I often tell people to talk about impact vs only responsibilities. Think bigger than projects. Think of large scale change. How did what you do affect the customer, business or culture?
I often tell people to talk about their level. How would your boss or CEO talk about your role? I tell people to share who they reported to, who they interfaced with, who they influenced, how enterprise their role is, and what made it hard / what roadblocks they had to overcome. Then add a sentence on leadership.
Here’s how to take this to the next level.
When you’re talking to recruiters, do this:
- I’m looking for an XYZ position at an ABC type of company. Have you placed those types of people recently?
- I’m curious, when you think about the last XYZ you placed, why were they the placement vs everyone else who interviewed?
If you can still ask questions without being too much of a “taker”:
- What were you assessing for during that search, and what did you find made certain candidates really stand out?
Now when you look at your LinkedIn profile, you can cut to the chase. Do the first few bullets in the About section and under your current/last role state these things?
Last piece of advice: keep it short. Less is more. If it’s too long, no one will read any of it, or only read the first sentence. If you want people to read more, you have to write less.
PS: I love the concept of approaching everything with curiosity. It makes conversations feel more natural. It takes the pressure off. Plus it's fun to be on a journey of discovery.
PPS: if you’re curious about how to find executive recruiters or how to get them to want to talk to you, check out my book or Mastering the Executive Job Search Course. Yesterday we spent lots of time doing a LinkedIn profile review and rewrite, and that’s the type of thing I’m happy to do during group office hours. I have so many more tips that can't fit in one post here :)
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📘 🎤 Want to know the behind the scenes of executive search? Check out my book, Search in Plain Sight: https://lnkd.in/gqgu4vuq on Amazon or Audible.
🙋♀️ I’ve launched a course + community + office hours. The course is called “Mastering the Executive Job Search: a guide to recruiter relationships, finding your edge, and driving your career.” Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gNCZpTXx
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