Taking Action in Your Executive Job Search

Back in January, did you plan to find a new executive job? Have you been searching for that job since then? Or have you been putting off the job hunt?  Be honest with yourself about what actions you’ve taken, on a regular and consistent basis, to get a new job. If you find that you have been procrastinating, ask yourself why.

If you’re currently in work, especially as an executive, it may be a genuine lack of time and energy that’s holding you back, as well as a sense of comfort and security in your present role. If you’re out of work, you may feel that the situation is hopeless and that you don’t want to deal with your job applications being rejected. In both scenarios, it’s possible to adopt a new attitude and new behaviours to counter what’s stopping you.

You have a job but want to shift roles, so organize your time to make room for a targeted, dedicated job search. You’re unemployed but you can regain confidence in yourself and your abilities by perhaps doing some pro bono or consultancy work. Keeping yourself busy will keep your mind off negative thoughts and motivate you to find a job. Having this type of work on your CV also shows recruiters and potential employers that you’re serious about getting back to work and that you have the skills and initiative to do so.

Once you’re motivated and ready to start looking for your new position, you may be wondering what exactly you can do in order to search for a job. It may have been a long time since you last had to look for a new role in a new company. The labour market has moved on, new technologies have developed and each job sector has evolved too. Where do you start and what do you do? Here are three job search actions you can start doing right now to kick off your job hunt in earnest.

Check in with your network

You might feel that you should be ‘putting yourself out there’ and making new and useful contacts through networking. It’s true that it’s good to put yourself out there, but not to expand your network beyond manageable—or valuable—proportions. Instead, reconnect with your existing network. Give someone a call to find out what they’re up to. Arrange to meet for coffee. Just as you’ve spent the past few years moving up and onwards with your career to executive level, your old friends, associates and colleagues have also been enjoying new experiences in their lives. They may be in a position to introduce you to the right person or give you information on the right company. Take a look at our 135 Networking Career Tips for more help with networking.

Set Some Goals

Set yourself daily, medium and long-term goals. By identifying a long-term objective you’ll have something to aim for and this will keep you motivated. Medium goals help you to break down your objective into a logical sequence of actions and daily steps towards your overall goal are like manageable chunks that prevent you from trying to bite off more than you can chew in one go. For instance, if your overall objective is to relocate to a different country and take up an executive post there, a medium-term  goal would be to spend three weeks in that country assessing the property and labour markets. Daily tasks could include booking a hotel and flight for your three week visit, conducting desk research of the country and requesting time off from your boss to make the trip.

Target your chosen company

If you already have an idea of which organization you want to shift to, set about building a connection with it. You can start the ball rolling just by phoning the business up and having a conversation with the receptionist.  First contact points such as receptionists or PAs are usually happy to help by sending out information packs about the company or telling job hunters about any vacancies that haven’t started being advertised yet. Also make use of social media. Follow the organization on Twitter and tweet questions to it or look at its LinkedIn profile and invite any employees who you share mutual connections with to join your network. Take a look at our 125 LinkedIn Job Search Tips to make sure you are harnessing the power of LinkedIn when looking for that next job.

For more personal help with your executive career search check out how we can help.

For similar articles take a look at:

• Executive Job Search Mistakes to Avoid
• Job Search Tips for Senior Executives
• What Makes a Good Executive MBA Course?

If you are a recent graduate and are performing a job search in Canada we'd recommend taking a look at a Canadian specific job site such as Jobboom.