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In the Atlanta Job Market, Growth Continues – Slowly

Colleen Reyerson

In the Atlanta Job Market, Growth Continues – Slowly

Atlanta has developed a reputation for innovation and growth, launching careers to new heights in a variety of disparate industries. Everyone from high-level executives to first-time entrepreneurs can find fresh job opportunities, but attracting so many highly qualified professionals to one place means that competition can be fierce. Can the Atlanta job market keep up with the demand for executive-level jobs?

Atlanta Jobs for Execs in 2018

atlanta office buildings - black and whiteAccording to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released in April 2018, Atlanta area employment rose 1.5% year-over-year. The Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University projects that metro Atlanta will add 13,000 premium jobs in 2018, a 14,400 decrease in new opportunities from the previous year. That number is expected to decline further in 2019 with only 11,400 new premium job opportunities. Atlanta’s job market peaked in 2015 and, while there is no recession yet in sight, job growth continues to slow. High-level professionals in the manufacturing sector may struggle to find qualified job leads. The financial trade and transportation sectors, however, should see slow, continuous growth over the next two years. Professionals in wholesale trade and technology are primed for even greater job growth as those sectors continue to thrive.

The Best Places to Work in Atlanta

Each year the Atlanta Journal-Constitution releases a list of the top workplaces in Atlanta. This year’s #1 places to work span law, software, and finance, but many employers who didn’t make the list were given special recognition for exemplary employee satisfaction. What set these businesses apart? “Employees said time and time again that there was a genuine care from their employer and an investment in each and every one of their employees.”

Even in a competitive job market, there’s no reason to settle in your career. Want to compete in the executive job market? Contact Executive Resumes Atlanta to schedule a no-obligation phone consultation.

Filed Under: Atlanta Job Market, Best Places to Work, Blog, Uncategorized, Work

How to Protect Your Privacy on LinkedIn

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How to Protect Your Privacy on LinkedIn

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, social media privacy, including LinkedIn, is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. But many remain unaware of just how easily their online actions can come back to haunt them.

social media connectionsExecutive Resumes Atlanta received a call one morning from an executive requesting a phone consultation. Let’s call him “Barry.” After scheduling a meeting, Barry followed up with a LinkedIn invitation. When we called for his consultation, he told us that 45 minutes after we accepted his invite, his boss was in his office asking if he was on the job market. Until that point, Barry was unaware that his company was scrutinizing the LinkedIn activity of their senior-level employees. Simply connecting with a career services company had raised a red flag!

Barry’s story is all too common among high-level professionals. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for finding career opportunities, but when confidentiality is compromised, it can undermine an executive’s credibility with their current employer. How can you impress recruiters with your LinkedIn profile without catching negative attention at work?

How to Protect Privacy on LinkedIn

  1. Start cautiously. With an active LinkedIn profile, high-ranking professionals can craft a personal brand that’s compelling to both recruiters and potential employers. But if you’re starting from scratch, proceed with caution. Creating a new LinkedIn profile can raise a red flag with your current employer.
  2. Keep an ear to the ground. Is there internal chatter about your boss monitoring LinkedIn? Subtly feel out other senior- and executive-level leaders to determine if those in charge actively monitor LinkedIn activity to find out which employees are seeking new career opportunities. If you’re waging a confidential job search and you’re not sure who may be watching, err on the side of caution.
  3. Check your privacy settings. It’s easy to overlook this simple tool for keeping your job search confidential, but regularly updating your privacy settings should be a prerequisite for any online activity. Turn off activity broadcasts to ensure people in your network don’t receive alerts when you update your professional resume. You can also choose who sees your connections, endorsements, and whether or not you’re currently active on LinkedIn.

Now that you have your privacy settings locked down, how can you make your LinkedIn profile stand out?

  • Create a custom url to boost professional credibility and make your profile easier to find.
  • Create a secondary, custom email address for your job search that matches your custom LinkedIn url. Both your custom url and your professional email should include your first and last name.
  • Upload a professional, high-resolution headshot to your profile.

Want to learn more about optimizing your professional job search by building a LinkedIn profile that complements your executive resume? Contact Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Filed Under: Blog, LinkedIn Recommendations, Online Reputation Management, Online Social Media, Uncategorized, Work

Telecommuting Trends in 2017

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Telecommuting Trends in 2017

Currently, one out of every four American workers telecommutes with some regularity. Studies indicate that 80% to 90% of employees who do not telecommute would like to have the opportunity to work from home. At the present trend, by 2020 50% of all U.S. employees will work remotely, according to industry experts at the 2016 Telecommuting, Remote and Distributed (TRaD) Works Forum.

Since the 90’s, the work-from-home trend has been picking up steam, with more and more companies offering either part-time or full-time telecommuting opportunities to a portion of its employees. IBM was an early adopter of telecommuting and over two-plus decades shrank its footprint by 78 million square feet. As other companies followed suit, working from home became a sought-after perk of many white-collar jobs.

In recent years, however, a handful of Fortune 500 companies have reversed or curtailed telecommuting options for its workforce, citing a need to improve worker collaboration in order to remain competitive. Telecommuting pioneer IBM recently reversed its policy for 2,500+ Marketing and IT personnel. In 2013 Yahoo called remote workers back to the office (but seems to have softened its stance since then). Last year, Honeywell banned telecommuting for much of its 129,000 non sales/field personnel.

In a recent Gallup poll, employees were asked how important certain attributes are when considering whether to take a job with a different organization. Number two on the list was greater work-life balance and better personal well-being (just after the ability to do what they do best).

For those employees who reside in metro areas with congested thoroughfares such as Atlanta, flexible work schedules that include telecommuting options rank high in achieving that work-life balance. According to INRIX, a transportation analytics firm, in 2016 Atlanta ranked eighth in the world for congestion and number four nationally. And a 2016 U.S. Census data showed the average one-way travel time for Atlanta commuters is 28 minutes. And we all know Atlanta-based employees who spends 45 minutes, an hour, or more getting to and from work.

Millennials (and many Gen-Ys) in particular are increasingly demanding flexible work schedules—many now ask about telecommuting options during job interviews—and considering that by 2025, it’s projected that millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce, employers have begun to pay greater attention.

A convergence of trends—a desire for improved work-life balance, wasted time traversing congested highways, and the influences of a generation who cut their teeth on virtual experiences—suggest the continued growth of telecommuting is not likely to be reversed, the recent about-face of companies like Honeywell notwithstanding.

Sources:

http://www.gallup.com/reports/199961/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspxhttp://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-slashes-work-from-home-policy-2017-3https://trad.works

Filed Under: Telecommuting Tagged With: flexible work schedules, telecommuting, work from home

Mastering the Informational Interview

Colleen Reyerson

Mastering the Informational Interview

For executives between careers, the daily grind of the job search becomes more stifling every day. Connections go unanswered, interviews becomes stressful and unrewarding, and discouragement always seems just around the corner. But one executive tool not only strengthens connections and increases industry knowledge, it boosts job search verve. If you’re struggling to find a new career, meet your new business partner: the informational interview.

The Importance of Informational Interviews

woman interviewing manInformational interviews have many facets, all of which benefit job seekers. They build a connection with someone who may help you land a job, they prepare you for the position (or industry) where you’d like to work, and they give you unique insights into the inner workings of a specific company. Informational interviews help executives approach potential jobs with clear goals and insider information on how to accomplish those goals.

How to Maximize an Informational Interview

  • Develop a strategy. Like yourself, each interviewer has motives for conducting an informational interview. He may be doing a favor to a mutual friend, he may be screening you for a future with his company, or he may have his own research in mind. If the interview is secured through a mutual contact, prepare a series of questions. Keep the interview casual, but work your skills and job history into the conversation. If the interview is secured directly, approach it as an unofficial interview. Keep a polished resume on hand and come prepared to not only to ask, but also to answer questions.
  • Take notes. No matter how high on the food chain your interviewer is, he or she will have valuable insights about the current climate of the industry and the inner workings of his or her company. Jot down information that may prepare you for your next career — or help you land it.
  • Ask the right questions. And no, “Do you have openings available?” is not one of them. Come prepared with 5-10 thought-provoking questions about the industry and the interviewer’s role within it. Only discuss your executive talents in the framework of casual conversation. If your interviewer has questions for you, allow him or her to redirect the conversation at his or her leisure.
  • Follow up. Informational interviews take just as much time as job interviews. Thank your contact for sacrificing personal time to give you insights into his or her position. Send an email or handwritten note within 48 after your interview.

For more information about building an executive career, contact Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Interview Image from FreeDigitalPhotos

Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, Executive Networking, General, Job Search, Networking, Networking Etiquette, Uncategorized, Work

How to Negotiate a Better Salary

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How to Negotiate a Better Salary

A job offer may seem like the solution to executive career woes, but that anticipated phone call is only the beginning. Salary negotiation is a minefield, even for execs experienced in the art of asking for more, and periods of unemployment often put professionals in a “take what I can get” mentality. Stop settling for mediocre pay. Negotiate a salary worthy of your expertise.

4 Tips for Negotiating an Executive Salary

  1. salary negotiationsKnow market value. What are professionals with your experience, skills, and talent for growth earning from your potential new employer? Google takes most of the guesswork out of researching salaries for specific positions, even within specific companies. Do a quick internet search of your title + “salary” or “compensation.” For more specific information, use the salary estimation feature on almost any job aggregator website.
  2. Negotiate smart bonuses. It doesn’t matter how generous the bonus structure is if the criteria are unattainable. Before accepting a job offer, research how frequently the company pays out bonuses to high level employees. If payouts are low, renegotiate your bonuses before accepting the job.
  3. Be vocal. Many companies are more willing to bend than they lead candidates to believe. Be upfront about your deal breakers, whether those include salary, bonuses, healthcare plans, or paid vacation.
  4. Ask about resource allocation. How well will your employer equip you to succeed? Think beyond base salary and bonuses to the resources you’ll need to excel. Will your company give you a team, financial resources, and an opportunity to promote growth? If not, you’re likely fighting a losing battle, no matter how extraordinary the benefits may be.

For more information on career building and negotiating executive compensation, contact Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Salary Image Source

Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, General, Salary, Salary Negotiation, Uncategorized, Work

How to Exit an Unfulfilling Job

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How to Exit an Unfulfilling Job

Career transitions present their own challenges, whether you’re leaving because of another job, dissatisfaction at work, or performance issues. The mark of a great leader isn’t finding 100% success, but in knowing how to behave when closing a chapter in your career. If you’re leaving your current career, build your personal brand by making a graceful exit.

Know When to Go

smiling male executiveWhether you’re stepping down voluntarily, abdicating for a new position, or simply reading the writing on the wall, how you leave a company can determine job recommendations, career opportunities, and your reputation with your former coworkers. If you’re leaving voluntarily, give your boss sufficient notice to replace you. Be honest about your reasons for leaving, but don’t burden your supervisors with too much information. Thank your team for the experiences, relationships, and skills you cultivated during your tenure at the company. If you’ve been let go, it’s still a good career move to strengthen relationships with your partners in the trenches. Gracefully recognize that one stage of your life is complete, and thank your board for the opportunity.

Make a Smooth Transition

Gain a reputation for competence and class by easing the transition for your executive replacement. Finish incomplete projects, document procedures, and forward any pertinent emails to the new exec in charge. Consider a few days of hands-on training with your replacement if asked.

Network

Just because it didn’t work out with current position doesn’t mean you wasted time. Maintain relationships with coworkers, clients, and supervisors you built connections with along the way. They’ve seen your leadership traits firsthand and may keep you in mind when executive positions become available in the future.

Transitioning jobs? Call Executive Resumes Atlanta to build your executive career.

Businessman Image from FreeDigitalPhotos

Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, General, Job Loss, Networking, Uncategorized, Work

5 Ways to Become a More Likable Leader

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5 Ways to Become a More Likable Leader

top rated stampLeaders often face the challenge of choosing between success and likeability. Unfortunately, choosing corporate effectiveness over office culture can cause a dip in motivation for your subordinates. Learn to increase your likeability without sacrificing the leadership qualities that earned you the job by improving your emotional intelligence.

5 Ways to Connect with Subordinates

  1. Make connections. This isn’t simply an effective networking tip, but also a way to develop kinship with your team. By sacrificing an hour of your time at the next corporate event or team meeting, you’re presenting yourself as a human being who cares about the day-to-day of each employee, regardless of position or tenure.
  2. Stay steady. Want to build confidence with your employees? Practice steadiness during times of trouble. Whether you’re reacting to a workplace dispute or a quarterly failure, people respect leaders who can keep their head in a crisis.
  3. Invest in individuals. If an executive were to spend time encouraging every employee in the company, their own career would fail in no time flat. However, engaging with individual employees proves that a leader has a heart for the company and a team-player mentality. Invest in one or two promising leaders and ask each member of your team to do the same. Over time it will trickle down to entry-level employees as well as aspiring leaders.
  4. Practice integrity. Nothing undermines subordinates’ confidence in their leader faster than getting caught in a gray area. Demonstrate integrity in all aspects of business, whether that means taking responsibility for a failure, treating each team member equally, or praising another leader for proactive thinking.
  5. Keep it in perspective. Likeability helps leaders achieve greater success, but focusing too much on subordinates’ opinions will undermine executive effectiveness. Focus instead on building strong character and good work ethics. The rest will follow.

For assistance building your executive career, contact Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

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Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, General, Personal Branding, Uncategorized, Work

3 Executive Habits that Undermine Career Goals

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3 Executive Habits that Undermine Career Goals

As top performers in the business world, executives often avoid second-guessing themselves. Lingering over old behaviors can stagnate growth, undermine confidence, and make execs less effective in the C-suite. All professionals learn bad habits, however, and some executive habits can disrupt personal and company growth. Revitalize your career by overcoming these 3 harmful leadership behaviors.

Habits that Could Hurt Your Career

  1. businessman in chainsNot asking for help. Far from asking for assistance, many executives have a tendency to micromanage other employees, even if they’re struggling with their own workload. Failing to admit you need help doesn’t just lead to executive burnout; it can also undermine a carefully cultivated culture of community within a company. Delegating responsibility simultaneously relieves stress and allows executives to see how promising employees handle added responsibilities.
  2. Asking for (and promptly ignoring) feedback. Most executives possess a drive for constant improvement, and many realize that the best way to accomplish growth is to hear honest feedback from their employees. What many executives lack, however, is follow-through. Ignoring feedback, whether positive or negative, undermines the trust a company has in its leaders. It also stifles personal growth, leaving leaders unable to see their own shortcomings when the need arises.
  3. Losing sight of the company mission. These days, a job is not simply a job. A career involves professional goals, personal passions, and, ideally, a melding between personal and company vision. When an executive allows the minutia of daily work to overshadow their passion for that work, they lose the ability to think creatively, act decisively, and inspire others to future success.

For professional assistance building an executive career, call Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Executive Photo Source

Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, General, Uncategorized, Work

The Benefits of Executive Mentoring

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The Benefits of Executive Mentoring

Mentorship is often presented as a way for executives to do a good deed, paying forward the philanthropic impulse an older, wiser leader once showed them. Mentorship clearly benefits up-and-coming leaders, teaching them to think critically, expand their professional networks, and propel themselves toward further success. What gets less press is how mentorship benefits mentors.

Benefits of Executive Mentorship

young professionalsExperience shapes companies, allowing them to rise above the mundane and into the innovative world of corporate expansion. But many successful executives become disconnected from their roots. Whether they’re partnering with an C-suite equal or a younger, less experienced employee, executives gain clear advantages from mentorship programs. So much so that many companies encourage reverse mentorship, a practice which pairs experienced company leaders with freshly hired, entry-level employees. Executives mentoring young leaders often find themselves learning and growing in unexpected ways.

  • Mentorship allows C-suite employees to reconnect with the heart of the company, the common worker
  • It encourages the development of a strong corporate culture and cohesive company vision
  • It reengages leaders with fresh business tactics and workplace trends
  • Mentoring a young leader allows older executives to hone skills they’ve put on the backburner
  • Mentorship opens new networking avenues for both parties
  • It allows executives to mold the future of the company by instilling good business practices in younger members of the corporate team
  • Mentors may cultivate useful skills, such as a better understanding of how to use social media to make a professional impact

To learn more about developing your executive career, call Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos

Filed Under: Blog, Career Building, General, Uncategorized, Work

Overlooked Aspects of the Executive Job Search

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Overlooked Aspects of the Executive Job Search

Executives are well-versed in the world of tracking progress. They spend their careers measuring successes, marking failures, and determining how to improve upon mediocrity. So it comes as no surprise that many executives overlook their less quantifiable successes when writing resumes, networking, and preparing for interviews. If your “best of the best” professional persona isn’t cutting it in the job market, try these often-forgotten tips to help you reach new levels of career success.

Stick to Your Area of Expertise

busy businessmanThe longer the job search continues, the easier it is to get discouraged. Many executives fall into the trap of broadening their horizons until they’re no longer visible. Although most executives are adaptable, snatching up a job you’re dispassionate about simply because it’s available never pays off. Think carefully about how to expand into a new industry without abandoning the skills and qualifications you’ve earned over the years. If you’re breaking into a new field, extrapolate past experiences to show how your history has made you a viable candidate for a new industry.

Be Specific in Your Job Search

Do most of your networking queries go unanswered? Is your resume failing to impress? Is your LinkedIn account filled with “viewed your profile” alerts with no follow-up connection requests?

Specificity may be your issue. Too many executives generalize their work experience, professional skills, and future goals in the hopes of impressing a broader audience. More often than not, unspecific job searches simply make executives seem inexperienced or unreliable. Craft your LinkedIn profile, resume, and query emails specifically for a single industry or opportunity. When emailing a new contact, always specify the goal of your correspondence, how they can help, and what you can offer in return.

Hire a Professional Resume Writer

If your executive resume lacks the panache to impress hiring directors at your desired firm, it may be time to call in the professionals. Executive Resumes Atlanta has over 15 years of experiencing crafting resumes for C-suite professionals in the Atlanta area. Our professional writers have vision, clarity, and in-depth knowledge of the current job market, allowing them to unfold each professional history in a way that’s crisp, compelling, and wholly unique.

For help writing a professional executive resume or LinkedIn profile, contact Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos

Filed Under: Blog, General, Job Search, Personal Branding, Uncategorized, Work

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Colleen Reyerson, CMRW, CPRW, CEIP
Executive Resume Writer & Branding Strategist
Certified Master Resume Writer
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Certified Expert Interview Professional

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