Career opportunities are changing dynamics at a phenomenal pace. Career experts have been predicting there will be a shift in the job market, and by the year 2020, 40% of American workers (nearly 65 million people) will not work in “traditional” jobs. This may affect you because by that time there may only be positions available like “interim executive,” contract or temporary C-level jobs, or any number of adjustments to the traditional working environment. To be prepared for this shift as it evolves, consider incorporating these three tips now:
1.         Industry Trends. The longstanding approach when looking for a new job is to present yourself as a solution to a company’s problems. Identifying the issues of the company is still important, however, now an executive job seeker needs to be more “global” in their thinking. Adding trend research to your action plan will raise your awareness of what industries are prevailing and which are becoming dinosaurs. These trends can have a direct impact on your job search as jobs disappear in the industries that are vanishing. What ever happened to all those blacksmiths?
2.         Expertise Matters. What sets you apart from other executive job seekers is your specific skills and talents and how you utilized them to achieve success. Presenting yourself as an expert in your field will help you separate yourself from the crowd. Having the ability to dissect big problems is beneficial because everyone likes to think they are working with someone who has solid knowledge about their industry and job. Even if you have to consider additional training, degrees, or certifications to punch up your expertise, it will be worth it in the long run.
3.         Personal Branding. Broadcasting your expertise is not always easy, even for an executive who knows how to communicate with all levels of business professionals. When you are in the job search mode, think of yourself as the product “brand” and market yourself similarly. There is no doubt that the successful executives will be the ones that understand their value and are able to articulate that to recruiters and hiring managers. Introduce yourself with your unique value proposition so they see you as the perfect fit for the job they are trying to fill.
Bonus tip: take advantage of the social networks that exist today and tap into those communities and groups in LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. Through this type of social media outreach, you have opportunities to engage people that may not exist outside these networks.
Executives are not immune to job market changes so prepare yourself today for the changes of the future.