I recently had a senior executive who lamented how difficult it was for him to reenter the job market as he had left a significant corporate position for a job in academia where he has spent the last 7 years. He was concerned that his strength in creating and executing a company vision/mission would not be perceived because of his “sabbatical”. In short, he lacked confidence and was willing to settle on any position he could get to reenter the job market.

Listening to his story, I probed a bit and uncovered that he was the Department Chair of a specialty manufacturing management program at one of the country’s leading universities. He completely revitalized the department, upgraded the program and most importantly, sought and acquired consulting engagements with Fortune 100 firms. He had effectively used his leadership skills to advance the university’s stature and the quality of the curriculum. So where he was positioning himself as a former leader and lowly Professor, I saw him as one of the country’s leading experts in specialty manufacturing, able to deploy best practices on a global scale. What a difference that kind of positioning makes!

I told my client how I would position him and we agreed to go ahead and produce his resume package. After seeing the results, he is now full of renewed energy and confidence and ready to present himself to potential employers as the “catch” that he truly is.

Sometimes having an outsider look at your background can make all the difference in the world as to how you perceive yourself. Have you developed your positioning statement?