Martin Buckland Speaks

866-773-7863 | 905-825-0490 | UK +44 02030049990

Top 4 Executive Job Search Mistakes

by Leave a Comment

As an Executive Career Coach and Professional Resume Writer, I’ve seen these same four mistakes being made at every level, but it’s particularly damaging for those seeking C-Suite positions. In a highly competitive job market where you are competing with the very best, a careless error or misstep can cost you a career move or a dream job.

Top 4 Executive Job Search MistakesIf you address these four common errors, you will protect yourself from being eliminated at the start and stand out as a polished candidate hiring influencers will want to interview!

  1. Social media blindness. Over and over, I see brilliant and accomplished engineers, bankers, and business leaders who are dedicated to producing the perfect resume and ignore their other professional documentation. These days, hiring influencers are searching LinkedIn and other social media for candidates: Your social media should match your seductive new resume! Ensure that your job titles, dates, skills lists, and education match exactly. Provide a polished, professional presentation on paper and online. While you’re focused on matching paperwork? Proofread! Your emails, cover letters, and thank-you notes should all be just as polished and professional as that shiny new resume.
  2. Not Recognizing Recruiter Value. Far too many job seekers, even at the executive level, fail to see the value in a long-term reciprocal relationship with great recruiters. You should have at least two Executive Recruiters in your professional network! They can be your golden ticket to C-Suite or Board level positons that aren’t announced as empty until after they’re filled. And recruiters are terribly busy, so you need to make an effort to stay in touch. Add value to the relationship by letting them know if you hear of an open position or introduce them to another great job candidate. That helps you stay top-of-mind when those unexpected opportunities appear!
  3. Relying on the Apply Now button. Job ads, boards, and apps are very unlikely sources of C-Suite or Board level positions, but everyone learns to use them at the beginning of their careers and they fail to recognize the need for change. Fill out job applications if you like, but your primary focus should be on networking and recruiters for finding executive level positions. A job seeker who skips networking events and connecting with recruiters in order to spend more time searching online for great jobs is going to miss out.
  4. Delegation. This may be the one that concerns me the most. You are in charge of managing your own career, and no one is more motivated to advance your career than you are. Don’t delegate career management to an employer, recruiter, or the whims of fate! Ensure that you are always prepared to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity by treating career management as a second job. Keep your resume current, your social media content fresh and relevant, make the first two items match, and grow your network every chance you get. Practice the soft skills that make hiring influencers sit up and take notice, because improving your communication and leadership can set you apart from the crowd. Put career management on your schedule and make it a priority.

Say No to Negativity

by Leave a Comment

You’ve heard it many times, but it’s worth emphasizing: Attitude can bring success faster or slow it down. Making the effort to cultivate a positive response to your work, colleagues, and career is a great way to encourage your leadership to see you as a potential leader. So, what can you do to say no to negativity? Remember this formula: Event + response = outcome. Don’t simply respond automatically and negatively to mistakes, people, and events…choose the response that brings out the best in you, the positive response.

Seek the silver lining. Instead of responding with negative thoughts or words to a potential disaster, look for the lesson learned, or the knowledge gained. Focusing on what you can learn from the issue will also help you prevent repetitions! Cultivating a habit of seeking the positive in every situation also helps you develop a consistently positive attitude.

There’s always a sunny side. Even at the end of a work day gone terribly awry, you still earned a paycheck. You may have also seen team members assist one another, watched leadership rise to the occasion, or salvaged the customer relationship. Dark days are also the perfect excuse for team or co-worker bonding over a cup of coffee or a stiff bourbon after work.

Treat others’ mistakes with compassion. When a team member or a subordinate makes an error out of ignorance, use it as a learning opportunity. One of the most powerful things a leader can do is to respond to a mistake or poor choice with “This is how we learn, we make a mistake and then we fix it. You won’t do this again, and you’ll know how to help your colleagues if they make the same mistake in the future.” Instead of chastising and applying consequences and making everyone fearful of taking risks and trying new solutions, you can encourage growth and raise morale by flipping the script from anger and disappointment to encouragement and positive reinforcement.

Let go of negative patterns. Those angry, resentful thoughts and words haven’t brought you success yet, and they may be preventing it. No one enjoys working with a complainer, and it’s difficult to mentor someone who has a negative attitude about the organization or their team. Recognize those tired, negative scripts that run in your head, and choose a positive response instead.

Ask for the positive. When posing questions or challenges at work, frame your questions to elicit positive answers first and last. Ask what they feel is going right, and that still tells you where the weak spots are while keeping the focus on the successes. When wrapping up a brainstorming session or analysis, go over what went well before discussing mistakes or failures. And when dissecting the failures, make sure to frame them as opportunities to learn, grow, and do better next time, instead of dropping them into the “negative zone” without a chance for redemption.

The Job is Yours to Lose!

by Leave a Comment

Every job seeker’s dream is to hear “You’re the perfect fit, the job is yours to lose!” from the recruiter. Finding a job that’s a perfect fit for your skills and experience, one where the hiring influencers are pre-disposed to say “Yes!” to you…that’s the ideal situation! BUT, you can still lose the opportunity. Here are the top 4 reasons that perfect match can slip through your fingers:

Over-confidence. Confidence is great, it speaks volumes about your experience and your comfort in a leadership role. Remember that no matter how perfect the fit, the organization is still interviewing you to ensure that you do, in fact, fit well into their company and will complement and enhance the team they’ve spent time and effort building. Every interview can be failed, even a “sure thing”. Dress for success, stay humble, and show your interest in the position.

Interview - The Job is Yours to Lose!Ignorance. What you don’t know, bites you. Even in the best of all possible interview situations, do you research. Read up on the corporate culture, listen carefully to the information your recruiter gives you, and use it to help you focus on the areas of importance to this organization. Being prepared for an interview is crucial, even when you’re expecting success. You don’t want to emphasize your experience in entering the global marketplace if the company is still recovering from a failed attempt at a bid to enter the Chinese market! Don’t forget to brush up on your own resume, too. Be comfortable discussing both your prospective employer and your own skills and experience.

Engagement. Treating an interview as though it’s just a formality can be a fatal error. Stay alert and engaged during your interview(s). Use your business intuition. If a hiring influencer mentions that fit is important, focus on how you fit the position perfectly. If they express concern that their opening will be a brief stepping-stone in your career path, emphasize the value you bring to their organization and your history of longevity and loyalty.

Greed. A serious interest in hiring you is a great place from which to negotiate, but it doesn’t indicate that an organization is willing to overpay. Know the job market in your industry and your area, and negotiate as cautiously as you would for a job you’re unsure of getting. While you may be an attractive candidate, you’re not the only candidate. This is another area where over-confidence can hurt you. Stay realistic and ask for what the market says you’re worth.

Prepare for the Board

by Leave a Comment

If you’re planning to seek a seat on the Board, it’s important to know that you need to prepare in advance. Your personal branding, resume, cover letter, and networking needs to shift into a higher gear well before your first interview.

Prepare for the BoardThe search team for a Board position expects a candidate to have prepared their personal branding and resume to reflect their goals, and since networking may be the only way to catch the eye of hiring influencers for these positions, a good network of solid contacts is crucial to your success.

Resume. Prepare your resume and cover letter first. A Board resume needs to express your goals, skills, and experience just as a standard resume does, but the emphasis is on leadership, consensus-building, and teamwork, and less on personal achievement. Numbers are still an important element, but instead of personal numbers, add statements that reflect how you affected the corporate bottom line or team accomplishments. Working on your resume first allows you to drill down and identify both your professional goals and the skills and experience that show your fitness for those aspirations.

Personal branding. Polish your personal brand until it shines. Make sure your social media is free of any opinions, photos, or information that doesn’t support your readiness for a Board position. Check that your profiles and blog bios are current, your headshot professional, and that all of your listed skills, experience, and education match your new Board resume. Hopefully, you have been establishing yourself as an industry expert through posts about common issues, solutions, and links to news that relates to your field. You need time to lay the groundwork, and then you can support that reputation for expertise during networking events.

Networking. Just as you established yourself as an expert in your field on social media or in a blog, you’ll want to do the same while stepping up your networking. Since many Board positions are filled before the announcement of an opening, your network opens the door to the Boardroom. The time for active networking is upon you. Seek alumni from your business school who have reached the Board level and make strong connections. Follow through with those contacts over time, and don’t be shy about asking for a mentor. Take leadership roles in networking events, both as an organizer and a speaker. Stepping up as a leader in your network allows your contacts to see your professional growth and brings you to mind when positions are discussed.

Start small. Many corporate Board members began on the Boards of non-profits. Not only is it a great training ground for those who want to make the step up from the C-Suite to the Boardroom, but it enhances your resume and leadership skills in your current position, too. Charitable work at the Board level can offer new opportunities to network with a group of professionals who are on, or moving toward, corporate Board seats. Choose a charity that interests you, or one related to your industry to begin, as a genuine interest or expertise makes it easier and enjoyable to donate your time and skills. The work is unpaid, but the experience is priceless.

6 Skills You Need for a C-suite Position Today

by Leave a Comment

6 Skills You Need for a C-suite Position TodayWe’re seeing a change in global economies, international relationships, and a swing towards the values and expectations of younger generations now entering C-suite positions. What skills should you cultivate to be prepared to take on a CEO or similar role? These six aren’t the only skills you’ll need for a good fit in a C-suite position, but they’re a great start.

  1. Strong networking. At this level, you are expected to add value to your organization with your network of contacts in your industry. This network expands your sphere of influence, gives you resources when you meet new challenges, gives you great referrals for your own position, and enables you to refer people for open positions. Widen, strengthen, and nurture your network at every opportunity.
  2. Personal branding. You should have a strong, positive digital presence. If your personal brand hasn’t been a focus for you in the past, it’s never too late to begin. A small commitment of time on a regular basis can establish you as a leader in your field and give those who search your name plenty of positive information.
  3. Data usage. In today’s customer-led markets, C-suite executives manage more than just organizational efficiency and productivity. You need a familiarity with the use of data and analytics in customer engagement in a very digital world. You might consider aiming for your eMBA if you haven’t already, as this will put you on the forefront of integrating technology with the freshest version of best practices.
  4. Comfort with diversity. It’s a small world, and at this level of business, you are expected to manage an inclusive and diverse workplace as well as having confidence and comfort with different cultures to do business at a global level. An array of races, religions, cultures, disabilities, and four generations are present inside every workforce, are you ready to lead from the front? From a global perspective, you’ll be expected to be flexible and adaptable to all the ways in which deals are accomplished wherever you go, anticipating changes in everything from handshakes to meeting etiquette.
  5. Communicating. Strong communication skills are a must at any level, but crucial in the C-suite positions. Your personal branding and networking are already a strong indicator to anyone who searches your name, but you’ll be expected to demonstrate that you can lead, instruct, and inspire with your communications skills.
  6. Flexibility. In a fast-paced and fluid business marketplace, the ability to grow, learn, and change is one of the most important skills you can demonstrate. Mental and emotional agility are valued today, one of the keys to leadership positions. Here, too, an eMBA demonstrates that you are never done learning, and always ready to update your methods, practices, and skills.

“Yes-men” Need Not Apply

by Leave a Comment

When you are looking for career guidance, make sure you’re clear on the kind of Executive Career Coach you’re looking for, and be willing to hear hard truths… “yes-men” need not apply!

If you came to me as a client and said “I’ve decided I need a change of direction in my career. I want to be an astronaut.” I would most likely tell you it’s not going to happen. My job isn’t to tell you “Yes” to any career plan you make, it’s to prepare you for your next job search with the skills you have already developed, and to help you plan to market yourself successfully for a job you’re qualified to have. So, unless you’ve already been working with the Canadian Space Agency, or are leaving a job in the U.S. with NASA, I’m professionally obligated to tell you that being an astronaut is off the table!

A good Executive Career Coach should help you plan your job search based on what skills and experience you have, or based on the skills and experience you plan to acquire. Your Executive Coach should have enough knowledge to help you decide if you can make the leap from one career to another as you are, or when to decide to go back to school or make a lateral move to gain additional experience.

Great Executive Career Coaches can then help you create a great resume, develop your personal brand, practice interviewing techniques, help guide you to network more effectively, and walk you the first few steps down the path toward a new or progressing career that is a great fit for you.

Some of the hardest parts of my job as a professional Executive Career Coach are when I have to tell people they aren’t being realistic about setting new career goals. Some of the best parts about my job are when I show people how they can make their career goals and dreams into reality!  My clients can trust my advice, because they know I will tell them if their plan isn’t viable.

I celebrate my clients’ successes, and I love my collection of stories about how my clients have grown their careers to heights they could once barely imagine. I’m also proud of the moments when I was able to inject reality into those career plans. Some job or career changes require more education, lateral movement to gain additional skills, or leaving beloved jobs because there’s no room for growth in that organization. Telling those truths can be hard, hearing those truths can be even harder.

When you need career guidance, hire an Executive Career Coach who is willing to tell you those hard truths. “Yes-men” need not apply, because they can’t help you make the leap into the career you want, or help you get qualified to do the job of your dreams.

What’s Holding You Back?

by Leave a Comment

Are you wondering what’s holding you back from that promotion to C-level executive? You know you’re doing a good job where you are now, and you’re ready…so why is your career not progressing?

what's holding you backOften, hiring influencers both internal and external to your organization are looking for candidates who take initiative in their careers. They prefer candidates who don’t sit back and wait to be noticed, but seek out those who have been steadily working to become the perfect candidate for the next C-level position.

Here are some things both executive recruiters and HR professionals look at when choosing someone for a first time C-level position:

  1. Mentors. Have you cultivated a mentor who does the job you want? Are you preparing yourself with all the skills and information you need to perform and succeed at the next level? Networking at this stage of your career can include finding a mentor or mentors to help you grow into the position you desire.
  2. Subordinate success. Are you developing your direct reports? It’s not just about your job performance, but also what you are able to do and teach those who report to you. Hiring influences are hoping to see that your whole department or team is consistently exceeding expectations because of your leadership.
  3. Lateral moves. Have you taken lateral career moves to fill in the gaps your mentor has helped you identify? Hiring influencers can see those additional positions you’ve held as signs you are serious not only about your own career advancement, but about your organization’s advancement. Lateral career moves can be a way to expand your knowledge and skills, and show interest in the organization as a whole, beyond your first position or team.

Renew Your Career at Any Time

by Leave a Comment

Renew Your Career at Any TimeAfter nearly a month of hot, dry weather and browning grass, today I looked out into my garden. I saw an awakening of the lawn. Green is swiftly appearing growing in lush and vibrant even after over 32 days of temperatures above 32 degrees. During that period of stressful conditions, my green lawn went dormant, concentrating on sheer survival, shutting down all but the most vital functions for life.

Many of us do this during our careers. In times of great personal or professional stress, we stop planning for the future and simply take each day as it comes. Our career plans go dormant, waiting for the right time to become active again.

Just like a summer lawn, when you are ready and the conditions are favourable, you can revitalize your dormant career plans. Begin with simple steps, just a few blades of grass to test your readiness. Rewrite or refresh your resume or get a little creative and put together an infomercial type of introduction for yourself.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the idea of renewing your career, or you’ve taken more than six months away from your job, consider consulting a career coach to help you get the best result from your efforts to come back from your dormant career state.

You can renew your career at any time, no matter how long you’ve been dormant!

Executive Level Preparation for Interviews

by Leave a Comment

Executive Level Preparation for InterviewsYou are not just beginning your career, and the interview advice you’re seeking isn’t about the basics. You’ve been there and done that, and now you are ready to move up. After reviewing your resume, choosing a suit, developing your interview voice, smile, and handshake, how do you prepare for an executive level interview?

Review your own digital footprint. Search your name with a few spellings or nicknames included. Take a look at your social media profile, publications, and tagged photos. Ensure there’s no cause for concern. This is part of maintaining your personal brand that many executives or potential executives may skip. That’s a mistake. At the executive level, many hiring influencers look further than your resume to learn about you.

Polish your personal brand. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and your resume. Begin posting a couple of links to interesting business articles or a few posts on industry issues or news each week. Build your reputation as an industry insider.

Do your research. Do background research on both the position you want and the company you hope to join. Learn about your interviewer and the organization’s movers and shakers on LinkedIn. This allows you to ask informed questions, show a deep interest in the organization, and shape your responses to interview questions.

Show confidence, not bravado. Take the initiative to introduce yourself instead of waiting for the interviewer to begin introductions. Dress with a conservative flair, understated elegance says more about your confidence in yourself than a gaudy tie or flashy watch. Remember, your interview is a high level sales pitch of your fit for the position, not a brash, late-night infomercial!

Say thank you. Interview etiquette is important, as it makes a positive impression and winds up the interview on a positive note. Express your appreciation for the opportunity afterward with a handwritten thank you note as soon as you return from your interview. Mention something you spoke about in the interview, your interest in the position and company, and touch on why you would be a great fit.

The Difference Between a Mid-level and a C-level Candidate

by Leave a Comment

Recently, I came across a Quora thread on unusual career advice and one of the responses stood out. It was advice about the difference between a mid-level and a C-level job candidate. As an Executive Career Coach and Executive Resume Writer, I’m often tasked with identifying and highlighting the skills and qualities that will help my clients make the jump from a mid-level to a C-level position. What is the difference between the two? Value. C-level candidates offer potentially greater value to the organization in the future.

Victor Wong, the CEO of PaperG, offered the advice that although many people assume that doing your current mid-level job very well is enough to earn a C-level position, it isn’t. The expectations and goals for the two types of jobs are very different. A great mid-level manager exceeds expectations around their managerial tasks and focuses on the productivity, morale, and longevity of their team.  A C-level executive has an eye on managerial matters, but their primary goal is to think and act around organizational growth.

“To make the big jump to the next level, they’re really being benchmarked on their ability to deliver future value to the firm in ways that are not taught or explained to them: Chiefly, how much business they will be able to bring in.”

In a mid-level job, you are successful when doing or exceeding the job in front of you. To reach a C-level position, you need to be able to see what else needs to be done for the current and future success of the company and do it.

The Difference Between a Mid-level and a C-level CandidateEvery industry needs something in order to grow: New clients, partnerships, investments, etc. Once you set the goal of moving past management and into executive territory, you need to look past the job you are doing and learn more about what is expected of those at the level to which you aspire. Executive Recruiters and other hiring influencers want to know: How can you deliver more business to your company?

Just as lawyers and PR managers who want to make partner court new clients, anyone in a mid-level position with ambition needs to begin to focus on how they can contribute to growth in their organization. This is where a mentor or a great network can help, giving you information and tips about your industry and the different expectations between where you are now, and where you want your career to grow.

I agree with Wong: Your goal, as a C-level candidate, is to identify what skills, experience, ideas, and connections you can offer that add value both now and in the future. Once you know, not only can you market yourself as a candidate at that new level, but you can begin working to contribute at that level right where you are. A proven instigator of success who adds current and future value stands out to every hiring influencer!