job postings

If Only Finding Your Next CFO Position was This Easy!

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I just saw another CFO organization jump into the “job board” postings game. If only finding your next Chief Finance role could be that easy. See a posting, send off your resume, get the job. Except, it’s not that easy and it rarely works well for the candidate. The truth is, job searching requires hard work and effort … and finding that next right opportunity often takes longer than anyone anticipates.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not dead set against job postings, although I can’t say I am in favor of them either. The important thing is to keep the job board strategy in proper perspective. Since only about 10% of positions are posted – and most of those are NOT the top-quality positions a CFO is usually seeking – that means only about 10% of your overall job search time should be spent playing the job posting game. It seems like an easy way to find a job. It isn’t. Maybe attaching and sending off your resume is easy, but usually it is not fruitful because thousands of other candidates think it is easy, too.

If you really want to move into that next, right-fitting opportunity, avoid the posted position trap as the sole strategy for finding it. Know your value, practice articulating it clearly and succinctly in a manner that begs follow-up questions, and build and nurture a vibrant network. Those activities will yield far better results than sending off your resume to a job posting.

Copyright CFO-Coach 2017

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Cindy Kraft is the CFO-Coach and America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance Executives helping clients understand their marketability, articulate their value, and position themselves as the clear and compelling choice. She is a Certified Reach Personal Brand Strategist, Certified Reach Online Identity Strategist, Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach. Cindy can be reached via email Cindy@CFO-Coach.com, by phone 813-727-3037, or through her website at www.CFO-Coach.com.

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Aim, Ready, Set!

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Seth Godin’s blog post this morning, Trying to Please, reminded me of several posts I’ve written about this topic regarding the spaghetti strategy, I mean job search strategy. 

Who is your marketing or your product or your effort trying to please?

A clear target audience is so important!

And that’s precisely why the job board game is so ineffective. Job postings are about trying to make (or remake) yourself into something someone else thinks they want or need. It’s why job postings are fiercely competitive and woefully ineffective.

Trying to be all things to all people is akin to a strategy of aim, ready, set. 

Be clear about your strengths, who needs them, and then focus your search. Less is more might seem counterintuitive, but it is more effective.

Are You TOO Comfortable?

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This question was asked in my training class yesterday … followed by the statement that “being too comfortable drives out any desire to be uncomfortable.” In effect, being too comfortable is paralyzing. It keeps us frozen where we are no matter how miserable that place might be.

For example,

––Are you too comfortable in a job you hate?

At least half of the population is unhappy but despite the fact that they are unhappy, they stay because it’s easy and comfortable. Being a job hunter is hard work and can be very uncomfortable … which is why I recommend positioning oneself as a “hunted” candidate.

Life is too short to be miserable 40+ hours every week, and yet, people stay miserable because at least it is comfortable.

––Are you too comfortable with your job search strategy …

even though what you’re doing isn’t yielding any results, or not the results you should be getting? Sitting in front of the computer responding to posted positions sure seems like it should work, after all, the position fits you perfectly. Sadly, this is ineffective, frustrating, and for the most part a waste of precious time.

Moving away from the computer though is definitely uncomfortable, and scary, but necessary if you want to be successful in the shortest amount of time.

––Are you lulled into a place of comfort by a sense of job security?

It is easy to stick your head in the sand and live under the false illusion that your job is secure and there is corporate loyalty, so if you just don’t rock the boat you won’t have to worry. Wrong!

Just ask the people at Bear Sterns. Or the VP with a 20–year career at a privately–held bank who was walked to the door a few weeks ago. Or your next–door neighbor. In this time of economic uncertainty, it is more important then ever to adopt the mindset that you are merely between searches … in order to continually have new opportunities coming your way.

Are you too comfortable where you are, or are you willing to get a little uncomfortable in order to get what you really want?