Executive jobs are highly paid, and thus highly sought after positions. If you lose a job, or are looking for one, an executive job might be what you have your sites set on. However, it can be very difficult to obtain an executive job. For the most part executive jobs are the senior management positions. This means that most companies typically hire executives from their existing employee pool. In many cases executives are recruited, but again, because these are the highest positions in the company, and they are the people who will be reporting to shareholders and boards of directors, the people hired are almost exclusively people with extensive background in the field, and with connections.

If you want to be considered for an executive job, there are a few things you should do:

1. Create an exceptional resume.
2. Network.
3. Look online.

Because executive jobs are the higher paying positions in any given company, there is always going to be a lot of people wanting a few positions. In many cases, executive jobs are not advertised very much, and so it can be hard to know when they are available. This means that you always need to be prepared. You should create a very thorough and competent resume. You should always keep it updated so that you can send or print it at a moment's notice. If you are not sure how to create a resume that is really going to stand out, it might be worth it to hire someone to help you put your resume together, or buy a software program, or tutorial for constructing executive resumes. This needs to be far superior than the resume you would use for a lower level job. Keep an updated copy on file, and on your computer, and keep it circulating so that those hiring for executive positions are aware of your qualifications, even if you are not aware that there is a position being considered.

The next thing you want to do is network. As mentioned, many executive positions are filled from within the company, or by close associates of the current corporate officers. The best way to get yourself in line for an executive position is to associate with the right people, let them know of your interest, and get the feelers out. As you make business and personal connections, use those to help you secure the type of employment position you are looking for. For example, you might play on a softball league with the CEO of a company you are interested in working with or for. Subtly let them know you are in the market for a position, and see if they know of any, whether inside their own company, or someone else's. Network, network, network. The saying that "it is who you know that counts," is often fairly true of getting an executive position. However, you must be qualified as well.

Once you have a great resume created, and have put feelers out with people you know, it is time to widen the search by using the powerful world wide web. There are some job boards and other online sources dedicated solely to helping people fill or obtain executive positions. Many of these online job boards are fee based, as this helps to weed out people who are not serious about obtaining an executive position, or not qualified.

Some of the top executive job boards online include:

• www.TheLadders.com
• www.NetShare.com
• www.ExecuNet.com

Of course there are many others as well.

The reason you may want to use an online job board is because it allows you to specific your location, field, and salary requirements, and some even help match you up with companies looking for people like you. Let's look at some of the top sites out there, and why they are such good sites to consider:

www.TheLadders.com

This is one of the best free online job sites, that are for executive job postings. They only offer their service for those who want to be paid more than $100K. This particular website breaks the postings up into various fields, including technology, law, finance, human resources, marketing, sales, PR, etc. but offers jobs from around the world. This site does not offer extras, like many of the other sites do, for example, they do not have a resume builder, etc. The free membership it offers is for the ability to see what jobs are posted on their site, and if you would be qualified, or interested in any of them. To get their full services, which allow you to submit resumes to the firms who are hiring, you have to pay, but it does have a money-back guarantee. So, this is a great site because you can explore it and see if it has what you are looking for before you shell out the dough.

www.NetShare.com

This is another great executive job board, however Netshare.com is a fee-based service. While you have to pay to use their service, they will help you to build a great resume, and will keep it in their database until you get hired into an executive position. The typical job postings found on this site are for database firms, law firms, and sales firms, but you can find other companies and positions as well. They do offer extras, and they are also a $100K a year or more site. One of the reasons this is such a great site for those looking for executive jobs is that they network, and represent many companies that otherwise do not advertise positions, in addition to that, they keep their database current, updating it daily. Lastly, a reason this is a great site to consider when hunting for an executive job is that they offer various membership options, so you only pay for what you need.

www.ExecuNet.com

This site gets rave reviews from many of the top business magazines and reviewers. It is considered to be one of the beset online job boards for executives, and high end jobs. The average salary for job listings on this board is $150K. This site provides many extras to its clients, including resume reviews, face-to-face meetings, and monitored listings. One of the reasons this is a great choice if you are looking for a pay to use job board is that ExecuNet provides services for recruiting leaders and for executive leaders. So, they are basically a matchmaker for executive positions. They help organizations fill their needs by lining them up with the potential executives that best fit their requirements. They have a long standing history, and have had much success helping recruiters find the right talent, and talent find the right recruiters. You pay to join, then pay monthly until you cancel your membership.

In addition to these top three sites, there are several others. If you were to Google the phrase "Executive job board" you would find yourself with many links for companies claiming to be the best one for helping you line up an executive job. So, how can you find the right one for you? Well, start by determining what you need help with.

Do you need help with your resume? If so, you will want to find an executive job board that offers resume builders, or that offers resume review services to help you improve it.

Do you want to pay a fee, or use a free service? There is an advantage to paid membership, usually there are fewer people applying there, and it shows you are committed. However, free services are just that, free, so it is not a bad idea to use both.

Do you want someone to review your credentials and match you with companies, or do you want to do that yourself? Some of the executive job boards use software to help line you up with your best fits, others simply provide lists of available positions.

Do you want a site where employers can look at you and contact you, or where you can look at them and contact them? Some sites will simply post your resume and provide your information to potential employers. Others will post job listings, and you can contact the employers. Others do both, what works best for you?

As you can see, one job board may be right for one person, while a different is right for another. The following are a few more of the popular job boards:

RSI Search Solutions: registration is free, you submit a resume, and employers contact you, if you are eligible for a position you then pay a fee, it is kind of like a finders fee.

BlueSteps: They are an affiliate of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC). They offer resume review, and allow you to contact firms that fit your field of expertise. There are fees for services, they can be purchased individually or as a package.


RiteSite.com: This is a fee based site, and they offer many services including resume preparation and posting, resume forwarding, and connectivity to executive search firms. You can view job listings free of charge.

6FigureJobs.com: This is a free site, you post your skills, and they send you notification of jobs that you are a fit for the requirements for.

ExecutivesOnly.com: This site matches you with jobs, and offers extras such as resume review. They are also a very secure site, run background checks, etc. and help you with the interviews.

CEOUpdate.com: This site posts job opportunities for executives. They do not really have any of the extras, but they do post several jobs each week. It is fee based.

ExecutiveRegistry.com: This is a fee-based job board that publishes directories of companies looking for executives, and allows you to post your resume.