Up until relatively recently, companies thought that hard skills are what would get them their bottom line.

Now we’ve come to realize that soft skills are just as important when it comes to growing a company. Soft skills are considered to be behaviors and traits such as adaptability, critical thinking, people skills, likeability, time management and so forth.

Essentially soft skills are those that aren’t as hard-driving or as upfront. Often times they are skills that have more to do with your personality, making them slightly more difficult to put on paper. That’s why how you present them is crucial in whether or not you’ll get the job. 

The following are some ways to effectively & strategically incorporate soft skills into your executive resume.

Use soft skills mentioned in the job ad.

Job ads will often times have soft skills written into them. This will give you a clue as to what the employer is looking for. For instance, one employer may emphasize that a candidate be “results-oriented” while the other may prefer “high energy and enthusiastic.”

Once you’ve identified the soft skills in the job ad make sure to incorporate them into your resume. This way you customize your resume for the position at hand. This technique is far more effective than sending everyone the same generic resume. 

Provide solid examples.

Anyone can say “strong communication skills” and “detail-oriented” on a resume, but not everyone can prove it.

As with any of the skills you reference in your resume, make sure you have examples and facts to back it up. For extra effect see if you can use examples using the STAR Method. That is to say, think of an instance when your soft skills fixed a problem for the company and yielded great results.

For example, let’s say your company was about to lose a big client over a misunderstanding. The client was irate and ready to terminate the contract but you swept in and saved the day with your communication skills. This is where you can say you “Communicated effectively with clients whenever there was a misunderstanding.”

Use verbs related to soft skills.

One of the biggest mistakes executives make when writing resumes is, avoiding the use of verbs. A quick way to remedy that is to use verbs that are associated with soft skills.

For instance, if you work in healthcare you often need to deal with a lot of people who are going through a hard time. Your ability to empathize with patients and their families and provide them with what they need is a key indicator in whether or not you are suitable for the field.

Highlight your leadership qualities.

Being a leader in the workplace requires the use of multiple soft skills at once. Simply put, you can’t be a leader if you don’t know how to deal with people.

Highlighting your leadership qualities on your resume can help you bring in very important soft skills into your resume. It’s also a very useful way of looking for examples that demonstrate soft skills.

Try to use quantitative examples.

If you really want to impress a potential employer try to find some quantitative examples of your soft skills. For instance, let’s say one of your soft skills is being “detail-oriented.” You can mention how you noticed a numerical error in a report that would have cost the company a lot of money had it continued unnoticed.

In a day when relationships build business, it’s important to highlight your soft skills in your resume.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

I believe that a successful, well-balanced job search is more than successful strategies and tactical actions a job seeker can take to get closer to finding that right job. A successful job search offers well-balanced advice to address the mind, body, spirit and financial well-being of a person. A balanced job search prepares the job seeker to be in the right frame of mind and in good health to perform well throughout the entire job search process.

Here are suggested websites that enable a job seeker to take a balanced approach to their job search by shoring up on wellness, positive mindset, health, money, global business knowledge and efficient job search tactics action to help them be viewed as ‘in-demand’ by prospective employers.

1. Zen Habits

I feel Zen Habits helped me change my own life and I encourage readers to use this minimalist philosophy, lifestyle and mindset suggested put forth by Leo Baubata, the founder of Zen Habits, to put life in its proper perspective and bring more joy to day-to-day living.

2. Tiny Buddha

www.tinybuddha.com

This website helps with your positive mindset each day. It helps you learn how to stop negative thoughts, manage stress, present yourself confidently, and empower your to the choices that make your life better.

3. WELL – Tara Parker-Pope on Health

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

This leading NYT health and wellness blog by Tara Parker-Pope gives tips on how to eat well, exercise and take care of our bodies, that will ultimately help us perform better inside and outside of work.

4. MintLife

www.mint.com/blog

Effectively managing your money before, during and after a job search is paramount. Properly managed money, no matter what your job or income level, can take mounds of pressure off of the already pressure some situation of looking for a job and/or remaining employed, allowing you to make much better, qualitative decisions about your future.

5. Harvard Business Review

www.hbr.org

Show your next manager that you are up to speed on cutting edge management through leadership and demonstrate its application in preparing for yoru interviews. This is an amazing resources for lifelong learning.

6. Daniel H.Pink

www.danpink.com

Understanding how the world of work and employment is changing can help you present better in your next interview. Daniel Pink is a thought-provoking, motivational read, whether he is referencing content from his bestselling books or sharing favorite excerpts from TED Talks. Reading his blog, always leaves me feeling motivated and empowered.

7. The Recruiters Lounge

http://www.therecruiterslounge.com/

I have always said, “Want to find a job, understand how a recruiter thinks and then employ those strategies in your search to find opportunity and be found by hiring managers.”  Go right to the source to understand recruiters with this blog.

8. MeetUp.com

www.meetup.com

Feed your mind and your network by seeking out Meet Up groups that are aligned with your professional goals and personal interests (or the other way around). By finding like-minded people and engaging those with differing perspectives we grow our connections, increase our opportunities and expand our minds.

9. Tim’s Strategy

www.timsstrategy.com

Tim Tyrell-Smith has a blog that embodies a number of writers (full-disclosure, I am one of those writers) that address many career topics, effective job search tactics and resume strategies for all phases of one’s career. His blog is a job search tactic gold mine…

10. Jackalope Jobs

Jackalope’s  blog brings tactical expertise in ways to optimize your connections and your network to get closer to open opportunities. In addition, Jackalope Jobs has a great tool that enables job seekers to take their LinkedIn and Facebook network’s and leverage these contacts to see how the job seeker is connected to open jobs. Perfect complement to existing social media.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

Stressful meetings, negotiations and complex projects fracture the perspective of many job candidates and executives. If nerves are draining your confidence, there are strategies you can use to succeed.

The impact of acute or chronic stress on the human body is well-documented. While rapid release of cortisol and adrenaline may save your life in an emergency, the continued release of these stress hormones may damage your health—and career opportunities.

Enter the monkey-mind

The monkey-mind is a centuries-old Eastern concept. The term loosely refers to the endlessly chattering, curious, distracting and sometimes fearful self-talk experienced by most humans at some point in life.

In 2012, author Daniel Smith published a memoir entitled, Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety. The book explores the concerns faced by millions of Americans who suffer depression and anxiety disorders.

Simply put, the monkey-mind is a state of distraction, of living in the past, or a future task—anywhere but the present, thoughtful moment. It is a mind too full to be itself.

Why does it matter?

While being mindless seems a negative term, it is a good descriptor for the way most of us live. Rise to work, go from task to task, make phone calls, take meetings—a daily swing through the trees until the next day dawns. It is the automatic living of life until we are stymied by a job loss or other personal emergency. Then what?

Mindfulness is the process of fully cultivating a moment by remaining in the present. In recent years, movements espousing mindful living, like the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, made significant cultural and corporate inroads. Meditation practices and techniques are an important cornerstone of mindful living.

Some of the benefits of mindfulness include:

• Mindfulness practices impact wellness by reducing stress. Results can include lowered blood pressure, management of pain and heart disease, and reduction in gastrointestinal discomfort.

• Working with mindfulness techniques may reduce tendencies toward alcohol or drug abuse, improve the ability to deal with relationship conflict on or off the job, and improve your general quality of life.

• Executives, professionals and others report that mindfulness helps them increase focus, improve memory, reduce distraction, boost creative problem solving, manage complex work pressures and reduce self-imposed career limitations.

How can you incorporate mindfulness into your job search?

Training your mind, to free your mind, allows you to be fully present in the interview chair or other important events in your day and life. While there are apps to help with mindfulness and meditation practices, they can only support the effort you are already making.
Harvard professor of psychology Ellen Langer states, “At the very highest levels of any field—Fortune 50 CEOs, the most impressive artists and musicians, the top athletes, the best teachers and mechanics—you’ll find mindful people, because that’s the only way to get there.”

Consider these points to help yourself cultivate mindfulness:

• Breathe: There are many practices that center on breathwork as a calming method. Investigate and choose one that allows you to use your breath silently and responsively in the face of emotional, physical or interview stress.

• Meditation: Most mindfulness practices incorporate meditation techniques. Experiment and decide what works for you.

• Witness: Mindfulness involves observing sensations, ideas and emotions that arise in your mind and body. Watch, witness and let these qualities go. Repeatedly identifying troubling thought patterns, emotions, and physical feelings allows you to exist outside the grasp of the monkey mind.

• Avoid polarizing your life: Try to move away from black and white thinking. During a job search, curiosity is your help mate. Consider events from multiple perspectives to broaden and invigorate your job search and opportunities. Do not condemn yourself for mistakes you make. Remarks Ms. Langer, “When you’re mindful, mistakes become friends.”

• Be present: Mindfulness means sinking into experience. When you approach an interview mindfully, active listening allows you to fully engage with the interviewer, freeing you from the obvious anxiety of the moment. Author, poet and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh notes,“Machine thinking is the opposite of mindfulness.”

• Move beyond balance: By itself, striving for balance creates categories. Mindfulness flows, accepts, notices, and moves forward, allowing you to incorporate, rather than parse. A non-judgmental attitude is essential to accepting and exploiting what could otherwise be perceived as shortcomings in your life and the lives of others.

Mindfulness is tough to register on a resume, yet it resonates in a handshake, an agreement, or a tough decision. The monkey mind leaves you wondering why you said what you did in an interview. It threads its way through your workday, chewing at your confidence and your corporate persona. Practicing mindfulness can help you bring your most important asset to the table during a job interview—you.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

The strategy known as “the strength of weak ties” could be the secret sauce in your job search. Essentially, it entails reaching beyond your traditional networks to casual contacts. The latter know of job openings your colleagues don’t. This article describes seven simple ways to make those connections with weak ties.

Mark Granovetter’s Discovery of Gold in Casual Relationships

It’s no secret that jobs most often come through people. They provide information about openings you wouldn’t have known about. Often those aren’t listed among the help-wanted ads. Also, it’s people who hire you. But, not all those people contacts are equally effective in your job search. In 1973, Mark Granovetter, a sociology graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, published breakthrough research in the American Journal of Sociology. It documented that those whom you assume you should count on – members of your own networks – could be the least useful. The biggest return on investment in networking could come from people you know casually, that is, weak ties. A typical example would be Joe who runs the coffee stand in the office high rise. He’s among the first to connect the dots on who’s on the way out, therefore where there will be openings. You should invest your time in befriending him and letting him know you’re in the market for a new job. Currently, many of those the weak ties you can arrange to connect with on social networks such as LinkedIn.

The Hidden Power of Weak Ties

There is such power in weak ties for four reasons.

• Traditional networks function like closed, risk-averse systems. Those in them all share the same jobs data. Moreover, they may hesitate to tell you about them. They fear that if the situation doesn’t work out that will reflect badly on them. In addition, they tend to both stereotype colleagues and be fully aware of their flaws. So, they won’t let them know about openings which they assume will be a bad fit.

• Weak ties intersect with very different networks than your usual ones. That, in itself, opens up possibilities for work you won’t encounter through your strong ties. In addition, they have useful “inside information” on the organization’s culture, undisclosed problems and their ideal job candidate.

• Relationships with weak ties tend to be open and trusting. Little is invested in passing along a job tip to you so the stakes aren’t high for them. Also, since they don’t know you well professionally they don’t assume you can’t do the job. Strong ties tend to pigeon-hole you in a niche. They can also stifle original thought, making it more difficult for you to think out of the box about a job search.

• Weak ties can provide emerging ideas and perspectives not available through your usual social capital. That gives you competitive intelligence about what kinds of opportunities to pursue and how to present yourself.

Finding and Nurturing Weak Ties

Because networking is critical to success, most executives have developed patterns for doing that. For example, holiday social activities are made to do double-duty as networking opportunities. However, those best practices can harden into rituals in which you aren’t fully engaged. Moreover, they exclude possibilities for identifying and cultivating weak ties. Here are seven effective tactics:

1) Develop an accessible persona. That includes open body language, gentle facial expressions and the ability to listen, asking questions to get conversations going. This kicks off the Law of Attraction. 

2) Open yourself to small talk. That old saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” also applies to not sharpening the instincts for casual connections. When commuting on the train, waiting in the doctor’s office and walking the dog, don’t be preoccupied with work.

3) Participate in professional and social events outside your specialization. Those could be as non-threatening as signing up for a few months of public-speaking training with Toastmasters. Or it could be a little more complicated like attending a local meeting of psychologists, even though you’re a lawyer. They will welcome what you can offer to them in networking as much as what you can gain from them.

4) Develop a communications vehicle which transmits your unique passion. That might be a newsletter, weekly radio broadcast, blog, podcast or YouTube series of presentations. It could be about animal rescue, the Steelers or doing business in Russia. Your enthusiasm will be contagious.

5) Be involved in Facebook. According to Jobvite, 83 percent of job searchers rely on Facebook. No, it’s not just for posting family photos or promoting your company. It’s a platform for cultivating weak ties in an informal way. Most of your Facebook “friends” are not colleagues. Respond to their posts, indicate you are there to help them with their marketing plan and celebrate their accomplishments. In addition, you can attract recruiters you don’t normally do business with. In the “edit profile” section provide them with details about your work history and where you are heading. 

6) Become interested in other people on Twitter. Strategically plan whom you want to connect with on Twitter. Then join in their discussions, let them know what you have gained from their insights and share what fascinates you. Eventually, ask for help in your job search. If they work at Company X, ask the best people to contact there for an informational interview. Some of this conversation might be brought offline. 

7) Exploit networking opportunities on LinkedIn. Configured as a professional network, LinkedIn is a multi-dimensional tool for connecting with those you need to know. Do your profile right and it could attract everyone from professional recruiters to chief executive officers hunting for a new head of compliance. Premium membership allows you to search in companies and fields of expertise for contacts.

Becoming Open, Staying That Way

The current winners in the new economy, ranging from venture capitalists to app designers, keep their networks diverse. One of their objectives is to continuing developing fresh kinds of contacts. The taxi driver in Moscow might have the most useful insight on oil futures. Yes, this requires an investment in engaging. Attention has to be shifted from the work on the desk. But the alternative – rigid networking – puts you at a professional disadvantage. Smart players are starting those conversations. 

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

You may sense that you are being forced to quit—see the signs below that it is happening to you. Or your superiors might already have told you they want your resignation. You probably are unhinged. The good news is that there are 8 things you can do right now to manage the situation. Those best practices will reduce or even prevent damage to your career and give you a competitive advantage in what you choose next.

Signs you are being forced out

The employer’s objective is to have you quit. Therefore, the signals that you should do that tend to be obvious. Here are the common ones:

• You are left out of the communications loop. For example, you don’t receive emails about the meetings in the conference room for the product launch. Colleagues don’t return your calls.
• If you are still attending meetings you are treated with disrespect. That can take any number of forms, ranging from ignoring your comments to showering you with hostility. The objective is public humiliation.
• Your workload is reduced or increased significantly. Sales representatives might be given impossible quotas.
• Your relationship with superiors changes. Instead of praise, you receive constant criticism. Likely they are documenting that alleged poor performance. That can be leveraged to nudge you out if you are reluctant to leave.
• Colleagues and subordinates distance themselves.
• Your superiors actually ask that you consider resigning or else they will fire you. As they wait for your answer, all your work may be taken away.

The 8 ways to manage the crisis

1. Find out your legal standing

As books such as “Fired, Laid-Off Or Forced Out! explain, there are many myths about employees’ rights. The reality is that in most states, the private sector can terminate employment at will. The exceptions are if you in a protected class such as disabled or aging, a member of a union or if the terms and conditions are covered by a formal agreement. When in doubt, consult with an employment lawyer. Do that before you say or do anything, especially if you are considering taking legal action.

2. Decide if you want to try to keep your job or even buy yourself more time

If so, initiate a conversation with superiors about the reasons they want you to leave. At the outset, state you are willing and eager to follow their recommendations on corrective action to align your performance with what is needed. This move may save your job. If not, it could extend the time you are collecting a salary and using benefits while you search for another job.

3. Avoid “craving closure” to end stress

Human dignity is important to most people. Employers recognize that. Therefore they know that subtle or obvious types of abuse can drive you to quit impulsively. However, financially, emotionally and in preparing yourself for a job search, you might not be ready to leave. Remain calm. Keep your finger off the trigger.

4. Negotiate

Every situation is unique. But there is always room for negotiation. That’s true even if your job performance has been subpar. Critical to negotiate is how the company officially classifies the resignation in your personnel file. Ideally, it should state that you resigned, without qualifying that with “in lieu of being fired.” Also, you can request a letter of recommendation, severance, outplacement, and use of office facilities.

5. Be pragmatic about finances

Investigate the possibility of collecting unemployment in your particular state. Your state may allow that even for those who quit jobs. An example might be that it recognizes stress as a valid reason for leaving employment. Therefore, you have to know beforehand how to frame your claim. If you are over-55, your odds of getting a comparable job are not ideal. Immediately consider downsizing expenses.

6. Prepare your cover story

The question you will be asked during interviews for the next job is why you quit. You must create an explanation that is diplomatic, positive and yet accurate. Of course, you speak well of the company and your superiors. You describe the negatives in a way advantageous to you. For example, you would say, “Our strategies weren’t aligned because I assessed that the company should put its computing operations in the cloud.” Those in the know recognize you had a valid point. “Given this disconnect, I felt it was a disservice to the company and myself to remain.”

7. Comport yourself from a position of strength

If you feel in charge of this process, your body language, facial gestures and conversations will reflect that. Everyone in the company is observing you. In a sense, this is the performance of a lifetime since they will remember how you handled yourself during this crisis. Those perceptions help create the platform on which you build the rest of your career.

8. Network

The way to search for that next good job is through other people. According to JobVite and other studies, less than 25 percent of hires are made through help-wanted ads and recruiters. The other 75 percent happen through the contacts you will make on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. You will also need to be visible in-person. That means participating in conferences, trade association meetings and local business social hours. “Hiding” is not an option.

Gaining the edge from this setback

No reasonable person welcomes failure. However, in Silicon Valley, it is celebrated as a rite of passage. That’s because the tech players know that more is learned – and more quickly – from setbacks than successes. In sophisticated organizations, failure is even hailed as a competitive advantage. If enough executives in those companies have a record for failure, there’s plenty of collective wisdom embedded.

It’s up to you how you position and package the experience of being forced to quit a job. Ideally, you treat it as a learning experience. Through it, you acquired amazing insight into your professional self and where it fits – and doesn’t.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

Everyone knows that the job search can be a stressful time marked by hopeful ups and defeating downs. You get excited about new leads and suffer disappointments on your hunt for that perfect job that can become the next step in a successful career. This is normal. However, during your job search, you could be your own worst enemy by not accepting this is normal and, instead, taking it personally. Without even knowing it, you could be throwing up resistance and making mistakes that will kill your job hunt success from the start and throughout the process. These mistakes can be both physical and even emotional and will hamper your ability to land that great new job.

Whether you are top level executive looking for that next big advancement in an already successful career or you are a recent college graduate seeking that first job to kick off your career, you could be guilty of throwing up emotional roadblocks or making common mistakes that will stop you in your tracks from ever setting foot in the door of many companies.

6 Job Search Mindset Killing Mistakes

There are many common mistakes that job seekers make when looking for that next big job. Some of the most common you see are in their actions before they ever land that first interview.

• Research Fails – Often candidates believe they are properly prepared for their interview by researching all there is about the company. However, they fail to research their needs and their history and aligning what they bring to what the company they are looking to join needs. This can cause a candidate to flounder in the interview and erode confidence.

• Talk Down Accomplishments – During the interview, many candidates seeking to appear humble often talk down their own accomplishments making it seem like they really didn’t do anything in their past employment. Be proud of your accomplishments, but don’t be boastful.

• Go It Alone – Often job seekers feel they must pursue their next job like a lonely hunter in the night. The truth is, you can get a lot of valuable information and learn something from others in your position as well. Talk to them. Seek out the help of recruiters, similar positioned colleagues and job search experts, but don’t rely on them as your only source for new opportunities.

• Begrudging Attitude – No one likes searching for a new job. But in the end it all comes down to your attitude. Approaching it with a bad attitude will only result in poor quality work on your part. Be excited for your new opportunity and enjoy the hunt as you broaden your horizons. You may even learn a thing or two along the way.

• One-Size-Fits-All Resume and Cover Letter – One of the biggest mistakes you can make is sending the same cover letter and resume to many different companies. If you are truly interested in a position, you should do your homework and tailor both your resume and cover letter specifically for that position.

• Negative Head Trash – Assuming all setbacks are because you are not a desirable candidate or only unique to you is the biggest emotional and mental drain at the root of stalled job search. It is important to realize ALL job seekers have positives and negative aspects of the search and it is normal. It does not mean you suck. It means that was not the right employer for you.

Emotional Roadblocks

Your own emotions could be getting in your way as well. What’s worse is you may not even know it. Often if you aren’t getting where you want to go it is because of your emotions. You don’t believe you are worthy or are capable of that next big step. These feelings are often felt deep down and you may not even be aware of them. So, on the surface you are seeking that next big career advancement, but on the inside you don’t think you are ready even if you really are. This can cause you to appear less confident during an interview and you may not be willing to take the risks you need to take to get where you want to go.

Final Thoughts

Remember, when you are job seeking, look at your actions in an objective manner. Really look inside yourself and ask yourself why you are having a hard time and not finding the type of job you want. You could find that it isn’t because you simply can’t find something, but that you have become your own worst enemy creating unnecessary resistance in your job search. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We are all guilty of it at one time or another. Just pick yourself up and recognize what you are doing and correct it. You will soon find that you not only find the perfect job for you, but you nail the process every step of the way so your job search comes to an end.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

The Economist reports that the On-Demand Economy in the U.S. currently employs 53 million free agents. A growing number of those free agent consultants are executives. The odds are that you will be among them, as a bridge to your next full-time job or as a new career path.

Fewer Executive-Level Openings Projected

From 2010 until 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall full-time jobs will grow about 14 percent. However, top executive positions are only projected to increase 5 percent. It’s in your professional self-interest to learn how to be hired for the plum executive-level contract assignments.

If your first choice is to land a direct hire role, then don’t give up on searching for a permanent position. However, rejection might be the way the marketplace is telling you to do course correction in how you are going about the process and expand your options on where you look for work.

Why You Should Consider Free Agent Consulting Assignments

There are many reasons why you could choose or find it necessary to become a free agent. Currently, these are the most common:

• Demand is there. With the current volatility, more executive positions become vacant abruptly. The top tier or board wants it filled on an interim basis while a comprehensive search is done. As that interim, you may or may not have a shot at the permanent job. But you are earning income, achieving and learning. That’s what counts. Another need comes from start-ups which require specialized skills short term. A third represents the way companies are maintaining manpower flexibility.

• Executives want more control over their lives. Traditionally this is known as the “work-life balance” issue. Executives with highly specialized skills that are marketable find that they can take this option, without downsizing income. Also, in this era of 80-to-100-hour workweeks, the stigma is gone in choosing to be a free agent.

• The infrastructure is in-place. Executives don’t have to hit the pavement searching for assignments. Established headhunting firms unofficially or officially have units for contract work. Also, there are boutiques tailored entirely to place executives in interim posts.

Okay, you have decided you are going to experiment with or commit to this way of working. The odds are that you will have the greatest satisfaction and success if you are open to modifying how you usually compete for professional opportunities. Just as with full-time jobs, you will have to compete to be hired as a free agent for contract roles and here are 6 proven tactics to land plum assignments:

Executive Free-Agent Playbook

1. Get up to speed on current formats for resumes. You may not have searched for work since college or your M.B.A. Even in a year or two the winners’ approach to resumes might have changed. Also, different industries and different companies now may have their own preferred formats. Research tone, organization of categories, length, fonts and use of color.

2. Create a resume oriented for short-term projects. You will continue to follow the overall guidelines for the resume geared for full-time work. For example, you will begin with “Summary,” not “Objective.” However, you highlight recent assignments and the results you achieved for employers. That presentation will describe the project, objectives, skills leveraged and what can be quantified in terms of outcomes. Yes, you can use a pattern resume. But, you increase your marketability if you custom-make the content for the specific kind of assignment you are applying for. In cover letters and interviews, emphasize the value you created that was measurable.

3. Switch mindset from job history to recent achievements. If this will be your first kind of project work, then focus on what you have just accomplished for your full-time employer. Introducing a job history per se in isolation distracts. The exception is if the achievements from the last few jobs align with what is needed for this assignment.

4. Leverage skills, results, and references from current or recent projects to landing the next one. 

For now, you have mutated from a permanent employee with a set job description and routine to a free agent. The latter is always looking for the next assignment. That means you have to continually sell what you can offer to the next buyer. What is most marketable are the outcomes in current or recent assignments. Bundle that into a powerful elevator speech.

5. Have a great attitude, even when turning down assignments. Employers hire human beings, not just a set of skills. In the downsized workplace you have to fit in with the team to get things done. That’s why you will be screened as to your ability to go with the flow. That counts even when you decide that an assignment is not the right fit for you. Yes, you can turn down some offers, but not too many. And do that with humility and gratitude.

6. Be hungry. In his iconic 2005 Stanford University Commencement Speech, the late head of Apple, Steve Jobs, told the graduates to “stay hungry.” Of course, you don’t want to transmit the message that you are desperate. But you have to let the world know that you are available for assignments. Those include recruiters, contacts from project work and past jobs and those in your industry groups.

Staying Open

Few careers, especially executive ones, are linear. X doesn’t necessarily yield Y any more. What you manage to absorb and achieve in contract work can, if you are flexible, create myriad possibilities. You may be offered a full-time position with that or another company. Other plum assignments could be presented. You may decide to launch your own business.

In essence, time spent in the on-demand economy could have a major payoff in your long-term career.

In the world of career development the terms “STAR” and “CAR” get thrown around a lot. You may have even heard these acronyms on your job hunt.

Some people use them interchangeably, which can lead to some confusion for candidates. We’re here to give you a breakdown of each acronym so give you a better understanding of them.

When to Use Them

Both methods can be used during behavioral interviews, meaning interviews that focus on how a candidate acted in certain employment situations.

The logic behind this comes down to a common recruiting phrase, “The past predicts the future.” In other words, how you’ve behaved in past jobs is very telling of how you’ll behave in the job you’re interviewing for.

In a traditional job interview employers ask straight forward questions with simple answers such as “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” In behavioral interviews they are specifically looking for actions you’ve taken in the past, such as how you handled a problem at your old job. They may start the question by saying “Describe a situation when…”

The acronyms STAR and CAR help you prepare for this kind of interview by forcing you to come up with stories that illustrate your behavior. You can also use them to write resume bullets in order to avoid any vanilla or generic job descriptions.

STAR – Situation, Task, Action, Result

First you need to determine the situation or task. With STAR you can use either or. A situation may be that you lost three employees and needed to come up with a solution. A task may be that you were given the responsibility of getting the company’s e-commerce site on a mobile friendly platform.

The first example is a major problem that needed immediate attention. The second example may not have required immediate attention but had the potential to spiral into a massive profit dilemma if left unaddressed. The second situation also leaves room to mention things you were told to do rather than emergencies that came up.

You then must detail the action you took and the result that followed.

CAR – Challenge, Action, Result

Similar to STAR, CAR helps you focus on a challenge you once had while on the job. The only real difference is that STAR leaves some room for you to mention a situation that didn’t necessarily require immediate attention or was simply on your to-do list.

With CAR, on the other hand, the “Challenge” is almost always a situation where catastrophe was looming. Maybe products weren’t getting delivered to retail locations right before a big launch. Maybe you needed to install a new database system and your team members were all over the world with time and language barriers.

Once you get to the Action part of this equation you’ll want to relay if you used a new methodology, made adjustments or came up with some out-of-the-box solution to your problem.

And finally, you must tell them what resulted from you saving the day. Naturally you’ll want the results to be positive, and if you can use quantitative examples you’ll really get their attention.

Overall, there isn’t a huge difference between the two acronyms, which is why you probably hear the both of them so often. Which one you may depend on what you feel the employer wants to hear.

The higher level the job, the more risk a company assumes. At this point, the job is less about generic qualifications and more about your people skills and leadership qualities.

This terrain can be tricky because it’s more subjective. However, by implementing some of our tips you’ll better your chances of moving from an executive to a C-level role within the organization.

3 Tips to move from an executive to a C-Level Role

Make sure you can work with different departments.

In order to be a top executive of an organization, it’s important that you learn to work with different departments

As a C-level exec, you would no longer responsible for just your sector, now you’d be the one creating strategies that affect the company as a whole.

That’s why it’s imperative that you learn how the different departments work cohesively. You’ll also want to beef up your skills in different areas. For example, if you’re more involved in the finance sector consider learning how the sales and marketing team works. Furthermore, you’ll want to learn how one affects the other and vice versa.

Lastly, build rapport with managers from different departments. They’ll be able to put in a good word for you and show how you’ve made an effort to understand the different aspects of the company.

Develop leadership qualities.

Leadership qualities are what truly separate executives from the c-level role. It’s easy to manage people, however, it’s not easy to lead people.

Leadership takes vision. It also takes the ability to move a big group of people toward that vision.

As such it’s your job to start taking more responsibility. Note, this doesn’t mean simply executing a campaign strategy that was handed to you for your particular department.

This may mean taking initiative on things that would require to work with departments across the board as well as create the strategy yourself.

The tricky part is you may not always be able to this within the role of your job, in fact, it will probably require looking outside of your job. For example, volunteer to spearhead the company’s annual corporate-run. Or, get involved with any big initiatives that require raising money for a charity the company is affiliated with.

These two examples may not seem relevant but consider this: both scenarios require you to work with a massive group of people from all departments. Both scenarios also require you to raise money. These are two skills that would be essential at the C-Level and your current executive role may not give you the flexibility to enhance those skills within the job.

As an added bonus, current C-level execs typically have to be involved in some way for these kinds of events, even if it’s just giving a keynote at the charity. This would increase your exposure to them which brings me to my next point.

Build a relationship with top managers.

When you’re vying for a C-Level job your chances of getting it may rely more on how you and the CEO get along rather than qualifications.

If you’ve made it this far you’re obviously qualified, as such what a company is more concerned with is whether or not you can work with the people on top. According to The Ladders, it’s almost as if you practically have to be sponsored by a top executive to be promoted at this level.

This is much more subjective and has a lot to do with personality, reputation, and rapport. As such it becomes your job to build a relationship with top managers. Find ways to get to know them and increase your exposure to them

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

Strategies on Reaching the G-Suite

A new report offers statistics and suggestions on successfully transitioning to the C-suite. For executives positioning themselves to make a corporate level move, this is news you can use.

I work with professionals and executives looking to make their best career transition. One way I help my clients stand out is by helping them understand what they need to rise to the top—and stay there. A new survey by McKinsey and Company offers some key insights into achieving a C-level position.

Transition is not just a phase—it is a job

The McKinsey survey takes a broad look at the conditions that new C-level executives face. Similar stressors and challenges face new hires, regardless of whether they are hired from within, without, or move laterally.

Take the case of Brian Cornell. Hired from PepsiCo, Mr. Cornell took the reins at Target, the first outside CEO in the 112-year history of the company. Since being named to lead the firm, Mr. Cornell made it a point to “listen and learn,” leveraging his outsider status as a selling point for a struggling company seen as too insular.

Like many C-level professionals, Mr. Cornell is expected to create a brisk turnaround environment while negotiating his own transition into the company. So far, Mr. Cornell, through pulling the company out of Canada and refocusing on essentials, is well on his way to success on both counts.

The McKinsey survey explores the geography of transition to a C-suite position. Unlike other jobs that pivot on skill and qualifications, C-level hires must transform into a different organizational asset. Understanding the territory of a C-suite transition can make the difference between a faltering first step, and a strong first year.

Whether you are a new C-level hire, or on your way there, map these areas first:

• Business: Transitional tasks associated with the business aspect of the C-suite include understanding priorities, what to do, and what not to do. An essential task during this period is to develop a forward vision and promote alignment to that vision across the organization.
• Culture: While internal hires already have knowledge of company culture, their familiarity with a company can also create challenges. Cautiously access company culture. As with business priorities, know what aspects of company culture to address at the outset—or to leave alone.
• Team: Assemble a supportive, informed, and strategic group of direct hires at the outset. A well-functioning team offers the necessary structure and forward momentum.
• Self: Through instruction, experience, or coaching, learn the unique skills you need to fulfill expectations.

A successful transition is the first project of any corporate executive. Your performance throughout that transition depends largely on how well you prepare for it. Always study the terrain before starting the trip.

The first 100 days—or not?

The first three months on the job offer insight into the effectiveness of any hire. But the transitional phase of a C-level hire can stretch past the first year. Consider these points:

• Many companies do not have resources in place to successfully onboard a C-suite hire. Only about 27 percent of respondents to the McKinsey survey reported receiving adequate support to move smoothly into their position.
• A majority of respondents noted finding the sweet spot of transitional success between 31 and 100 days.
• Successful response to initial strategic tasks took some new hires between three and 18 months, while the majority found success between three and 12 months.

While most companies look for accountability at the outset of a routine hire, C-suite hires typically have time to put their 100-day plan into place. Keep in mind, however, that those like Mr. Cornell – i.e., hired to reverse an economic downturn – immediate action is expected.

Priorities for the C-suite

As I discussed in an earlier blog, there are well-known strategies for positioning yourself for the C-suite. Professionals in generalist and high-visibility positions are more likely to get the nod when an overarching organizational grasp is needed.

When you arrive at the C-suite, or an opportunity to advance appears, keep these concepts in mind as you make your way through the transition:

• Understand the framework: Use research, interview, analytics, and other information to create a context for understanding your position and vision for the company. Alignment with company goals is possible only when you comprehend the pieces of the larger system. Each company, and each position within a company, is different. Sure-fire methods that worked for you during a previous transition, or job hunt, may fall flat if you do not do your homework.
• Create your priorities: Know your business and personal priorities at the outset of the hiring process. From the interview, through hire and onward, revise and refine these points as objectives are met, your team solidifies, and the ground continually shifts. Remain adaptable enough to meet the needs of your position, stakeholders, employees—and your own life.
• Know your messaging: Be aware of your story and how it is told. Media reports—positive and negative—have a powerful influence. Understand the key messaging of the company, and develop and display a calm and confident voice under pressure.

From the day you decide to initiate a corporate search, thoughtful attention and careful homework are needed. Use purposeful action and organizational knowledge to effectively traverse the landscape from interview to C-suite executive.

Know them and increase your exposure to them.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer