Tim and Kristina Madden created Executive Career Upgrades to help directors, VPs, and execs find jobs they love. Now. Before you worry about resumes and getting ahold of people and interviewing, the first thing you gotta get right, Tim says, is your mindset. Some people think they’re too old. Others think they’re too young. Too much experience. Too little. Too many certifications. Too few. Too something, right? Ya gotta stop counting your unicorns before they’ve been captured.
“If you’re in a bad spot in your career, where you truly wanna get it accelerated?” Tim says. “You’re probably standing in your own way. So when I work with my clients, the first thing we do is identify, hey, what mental barriers are holding you back? ‘Cause if you keep saying, ‘No one’s gonna call me back, I don’t have my MBA,’ you’re gonna spiral outta control. Self-awareness is very important during this process. Most people are holding themselves back and don’t even realize it. Do not let that be you.”
From there, you need to set bigger, clearer goals. Maybe you have an okay job. One day, your boss waltzes in and says something that gets your pantyhose all twisted up. You can’t just be like, “Okay, I’m over this. I’m gonna go look for a new job.” ‘Cause chances are, you’ll find it, and you still won’t be happy. So ask yourself: What type of organization do you wanna work for? Small, medium, or large? Where do you wanna live? Do you wanna work onsite or remotely? How ’bout pay? Benefits? Schedule? Vacay?
“You have to ask yourself these questions and get clear so you can build a list of companies you wanna target,” Tim explains. “Because if you don’t have a plan, right, if you’re just aimlessly applying to a billion jobs on LinkedIn, so you can talk to entry-level recruiters? You know that’s not gonna get you there. Speaking of which, you need to be harnessing the power of LinkedIn. It is God’s gift to anybody who’s trying to get a job. If you have the right profile, and you use a couple of the ninja tools, you can get ahold of almost anyone who can hire you or help you.”
From there, it’s all about persistence. Follow up. If Kristina asks Tim to take out the trash and he forgets, she has no problem reminding him. And if he forgets again, she’s all, “Dammit Tim, this is the third time I’ve asked you to take out the trash!” At that point, you better believe Tim’s on it. This is no different. Sure, maybe your delivery’s a little more professional, but you can’t be afraid to go after what you want. These decision-makers, they’re busy. You have to constantly bump your name to the top of their priority list.
And then, be a problem solver when you go to these interviews. What’s the company struggling with? What are they looking for? Give ’em examples of how you can step in and be the solution. Don’t just sit there like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, anxiously answering their questions. Shoot your shot! After the interview, guess what? More follow up. But be creative. So they remember you. Ideally, you’d get multiple job offers and navigate ’em like a G for more pay and perks.
Want Tim and Kristina in your corner? Executive Career Upgrades is on a mission to develop, inspire, and lead high-achievers to maximize their work and life potential. They believe they’re the last hope for the corporate world. No mention of cost. I’m sure it’s pretty pricey. They’ve got some good testimonials on their website. However, I saw a Reddit user who’d been in the ECU program for seven months and hadn’t gotten a single interview yet. They regretted joining; so had others they’d talked to. So who knows.
