As our economy becomes more dynamic, executive positions become less stable because companies have to respond to pressures in much more of an intense way. The good news if you’re an executive on the job hunt, is that companies understand this dynamic and will see opportunity where they hadn’t in the past. It cuts both ways. If you are an exec looking for work, here are some key things you can do.

1. LinkedIn.

Make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile are competitive and make you easy to reach. You probably have a very refined sense of what you want, so you need to do very specific research to make sure you’re checking all the boxes hiring managers want to see.

2. Elevator speech.

Get your 90 second sum up down pat. Bake into a tasty kernel those things about you and what you’ve accomplished into a wonderful bite-size morsel.

3. Tell everyone

you know that you are seeking your next opportunity and what you are looking for

4. Volunteer and Contract Work.

Keep nimble and out there doing contract work and volunteering. This may seem humbling, but most who do it report back that it was cathartic. Not only did they meet people who had an influence on their next move, but they learned new things about themselves and their talents.

5. Be prepared to answer tough interview questions.

You will cost more money so plan on being pressure tested in interviews. Same rules apply, don’t play any sort of blame games, just talk about the direction of your previous employer and the direction you are heading in.

6. Reconsider your options.

This doesn’t mean you decide you want to be an orca trainer after 15 years of software engineering. It merely means you should take a step back and look at the market and look at the value you have to give it and make sure things align. Companies pivot when they realize the best way to serve up what they have to offer, individuals should do this too.

There’s a lot of opportunity out there. It can be hard for executives to “start over” with a new company and go from being the guy or gal people ask for info to being the guy or gal who has to constantly seek out information. But this is the pain of growth and when you go through it you typically end up much better off in the long run. So take a deep breath, but get ready to move! It’s the new reality.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.