Make Getting YOUR Next Job Easier
by Irene Becker, Chief Success Officer, www.justcoachit.com
With the economy the way it is, sometimes getting your next position be tough. When things decline, when there is an abundance of qualified candidates in the marketplace getting YOUR next job means thinking way out of the box, and perhaps doing things that are counter-intuitive.
The building block of successful career transition starts with YOU, it starts with YOUR power to develop a personal brand that paints a clear picture of your value proposition, your unique attributes as soon as the reader glances at your resume or any other marketing document. It starts with your ability to build confidence, faith and hope during what is a difficult period of transition.
How can you differentiate yourself in this marketplace? Here are some effective ways to kick start results.
1. Realize that the job search is not all about YOU, it is all about them; all about what the prospective employer wants and how well you can demonstrate that you fit the bill. Make your pitch in 7 seconds or less with a resume/cover email/elevator speech that clearly are as exact a match as possible for the job description.
2. Know that sometimes more is less. The interview process is initially one of elimination. The interviewer is focused on eliminating candidates who skills and experience do not match the job description. Being too qualified, or not having a criteria for the position will most probably not take you forward.
3. Understand the importance of personal branding, and find a professional with a proven track record of expertise and success who can help you develop your brand and use the keywords that position you for success. Use YOUR marketing materials to apply to job postings, contact recruiters, ask for help/contacts from your personal network, contact decision makers in growth companies and sectors that fit with your skills and experience.
4. Project manage your job search campaign. Keep a thorough record of contacts, jobs applied for, results. Make sure that you have a system in place that allows you to track your progress. Every contact is important because as you are exposing yourself to the market place you are also building social capital that could be important now or in the future.
5. Know that circumstances will change, and change can be good. Tomorrow's no could be today's yes. Internal or external candidates sometimes do not fit the position, the needs of an organization can change and grow. Make sure that you use every contact, every interview to make a positive and powerful impression.
6. Focus on what counts. Dress for success and be prepared to interview well. If you need help with interviewing, get it because it may be the most important investment in helping you land your next position. You cannot move forward in landing a new position without understanding how to interview well in this marketplace.
7. Fail forward. Every interview is an opportunity for you to hone your pitch, develop the interviewing skills that drive engagement and results. Every batch of resumes that do not get a response is an opportunity for you to understand why you are not getting responses and re-gig your marketing materials.
8. Turn frustration, even a feelimg of desperation into power! Cultivate your power, the power of patience, the power of having a reliable person to help you achieve success faster. Statistics tell us that it takes on average between 4.7 and 6 months to find a new position. If you cannot whether this time period financially, find a stop gap job, a part time position that will help you make ends meet before you land your next full time job.
Click here for the 10 Irrefutable Laws of Job Interviewing Success.