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By Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach

Are you in the driver’s seat deciding when you will move and where you will land? Or are you sitting in the back of a taxi cab with an erratic driver zooming and weaving and bobbing, hoping you make it to your destination alive and on time?

Are you in control of your career? Or, have you given up control of your career to someone who does not have your best interests in mind? Are you content to stay in your current position, no matter how miserably unhappy you are until circumstances force you to look for a new position?

If your answers to the last two questions are yes, then your career will be in a constant state of flux rather than one of perpetual motion. You will be forced to respond to external factors rather than proactively choosing your path on your terms and in your time.

It’s really this simple. Develop a sustainable strategy that positions you as an invaluable asset, and people will come looking for you.

Decide today that you are taking back control of your career. Ask yourself, “how committed am I to investing the time to ensure I get what I want, when I want it”? Then make a plan and work your plan.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Operate from your Sweet Spot

Understanding your sweet spot means you are clear about who you are, the value you offer to the market, the salary you can command, and the type of company that will foster continuing success.

Planning your next career move around your strengths will ensure you move into a role that is the best fit for you. Finding that next opportunity is not just about whether you are a good fit for a prospective company – that’s job search mentality, sometimes born of desperation. When you need a job, your lack of control forces you to say yes even when your gut instinct is screaming NO! When you are in control of your career, you will have the luxury of saying no when it is not a right fit … with the confidence of knowing that the right opportunity is coming your way.

Have a clear target market

Job search mentality says I’ll throw my resume out there and see what happens. Being the hunted means you understand your executive brand and who needs what you have. Your clear and compelling value is constantly visible to your target market.

Figure out who needs you and why.

Create a visible, online, branded presence

It is more important than ever for you to be visible to the people who need to know about you. The most recent statistics indicate that 85% of recruiters use online resources to uncover information about candidates and 35% of recruiters eliminate candidates based on what they do or do not find.

What comes up when you Google your name? Are you distinctive? Is it obvious to a recruiter that you are who you say you are and everything that appears in Google boosts your credibility? Or, have you posted something controversial or negative that now appears in the #1 spot on the very first page … creating digital dirt?

Is there a common theme to the information that appears? Or, are there mixed messages that position you one way in a business scenario but deliver a different message within a social situation or perhaps among your clients? Mixed messages dilute your value and diminish your credibility.

That’s where branding becomes so important. There are a plethora of people who do what you do. How are you different and unique … and more valuable … than those candidates competing for the same kinds of positions? For example, there are thousands of different types and flavors of coffee. Coffee is a commodity. Starbucks, on the other hand, is a brand. How are you distinct?

Get out from behind your desk

Research indicates that executives credit networking as the activity that most often leads to career opportunities, outpacing responding to postings and ads by more than two to one. Yet, 27% of executives surveyed characterize their networks as weak or poor while 57% indicate their network reciprocity as only good. In order to shift the job search paradigm, you need to get on the radar screen of people who don’t yet know you.

Having a career network is vital to your ability to uncover that next, great opportunity. This is your peer network and is established and maintained solely for the purpose of pushing you to be your best while sharing best practices, brainstorming issues, holding each other accountable … and unearthing potential opportunities.

The average executive job search is 21.6 weeks. Spending 5 to 10 minutes a day cultivating and nurturing your career network can be the difference between finding yourself on the street in job hunt mode or uncovering opportunities that facilitate a smooth transition from one position to the next … on your terms and in your time frame.

Identify and articulate your unique and compelling value

Don’t confuse experience with performance! Competing on the day-to-day tasks you performed and the responsibilities you held will position you as ordinary. Focus on the measurable contributions you delivered and the mission-critical initiatives you’ve led.

Remember, it’s the why and the how that delivers the WOW factor!

Cindy Kraft is known as the CFO-Coach and is America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance and Banking Executives. She is a Certified Career Management Coach, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach effectively positioning clients to outperform the competition and win jobs they want. She can be reached via email cindy@cfo-coach.com, phone 813-655-0658, or through her websites ... www.cfo-coach.com and www.cfo-career-forum.com.

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