Career Searching: A Vision Without A Plan is a Hallucination
Success is not always something you necessarily find when you arrive. It may be the journey that gets you there. It seems as though people make career management more difficult than it has to be. When something threatens to make it simple, they almost invariably find a way to make it more complicated. For example, in recent years there's been much more activity in the small to mid-size companies, yet the majority of people looking into a job change or career move continue to scour the newspapers for the classified advertisements, all the while complaining that there are so few meaningful opportunities. If they had the resources to scan the 300 leading newspapers and publications in the U.S. they'd still find relatively few meaningful opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, historically, most of the better positions are never advertised. According to R. L. Stevens Associates' CEO, Randy Stevens, 70 to 80 percent of the meaningful jobs go unadvertised. If the same people would only get out into the market and make some new friends-contacts, they'd see new opportunities, perhaps just around the corner. Easier said than done? Unfortunately, yes. Most of us have never been trained in this sort of work. Even the most senior managers may be novice in a job change or career search and can become discouraged. Still, there are a couple of basic concepts that, understood, can make job searching less complicated. One is to begin replacing the hours you spend scanning the classifieds with meaningful, face-to-face discussion. In discussion with others, like yourself, you will likely find access to the activity created by movement and happenings in the small to mid-size market. Keep this in mind: Within everyone you meet, you are likely to discover a far more helpful, energetic and interesting person you may have thought him or her to be. Just give them a change. All it takes is a little bit of encouragement and direction., which is another key concept. That is, most people like to help others; it's human nature to help others. We just don't always know how. Tell them how and they will help. Here are some practical suggestions when connecting: * Don't begin by asking for advice: Offer suggestions first; provide ideas before asking for any * Get to know others before you ask them to know you * Don't ask others to be creative or perceptive for you; it's too much work
(Be intuitive, recognizing of course, that given the chance, they'll manage to complicate this thing as well) * Be clear about your own ideas - be focused *Get ready. The question, what are you looking to do? can befuddle the unsuspecting person forcing a response that is weak, irrelevant or even fatal * Move people towards embracing your ideas by listening carefully to theirs
Look people in the eye and reflect on what you are hearing
* Don't judge * Ask yourself, Is the message getting across; is the content clear? * Don't use jargon. If someone understands it, they won't be impressed; if they don't, they'll take out a book and read * Take your ideas, and those you accumulate, to the next contact, and so, and so on and so on * Keep this maxim in mind at all times: You must first build a relationship before you can do business Like most career professionals, you have a vision for moving onward and upward. Unfolding a career is like charting a new frontier-and sometimes equally as difficult to predict and control. What are your ideas? What do you want to do with them? How do you want to go about it ? when? A vision without a plan is a hallucination Before you spend hundreds of hours hunting for success, spend a few defining it. Consider some of history's greatest athletes - gold medal Olympians. Early on in their lives they set goals. From then on they squashed everything in their lives that didn't pertain to those goals, and went on to win the gold! Rob Taub, CCM, is a Senior Consulting Manager for R.L. Stevens & Associates (http://www.interviewing.com), a career marketing firm and organization celebrating over 24 years of providing strategic marketing solutions for its clients' career transitioning needs.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Age Discrimination is Alive and Unwelcome Here!
Common sense appears to be a rare commodity these days. Why is this so?
Reading the Want Ads--Not for Jobs--For Information
What? Want ads are where job announcements
are, not information!
What to Ask During the Interview
Don't just sit there and bob your head, waiting to answer the next question - be prepared to ask your own questions and make the interviewer know that you care!
How To Answer Your Call In Mid-Life
Hank Bochenski's story proves it is never too late to walk away from a life you feel trapped in and do something that you really love.
Create a Network and Catapult Your Job Search
Networking is still known as a great job-search strategy, yet it eludes some individuals simply because they don't know how to go about it. Individuals also tend to shy away from networking because it's time consuming. Unlike online résumé submission or folding a résumé, stuffing it in an envelope, and adhering a stamp, networking requires far more time and dedication. The results, however, can be quite different than those experienced from traditional résumé submission.
A Look At Some Out of the Ordinary Jobs
What do you want to be when you grow up? Chances are if you ask that question in any third grade class, your answers will include at least one fireman, one policeman, one cowboy and an assortment of other jobs that are glamorized on television and books.
How To Find A Job As A Copy Editor
Jobs for copy editors may seem like they are hard to find, but really you can find them and you can do so with many of the qualifications you already have. But, if you do not have any qualifications, this may be the first step in finding the copyediting job that you have been looking for. Jobs in this field are available, but it takes a good, solid portfolio and set of skills to get them. Here are some things to get you going in the right direction though.
Dont Settle
Chuck was the best of the twenty-four candidates. Still, he didn't have exactly what I was looking for and my instincts warned me of his unusual personality. Yet the skills required for the job were specialized and he had most of them, and I'd been interviewing for five months, and my boss wanted the position filled before the budget process started. No, he might not be perfect, but he would be ok.
The Perfect Fit: Women & Franchising
An interesting combination of factors at this time in history may be the reason so many women are turning to franchising to fulfill their entrepreneurial desires. Women's increased financial power, better education, and corporate experience, combined with their desire for more autonomy and desire to connect with others who share their values make franchising a great fit for many women.
Overwhelmed and Overworked: The Myth of American Productivity
Employment finally seemed back on track during the first few months of 2004. Politicians crowed that "Our tax cuts are working." Then, without warning, job growth slowed to a crawl, resulting in a deficit of more than 2 million jobs from that confidently predicted only a year ago. To counteract that dismal performance, public emphasis turned to another indicator, productivity. The reported increases in American productivity are quite genuine. Individual worker output collectively rose, from 2000 to 2003, by a full 12 percent. Definitely a bonus for Wall Street - but what about Main Street?
Turning the Table: Questions for Your Interviewer
(DES MOINES, Iowa ? January 26, 2005) The fateful final question of all interviewers may carry more weight than you would think. Upon hearing "Now, do you have any questions," you are given a chance to show the quality of your character and interest in the company. No matter how well the interview went, passively responding to this question with a shake of the head and a polite smile will only communicate to the employer that you are not interested in inquiring about the job, the company, and your place within their organization. Your approach to this Question & Answer time will directly impact the interviewer's assessment of you and the interview.
So, Your Made A Mistake
Of course, mistakes are important. Two facts put those you make in
perspective. One, everyone who plays the game makes mistakes. Two,
that you make mistakes is not nearly as important as what you do about
them.
7 Tips for Writing Winning Resume Cover Letters
Writing a good resume cover letter is something you should seriously consider when preparing to send off your resume to potential employers.
Salary Negotiation: How To Earn More Money and Respect From Your Employer
Despite how important fair pay is to most of us, effective salary negotiation is an often misunderstood and avoided topic. Current research indicates the average duration of a position today is 3.8 years. Over the lifespan of your career, how well you negotiate raises or starting pay will have an enormous cumulative effect on the quality of your life.
Network Now
Have you ever been to a networking event that was awkward, frustrating and nothing more than a business card exchange?
Become A Personal Trainer
Every human body is different and a personal trainer will know exactly how to not just get a human body into proper shape but also shape the body into the desired form. A personal trainer knows that while guys may want to 'bulk up'; a girl might want to slim down. A good personal trainer will know what to do to get the desired look wanted by their client.
9 Secrets to Career Success
Are you miserable at your job (or what you are doing) but go
anyway to earn a living? Do you feel you are unable to use
your talents and are doing things that are stressful? Do you
find yourself in a career rut? Wouldn't you rather be in your
ideal income position and "Go to Play" everyday? Most
people spend approximately 35% to over 67% of their
waking hours working. Being unhappy for so much of the
day makes it difficult to enjoy the rest of your waking hours.
Think how your life will turn around when you are actually
enjoying your "work." In your ideal career you will be doing
what you love and be so good at it that you will produce
considerable value which will attract more rewards
(including money) than you need.
Ideal Job and Handling Criticism
How many times have you been asked, "What is your dream job?"
How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews
Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.
Make Your Career Offshore Proof
There has been a lot of talk recently about American jobs moving overseas?offshoring is the buzzword for it. During difficult economic times it is often easy to find a scapegoat to blame for a downturn in jobs. While government reports and politicians try to downplay the impact, offshoring is something to take seriously. This article will discuss the permanent effect offshoring will have on U.S. jobs and what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen to you.
|