How to Get an Executive Job: 6 Tips to Further Your Career

How do you progress to an Executive job? You have been in the same position for years and have made no steps up the ladder to further your career. The job market can be hard to crack and even harder as an Executive because of the scarcity of top-tier jobs. Taking the step to improve your career may sound daunting but putting a solid plan in place, will make the search much easier and enhance your confidence to execute your plan.

1. Use Job Boards

Job portals or job boards are one of the first steps toward finding executive jobs. Look for a portal that is specific to executive placements in your area. A job portal will have thousands of job listings for which you can choose to apply. If your choice is to relocate abroad, this is one of the places where you would find your dream executive job.

2. Develop your Brand

It is never too late to start developing your brand. Your personal brand is how you promote yourself and this can be done online with various platforms. By utilizing websites like LinkedIn or myOpportunity, you have an audience of thousands of like-minded people who promote their skills, experience and personality.

Even if you are not currently looking for a job, take the time to become known as a leader. Identify and get to know influencers and decision-makers in your target environment. Show interest and insight in your chosen field by speaking at conferences, writing articles, and introducing yourself to other executives and executive recruiters. Make your brand known on social media.

Many senior leadership roles are not marketed publicly, therefore many positions are filled through networking; executives you have met or worked with before, board members, investors or executive search firms or recruitment agencies, to name a few. This is a good reason to keep your network up-to-date and current.

3. Recruitment Agencies

Another way to get yourself noticed is to use a recruitment agency. As mentioned above, many jobs are not advertised in the normal channels. Employers will either approach a recruitment agency to fill a position or the recruitment agency, through their extensive networks, will know of these openings.

Because a recruitment agency will be working with you directly, they have the opportunity to get to know your soft skill sets and your personality, therefore they can assist in shaping your resume and in addition, help to hone your interview skills.

4. Prepare for the interview

Once you get to the interview stage, the process will be more complex and take longer than interviews for other lower positions. This could be a multi-step process and could take months. You may be asked to meet many of the important decision-makers within the company.

You will need to think on your feet and be creative when answering questions during the interview. Some questions may sound strange but there is always a good reason behind them. Here are some of the reasons according to indeed.com:

“Executive-level interviews are unique in that they are used to evaluate your:

• Ability to implement change within a company;
• Management skills;
• Likelihood of setting and meeting challenging goals;
• Decision-making skills;
• Capacity to deliver results;
• Ability to manage and lead teams and organizations.

Interviews aim to determine your ability to contribute to a company as a whole. As such, you should take time to adequately prepare for your executive interview to ensure you know how to answer challenging and advanced questions.”

It always helps to use previous experiences to show that you understand the question and the reason for the question.

5. Dress for Success

Dressing appropriately in business formal attire will make a strong impression. Use modest colors and styles. Dress simply in a skirt or slacks, modest and clean footwear, a button-down shirt or blouse and a tailored suit or blazer. Appropriate accessories would include a watch, belt and a few pieces of simple jewelry.

6. Ending the Interview

As with every step of the executive job search process, the final steps are important. Make sure to reiterate your interest in the company and the position. If it has not been made clear what the next steps are in the hiring process, now is the time to ask. Follow up as soon as possible with a thank you letter or email thanking your interviewer for the time and interest shown.

There is no time like the present, so go ahead and get that executive job!