What does it require to advance from a management position to an executive role? When you’re a manager, you do the hands-on work of ensuring that your team’s day-to-day operations run smoothly. You’re a team super-user, versed in the systems and operations that enable your unit’s daily efforts. You oversee that work and keep those who execute it motivated, engaged and fully operational. It’s a complex undertaking and handling it well can be the ideal preparation for new challenges. 

You are really in big trouble if you come across a job interviewer who just keeps talking.

What the interviewer really should be doing instead was asking questions, then listening to what you have to say about yourself and your work experience. You came for a job interview not to listen to a marketing presentation.

Technically speaking, we say such a person has got logorrhea, an actual illness and pathological inability to stop talking. Sometimes, and less serious, you see a word like loquacious, for people who talk a lot and often about stuff they think we should all know.

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:

Executive interview success doesn’t happen by chance. It requires careful research, strategic planning and a plethora of preparation. There are proactive steps that candidates can take at every step of the process to increase their chances of success: from pre-interview research and perfecting their first impressions to learning how to expertly navigate challenging questions and knowing how to conduct post-interview follow-up.

There are many interview pitfalls that executive candidates can succumb to, so for those with interviews on the horizon, BlueSteps presents this checklist of do’s and don’ts for prospective executive interview candidates:

A strong relationship with executive recruiters is a key part of an executive career management strategy, although for many catching their attention seems like a daunting task. But, there are a number of steps job seekers can take to greatly increase their chances of success. In this two-part series, I will share the most effective ways I have come to learn as a professional career advisor and executive search consultant. Here in part one, I focus on 8 tips to catch a recruiter’s attention via your email, cover letter, and resume. 

No matter how much experience you have accumulated as a senior level executive, attending an interview can be a daunting task. Like with any major career step, the key to a successful interview is preparation. It is universally known that those who prepare for a variety of interview questions perform better than those who do not. Therefore, to assist you on your way to career success, BlueSteps has prepared a list of ten commonly asked senior-level interview questions for you to familiarize yourself with.

The key to executive interview success is preparation. Interviewing methods differ between companies and people. Are you prepared for a non-traditional interview?

Phone Interview

A phone interview is often one of the first interviews an executive will encounter. Some call this a pre-screen interview when an executive recruiter picks up the phone and calls a candidate – typically to screen them out. This unexpected call can throw some candidates off.

Much like a blind date, attending a networking event can bring up anxieties. Even the most experienced executive can have some apprehension about walking into an event alone and trying to integrate into groups of people and conversations. Since it is a fact that most jobs are found through networking, it is worth your time to avoid common missteps and hone your networking skills.

Stage One – Introductions