Naymz

Move Beyond the Ostrich Position

by

The current economic uncertainty is a perfect breeding ground for indecision and paralysis. And it has never been more important to be decisive then now! If you’ve been imitating the ostrich, here are a few action steps you can implement today …

––Adopt the “self–employed” mindset

If you haven’t read the great book by Cliff Hakim, “We Are All Self–Employed,” I highly recommend it. Log onto Amazon and order it or stroll into your local Barnes & Noble and begin reading. Those folks who embrace the “self–employed” rather than “other–employed” mindset will proactively control their careers rather then reactively respond to someone else’s control, whether that someone else is a CEO, Board of Directors, or investor group.

As finance executives, you understand the concept of managing your career the way you manage your company. Understanding though is different then doing. Create a 3–5 year career management plan and then work daily to execute your plan.

––Get visible

Linked In, Facebook, Naymz, Ziggs, Zoom Info, Twitter … to name a few of the “must” places you can create and maintain visibility. Begin today! If you would like a copy of my article, “5 Easy Ways to Beef Up Your Linked In Profile,” send me an email with “Linked In article request” in the subject line.

A quote pulled from the 2008 Recruiting Landscape report published by Zoom Info says, “Savvy recruiters know that the best hires come from candidates whose web presence speaks to their contributions to their companies’ success – not those who are likely to respond to a job ad.”

To be viewed as the “best,” creating a branded, visible presence is critically important. The people who need to know about you are already visible on the Internet and they are hunting passive, top–talent!

––Begin networking

Networking is time–consuming … and one of the most effective things you can do for your career. If you have been so busy working in your job to the exclusion of working on managing your career, today is the day to re–connect with at least one person and then add 10–15 minutes of networking time to your calendar as a daily appointment. With all of the online social networking outlets available, squeezing in 10–15 minutes can happen before dawn or at 11:30 at night … from the comfort of your home. The ROI will be well worth the effort.

So tell me, now that you’ve made the decision to read this post, what action step will you take today?

Execunet Market Intelligence Report

by

Execunet has posted its annual Market Intelligence Report for executive job seekers. It’s always great information and you can download your *free copy at their site.


I found the following information interesting … and validating.  


–Job search stats: 41-50 years of age – 9 months; 51-60 years of age – 11.9 months


The search process is still a long one. Continually positioning yourself as a passive candidate will minimize, and can even eliminate, the “unemployed” stigma that can negatively impact marketability.


–The unpublished job market is not a myth with 86% of corporate recruiters and 61% of third party recruiters saying they do not routinely post $200,000+ positions


The “best-of-the-best” candidates do not spend the majority of their time on job boards and recruiters recognize that fact.


–Networking, including social networking, still accounts for 70% of executive opportunities


If you aren’t on Linked In, Facebook, Zoom Info, Ziggs, and Naymz, for starters, you won’t be found by the people who have the opportunities you want to know about. You can’t play the game if you aren’t in the game!


If your network is dead when you don’t need anything from them, it probably won’t be very productive when you do need their help.


— 86% of executive recruiters routinely scour online sources for candidate information … beyond the resume, with 7 out of 10 recruiters saying candidates’ prospects improve when positive information is found


A positive, visible online presence is a critical piece of proactively managing your career. The more consistent the available information, the more credibility you have and the more desirable you become.

Passively Social

by

I just returned from the Kennedy Recruiting Conference in Orlando. This was a hotel full of “internal” recruiters … those folks who are employed in–house to source potential candidates for their companies. And the four words and two themes we heard over and over were …

–Passive Candidates
–Social Networks

What internal recruiters want is the coveted A–player who is currently employed. Where they go to find them are social networking and job aggregator sites like Linked In, Ziggs, ZoomInfo, and Naymz.

If you want to play the game, you need to get in the game. If you aren’t where recruiters are looking, you won’t be found by them.

Email me with “Passively Social” in the subject line for a copy of my full article on this topic.