If your main New Year’s Resolution is to find a new job, you need to develop a strategic plan to achieve career success in 2009. The challenging economy has caused many of us to change our focus from advancing in our careers to settling for jobs that aren’t a match for us. While this may be a necessary short term solution due to the need for income and benefits, we need to keep our sights on striving for career opportunities that support our plan for continued career success.
Here are 6 Steps to Career Success in 2009:
1.) Develop and Implement a Strategic Career Plan
The need to plan an effective job search campaign is always important, and in difficult economic times it is vital to develop a strategy for finding the job that's right for you. Here are the steps of a Strategic Career Plan:
• Assess your skills, knowledge and experience and prioritize them in terms of what are most favorable to you in terms of what talents you want to use going forward
• Research the job marketplace and identify opportunities that are a fit for you
• Develop a marketing campaign, including written communications (resume, cover letter, biography) and verbal communications (interviewing and negotiating), that will allow you to effectively represent yourself to prospective employers
• Identify and utilize all the avenues available to identify job leads including job fairs, recruiters, referral sources and direct research and contact with companies
• Set realistic goals on a daily and weekly basis and follow-up on all leads
2.) Keep a Confident Attitude and Strive to Build and Maintain Momentum
By developing a plan and sticking to it, you are setting yourself apart from a lot of people who have lost confidence and are not maintaining a high level of job search activity. The result is less competition for you, so take positive advantage of this and increase your lead development.
3.) Explore New Career Options
Go in what many may see as a risky direction by exploring new career opportunities that interest you. Research new developments in various fields and attend events sponsored by an organization on the periphery of your current area of interest in order to expose yourself to new ideas. Gain introductions to people in those fields to get their insights as well as introductions to decision makers who could hire you. Take a chance at making a change to a career that allows you to follow your interests and your passion.
4.) Consider Temporary, Part-time and Project Opportunities
Even though companies may be looking to fill less full-time positions, they may increase their need for workers to fill temporary assignments, part-time positions and project-oriented roles. While these may not be the best match for your needs and interests, they can provide you with cash-flow while you continue to look for full-time opportunities. Also, these contingency positions can turn into full-time jobs down the road.
5.) Develop and Maintain a High Level of Learning
Now may be the time to start on a new career path by taking courses and seeking degrees and certifications in new fields. In addition to advancing your career, you must continue to develop the knowledge bases and skill sets that you need to accomplish objectives in all aspects of your life. Increased flexibility in both work schedules and educational programs support learning objectives. Keep up with the issues and trends that affect your career by being well-read and well-connected with your colleagues.
6.) Increase and Improve Your Professional Relationships
Along with a commitment to learning comes the opportunity to stay connected to your network of contacts by attending seminars, conferences and other events where like-minded individuals congregate. Take advantage of these opportunities to meet new people and share ideas of common interest. Stay in touch with those individuals who are supportive of you and bring something of value to each conversation.
Have a healthy and prosperous 2009, and make it the year of strong commitment to your career success!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Job Hunting in a Difficult Economy
With the grim economic news these days, I don't know about you, but I hate picking up the morning newspaper, checking my daily online alerts about the job market and viewing the lead stories on the web and TV news outlets because they are almost always about the bad economy.
While the news is certainly not a pick-me-up in instilling confidence about the state of the job market, we need to realize that companies are still hiring. Even companies that are laying off employees in some departments and functions are still looking for talent to fill other positions. I am urging my career transition clients to pick up the pace of their job searches.
Here are 5 Tips for Successful Job Hunting in a Difficult Economy:
1.) Develop and Implement a Strategic Action Plan
The need to plan an effective job search campaign is always important, and in difficult economic times it is vital to develop a strategy for finding the job that's right for you. Here are the steps of a Strategic Career Plan:
• Assess your talents and strengths and prioritize them in terms of what are most favorable to you
• Research the job marketplace and identify opportunities that are a fit for you
• Develop a marketing campaign, including written communications (resume, cover letter, biography) and verbal communications (interviewing and negotiating), that will allow you to effectively represent yourself to prospective employers
• Identify and utilize all the avenues available to identify job leads including job fairs, recruiters, referral sources and direct research and contact with companies
• Set realistic goals on a daily and weekly basis and follow-up on all leads
2.) Keep a Confident Attitude and Strive to Build and Maintain Momentum
By developing a plan and sticking to it, you are setting yourself apart from a lot of people who have lost confidence and are not maintaining a high level of job search activity. This results in less competition for you, so take positive advantage of this and increase your lead development.
3.) Consider Temporary, Part-time and Project Opportunities
Even though they may be looking to fill less full-time positions, companies may increase their need for workers to fill temporary assignments, part-time positions and project-oriented roles. While these may not be the best match for your needs and interests, they can provide you with cash-flow while you continue to look for full-time opportunities. Also, these contingency positions can turn into full-time jobs down the road.
4.) Increase your Networking to Expand Information and Job Referral Sources
Especially in difficult economic times, word-of-mouth job searching can produce quick and effective results. Pull out all the stops to develop and maintain referral sources not only for job leads but to get introduced to people in companies you are interested in working for and individuals who can provide vital information on trends affecting your field, function and industry.
5.) Don't Go It Alone: Seek Support
The job hunt is an emotional roller coaster to begin with, and it is much more stressful in a challenging economy. Seek both emotional and professional support from those around you. Take advantage of job search support groups offered by a number of non-profit organizations and government agencies. Utilize the expertise of a career coach to bring efficiencies to your search. Don't operate in a vacuum. There are many sources of support ready to assist you in developing a strategic plan for continued career success.
While the news is certainly not a pick-me-up in instilling confidence about the state of the job market, we need to realize that companies are still hiring. Even companies that are laying off employees in some departments and functions are still looking for talent to fill other positions. I am urging my career transition clients to pick up the pace of their job searches.
Here are 5 Tips for Successful Job Hunting in a Difficult Economy:
1.) Develop and Implement a Strategic Action Plan
The need to plan an effective job search campaign is always important, and in difficult economic times it is vital to develop a strategy for finding the job that's right for you. Here are the steps of a Strategic Career Plan:
• Assess your talents and strengths and prioritize them in terms of what are most favorable to you
• Research the job marketplace and identify opportunities that are a fit for you
• Develop a marketing campaign, including written communications (resume, cover letter, biography) and verbal communications (interviewing and negotiating), that will allow you to effectively represent yourself to prospective employers
• Identify and utilize all the avenues available to identify job leads including job fairs, recruiters, referral sources and direct research and contact with companies
• Set realistic goals on a daily and weekly basis and follow-up on all leads
2.) Keep a Confident Attitude and Strive to Build and Maintain Momentum
By developing a plan and sticking to it, you are setting yourself apart from a lot of people who have lost confidence and are not maintaining a high level of job search activity. This results in less competition for you, so take positive advantage of this and increase your lead development.
3.) Consider Temporary, Part-time and Project Opportunities
Even though they may be looking to fill less full-time positions, companies may increase their need for workers to fill temporary assignments, part-time positions and project-oriented roles. While these may not be the best match for your needs and interests, they can provide you with cash-flow while you continue to look for full-time opportunities. Also, these contingency positions can turn into full-time jobs down the road.
4.) Increase your Networking to Expand Information and Job Referral Sources
Especially in difficult economic times, word-of-mouth job searching can produce quick and effective results. Pull out all the stops to develop and maintain referral sources not only for job leads but to get introduced to people in companies you are interested in working for and individuals who can provide vital information on trends affecting your field, function and industry.
5.) Don't Go It Alone: Seek Support
The job hunt is an emotional roller coaster to begin with, and it is much more stressful in a challenging economy. Seek both emotional and professional support from those around you. Take advantage of job search support groups offered by a number of non-profit organizations and government agencies. Utilize the expertise of a career coach to bring efficiencies to your search. Don't operate in a vacuum. There are many sources of support ready to assist you in developing a strategic plan for continued career success.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Gear up for a Successful Job Search in Prime Time!
Stop the excuses! Yeah, it’s summer time and everyone seems to be on vacation. Not the time to be planning and starting a job search? WRONG!
Back when I started my career, there were some definite cycles that defined the level of hiring during the calendar year. During the summer months, recruiting activity decreased as hiring managers and candidates took vacation. As Thanksgiving approached, hiring slowed way down until after the new year began.
Today, in our virtual, 24/7, go-go-go world of work, recruiting activity slows down only slightly during the summer and the year-end holidays. The 3 months of September, October and November are Prime Recruiting Time as employers are back from vacation, the kids are back in school and everyone gets back to focusing on work.
Take advantage of this time to prepare for an effective transition with these 5 Action Steps:
1.) Assess Your Career
Is your current job meeting your expectations? Is it time to look at new opportunities
that are a better fit with your interests, values and priorities? Analyze your current
situation and determine if the job/function/company are meeting your needs. If not, what needs to change?
2.) Restate your Objectives and Goals
What are your short-term objectives and long-term career goals? These can change
as we think about new directions and priorities, so always be thinking about revising
your roadmap to success.
3.) Explore the Market for Your Talents and Interests
With your goals in mind, put on your detective’s cap and investigate the potential
opportunities out in the career marketplace. What trends are affecting your function
and/or industry? What companies are on top of their competitive game and could use your talents? ID the organizations you want to target. If you are looking for part-time or temporary assignments, the Fall is a great time to be looking as companies, especially retailers and the firms that provide them with products are gearing up for the holiday season.
4.) Conduct a Personal Marketing Makeover
You have one chance to make a good first impression. Revise your resume to be an
effective sales tool to communicate your background and interests to prospective
employers. Brush up on your interviewing techniques and negotiating strategies.
Develop an extensive plan to ID jobs that interest you, and work hard to increase
your visibility in the job marketplace through networking (social networking on the
Internet as well as face to face) and following up with referrals.
5.) Implement a Strategy to Success
Take that plan and make it work for you by setting weekly goals for yourself in
utilizing all the avenues available for developing job leads including networking, searching job boards, contacting recruiters and introducing yourself directly to
decision-makers in companies that interest you. Build and maintain the momentum necessary to successfully reach your career goals!
Back when I started my career, there were some definite cycles that defined the level of hiring during the calendar year. During the summer months, recruiting activity decreased as hiring managers and candidates took vacation. As Thanksgiving approached, hiring slowed way down until after the new year began.
Today, in our virtual, 24/7, go-go-go world of work, recruiting activity slows down only slightly during the summer and the year-end holidays. The 3 months of September, October and November are Prime Recruiting Time as employers are back from vacation, the kids are back in school and everyone gets back to focusing on work.
Take advantage of this time to prepare for an effective transition with these 5 Action Steps:
1.) Assess Your Career
Is your current job meeting your expectations? Is it time to look at new opportunities
that are a better fit with your interests, values and priorities? Analyze your current
situation and determine if the job/function/company are meeting your needs. If not, what needs to change?
2.) Restate your Objectives and Goals
What are your short-term objectives and long-term career goals? These can change
as we think about new directions and priorities, so always be thinking about revising
your roadmap to success.
3.) Explore the Market for Your Talents and Interests
With your goals in mind, put on your detective’s cap and investigate the potential
opportunities out in the career marketplace. What trends are affecting your function
and/or industry? What companies are on top of their competitive game and could use your talents? ID the organizations you want to target. If you are looking for part-time or temporary assignments, the Fall is a great time to be looking as companies, especially retailers and the firms that provide them with products are gearing up for the holiday season.
4.) Conduct a Personal Marketing Makeover
You have one chance to make a good first impression. Revise your resume to be an
effective sales tool to communicate your background and interests to prospective
employers. Brush up on your interviewing techniques and negotiating strategies.
Develop an extensive plan to ID jobs that interest you, and work hard to increase
your visibility in the job marketplace through networking (social networking on the
Internet as well as face to face) and following up with referrals.
5.) Implement a Strategy to Success
Take that plan and make it work for you by setting weekly goals for yourself in
utilizing all the avenues available for developing job leads including networking, searching job boards, contacting recruiters and introducing yourself directly to
decision-makers in companies that interest you. Build and maintain the momentum necessary to successfully reach your career goals!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Closing the Workplace Generation Gap: Mentoring Benefits Both Young and Old
I just returned from Aging In America 2008, the annual conference of both the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging. In addition to presenting a workshop, I had the opportunity to attend a number of presentations on workforce issues that pertained not only to older workers but to employees of all ages.
With four generations sharing the workplace, conflicts arise regarding the ability of members of different generations to effectively work together. Traditionalists (Born before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964), Generation X (1965 to 1983) and Millennials (Born after 1983) bring a variety of life experiences, work perspectives and communication styles to organizations. A number of issues and ideas around communications were presented at the conference.
Mentoring is an excellent tool for fostering greater understanding among the generations as well as one solution to the “Brain Drain” that companies are facing as more Boomers reach retirement age. One panel presentation at the Aging In America 2008 conference stressed the need for organizations to adapt a culture of mentoring on a continuous basis that is an integral part of training and development.
Rather than have an experienced employee who is leaving the company try to cram a transfer of knowledge about their job to their replacement in a 2 to 4 week period just before their departure, companies are wise to develop an on-going mentor program that allows for this knowledge transfer and that also encourages novice and veteran employees the opportunity to understand each other’s perspective and discuss better ways to work productively.
One presentation highlighted Prime Time Partners Network, an initiative established at Glaxo Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals, a great example of engaging people to improve their day to day work environment and effectively develop themselves by taking part in a number of networking opportunities in the company.
A key resource for this is leveraging knowledge and experience through mentoring, not just by oldsters toward youngsters but also visa versa. This knowledge sharing increases the understanding of where the generations are coming from in their approach to work, how best to communicate with them and how to take advantage of generational differences and strengths to develop effective teams.
Mentoring is a management tool that can add to the overall productivity of a company and improve the recruitment and retention of quality employees. Food for thought as companies battle it out in the War for Talent.
With four generations sharing the workplace, conflicts arise regarding the ability of members of different generations to effectively work together. Traditionalists (Born before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964), Generation X (1965 to 1983) and Millennials (Born after 1983) bring a variety of life experiences, work perspectives and communication styles to organizations. A number of issues and ideas around communications were presented at the conference.
Mentoring is an excellent tool for fostering greater understanding among the generations as well as one solution to the “Brain Drain” that companies are facing as more Boomers reach retirement age. One panel presentation at the Aging In America 2008 conference stressed the need for organizations to adapt a culture of mentoring on a continuous basis that is an integral part of training and development.
Rather than have an experienced employee who is leaving the company try to cram a transfer of knowledge about their job to their replacement in a 2 to 4 week period just before their departure, companies are wise to develop an on-going mentor program that allows for this knowledge transfer and that also encourages novice and veteran employees the opportunity to understand each other’s perspective and discuss better ways to work productively.
One presentation highlighted Prime Time Partners Network, an initiative established at Glaxo Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals, a great example of engaging people to improve their day to day work environment and effectively develop themselves by taking part in a number of networking opportunities in the company.
A key resource for this is leveraging knowledge and experience through mentoring, not just by oldsters toward youngsters but also visa versa. This knowledge sharing increases the understanding of where the generations are coming from in their approach to work, how best to communicate with them and how to take advantage of generational differences and strengths to develop effective teams.
Mentoring is a management tool that can add to the overall productivity of a company and improve the recruitment and retention of quality employees. Food for thought as companies battle it out in the War for Talent.
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