New Year new start!
Are
you in the situation where you are looking for a new role? Whether it’s been
forced on you by a redundancy or it’s your choice, the principles of
transitioning are similar.
The
key revolves around taking accountability for your approach and attitude. This
is so important because despite your background, experience and qualifications,
businesses want to work with people they like. They want someone who will
contribute and demonstrate a ‘can-do’ attitude. So playing hard to get, being
despondent about your situation or precious about meeting times will get you
nowhere.
So
what can you do to hone your ‘can-do’ attitude? You need to find your own
balance. Ensure that you have enough time to relax, to recharge your energy to
prepare yourself emotionally and physically for your next role. Find some
activities that make you feel good, particularly things that involve helping others.
These are the activities that you will find will give you more back, building
your self-esteem and confidence. This is important because we often can suffer
a dent in this area when we are not connected to a job and the social
reinforcement that we gain from it.
Also
be aware of the key people you mix with. The closest five people to you will
have the most influence on you. Are they positive about your prospects? Will they
help you if needed? Will they offer you encouragement? If you get some no’s then
those people may not be the best for you at this particular time.
With
the right attitude we all know we can achieve things beyond our dreams, after
all how do we ever grow out of being ‘paper boys’? If you want to turbo charge
your journey add some goal setting to your attitude and see where that might
get you!
Now
back to the here and now, the other things that you may want to review to
assist your job search are researching the market and preparing a good Resume.
One
of the easiest ways to research the job market is to register your job profile
on one of the job websites and then receive regular emails with the links to
the jobs advertised that match your profile. From this you can see the jobs
that might be of interest to you and also the agencies or companies that are
hiring in your area.
You
can then set up a plan as to how best approach the companies or agencies that
are most likely to have something to offer you.
So
how do you tempt them and demonstrate that you have something in turn to offer?
Of course you can try the novelty tricks, like sending a tea bag in with your
application or delivering a hard copy in person. Whilst these might work if you
are in fact the right person for the role, it’s more than likely just to throw
them off the scent. Better to play the game well!
It
is a game where you have a very short time to make a good impression. So
whether your first contact is by phone or email follow the basic rules and
present yourself as a viable applicant. And be aware that skipping any of these
points will increase the chance of you being overlooked at a very early stage.
- Answer all the
questions needed in the process.
- Provide correct
contact details. Surprising how many people have listed an old mobile number!
- Ditch the cute voicemail
answering machine; clients want professional capability not entertainment.
- Ensure your CV
is up to date and has measurable key achievements listed. This will demonstrate
your understanding of where your role fits in the business and how well you
performed it.
Once
you’ve got this far your ready for the next step, networking! We’ll cover the
power of smart networking in my next article.