Here's how you can demonstrate your leadership skills to potential employers as a mid-career professional.

Demonstrate your leadership skills to hiring employers by sharing measurable performance outcomes in your resume, LinkedIn profile content, and during your interviews. Hiring leaders identify top candidates by how well job hunters articulate their impactful project results as an "achiever", rather than as a "doer" listing job descriptions and responsibilities. After we've completed their resume and profile rewriting together, my clients have developed "muscle memory" used in our interview coaching session to practice the STAR method articulating their leadership project successes, ready to ace their interviews. Request skills endorsements, colleague recommendations, and use LinkedIn Learning to learn and strengthen your leadership skills.

Business leaders and investors think in terms of ROI. Put yourself in our shoes and think ‘Why should I let this person have my baby?’ - Why can he do it? What does he cost and what does he earn me? Ask for their clear goals, budgets and expectations. Be very clear about what you can already do and what you think you can do - nevertheless, point out gaps and show how you can close them (further training, Harvard course, mentoring, etc.).

Have list if successes from over the years that support key your key skill sets like people management.…how would you convey to an interviewer or recruiter that you’re a good manager? Share engaging & relatable stories about a situation with an employee and how you supported them through it.

It’s always great to continue to build out your linked in profile...get recos and skill endorsement from former colleagues, employees, & managers.

While credentials can increase your savoir-faire, they can be more influential combined with leadership experiences integrated in your being. Remember that leadership is not a title but an energy radiated regardless of rank. This view can help you recognize when you’ve been a leader at work, in your community or other ways expressed. For continuous learning, you’ll need to know what to learn. So I pose the rhetorical question: What skills and traits are common in those who ascend to some level of leadership? I know people like to reflex-focus on the billionaires, but keep the head in the clouds with feet on the ground: research people who soared the heights with this energy AND those who are more local, perhaps already in your circle.

-Taking online or going to conferences on various aspects of leadership are always good to do. -Make sure you highlight the online classes and any leadership development training that was company sponsored by former employer(s)..this establishes a track record that you were/are leadership track in prior roles and have great leadership skills.

Don’t rely solely on your primary contacts. Leverage your secondary network, which is much larger and often includes more decision-makers. This broader network can offer fresh perspectives and opportunities, significantly expanding your reach and influence.

Become known in your networks a leader..maybe leading the pack on adopting new industry trends or technologies like Gen AI. This could be done by sharing info with your network that will keep them up-to-date on trends or info in a certain industry space.