What do you think is most important to prioritize when beginning an executive-level job search?
- Having an updated resume.
- Optimizing your LinkedIn presence.
- Knowing the right opportunity.
- Being able to articulate your unique value proposition.
A recent poll conducted by ExecuNet on LinkedIn indicates that 70 percent of executives believe simply “knowing the right opportunity” is the most important part of being prepared to land an executive-level job.
Knowing the right opportunity is certainly extremely important…but I wonder how can they recognize that an opportunity is right for them without doing a deep dive into their value proposition?
It’s the value proposition that determines if an opportunity is right for someone.
Job Search Starts with the Value Proposition
For executives, a job search starts with the value proposition. We call it being able to tell your value story. Executives don’t get jobs off their resume. Executives get hired based on the problems they solve. Their resume, LinkedIn, networking, conversations during interviews, etc. must weave an interconnected thread around the problems they solve and how they can bring specific solutions to a hiring company.
We have found that most executives don’t really know what they are looking for, expecting they’ll “know it when they see it.” That approach works at the managerial level, when the focus is on the daily things they do, but for executives, it’s about situations and strategies they can see through to success. This requires a much more nuanced approach.
As ExecuNet Career Strategist Saundra Botts explains, “One must learn to see their ideal opportunity as a desired outcome or problem they solve. If not, they are likely to roll right past, going on with their life.”
That sums it up well. Those executives who do not focus on their unique value proposition usually do not have a clear picture of their ideal position. Things like title, salary, and tasks are blocking out the desired objectives for which they are the one best-suited to bring about.
Back to the poll. Button up #4, then you can work on #1 and 2. Number 3 will fall into place only after you’ve done a deep dive into your unique value proposition.
Let me know if you’d like some help getting started!
