As you progress in your career there tends to be a point where you need a sponsor to go higher, particularly if you are fairly ambitious and have a career goal and path in mind.  While some are happy to ‘do their time’ and hope that the opportunities they want will be offered, others take a more proactive approach to enlist a sponsor.  While mentors are fantastic and certainly play an important role in our careers, nothing beats having an internal sponsor on your side to help open doors.  No doubt you have seen those around you, or maybe even you have benefited from having a sponsor.

Below is an excerpt from an ‘Accelerate Your Career: Find a Sponsor’  which looks at how to go about getting a sponsor as it is not always easy to do.
“If your company doesn’t have a program, there are still things you can do to find a sponsor. Offer yourself for “stretch” work assignments and projects that provide visibility to those at the top. Volunteer for committees where you can broaden your contacts and show your skills. Network – and see establishing relationships across the organization as an important part of your job. When you find potential sponsors, seek and heed their feedback. “

According to a study highlighted in the article by the Center for Work-Life Policy, men are 46% more likely to have sponsors than women.  This is certainly something for organizations to take note of who are looking to build up the number of women in senior roles. It also suggests that women need to be more active in enlisting sponsors as a part of their career strategy.

It is important before you make the decision to source a sponsor that you are clear about what your career goals are, your strategy and the type of sponsor best able to assist you in achieving these.

Share your views on having a sponsor.

Most Executives and Senior Professionals find preparing their resume a challenge. As a result the resume is put together quickly and reluctantly, and reads like a chronological list of their education and work experience. At its basic level this is what the resume needs to be, however if actually want your resume to stand out and engage the reader, more energy needs to go into how you write about and sell your skills and experiences. It is difficult for most of us to sell ourselves effectively in a couple of pages of text, yet essential for job search success.

Quantify and Qualify Your Skills!

A sentence that says you have ‘exceptional interpersonal and communication skills’ is largely a waste of text! It tells the reader nothing, yet many resumes have a listing of skills or competencies with no supporting evidence to demonstrate them. You know why you are skilled in certain areas however unless you can communicate them to the reader in a powerful way, they are empty words.

To read this full article visit the Six Figures Jobs & Career Services site

It’s a common scenario. You are out of work and hunting for a new job, but keep getting told that you are overqualified for the jobs you go after.

Kelly Magowan, a director of Six Figures, says it might not make sense, but recruiters are employed to find people who match the profile for a job. People who are too experienced, she says, are a high risk candidate. The big fear is that they will move on when a better job comes along.

I wonder whether that’s the real reason, or is it because managers are worried about employing someone who knows more than they do? And if it’s a fear of the person moving on, why not take advantage of their knowledge in the meantime and develop a career path within the company that can see them returning to something more akin to their status and experience.

Kelly provides some advice for people who have heard the “overqualified” argument one too many times. It means you can’t follow the traditional channels to recruitment.

In my mind, there is no legitimate excuse for turning someone down because they are overqualified. In fact, I’d suggest nine times out of ten it amounts to ageism. What do you think?

To listen to the interview with Phil Dobbie from BTalk and Kelly Magowan from Six Figures visit BTalk.

Having worked in the HR, Recruitment and Careers space for many years, I am always looking for new information and insights to assist job seekers, our Six Figures members and my careers clients.

Occasionally I come across gold like this 4 minute video which is a must watch for anyone who is about to interview or going through the interview process. It is a very powerful message and one that empowers the job seeker and hopefully will bring about a better job search experience for everyone.

If you are a Sales professional you may already be doing what the video suggests, if you are not – chances are you are lacking the sales edge. So, please invest 4 minutes in your career to watch this video.

Watch – The MOST important interview question