Career transitions at a senior level come with higher stakes. Regardless of whether you are a manager looking to move up in your company, a seasoned executive looking to make a lateral move to another organization or someone that has been given the golden handshake, the marketplace is competitive and top jobs are coveted. Many will not be advertised at all. Your approach to this quest must, therefore, be sophisticated and nuanced. You must come across as highly qualified in every way. Employers will likely screen you multiple times with intense interviews, compared to junior positions. Our outplacement and executive career coaching services help you prepare for this demanding process.
Executive Career Coaching: Initial Assessment
Our relationship with all clients begins with an initial assessment. For our executive clients, however, we need to get to know you well enough to forge a solid partnership. You have already achieved good success in your career. If you are looking to advance further in your chosen field, we need to identify gaps and help you fill them. While working with your strengths we will focus on propping up your weaknesses. You must present your candidacy perfectly for the type of jobs you seek.
Most executives have worked very hard to achieve success, often at great expense to their personal lives and health. While many want to move up and on to growth, a few consider exploring new options specifically for flexibility and a better work/ life balance. This extensive experience allows us to help them pivot their skills into consulting and entrepreneurship.
Whatever your path, our Executive Outplacement Coaching Services will take you through an exploration of the forces that motivate you. Against the backdrop of your qualifications and experience, we plan a pathway that best suits your requirements. And together, we identify a systematic plan to bring it to fruition.
Defining your Value Proposition
Irrespective of whether you are looking for a job or not, all executives should have a current and commanding LinkedIn profile and resume. These self-marketing tools must showcase results, demonstrate your skills and define your personality and core values. This goes well beyond a chronology of your work and list of qualifications.
If you are looking for a job, then your LinkedIn profile and resume become critical marketing documents. Our executive career coaches have worked with hundreds of managers and executive clients. Let us provide you with the best practices for crafting them. Along with your cover letter, these documents precede your reputation. They must do the initial heavy lifting to get you noticed when recruiters are searching for someone like you. And you must present them in a compelling way so they invite you for a personal interview.
Creative Job Search & Networking
The job search process for executives is fundamentally different than for younger professionals. Many senior roles are not advertised at all by human resource departments. When they are, they are sourced in a very different manner. You will need to tackle both the visible and the hidden job market and your approach requires much more nuance and sophistication.
Not all executive search firms are the same. We ensure you understand the right approach with recruiting firms and how to manage them. In addition, your personal and professional contacts will be vital in this process. We will help you unleash the power within your own network, strategically leveraging these relationships to broaden your circle of contacts. We assist you with identifying mentors who can open up doors and introduce you to key decision-makers, even when no position seems available.
Interviews
You will likely go through multiple interview stages. Selling yourself under pressure is a learned skill. For managers and executives, interviews can take place anywhere, from a seemingly casual chat in a cafe to a boardroom, in front of a panel of executives. Whatever the situation, your coach will practice mock interviews to groom and prepare you. You must represent yourself impeccably in any situation. And your value proposition must come across effectively and naturally.
We arm you with knowledge about the companies you interview at. Sometimes, we can even provide insight into the individuals you will meet. We help you craft a well-honed message about your potential value to the organization.
Contract Negotiations
You must clearly understand and vet offers of employment because the stakes are high on both sides. This is where your coach can guide you. We have worked with thousands of executive candidates in virtually every industry and sector. We can judge when an offer is fair and when you are leaving money behind. Also, through our Manager & Executive Outplacement Coaching Services, we can refer you to employment lawyers to thoroughly review your contract before you sign it.
Manager & Executive On-Boarding
Your coach will work with you with the specific goal of landing in a new role. However, managers and executives benefit greatly from our services during the onboarding process and the first few months on the job.
This is a time to learn, fit in and showcase your true potential. You will be in a position of leadership. And you may have direct reports. As you enter this unknown culture, you may encounter pre-existing politics and a variety of personalities. If your employer specifically hired you to enact change, then you might face outright hostility and resistance. In some events, you may also have to initiate firings, all the while, trying to build a motivated and productive team and culture.
All of this can be stressful. Your coach can be your trusted confidante and sounding board as you acclimatize to your new job. Having us by your side during the on-boarding process will allow you to work through the growing pains of settling in.
In fact, the relationships we build with clients often last much longer. You remain a part of our vast networking ecosystem of managers and executives.
These are just some of the key reasons why our Manager & Executive Outplacement Coaching Services are highly sought after. Our former clients highly recommend us for our personalized and highly effective approach to executive career management.