This is a guest post from Georgina Stamp of Marble Hill Partners, an executive search firm.

There comes a time in our careers when many of us may wish to branch out in different professional directions. Regardless of our motivations, attracting the attention of an executive headhunter is an excellent way to help propel our career prospects forward to the next level. So, let us have a quick look at five sure-fire methods that can help you become noticed in the headhunting community.

Who you know is just as important as what you know.

Networking is one of the most powerful tools to help increase your exposure in the professional community. The more contacts you make, the more likely you will be to cross paths with a headhunter or an executive search firm. While traditional methods such as attending industry-specific meetings are undeniably important, utilising such executive networking sites such as LinkedIn and BranchOut are excellent ways to proactively market yourself to a vast number of connections.

Industry Recognition

Simply boasting that you are highly motivated and a team player is no longer enough in the executive search industry. You need to remember that headhunters will normally seek out a potential candidate who is well-versed in a very specific field. The more recognition you are able to acquire in your area of interest, the more likely it will be that a headhunter will take notice.

Endorsements are Key

While networking is indeed a powerful tool for heightened recognition, contacts alone are insufficient. Instead, you need to proactively seek out endorsements from colleagues and associates in the industry itself. Even former employers should be contacted, for their willingness to vouch for your skills will display to headhunters that not only are you respected in your current field, but you also maintain a high level of integrity and value past relationships.

Utilise the Power of the Media

Positioning your name above a well-written and innovative article is another way to draw positive attention to yourself. Executive search firms will take notice of those who are actively engaged in their own professional communities. Blog posts are a good place to begin, but mediums such as trade publications or industry journals are more appropriately targeted and likely to be perused by a wider audience.

Locate a Mentor

Industry mentors will often have a great deal of experience in their field and possess a large number of contacts. In fact, they may very well be able to open doors that would have been previously inaccessible. They can offer a great deal of hands-on advice and simultaneously provide a powerful recommendation should the need arise.

These five simple tips can help guarantee that you receive the correct amount of targeted exposure in the executive search industry. By following this advice, that perfect change of professional pace may be closer than you think!

Georgina Stamp has worked in the interim managers industry for a number of years and understands the difficulty in finding executive talent for organisations. She currently works for Marble Hill Partners, who help to search for executive candidates.

Is your son or daughter currently in college or close to graduating?  Good news. Salaries for recent grads are on the rise. The average starting salary for new college graduates earning bachelor’s degrees has increased 5.3 percent over last year, according to  NACE’s April 2013 Salary Survey. Here’s the breakdown by degree programs:

With all the recent hype over Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s recent edict banning telecommuting, American workers may be left wondering if telecommuting is a ticket to career suicide. I don’t think so, but employees with telecommuting arrangements should explore options for making themselves visible, accessible and memorable in the eyes of their employers to make sure their value proposition and contributions to the company are not overlooked. Here are a few suggestions for how to do just that.

Make time for face time.

If you routinely work from home, it becomes increasingly important to strategically plan opportunities for face time Don’t participate in every staff meeting virtually or close down other opportunities to interact with your peers. A good deal of relationship building stems from these types of interactions. The same could be said for projects you may be working on as part of a team…just because you have the opportunity to manage your projects virtually doesn’t mean you don’t need to meet with colleagues to discuss aspects of those projects. Face time can solidify trust and credibility and help you forge relationships that might be beneficial for leveraging important resources and staff for future projects.

Take on tasks that offer opportunities to interact with colleagues and decision makers.

This could be as simple as planning an office event or as complex as managing a strategic business initiative. Seek out experiences that require cross functional engagement and require phone interactions instead of email.

Document your accomplishments.

Telecommuters run the risk of “falling off the radar” because they are not a constant presence in the office. Document your accomplishments regularly so you can keep your boss in the loop and so you have a strong record of achievement to draw from during performance review time. By consistently showcasing your productivity through your accomplishments, you help support your case for your telecommuting arrangement.

Become a part of an employer affinity group.

Many employers have affinity groups based on gender, race or ethnicity. Being a member of such groups can help the telecommuter stay connected to colleagues across business groups and build strong relationships with others who may be key influencers in future decisions for filling internal roles.

Over the past few months I have landed several long and short-term projects that I never would have had a shot at if it weren’t for social media. By spending less than 15 minutes a day on an easy and fun strategy for building relationships, I was found by the people who needed someone with the type of expertise I possess. Through my profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, I became top of mind and relevant to people all over the world without ever leaving my desk.

Whether you own your own business or you are looking for your next job, being known in your professional niche is important. Too many job seekers expect to gain recognition and secure opportunities just by plastering their resume on umpteen job boards. But employers want to interview candidates where there is some previous connection; through another employee of the company, an affinity group, or now more than ever, through social media.

Many job seekers will spend hours posting their resume on line but claim they have “no time” for social media. We all make time to brush our teeth, bathe, and eat. These are necessities we do every day and social media is no different. In less than 15 minutes a day, you can take some steps towards creating a more robust and effective social media strategy that can in turn help you better manage your career or land your next gig. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Brand or be branded. It’s easy to create a profile on LinkedIn or a bio on Google+  or ZoomInfo. If you don’t take control of your online presence, any information about you online will be aggregated by the search engines and that information may or may not truly represent your professional self. Why leave this important task to chance? Create profiles on multiple business and social networking and identity sites to manage your online identity and protect your professional brand.
2. Say less to achieve more. Twitter is perhaps the most powerful example of this concept. Saying more doesn’t make what you say better. We are no longer in high school where we are required to write a 500-word essay. Today’s reader wants a quick and compelling message (generally in 140 characters or less). Use sites like Twitter to give people bite sized pieces of important information that demonstrate your expertise and commitment to your profession. Consistency, not verbosity is the key.
3. Be nice. Social media may be bringing back manners one post at a time. It’s the perfect forum for letting people know you are listening to them and appreciate what they have to say. By retweeting information on Twitter or “liking” a post on Facebook, you are letting people know you value what they write about while remaining on their radar.
4. Find evangelists. Spreading your message of value is a great strategy for building up your social media capital, but think about the implications of having multiple people spreading that message every day through blog posts, tweets, Facebook shares, and LinkedIn updates.
5. Be lazy. If you have something to say there is nothing wrong with spreading that message across multiple online platforms that attract multiple audiences. A blog post you write can quickly be turned into an article, a presentation, a tweet, or a LinkedIn status update. Repurposing doesn’t diminish the value of your message; it simply solidifies it.

In a recent article published in The New York Times about the importance of maintaining an online identity as a career management and job search strategy, I talked about the value of tools such as LinkedIn for building a digital footprint.  Many of my clients are huge fans of LinkedIn and with good reason…the platform allows them to build a professional identity and engage with like-minded colleagues. But as we saw recently, LinkedIn “giveth and it taketh away”; the company has steadily eliminated the number of free features, discontinued the events feature, and plans to remove the answers feature by the end of the month. So while it’s important to be there it is equally important to recognize that LinkedIn makes the rules regarding usage and their terms of service can change at any time. I don’t mean to single out LinkedIn; Facebook has certainly been scrutinized for changing features and in turn derailed some users’ preferred methods of interacting on the site. Many” booed” the mandatory change to timeline and others are unhappy with the privacy implications of Facebook’s  social graph search which lets users search across the Facebook database by users’ interests. And I’m sure that as Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. continue to evolve there will be changes in their terms of usage as well.

The moral of the story here is that we each need to take ownership of our own online identity and social media destiny and build platforms that we ultimately control. This might be a personal website  where we share our professional persona or a blog where we engage with others and build a community…but on our own terms. Sites like About.me and Weebly are good places to start if you want to build a web page and WordPress and Typepad allow you to build a hybrid web and blog page. I’m certainly not suggesting that you abandon your social media profiles; I’m simply suggesting that you create alternatives should a platform’s terms of service change and no longer offer value to you.

I recently walked a client through a company’s applicant tracking system and it was an unbelievably painful experience. Companies have made the barriers to entry so difficult that it is amazing that they receive the thousands of applications that they do. It is not unusual for the upload process for a single job to take more than an hour and the amount of redundancy between the ATS screens and the resume content is astounding. Yet every day I talk to clients who see an online posting for a job they think is perfect for them and they take the time to upload their application only to  never even hear back from the company.

The systems are so temperamental that they can screen an applicant out because their previous job titles don’t exactly match the title the company is recruiting for, the sections of the applicant’s resume don’t lay out in the same way the system is programmed to read the resume, or the applicant doesn’t have a supposedly “preferred requirement” like an MBA. When I read about the so called “skills gap” that employers complain about and the millions of open jobs that aren’t getting filled because of it, I have to wonder. Maybe the skills gap lies with the employers  relying on a flawed talent sourcing process. Or the employee who writes what are generally inarticulate, useless job postings that everyone and their mother appears qualified for  because we all think we are great communicators and team players. Perhaps if employers invested more time in the front end by writing clearer job specs they would deter some of the applicants that apply to everything under the sun because they appear qualified based on the vague description.

If the online world was so perfect, we’d source everything that way…our accountants, doctors, hairstylists, friends, mates…yes I know there are some exceptions to this but for the most part, people source products and services (and yes, friends and mates) through people they trust or relationships that are built over time. Would you continue to do business with a company that never acknowledged your concerns? Would you maintain a friendship with someone who never returned your calls? No, you wouldn’t. So why would you bother to put up with an applicant tracking system?

My colleague, Kathy Hansen just released an excellent report about ATS that sums up the multitude of issues with them and you can read it here.

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my new book, Happy About My Job Search: How to Conduct an Effective Job Search for a More Successful Career. This book offers a candid perspective of what a search is and isn’t and practical hints for building better resumes and cover letters, networking strategically, interviewing effectively, and negotiating a more competitive compensation package.

Most of what occupies people in their job search is really no more than busy work or wheel spinning. Job seekers often post endlessly on dead-end or random job boards, attend local career fairs whether or not they are useful, or simply hand out resumes to someone who promises to “see what they can do.” But these search methods rarely yield  fruitful outcomes. This book reveals the way to be better informed and better prepared for the journey ahead and how to even find some fun, joy, and happiness during a job search.

You can get a sneak peak of the book here or  order the paperback, ebook, iPad or Kindle versions here.

Understanding how co-workers and bosses give and receive information is important, and knowing their preferences can help improve communications and general job satisfaction. Savvy professionals are always looking for clues to a person’s preferred style of communication.

Most social psychologists recognize that there are four basic temperaments or communications styles. One widely accepted concept for acknowledging the four basic styles is known as the DISC method. The DISC is easy to understand, learn, remember, and apply. Here’s what the DISC stands for.

• The D stands for the Driving style and is a measure of how people respond to problems and challenges.
• The I stands for the Influential style and is a measure of how people influence others to their point of view.
• The S stands for the Steady/Stable style and is a measure of the intensity levels of a person’s behavior toward the pace of the environment.
• The C stands for Compliance and is a measure how people respond to rules and procedures set by others and their need for information.

When you are looking for clues into a person’s preferred communication style, remember that the indicators will not always be verbal. You can uncover significant insights about a person’s communication style by looking at their office. I spoke to certified professional behavioral analyst Jane Roquelplot, owner of  JaneCo’s Sensible Solutions, to learn more about what office style says about a person’s communication style.

D: Driving (fast-paced and task-oriented individuals)
When entering “D” styles’ offices, look around! The overall tone suggests authority and control. Their desks may be covered with projects and papers, stacked in neat piles. Both their in and out-boxes typically bulge with busywork. They tend to surround themselves with trophies, awards, and other evidence of personal achievement. Virtually everything about the place suggests hustle, bustle, formality, and power.
This type often favors a large chair behind a massive authority structure known as a power desk. Besides non-verbally announcing, “I’m important,” the desk separates them from visitors, literally keeping them at a distance. The walls may include diplomas, commendations, and other evidence of success. One wall may have a large planning sheet or calendar on it … the better to juggle tasks with. If “D” styles have family photos, they may hang behind them or somewhere where they do not readily see them. To this type, their offices are places of business, and the fewer distractions they have, the better.

I: Influential (fast-paced and people-oriented)
When you enter the working area of an “I” style, look around his office. What does it look like? Even if you have never been to this type’s office before, you may recognize it from across the room. Remember Oscar Madison? He and other “I” styles may strew paperwork across their desks, sometimes trailing it along the floor, too. They react to visual stimuli, so they like to have everything where they can see it. Consequently, their desks often look cluttered and disorganized. If anyone comments, “How do you find anything?” they like to say that they are organized in their disorganization.
“I” style office walls may sport prestigious awards. They may be adorned with a broad range of decorations including liberal arts degrees, motivational or upbeat slogans, generalized personal comments, or stimulating posters. You may see notes posted and taped all over the place with little apparent forethought, rhyme, or reason. Overall decor in these offices usually reflects an open, airy, lively atmosphere that often reveals the personality of its occupant. Likewise, the furniture arrangement tends to indicate warmth, openness, and contact. An “I” style seldom sits behind a desk when he talks. He often opts for comfortable, accessible seating, enabling him to meet his goal of getting to know people better. He prefers to sit next to others at a table or on a couch so he can see and hear them.

S: Steady/Stable (slow-paced and people-oriented)

When you enter an “S” style’s office, be alert for conservatively framed personal slogans, group photos, serene landscapes and posters, and other personal items. Since S-types tend to seek close relationships, also look around for telltale family pictures and mementos, usually turned so they can view them from their desk chair.

They often favor nostalgic memories of stabilizing experiences and relationships in our increasingly high-tech world. These remembrances of a pleasant, uncomplicated past allow them to transform their offices into an environment of friendly, warm ambiance. They prefer to arrange seating in a side-by-side, more congenial, cooperative manner. No big power desks for them! If they do have one, though, they will typically come out from behind it and reach out, opting for a more personal touch.

C: Compliant (slow-paced and task-oriented)
“C” styles often carry their organizational tendencies into their work environments. Environmental clues include neat, highly organized desks with cleared tops so they can work unimpeded by clutter — clean, shipshape, and professional with everything in the appropriate place. Charts, graphs, exhibits, models, credentials, and job-related pictures are often placed neatly on their office walls or shelves.
“C” styles favor a functional decor that will enable them to work more efficiently. They tend to keep most objects within reach, readily available when needed. Where appropriate, you may notice state-of-the-art technology to further enhance efficiency. “C” styles are non-contact people who prefer the formality of distance. This preference is reflected in the functional, but uninviting, arrangement of their desks and chairs, usually with the desks physically separating them with other.

As a high school junior, my son is starting to do research on college programs that are in sync with what he would like to study, computer animation. Even though computer and 3D animation are relatively new fields, there are some select colleges that offer degree programs in the field. But almost all the programs seem to assume that the person entering the program has an interest in animation but little hands on technical computer animation experience. The curriculum are heavy on theory and light on practical training. And as someone who has already been independently studying animation for close to 9 years, my son’s really not interested in spending four years on theory when he could be honing his technique and producing real work. And for good reason. For my son, the last 9 years have been a waiting game. Waiting to finish school with all its academic requirements and finally having the opportunity to spend his days working on the projects he has known for so long that he wants to do.  I’ve run out of reasons  for why he needs to take endless English, history, math, science, and language classes. I’ve never been able to justify the 4 hours of homework assigned each night. My son figured out long ago that he will never use most of this information to form the life he wants to create.

Just as all this has been weighing on my mind, The New York Times published an article about the growing trend towards questioning the value of a college education and profiled students who are forgoing the college degree and opting for work, entrepreneurship, self-directed learning, and general life experiences as a substitute. And who can blame them? The Internet has revolutionized and democratized the sharing of information. Plus, there is a whole new college drop out role model courtesy of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell and others. And then there’s the whole issue of student debt. The New York Times article mentions that according to the Student Body Scholarship Association, there is now $1 trillion in outstanding student debt. And according to a College@home infographic, 53% of  18 to 24 year olds live with their parents because they can’t afford to live on their own.

I meet recent grads from well-known schools and not so well-known schools.  Some have 4.0 GPAs; some have 2.0 GPAs. Many are having a hard time finding work because they frequently have majors that either don’t translate easily to a profession or are in a field that is already saturated with applicants. Or they have little in the way of internships, summer jobs, or a strong network to support their career target. The proof of success demonstrated by the attainment of a college degree is no longer a strong enough differentiator for employers. College certainly makes sense for students wishing to pursue certain fields such as medicine, law, or engineering, but it just doesn’t seem to make sense for everyone.

My son recently showed me a link to an intensive one-year online computer animation program that offers hands on practical experience in all the nitty-gritty technical things that he is hungry to learn more of but is having difficulty finding in a traditional 4-year undergraduate program. It sounds amazing but at the same time it sounds scary and feels reckless to invest in something that is so different than what we have grown accustomed to equating with education and I struggle with the perceived repercussions of giving up the traditional 4 year degree.  But each day I have a harder time justifying the merits of a traditional 4-year degree and wonder if others have the same doubts for their children. It will be interesting to see how the 4-year degree is perceived by hiring authorities in the next 5 to 10 years and if the tide will shift. What are your thoughts?

Many people assume that their job search will come to a screeching halt the day after Thanksgiving and won’t pick up until January. But contrary to popular belief, millions of jobs are filled during the holiday season and job seekers who “stick with the program” in December may be rewarded with that spanking new job in January.

I recently partnered with Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt and dozens of career experts to create a new e-book called New Year, New Job! 101 Top Holiday Job Search Tips from the Job-Hunt Experts for Your Holiday Job Search, a quick but information-packed read. Fortune recently profiled some of our  top holiday job search tips and the book chapters include:

Holiday Awareness

Holiday Hope

Employers Are Motivated!

Your Competition Is Taking Time Off

Some Barriers Are Down

Leverage the Season

Pre-Party Prep and Planning

Have Your Own Party

Party and Travel Time!

Handle Those Awkward Questions and Conversations

Party Follow-Up

Beat the Blahs

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Sharing Lifts Spirits (and Expands Networks)

Painless In-Person and Social Networking

Network Through Volunteering

Position Yourself to Be Found Online

A Time when Gifting May Be Appropriate and Helpful

Time to Play Cards

Move Forward: Plan, Prepare, and Follow Up

Why Temping May Be a Good Option

Manage Health Limitations

Special Tips for Veterans

Special Tips for College Students

The book is free on Amazon Kindle until midnight tonight and you can download it here. Starting November 27 it will be available for only 99 cents. Happy Holidays!