Resume Guide Drawing

The power of a personal Internet presence was the subject of a conversation I had with a colleague the other day. He was trying to understand what the value of a personal Internet presence was to a non-executive.

I asked him if he saw value in other industry colleagues, peers, co-workers, subordinates, superiors, existing or prospective customers, media or trade-show personal, fellow industry association members, et al. being able to learn more about who he is as a person, a professional and/or his subject matter expertise and abilities. Notice I didn’t even mention - recruiters.

I then suggested if he believed there to be tangible value in the above, then having the ability to simply say, “If you’d like to know a little more about me, just Google me” is an extremely powerful statement. I also told him he’d really know how powerful this is when after saying this to someone they respond with, “I already Googled you; that’s why I contacted you.”

In the business world, we are all pressed for time, and most of us have far too many people asking for our time. Not only does having visible information on-line anyone can find by doing a simple “Google me” search help you when deciding whether or not to consent to a meeting with someone else, it can also help those who want to meet with you have a more aligned and productive conversation with you. This says nothing about the increased exposure it gives you in the business world to opportunities to share your subject matter expertise through speaking engagements, publications, forums, etc. Notice I didn’t even mention - career opportunities.

The key concept many people fail to understand is the following:

It is one thing to have content floating around the Internet pertaining to you. It is an entirely different thing to have content visible on the first page of hits when someone does Google you.

So how do you go about proactively not only building a personal Internet presence, but also building a visible Internet presence by driving content in your control to the first page of Google? Start writing. It’s that simple.

What do you write about? Write about the problems you solve everyday. Write about the systemic problems and/or issues you address everyday and how you address them based on your unique perspective and subject matter expertise. You don’t have to give away the farm. Simply speak about situations and solutions in more general terms.

This also begs the question: Where do I publish what I write? There are all kinds of places to publish content, but the media you’ll most likely want to publish in are blogs and articles. This content will typically become more visible (i.e., rank higher) in search engines faster than general personal or corporate website content you might publish. That said, all blogs and article sites are not created equal. There are many, many, places to publish content, but you want to publish content in places which will result in high ranking content that will ultimately show up on the first page of Google.

So how do you identify the “right” places to publish your content? Look for sites that have a lot of traffic combined with also having a lot of changing or new content. Sites that have these two elements going for them will typically result in content that ranks higher faster in the search engines. Sites combining a lot of traffic with blogging or article content are typically the best. On-line networking sites such as Ecademy combine a lot of traffic with constantly changing new blogging content. Article sites such as EzineArticles combine a lot of traffic with constantly changing new article content. You can also create even more exposure for the content you create by leveraging sites like ArticleMarketer that broadcast your article content to even more article, blog, newsletter, etc. publishing sites.

Here is the key: the power of leveraging sites such as Ecademy, EzineArticles, et al. comes from using them to point to other web content you’ve created and/or already exists that you want to drive higher in ranking in the search engines. You benefit from “guilt by association” as a result of hyperlinking to other content. When search engines like Google scan your content on sites like Ecademy and EzineArticles and find hyperlinks to other content, they give preferential ranking to the hyperlinked content.

With a little effort, and by leveraging the power of sites like I’ve mentioned above, you can build a visible personal Internet presence in as little as a couple of months. You will then be able to benefit from the power of being able to say, “If you’d like to know a little more about me, just Google me.”

Ron Bates is an expert in mission critical retained executive search. He is a Managing Principal with the retained executive search firm Executive Advantage Group, Inc. He has delivered personal executive coaching projects to former SAP, E&Y, Oracle, and WorldCom Exec’s responsible for multi-billion dollar business units, and co-founded http://www.CV-Advantage.com, a self guided job search oriented executive coaching process.

With +27,000 direct contacts on on-line professional networking platforms, Ron has been referred to as “the most connected man on Earth”. View Ron’s networking profile on Ecademy.

As a recognized expert in building an on-line personal Internet presence, Ron has been an invited speaker at venues such as the Marketing Executive Networking Group, British America Business Council, Expert Connections, and is a regular guest on Netshare’s “Ask the Coach”.

Ron’s blog: Internet Presence - Do you exist? can be found at http://www.search-advantage.com

For more information on Conducting a Job Search Campaign go to http://www.job-search-campaign.com

Tags: internet marketing, internet presence, job search advice, resume writing, ron bates, seointernet marketing, internet presence, job search advice, resume writing, ron bates, seo

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A personal Internet presence can help when a recruiter Googles you. Not having an Internet presence can definitely hurt you when a recruiter Googles you. That said, it is an unfortunate reality that very few job seekers understand how to approach recruiters effectively.

Even though you don’t want to have your job search strategy rest solely on approaching recruiters, many job seekers inadvertently shoot themselves in the head because they don’t know how to effectively approach recruiters.

Many people don’t even understand what a recruiter does and doesn’t do, or more specifically - how they get paid. It definitely differs from country to country, but predominantly the following is true:

Recruiters are - not - agents for candidates; they are agents for clients.

Or alternatively:

Recruiters don’t find jobs for people; they find people for jobs.

Approaching a recruiter and telling them you want to discuss “how we can work together”, telling them you’d like to discuss having them represent you; telling them you’re trying to choose someone to represent you; presenting them with the opportunity to represent you, are all approaches that will expedite your listening to a dial tone or having your email deleted.

The only real way you are going to get any recruiters’ attention is if - based on timing - you happen to align with the requirements of a position they are trying to fill. There is about as much chance of that happening as getting struck by lightening. If you don’t align with the requirements of a position they are trying to fill, then you are simply going to be perceived as someone who is about to waste the recruiter’s time - time they can’t afford to waste. Ouch that hurts. Hey - just ask yourself, when doing whatever it is that you do for a living - which is more productive - wasting time talking to an unsolicited call from someone trying to sell you something you don’t need, or focusing on doing what you are paid to do?

Reality check #1: Recruiters are some of the busiest people on the planet. Good ones are also some of the hardest working 24X7 dedicated people you will ever meet. Many recruiters regularly work 12-hour days 6 days a week or more. Why? Again, because timing is everything on the candidate side as well as on the opportunity side, and time kills all deals. It is also a bandwidth issue in that - the faster a recruiter can fill a search - the more searches they can do in a year - the more income they generate from - clients - that pay them (i.e., not candidates) to conduct searches.

My phone rings at least once every 10 minutes. Many recruiters don’t even answer the phone if it isn’t a scheduled call. My executive assistant used to yell at me - “Stop answering your phone. Let me do that.” Sounds kind of strange why an executive recruiter wouldn’t answer their phone right? Well it isn’t. Why? Because, they’d never get anything done, if they had a 15-minute conversation with every unsolicited candidate who called to discuss their job search campaign every 10 minutes. It is just an unfortunate reality that many unsolicited candidates never receive a return phone call or an email acknowledging a resume submission or attempt at communication with a recruiter. Don’t take it personally.

Reality check #2: Most of us are busy right? Ever hear an executive complain about the number of voicemails they get, or the number of emails they receive? A recruiter’s life revolves around the phone and email. I’ve never met an executive who really had to deal with the volume of voicemail and email recruiters have to deal with.

Want to increase your chances of connecting with a recruiter? Make it easy for them to communicate with you!

Send them an email; don’t just leave them a voicemail. Why? Emails are infinitely easier to respond to than a voicemail. If a recruiter calls you, they risk that you might actually answer the phone - when the recruiter simply wants to respond with a quick message, and then the recruiter gets sucked into an unplanned - conversation.

I’m not saying don’t call a recruiter. Most definitely have a 30-Second Elevator Pitch when you do. This way you can leave them a crisp voicemail as a back up to your email, and tell them you are doing so in the voicemail (don’t forget to leave your email address as part of the message).

When you send an email, have the body of the email -briefly- (key word) state the purpose for reaching out to the recruiter and attach your -pin sharp- resume. Don’t tell your life story in the body text of the email. Don’t cut and paste your resume into the body text of the email. Don’t give an -executive summary- in the body text of the email. Don’t attach additional documents like bio’s, PowerPoint presentations, articles, and other unsolicited information that a recruiter doesn’t have the time to read. Attach your resume - period.

Here is where having a personal Internet presence can help you as well. State in your email, “In addition to my attached resume, if you’d like to know a little more about me just Google me.” That is an extremely powerful statement.

There is also -never- any reason to send a recruiter an email and not attach your resume if you aren’t already in dialog.

Reality check #3: Recruiters can end up seeing hundreds of resumes a day. Did I mention your resume should be “pin sharp”? Did I mention you should always attach a resume even in a follow up email to an unresponsive recruiter? Even if a recruiter took the time to respond to your email or voicemail there is still a very good chance they have not actually seen/read let alone - saved - your resume.

When a recruiter does give you the time of day, take a second to acknowledge their busy reality, acknowledge the fact you are - ambushing them - with an unscheduled call if that’s the case, and then get to the point. Give them your 30-Second Elevator Pitch. Don’t tell them your life story. Ask them what if anything they’d like to know more. Ask them the best way and when to follow-up, or if they’d like to schedule some time.

The following is huge!

Ask the recruiter if they might benefit from being connected to any of your contacts based on the current search portfolio the recruiter is working on - even if you don’t map into it. You are making a networking call when contacting a recruiter. What a concept - offering to help the recruiter. Ask the recruiter if they belong to any on-line networking platforms like Ecademy, LinkedIn, et al., and if they do offer to connect networks.

Realize there is a very slim chance the recruiter is currently working on a search you will map into and focus on extending a helping hand - and they will remember you. It is more likely you are in a position to help them with one of their searches based on who you know than they will be working on a project you map into. Did I mention this was a networking project? Remember this is all based on timing. They will hopefully remember you and reach out to you when they are working on an opportunity you might map into. Oh, and get this: they might actually know a hiring authority with a need you might fit - even though they have no association with the search. I’ve introduced many candidates to clients with needs I was aware of - even though there was nothing in it for me other than shear “good will”.

If you approach recruiters this way there is a much greater chance they will call you when the timing is right.

Happy Networking,

Ron Bates is an expert in mission critical retained executive search. He is a Managing Principal with the retained executive search firm Executive Advantage Group, Inc. He has delivered personal executive coaching projects to former SAP, E&Y, Oracle, and WorldCom Exec’s responsible for multi-billion dollar business units, and co-founded www.CV-Advantage.com, a self guided job search oriented executive coaching process.

With +27,000 direct contacts on on-line professional networking platforms, Ron has been referred to as “the most connected man on Earth”. View Ron’s networking profile on Ecademy.

As a recognized expert in building an on-line personal Internet presence, Ron has been an invited speaker at venues such as the Marketing Executive Networking Group, British America Business Council, Expert Connections, and is a regular guest on Netshare’s “Ask the Coach”.

Ron’s blog: Internet Presence - Do you exist? can be found at http://www.search-advantage.com

For more information on Conducting a Job Search Campaign go to http://www.job-search-campaign.com

Tags: approach recruiter, internet presence, job search advice, marketing, resume writing, ron bates, seoapproach recruiter, internet presence, job search advice, marketing, resume writing, ron bates, seo

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Possessing a visible Internet presence and professional networking skills can be a big help in executing a complex sales process.

Everything that is sold has a greater or lesser impact on a client’s business. A client might need paperclips, but they aren’t going out of business if they make the wrong decision in buying a couple of hundred cases. The same amount of money spent on a unified messaging system, or a web server, could potentially be devastating if the wrong buying decision is made. Obviously there are huge implications if a company makes the wrong decision associated with a $10 million dollar ERP system, or a mission critical piece of manufacturing capital equipment. This concept has basically been implicitly communicated over the years in the phrase “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”

Typically, the more impact your offering potentially has on a client’s business - good or bad, the more complex the sales process is going to be. Why? The more potential for impact a purchasing decision has on the client, the more people get involved in the decision process. More people involved in the decision means it takes longer for everyone in the decision process to evaluate the options and reach a decision consensus.

At large (and even in small) companies, the decision process can become quite political during a complex sales process. Though there may even be a “formal” decision process (or procurement process) that needs to be followed, there is -always- an “informal” decision process ultimately driving the outcome. This is where it becomes critical to know “who’s who in the zoo.” Who are all of the decision makers? Who are the people that have influence over the decision makers? This all becomes a critical picture to map out as you attempt to navigate a complex sales process within your client’s organization.

This is where your visible Internet presence and professional networking skills are critical leverage when navigating a complex sales process.

Most people only think about their professional networking skills. This is a mistake. Why? Because an increasing number of executives Google someone prior to consenting to meeting with them. If you can’t be found on Google, then this isn’t going to help your professionl networking efforts. A strong visible Internet presence can only help your professional networking efforts.

Keep in mind that when I speak about proffessional networking, I’m not just simply talking about networking to build relationships with people that can introduce you to key decision makers and influencers, but networking to also identify who these people are and asses their competitive disposition prior to even attempting contact with them. For example: “Nobody buys anything like that around here without Dave blessing it, the CEO and Dave go all the way back to being schoolmates, and the CEO trusts Dave implicitly.”

Through networking you might be able to learn that the key decision influencer is simply trying to learn enough about what you are selling to nuke your attempt at doing so. The ugly truth you might learn through networking is that “Dave” was torched by your company two years ago over a service problem and has sworn to never buy from your company again, or Dave’s wife works for the competitor’s company, or Dave won’t get to build the new building he needs if funds are diverted to invest in your offering, etc. What you learn through your networking efforts might change your mind about how much of your company’s resources you want to waste pursuing a deal you just learned you potentially don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.

Networking is critical in any complex sales process. The better you are at it, the better you’ll be at closing more complex sales. Possessing a visible Internet presence will help others understand who it is that is attempting to network or meet with them.

Ron Bates is an expert in mission critical retained executive search. He is a Managing Principal with the retained executive search firm Executive Advantage Group, Inc. He has delivered personal executive coaching projects to former SAP, E&Y, Oracle, and WorldCom Exec’s responsible for multi-billion dollar business units, and co-founded http://www.CV-Advantage.com, a self guided job search oriented executive coaching process.

With +27,000 direct contacts on on-line professional networking platforms, Ron has been referred to as “the most connected man on Earth”. View Ron’s networking profile on Ecademy.

As a recognized expert in building an on-line personal Internet presence, Ron has been an invited speaker at venues such as the Marketing Executive Networking Group, British America Business Council, Expert Connections, and is a regular guest on Netshare’s “Ask the Coach”.

Ron’s blog: Internet Presence - Do you exist? can be found at http://www.search-advantage.com

For more information on Conducting a Job Search Campaign go to http://www.job-search-campaign.com

Tags: internet marketing, internet presence, job search advice, resume writing, ron bates, seointernet marketing, internet presence, job search advice, resume writing, ron bates, seo

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