Verizon (telephone company) should answer their phones when you call them. Whole Foods should use good environmental practices. Hairdressers should have great hair. If these things DON’T happen, you lose faith in that individual or company!

The same is true for executives in a job search. Your resume content must match your elevator speech, your online profile, your networking chit-chat, your interview stories, and every other aspect of your career marketing messages to create a congruent, believable, provable image. All of the above should position you as “you” - just the best, brightest, most relevant “you” with regard to your current goals!

In a recent conversation with a client I advised him to create a profile on LinkedIn - not only to reap the networking opportunities there, but to build his online presence as an essential tool in today’s world of executive search. He was openly skeptical - “I don’t think many people at my level are doing that.” (He’s a CEO.) OK, I said, but check it out anyway.

A few weeks later, he told me, “I’m a convert.” Not only was “everyone” he knew on LinkedIn (including the most tech-savvy and best-connected senior people), but he had learned first-hand that the tool was actively used by recruiters to “check him out” prior to a meeting - even when there was a personal referral or prior relationship. He definitely wanted them to find him - and to find information that is congruent, on-brand, and consistent with the value messages he’s delivering in his resume and interviews.

So … don’t get caught with the equivalent of your pants down! Build your LinkedIn profile NOW, update and improve it over time, and “be there” when recruiters are looking for someone like you.

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter over at the Career Management Alliance blog provides some EXCELLENT resources on blogging, twittering, and other online tools - all as related to job seeking.

It’s easy to feel like you’re behind the curve on all of this stuff. (I freely admit, I have never “tweeted” and don’t follow anyone on Twitter.) But at the very least, learn about it so you can appear to be up to date with technology. And who knows, you might find a whole new pastime, news source, circle of friends, or even a job!

Meg Guiseppi over at the Executive Resume Branding Blog has a terrific post on this topic… with some expert opinions, thoughtful analysis, and great advice.

The bottom line: You need to be visible online. You need to have a compelling and up-to-date LinkedIn profile with some pertinent, stellar recommendations.  You should take the time to create a VisualCV to present a rich picture of yourself beyond your resume. All of this is vitally important both during a job search and for ongoing career management.

But…. you still need a resume. In fact, all of these pieces should go hand-in-hand to present a powerful, cohesive, on-brand message about you and your value.

At the Kennedy Recruiting Conference I attended some interesting presentations and - of even more value - had the chance to speak with a number of recruiters, both internal and external. One theme that cropped up over and over is - despite the economic downturn and relatively high unemployment -  the challenge of finding good candidates.

Despite sophisticated applicant tracking systems, countless job posting opportunities, recruiter sourcing through social networks, and enormous data-finding capabilities, recruiters still have a hard time finding enough candidates and the right candidates for specific jobs. What this means for you, the job seeker:

• Be specific about your expertise. Vague, general overviews don’t tell recruiters enough about you to conclude that you have what they need.
• Be visible in your areas of expertise. Attend and speak at professional association meetings. Write articles and blog postings. Comment on others’ blogs. Share your expertise and your opinions… and let the recruiters find you.
• Research where your expertise and interests might lead you. For example, if you are a clinical practitioner (maybe a nurse), have some knowledge of hospital technology systems, love to travel, and are eager to move away from direct patient care, you could have a satisfying and lucrative new career as a technology implementation consultant to healthcare systems. Bottom line: look for needs that intersect with your knowledge, experience, and personal interests, then find companies that respond to those needs.

One disturbing trend I noticed is the continued preference for passive job seekers. There is still tremendous bias towards those who are employed and lingering beliefs that “the best people don’t get laid off.” Having worked with extremely talented professionals who were, in fact, affected by corporate downsizing, I know this is nonsense. Plus, there are so many reasons that an individual might be unemployed that using this as a recruiting criterion seems extremely silly.

My final thought about recruiting: It needs a shot in the arm from the marketing department. In fact, successful companies need to market themselves to future employees just as seriously as they market their products or services to consumers. Yet most HR people are not marketing oriented, and despite the ubiquitous trend toward employment branding, most companies don’t invest the resources and talent necessary to make their recruiting function as vibrant as their marketing area. Those that do make the investment will reap the rewards - a more talented, more engaged workforce that creates and supports a winning culture.

VisualCV.com gives you the chance to build a unique web portfolio - a richer, more compelling version of your traditional paper/Word resume. You can add graphics, documents, audio and video files and go from telling about what you’ve done to showing… and selling.

The site recently held a “best VisualCV contest,” and not only are the winning entries inspiring, they have also led to job offers!

Oh… and the best part? You can build and host your VisualCV for free. No fees, no ads, no sponsorships.

I have been affiliated with the company since the planning stages - I’m on the advisory board and I wrote an “Insider’s Guide” for creating a powerful VisualCV. (It’s a free download.) So yes, I guess I am biased! But I haven’t seen anything that comes close to the ease and value of this free portfolio service. Not to mention the other value-added benefits that include connecting with employers, recruiters, and others.

It’s encouraging to see that job sites and services are emerging and evolving to better serve job seekers and employers alike… and to help relieve the incredible frustration occurring on BOTH sides of the hiring equation!

Here’s a list of a few sites that seem to be building a better mousetrap.

One of my favorites (included on the list) is JibberJobber - a great tool for keeping track of your job search, your career, your life! (If you’re my client, contact me about a complimentary upgrade to “premium” service.)

But never forget that all of this online stuff should be only an adjunct to a targeted, network-focused search. It can help you gather information, find resources and contacts, organize your search, and keep yourself on schedule. It can’t (a) take the place of human-to-human connection; (b) eliminate the grunt work of building a contact-to-contact chain toward your ultimate goal; or (c) find a job for you. Use it, benefit from it, but don’t rely on it as the sole source for your next job!

Are you afraid to specialize? Afraid that by stating your specific interests and expertise you’ll limit your opportunities?

Interestingly, the opposite is true. By trying to appeal to all interests, you appeal strongly to none. After all, employers want to hire people who are experts! If you were hiring for a very specific need, which candidate would you choose?

• CFO for any size company, public or private
• CFO with experience in public-company M&A and a background in technology start-ups

• Sales & Marketing Executive - multiple marketing channels, diverse products and services
• Sales & Marketing Executive - expert in building brands and creating demand for luxury consumer goods

It’s true that by defining your niche you won’t appeal to everybody. But… do you really want to? Wouldn’t you rather do what you love and work where your expertise is valued?

Career marketing is no different from product marketing! Just as Seth Godin says, “It might be easier to build a new sweet spot than it is to persuade an established middleman to change his rules for you.”

Too many job seekers persist in trying to convince recruiters that they are “perfect” for a job, when said recruiters clearly don’t agree. The rules are the rules… the job specs are the job specs. You have very little chance of being chosen for Oprah, the New York Times Book Review, the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company… or that particular opportunity… if you don’t fit the mold.

Why not, instead, determine your career “sweet spot” and go after it directly? Be prepared with persuasive evidence of how, specifically, you can help your target audience. How your experiences and expertise align with their goals. How you fit the culture, the challenge, and the opportunities on the horizon. Thrive in the mold that fits you!

In today’s fast-paced Internet culture, it’s easy to feel out of the loop if you’re not on LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace, and any and every other online social networking site. True - you need to stay abreast of technology and understand how to communicate using a variety of media. But never forget that most real networking is not done online. Your chief network starts with people you know (real people, not avatars) and extends to people you get to know through your network contacts.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and start your networking activity by connecting with people you know - then move on from there, to the sites that seem appropriate. And to make the most of what’s out there, check out this very helpful post over on CareerHub about how to utilize LinkedIn for your job search.