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Good news is on the horizon for 2010. Recent reports from ExecuNet, the networking organization for recruiters and executives, have shown that 54 percent of recruiters recently surveyed expect executive employment to improve within the first half of the year.
It’s great to hear that things will be turning around for executive job seekers who have been trying to get back into the market after the recession hit. Unfortunately, more companies hiring probably also means more candidates vying for each position, including those who are already employed. What’s the best course of action? Here are a few tips that can help you to prepare.
Get Your Personal Brand Ready
Before you want to draw people to you, it’s good to create your personal brand. However, hopefully as an executive, you have already accomplished this goal.
Basically, creating your personal brand means defining yourself in a professional way. If you are a marketing guru then you would take a number of steps to build up this persona. You may go out and make speeches about ways to market products successfully, which could show your level of expertise in this field.
It’s also important to work on developing your professional presence online. This might mean not only signing up on social networking sites, but also creating your own blog that provides advice on marketing.
Spruce Up Your Resume
After you get your brand together, you want to spruce up your resume. The point in creating your brand in the first place is to create a positive public image and have items to add to your resume. If you have built up your brand then it’s good to add the various elements of your brand to your resume.
This might include your blog, LinkedIn or Twitter profile URL. You can also show some of your versatility by listing any critical public appearances and speeches that you’ve made recently; it shows that you’re important and relevant in your field.
Catch Up With Your Networking Circle
If you haven’t already, it’s good to make sure to catch up with your networking circle. While this includes your bosses, coworkers, and clients, it also includes people from your personal life, such as your own friends and family (and their friends and family).
Basically, you want to rekindle your connections with everyone you can to see what leads are out there. Of course, if you have an extensive list of people who follow you online, many of them could throw leads your way. So whoever you can connect with is a good person to keep in your networking circle.
There’s nothing better than learning that employers are officially looking to hire new employees the year after such a difficult economic time. Since there’s opportunities coming around in the next year, the worst thing that you can do would be to not prepare. By creating your brand, developing your resume and reconnecting with your network, you could increase your chances of snagging one of those great job opportunities the recruiters mention.