Executives can more effectively position themselves for new opportunities, and dramatically decrease time spent in-transition by ensuring that their three vital career documents are fully optimized and up-to-date. Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles and cover letters form the cornerstone of any job search or career progression, so time should be invested in them to ensure your results are maximized.
 

One of the most difficult challenges faced by job seekers during a sustained job search is maintaining the motivation to commit time and effort to the search. One of the best ways to reignite your job search can be to re-strategize and critically assess which activities are yielding results and which activities can be retired.

If your job search is in need of a boost, see below for our top tips on activities that can propel your efforts to the next level:

Landing the perfect-fit C-suite position is hardly as formulaic as polishing up your resume and shooting it out into the universe in response to job ads—hoping that the perfect hiring agent takes the bait. If that were the case, a well-crafted resume (and perhaps an equally brilliant cover letter) would be the only components of your job-search arsenal needed to secure your next position.

But the reality is that the vast majority of executive-level jobs never make their way into an advertisement—meaning that your chance to be privy to such opportunities requires you to rely heavily on your network of contacts for introductions and hints regarding such undisclosed opportunities.

Executive bios can be a great way to reinforce your executive brand, provide executive search consultants and potential employers with further information about yourself, and reflect on what you have accomplished in your career to date.

They are also a useful opportunity to go beyond the facts that are quoted in your resume/CV and inject some personality into your career story, enabling recruiters and future employers to connect with you on a human level and envision you within a potential new role.

BlueSteps is renowned for working with senior executives across the world, but once a year we are privileged to collaborate with the most globally recognized executive…more powerful than Bill Gates or Richard Branson…the jolly ole man in the big red suit…the Chief Excitement Officer around the world…Santa Claus!

You might not think Santa Claus is into career management but he’s a very smart and shrewd business leader. Every year, Santa schedules an annual resume review and coaching session with his BlueSteps coach. Santa Claus knows how important it is to stay current. When he first started his career, no one had heard of the Internet. Executives didn’t need an online presence. His target audience wasn’t connected and engaged in social media on a 24/7 basis.

Looking to give your executive resume, LinkedIn and career documents a boost? Here are a few quick tips to help.
 

Executive bios take branding to another level, linking an executive’s softer skills to their value proposition in a way that isn’t possible to emphasize in a resume. BlueSteps allows you to include your executive bio in your career profile, so it’s important to have a professionally written bio that will represent you in the best light. To clarify any confusion around executive bios, let’s look at a few points:

Purpose:

• To reflect who you are and what you have accomplished in your career 
• To reinforce your brand
• To tell your career story with more personality

It complements your resume:

As an executive, you use every available tool to ensure success for the companies and teams you lead and direct. Certainly your own career advancement should embrace every possible resource and strategy to guarantee an efficient and effective executive job search campaign.
 
Here are five “Must-Have” documents for your career development arsenal:
 
1. Executive Resume. No surprise here, but beware! Resumes have changed radically in the past few years. Make sure your resume meets today’s modern standards.