Too expensive, too reluctant to change, not very flexible and dynamic… Senior executives are often subject to many prejudices.
The challenge ? Know how to highlight the many assets acquired during his career. How to optimize your job search when you are senior? Our advices.
1. Highlight their expertise and maturity
First of all, it is necessary to define what is meant by “senior. In either case, this makes it possible to promote two significant assets to his future employer:
- His expertise
A senior manager has major advantages over junior profiles: his experience, his knowledge of the market, his address book and his know-how. After years of practicing in business, he has acquired solid expertise and a certain efficiency in the accomplishment of his missions. Moreover, a senior executive has probably already made mistakes and failed: these are all lessons that allow him today not to reproduce them and to make useless blunders. This is an asset for growing companies, which generally prefer to entrust certain high-responsibility tasks to senior profiles.
- His maturity
Exercising for years in a company also makes it possible to develop important relational skills (patience, resistance to stress, diplomacy, sense of contact, taking a step back, etc.) and composure. A senior manager, who is used to communicating and working with teams, is often better able to manage and train teams.
2. Make yourself visible
Several means allow a senior manager to find a job. These include executive job sites , unsolicited applications, trade fairs and its own network. To increase your chances of being spotted by employers, it is essential to make yourself visible. This starts with calling on your network of contacts, whether professional, family or friends.
To develop your notoriety online, it is also advisable to take care of your profile on Linkedin. This platform allows you to build an online showcase and make your application attractive by highlighting your years of experience, professional projects, and recommendations. To further enhance your expertise, it is also possible to write articles. With so many years of experience and knowledge, a senior executive has the opportunity to position himself as an expert in his sector: it will be a shame to deprive himself of it!
3. Keep training
To train is to evolve! If a senior executive can value his many experiences, he can give more weight to his candidacy by continuing to train. This shows that he has been able to develop and/or update skills without relying on his achievements. It also reassures employers who may think that senior managers are less able to adapt and have outdated knowledge.
In USA, the CIBCs (interinstitutional skills assessment centres) also offer skills assessments dedicated to workers over 45 years old. Finally, it is possible to have one’s skills recognized – via a diploma, title or certificate – thanks to the validation of acquired experience (VAE).
4. Rethink your resume
Training, participation in trade fairs, experience… A senior executive generally has a long CV to show off. But not all the elements will interest employers: it is essential to know how to sort, understand the needs of each company and highlight only the assets, talents and professional projects likely to interest them. At the same time, you have to promote your recent training and show that you have followed the latest news in your sector of activity.
