For starters, remember to always think of LinkedIn as a tool for business, not an online résumé. Even though LinkedIn fancies itself as just that—an online résumé (and then wonders why more people don't engage)—executives should not treat LinkedIn as an online résumé.
Read MoreRetained executive search consultants are looking for people who are happy in their current positions, and for whom something new might be of interest. In fact, those happy potential candidates are often so happy where they are, that they're not expecting the call, and the art of recruiting becomes essential in engaging them in the first place.
Read MoreAs infants, we learn that star-shaped pegs fit only in the star-shaped holes. So why do we backslide as adults and start thinking our star-shaped pegs should suddenly fit into square holes?
Read MoreIf you haven't discovered the wonders of the minus symbol when querying LinkedIn search, or the benefits of incrementally refining search parameters using other query features, take a moment to tinker and see if LinkedIn doesn't finally become the business tool you can't live without.
Read MoreA purple squirrel is only a purple squirrel when a company decides it needs a specific set of skills, experiences, and expertise.
Read MoreI've come to learn that [a big part is] the amount of risk and [how the ideal candidate's] expertise mitigates that risk. It's a big reason why recruiters usually stick to a sure thing when recruiting a high profile role, and why it's important for someone who's a ways into their career—but not at a level they'd like to be—to have an advocate on the inside. In other words, someone who's willing to stick their neck out and vouch for them.
Read MoreIs it important to be able to talk about yourself at a high level? Yes. That's the purpose of developing an aggregate understanding about yourself and your career, which is really what an "elevator pitch" is. But that should lead to an in-depth conversation, in which you should be equally skilled.
Read MoreStill, working at Google is rightfully coveted, and Business Insider's recent Here's what it's REALLY like to work at Google, the 'world's most attractive' employer article offers a glimpse into the life of a Googler.
Read MoreAs an executive résumé writer and career coach who has long-worked with Fortune 50 executives, I've also long-noticed that CEOs—somewhere in their early careers—either founded a company and drove it to success, or in some other way faced a wall of professional accountability that might have crushed their peers.
Read MoreFrom Ben Horowitz' "the hard thing about hard things is that they don't have a formula" to Jason Fried's coauthored startup book, 'Rework.' (If you missed it, be sure to catch my recent mention of Jason Fried's not-to-be-missed December 2012 blog post about the role mistakes play in our lives.)
Read MoreIf you've never faced a search committee interview, but might do so in the next few years, take Jane's wisdom in Acing a Search Committee Interview to heart.
Read MoreHeidrick & Struggles tweeted this morning a link to their 2015 CEO Report: Embracing the Paradoxes of Leadership and the Power of Doubt. If you're a CEO, or well on your way, this quite simply is one not to miss.
Read MoreI field two to four new business calls every day, mostly from executive to mid-career professionals looking to quietly work through what their futures might hold if they nosed around a bit.
In nearly every instance, they express embarrassment about their out-of-date résumés. Understandable, since they've been busy doing the work—not nursing a piece of paper.
Read MoreThen this morning, I stumbled upon Boyden Global Executive Search's "Candidate Resources" page, and voila! The left sidebar has a great list of BlueSteps member benefits, top among them being the most critical piece: confidentiality.
Read MoreIt's not rocket science, but it is a lot of intention, preparation, and cross-platform career messaging clarity.
Here's a sneak peek from the search firm's August 2015 "Career Advice" column, demonstrating that good planning is particularly helpful for the stealth job seeker:
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