 15th annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report, 75 percent of executive search firm recruiters and 88 percent of corporate human resource professionals revealed that they don’t routinely post those high-earning executive-level positions on public job boards or their own company websites, often relying on networking to source out the top talent." Source: Executive Insider
These statistics reinforce the importance of creating visibility – among your network and online. Networking today is as much about who knows you as it is about who you know. Maybe even more important.
With recruiters levering social networking and job aggregator sites to find passive candidates, visibility online has become a critical component of positioning by savvy executives.
Smart career management begins with Googling yourself on a regular basis to ensure you know what others are reading about you … and … spending five minutes a day on networking.
Is your career worth the investment of 10 minutes a day?
In a recent survey conducted among 1400 CFOs nationally by Robert Half Management Resources, “most” said they have not identified their successor. The primary reason given was they had no plans to leave their current position. Unfortunately, even the best–laid plans go astray.
Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources says, "Executives should plan for all contingencies, even if they have every intention of staying in their current role. Change – planned or otherwise – is a fact of life and companies that are prepared are better equipped to maintain productivity during times of transition."
And I agree. Current statistics indicate that a CFO will leave a position every 18 months to five years, with three years being the average. Planning your next move puts you in the driver’s seat. You can either act, or be acted upon.
Grooming your replacement is good for the company, but it is also a huge feather in your cap. Since 74% of your competition indicates they are not planning to leave and have not made provisions for leaving, succession planning is a huge market differentiator and one that is valuable to your next employer.
According to a recent statistic I read in the ERE daily, ZoomInfo is used by the top 10 executive search firms and more than 20% of Fortune 500 companies to meet their hiring needs.
In a teleseminar seminar by Marketing Professionals, branding guru William Aruda offered these updated statistics …
–87% of recruiters use Google to source candidates, and even HR is using Google to evaluate potential candidates
–35% of the 86% said they eliminate candidates based on what they find (or do not find), up from 26% last year
–23% of corporate employees Google each other
As I've mentioned in previous posts, building a visible online presence that brands you as unique and valuable is going to continue to be an effective job search strategy.
Look at it this way. Think of the job search as a football field. When you are primarily playing the posted position game in the job boards, it is as if all the players from both teams are crowded into the end zone. Your chances of being "found" depend on where you are standing.
On the other hand, the rest of the field, 100+ yards, are empty. Being visible online means that you get to play in the very less crowded, very less competitive 100+ yards … which means your chances of being found are significantly improved.
What are you doing today to increase your visibility online?