It’s been a busy month, and I’ve been writing wherever and whenever I can, usually before the world is awake.
I have the greenlight from my publisher, and now this is getting real. To get to this point I had to submit 20k words, and have my introduction and first chapter reviewed by my editor and edited again by me. The first draft is due at the end of October, and we’re now simultaneously being launched into a whole new phase, including the pre-sale, promo videos, cover design, and of course more writing and editing.
Knitting
I’ve learned that writing a book is like knitting, and I’m grateful that this process has made me a better writer. I pay attention to things I didn’t think of before, like avoiding “head hopping”, making sure the reader isn’t changing perspectives too often.
I have a few spools of yarn that I’m knitting together, stories from other recruiters, stories from executives who have lessons to share, and my own opinions. It’s a mess of great ideas and my job to weave it all together into a beautiful blanket. I’ve also learned that it’s great to teach through analogies :)
I’m coming out of this with more perspective, talking to other recruiters about these topics that are so important to me. I'm grateful to include their experience and advice.
Goals
The publisher asked me what big goals I have. They say to think big. Do you want to do a TED Talk? Do you want to be on Oprah or the Today Show, or have your book turn into a Netflix series?
That’s not what’s driving me. It’s not even the book sales, or that this book will drive business into Distinguished Search. I’m writing this because it needs to be written. It’s a resource that needs to exist for people, and I don’t know if anyone out there is going to tell people what they need to hear, especially without it being self serving.
My hope is that this book will help executive job seekers understand what recruiters actually do so they have an inside advantage. They'll realize that the frustrations and questions they're having are held by many, and learn what to do about it. I hope to give people the tools to take control of their careers, and position themselves for the job they want and deserve.
I’m excited about how helpful this will be for anyone looking to take the reins on their executive job search, and to amplify the voices of some of the great recruiters out there.
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