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As I look back, I am amazed at how skillfully many clients navigated ever-changing markets. Last, year we worked with several executives who found challenging senior roles in the not-for-profit sector, and I wanted to share how their collective experiences underscore the qualities of resilience, flexibility and focus.
Resilience
One executive with whom we worked had been looking for alternative career possibilities for more than two years. She conducted targeted networking, sent out numerous letters of inquiry and leveraged her contacts, but her success was slow in coming.
During the course of her search, she had to think about and unbundle her skills many times to respond to available career opportunities. Even though her search was long, revisiting and reevaluating her qualifications and abilities renewed her confidence to learn new skills and to repackage her existing, strong skill set.
We continued career coaching and kept the momentum going throughout the process and, last month, she reported in at her new job. The job was everything she anticipated and came with a significant salary increase, full benefits and room for personal leadership growth. Her story is an example of resilience and tenacity.
Flexibility
We also closely worked with a career researcher seeking international opportunities. When the job search proved challenging in 2010, he founded a consulting company and conducted business overseas on a contract basis. One contract led to connections with a government leader who then recommended him to a mining company executive.
One referral led to another and finally to a series of meetings. By late November 2012, the company and the researcher worked out the details of his relocation, international health coverage and compensation. The opportunity marked the culmination of three years’ travel, planning, networking and interviewing. His is a story of how being flexible throughout the process can pay off.
Focus
In May 2012, a senior development professional started looking for a role involving more staff, operations and direct client responsibilities. She received an offer in July for a role which, at a higher salary, actually amounted to a lateral move.
With the offer in hand, she weighed the opportunity against her goals to see how they matched up. Determining the opportunity fell short of her original plan, she declined the offer and waited for a position involving more opportunity for professional growth.
The opportunity she sought took three months to arrive. She is currently negotiating terms for a role with the breadth she wants and needs to grow as a leader. Ultimately, her focus paid off.
These are just three examples of 2012 success stories. Indeed, the economy still struggles, and the anxiety over finding or changing jobs continues to seem palpable. However, the themes behind these success stories are timeless and applicable under most any circumstance.
Seize this moment to revisit your resume, your skills and your career wish-list. New ways of doing business, which includes finding a new job, require fresh strategies, and the options for strategic, substantial communication are numerous. From utilizing LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and even texting, resources to communicate and research are abundant.
Last year showed tenacity, focus and a creative outlook cause positive results. I suspect the success stories of this coming year will reflect much of these same, timeless qualities.
With every wish for your success, prosperity and professional growth in 2013,
KDA
Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.
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