Top 10 Mistakes Executive Job Searchers Make

This report is a qualitative evaluation developed by the staff of the Six Figure Job Search through interviews of some of the nations top executive recruiters, hiring executives who regularly deal in six figure income hiring and successful six figure salary job searchers.

(PRWEB) July 5, 2004 -- 1. Resumes that do not focus on results.
Too many executives write their resume as though it is a job description. What recruiters and hiring executives are looking for are accomplishments. You can describe your job in two or three sentences, maximum. The balance of the wording under each job youve held needs to focus on accomplishments achieved in order to stand out from the crowd and get the recruiters or executives attention.

An accomplishment is a specific result, which you can state numerically, that was achieved by a specific action you had taken. Start with number result, solving or creating what situation, and then the actions you took to get the results.

To begin the process, first make a list of everyone who possibly could know of a potential position. Second, make a list of everyone who may know of someone who knows of a potential position. Your network could be derived from former colleagues, your social network, suppliers, customers, trade associations and recruiters youve maintained a good relationship with.

If youre interested in changing industries, networking offers you the best opportunity to accomplish that goal. The reason for this is that through networking, you are being referred by a person with credibility with the potential employer or the potential employer knows you quite well and is able to make the leap in judgment about your ability to be able to go from one industry to the next. They can see your value you bring much earlier in the process then if you came into the process from a direct mailing of your resume. So if you are interested in changing industries, we strongly recommend that you put more emphasis in networking than you might otherwise.

3. Lack of Preparation for the Interview
This is an area where entry level employees do a better job than experienced executives! Experienced executives are comfortable speaking with people and generally convey an air of controlled self confidence in their business dealings. However, this is true when it comes to their companies and their job functions. But when it comes to selling themselves, many executives find themselves at a loss for words. They ramble and dont effectively communicate their ideas. This is because they are not prepared. Beyond simply researching the companies they are interviewing with, they need to prepare an infomercial" designed to answer the typical tell me about yourself" interview question. The infomercial should not take any longer than two minutes to say at a conversational rate. The infomercial provides the basic details of who you are and the top three accomplishments you have that say the most about what you can do.

4. Discussing salary too soon.
Recruiters and hiring executives are notorious at asking early, and often, what your current compensation is. By answering this question too early in the process you can leave tens of thousands of dollars of compensation on the table. Why? Because you want the recruiter or executive to be absolutely convinced that you are the ideal candidate for the job. Then you can command top dollar. Throwing a number out too soon will only limit you. Also, why should what you are making in your current job be any guide as to what you are worth in the job you are interviewing for?

There are a few ways to professionally deflect this question. The first is to say, I would be happy to discuss with you my current compensation a little later in process if the opportunity we are discussing is appropriate for me."

If pushed hard and they wont let it pass, offer a broad range. State, Over the last few years my compensation has been in the range of $X to $Y. This includes base pay, bonus, options and other unique benefits." The goal is to give as honestly high a number as possible and a broad enough range so that it is believable. Dont forget to include the value of stock options, company car, country clubs memberships, differed compensation programs, etc. These are all legitimate forms of compensation that you need to assure you include.

5. Caught in the Web.
Many six figure salary seekers spend far too much time on Internet searching through job banks and posting their resume everywhere they can, feeling as though they are productive. These resources are important, but they need to be managed intelligently. Many executives will hide behind their computer screens thinking that theyre working very hard and diligently at finding a job and all they are doing is surfing through the same old jobs.

You need to have a strategy for managing your time and the use of job banks. We suggest that when you first start your search on job banks you spend four to five hours to start and then do not spend more than thirty minutes a day after that. The up front four to five hours is focused on making sure that youre familiar with everything thats available in the various jobs banks, to get your resume posted on these banks as well as getting your resume posted on major headhunters websites. After you feel that youre properly registered and your resume is posted, then spending thirty minutes per day is simply a matter of scanning through the job opportunities and responding to them.

6. Spend too little money conducting their job search
Job searches are not free. The key is to spend your money effectively in order to achieve the six-figure job you are looking for within a reasonable time frame. The recruiters and executives interviewed for this study told us again and again about qualified candidates that had poorly written resumes, didnt distribute their resumes widely enough, werent prepared for interviews, etc, etc. Each of these items can be fixed with a wise investment in the right services.

Finding a resume writer is not easy. Look for sites that offer free resume critiques. This way you can get a feel for how each firm would approach your resume and then you can select the one you are most comfortable with. Remember, you dont always get what you pay for, so interview the resume writer and ask a lot of questions before shelling out $300 to $600 dollars.

The same holds true for interview preparation. Again, question the firms thoroughly to assure you will get the best quality interview preparation. Ask for references and do call those references. Search the Better Business Bureau for any record of complaints. You would be surprised at how many interview preparation firms to have complaints filed against them.

Also, invest in a subscription to services such as Hoovers to get information on the companies and contacts that would fit your search profile. Recruiter data can be found at kennedyinfo.com and executiveagent.com.

7. Spend too much money conducting their job search
While job searches are not free, some executives spend far too much money on their search with little results to show for it. The two biggest areas that searchers told us that in hindsight they spent too much money are in resume distribution and in hiring an agent. BUYERS BEWARE!

Many resume distribution companies will sell you on distributions that are far too large just to run up the price you pay per distribution (which can run around $3.00 per resume). Regarding the agents" there are countless court cases against a number of these agents who take big money up front (typically in the $6,000 to $10,000).

The very first thing that you need to be absolutely aware of regarding a six-figure job search is that YOU are responsible and accountable for the entire process. This is one of the most important activities that you can embark on and the burden falls squarely on your shoulders.

For more information on this topic, please request from Six Figure Job Search (webmaster@sixfigurejobsearch.com) our article, The Best and Worst Investments Job Search Investments"

8. Are not willing to relocate
Finding an executive position is a numbers game. Think about it. How many six figure salary positions that you are qualified for will open up over the next year within a one hour drive of where you live? Yet again and again, we hear executives complain that there are just no jobs out there.

Actually there are plenty of good paying jobs out there. The problem is that many of these executives who are complaining commit many of the mistakes that we discuss in this white paper.

The biggest mistake is not willing to relocate to where a good paying, career building job is located. Sure moving is hard, but can be growing and a rewarding experience for the entire family.

By being open to relocation, you will be surprised at the number of new opportunities that are made available to you.

9. Sending too few resumes to employers and recruiters
How many resumes should you send directly to employers? Well, in speaking with many successful executive job seekers as well as a few top notch outplacement firms, you should send a minimum of 1,100 resumes directly to employers that fit your profile.

That may sound like a lot of resumes. But consider this hit rate. Of the 1,100 resumes you will send, you will receive 5 to 10 phone inquiries, which will lead to 3 to 5 interviews, and 1 or 2 job offers. Those are the odds you are dealing with.

You can send more than 1,100. But it is the opinion of those we interviewed that when you go over 2,000 you will get significant diminishing results because you will need to spread well beyond your industries of expertise to develop a list of potential employers that exceeds 2,000.

How many resumes should you send to recruiters? The answer is that you should send a resume to every retained executive recruiter that works in the functional areas and industries you are interested in.

This is because retained recruiters work exclusively for the companies that hire them. They are not employment agencies with a master database of all the jobs out there. They work privately for the companies that pay them to place the ideal candidate for the company.

To find out who these recruiters are, you can visit kennedyinfo.com and executiveagent.com

10. Indiscriminately sending resumes
If your entire career has been in biotech, why are you sending your resume to the Washington Post? While this example may sound ridicules, it is a real life example! Have a strategy on what companies you are sending your resumes too. Just scattering them to the wind and hope they find a receptive audience will dramatically reduce your odds of success.

To help you focus your targets, get a subscription to Hoovers.com. With Hoovers you can not only research companies, but you can find out who the key contacts are so that you can send your resume directly to the right person. Always target the your direct to employer resume distributions to those that are one and or two levels above the position you are looking for.

And dont forget to send a copy to the director or vice president of human resources. This way if a VP brings your resume to the HR Director and asks to have you brought in for an interview; the HR Director wont feel as though you made an end run around them.

To learn more about conducting a profession and effective six figure salary job search, please visit www.sixfigurejobsearch.com.