| A Positive Outlook on Job Opportunity |
| By
Peter K. Studner, Career Counselor |
|
| No one likes the
experience of being terminated or laid off from a job. Even if it was a relief
to finally be out of a bad work situation, the prospect of looking for that
next job brings on lots of emotions, most of which are negative: possible
failure, fear of the unknown, fear of not having a paycheck, not knowing where
to begin, fear of rejection… all leading to a form of paralysis/inactivity
or at best, procrastination. Many job-seekers retreat to just sending out
résumés, answering advertisements, and writing to companies and
recruiters, thus spending 80% of their time on only 15% of the opportunities.
Considering today’s recession, that 15% is more like 5% as the number of
companies recruiting new people has fallen off considerably. Reports coming
from the recruiter community are that there are no job orders coming
in. |
|
What to
do?
The key to getting past negative feelings and inactivity is
preparation. The vast majority of job-seekers and career-changers, while loaded
with degrees, certificates, diplomas and licenses, haven’t had any
significant training in what a good job-search campaign consists of. Little
wonder the prospect of having to go through a job search is dreaded.
|
|
| Effective job-search
techniques can be learned. Preparation for your job search or career change
should include: |
|
Career
Assessment
Before embarking on any job search, decide what skills
you have to offer to your next employer. Next, validate that there is a market
for your skills. Do not look for a job until you ascertain that the job exists
in the market you want to prospect. Many job seekers make the serious mistake
of skipping this validation process and wind up spending weeks and months
looking for a job that does not exist. |
|
Accomplishments
The backbone of any job search is a
strong list of accomplishments. It is difficult selling yourself by just
telling people what you do. With accomplishments, you can relate what you have
done by deeds. Your references will provide the credibility. You are no longer
seeking a job, rather a home for your skills. You are a solution seeking a
problem. |
|
Résumé
Your calling card.
Résumés would be better called marketing brochures. After all, we
are using them to sell our skills to future employers. Résumés do
not get jobs; people do – so you must become your résumé.
Without a clear understanding of all you can contribute to a future employer,
you will have a tough time making the sale. The best résumés are
loaded with accomplishments. |
|
Market Plan
How to go after all the jobs: recruiters, advertisements, bulletin
boards, hotlines, Internet listings and the not so obvious: the hidden job
market where more than 75% of jobs come from. |
|
Networking
Getting out and meeting people who can lead you to the hidden job
market. Fortunately, anyone can learn the techniques of what it takes to become
a good networker. |
|
Telephoning for
Appointments
If you have never learned how to make calls for
job-related and networking appointments, it will be difficult without training.
Telemarketing yourself does not have to be a drag if you know how; these
techniques can be learned. |
|
Interviewing
The art of learning what the market needs and addressing those needs
with your skills. If you have awkward interviews or feel that you just
don’t know where to start in an interview, you need to stop long enough to
learn the techniques of what goes into a good interview. There are three basic
interviews used in a job search or career change: The Research Interview where
you are seeking information about people, careers, industries, or companies,
The Advice Interview where you are seeking referrals to your target companies
(companies you want to work for) and the Direct Interview where you are
face-to-face with someone who could have an interest in hiring you (provided
you can make the sale). |
|
Negotiating a
Win-Win Salary
Learn the art of negotiating a salary based on what
a job is worth, not a previous paycheck. It starts with determining what the
job is worth on the market considering the economy, number of people looking
for the same job, their level of experience and what employers currently are
willing to pay. |
|
| All of the above job
search elements can be learned in just a few hours of concentrated time. At the
end of the day, the key to taking the fear out of job search is preparation.
The more prepared you are, the less anxiety and stress you will have. Arm
yourself with know-how and a plan, and you will be on the road to getting
yourself back into the job market, perhaps even with a more productive job that
has feel-good qualities. |
| ### |
Peter K. Studner is a career
counselor, former chief executive of international companies. He is the author
of the award-winning manual, Super Job Search, Jamenair Ltd. Now in its third
edition with more than 200,000 copies sold. Studner is president of Peter K.
Studner Associates, Inc., an outplacement firm, located in California. For
additional vital job-search resources, consult:
www.SuperJobSearch.com
Copyrighted © Peter K. Studner 2002 |
|
