The upside of a booming economy means hiring is stronger than ever. The downside? More folks are out there emboldened to test the job search waters. The bottom line? The job market is growing increasingly saturated, and as an executive (whether seeking an executive writer service or not), you must do a lot more in addition to speaking with a handful of recruiters to land interviews that are a good match for your skillset.

To get a foot in the door and boost the number of interviews that come along, executive job seekers must be ready to invest in some upfront sweat equity that, in reality, is not all that different from the strategies they employ to be successful in their roles.

 “Where giggers were once responding to market conditions, they are now creating the conditions, disrupting the traditional workforce as we know it.” Korn Ferry Institute

With a name appropriated from performance culture where musicians play a limited engagement, or a “gig,” the gig economy describes the expanding labor market comprised of contract workers, freelancers, crowdsourced workers, and others who are hired for limited engagements, as well as platform-based systems—think ride sharing, delivery, and property rentals. Independent work is growing with the internet, and expanding from developed to developing economies as more of the world becomes digitally connected.

If you are looking to move in the C-Suite, having P&L responsibility listed on your career documents can dramatically increase your chances of winning new opportunities. Profit and loss responsibilities at an organization often includes overseeing cash flow and advising on budget allocations for either a department or the organization as a whole.

A friend of mine reached out recently, asking for advice on how best to write her resume. I then delved into my dossier, containing a compendium on do’s and don’ts handed out over the years, and figured out at one glance that my advice is a departure from the standard by-the-book norm – instead, it shares tips from the point of view of the reviewer, who has barely 60 seconds to flick through your “autobiography” and form an impression of you! 

Whether you know it or not, you already have a personal brand. Everything you do, write or say, changes the perspectives of those around you, and in the age of the Internet and Social Media, you are already on a public stage.

Take control of how you are perceived and use your brand to boost your career and attract new opportunities. By proactively and intentionally managing your personal brand you can shape your own reputation, showcase your knowledge and increase your visibility in the job market. Ready to start crafting your executive image? Here are our 8 top tips to build that unbeatable brand:

If you’re like me, you can’t help feeling like the coming of the fall season is a new beginning. Those many years of school conditioned me to have that association. It’s a time for refocusing on our goals and to determine where we want to be before the year’s end.  Perhaps you’ve enjoyed some summer vacation time, which has allowed you to slow down and reflect on the bigger picture of your career.

For many executives, it is a time to examine their career trajectory and take necessary steps to keep the momentum going, such as refreshing an outdated resume and beginning to explore “what’s out there”.

Depending on how long it has been, you may need more than a mere resume update. Ask yourself:

If you are good at your job, you may find yourself being tasked with additional work such as implementing new initiatives or working with high profile clients. It is a common trend – those who do good work get more work. This can leave high-performing and trusted employees feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

Funny enough, the top result of a Google search on “being good at your job” is an article about the danger of being good at your job. A 2015 Duke University study found that having high self-control (an indicator of success) might have negative interpersonal costs, leading individuals to become burdened by others’ reliance.

Let me present yourself one of the deadliest and yet often most easily neglected mistake you can do as executive in career transition: Having a big EGO. Let me show you three examples and the negative consequences of a big ego for job search success.

Mistake Number 1: “I can do it.”

Your resume tells who you are. Simply put, you are what you write, and not what you think you are. An executive maybe a worldwide SVP of Sales, but the resume presents you as a middle manager. You may be an industry-agnostic General Manager, but your resume makes you an automotive industry expert. You may rank high in an investment bank, but you fail to communicate your responsibility and 100 staff under you.

As CEO of AESC, I come face-to-face with business leaders around the world on a regular basis. C-suite leaders regularly share with me common challenges in their industries and organizations, from a lack of diversity to the struggle to innovate in an increasingly complex and ever-shifting business environment. As a result, I recently discussed those top challenges of today.