When a frustrated customer looking for a job tells me something like, “I posted my resume to over 300 job postings and only got one job interview,” I want to scream:
“Joel, get off the job boards!” a-la-Risky Business – where Joel’s mother tells him to get out babysit with the house surrounded by police.
Seriously, get off the job boards.
Stop spending all your time on the job boards or the job search police will come for you.
I hear job seekers complain that HR never calls them back, but these job seekers never try to reach anyone else.
These job seekers say sending their resume to the job boards is like sending it into a black hole, but they keep doing it.
And these job seekers wonder why they’re frustrated!?!?
Effective job search tactics for executives in today’s economy include both the use of technology and proven traditional methods: They use the ROTH method.
What is the ROTH method, you may ask?
Simple.
The ROTH in the ROTH method means reaching people.
Avoid job submissions and ATS systems.
Stop waiting for recruiters to call.
Get on the phone and talk to a human.
Find the email address of a new contact on LinkedIn and send an email.
Identify where your hiring manager’s audience congregates both online and offline.
Then send consistent, proactive messages to those in the audience, with or without a job opening, to land serious interviews.
And to get the ball rolling, here are five job search tactics you can start using TODAY that use the ROTH method:
1. Present your own point of view to an organization.
Don’t wait until the right vacancy is posted or a recruiter calls with a vacancy. Research the company’s needs and connect with potential bosses using the ROTH method. Suggest how you can add value diplomatically. Don’t assume the company has a problem in this area. Indicate how you can directly contribute to their bottom line.
2. Introduce yourself online. Develop the relationship offline.
Now more than ever, CEOs and C-level executives are embracing social media to communicate news and demonstrate influence. Executive job seekers can use this news as leverage to reach out and make an introduction. Network online to make an introduction and then take it offline to develop the relationship – this is really the essence of the ROTH method.
Smart executives use social media more precisely and consciously for branding and lead generation. They’re not just on social media to be involved.
3. Passive is the new active.
An active approach on social media attracts talent managers. When a hiring manager/recruiter looks for an executive candidate, it is called passive recruiting. The more effort an executive candidate puts into branding, the greater the chance he or she will be found.
The Harvard Business Review states that C-level executives attract talent through social media. Retained recruiters are also attracted to executives who use social media. They want to recruit leaders who use progressive tools to deliver a consistent message and attract talent. That is why actively approaching a passive candidate delivers results.
4. In this global mobile economy, more and more executive functions are virtual.
High-level contract positions and executive freelancing are becoming increasingly productive in today’s job vacancy landscape because this arrangement allows flexibility of company resources. Candidates who are open to this type of work find work more quickly. By creating job openings and presenting them to companies using the ROTH method, rather than applying through job boards or responding to posted positions, you can often bring in an experienced executive more quickly, leading to direct hires in the near future can lead.
5. Participate in online and offline events and land interviews from the assignment.
Attend your profession’s annual conference, make contacts and follow up on the event. Join a Google chat or Periscope session of your potential next leader and contact the presenter offline after the chat. Respond to blogs and then email the author with additional insights and interview questions.
Each of these tactics has yielded interviews with executives.
The trick, however, is to be ready when the opportunity arises, so make sure you have your resume and LinkedIn profile ready so you can confidently and succinctly communicate your wins and achievements during the interview.
Sign up for our free “How to design a powerful executive resume and fail-safe job search strategy” master class, and learn how to optimize your job search to land interviews for the positions you’re targeting.
