ENTJ Personality: ENTJ Careers
ENTJ Personality: ENTJ Careers: ENTJs often self identify with their careers as this aspect of their life is very important to them. This article will present a short summa...
Job Search does NOT have to be Frustrating
Job Search can be frustrating. It is the nature of the beast if you approach it in a haphazard way. As a Career Coach I see this frustration over and over in my clients, but it doesn't have to be that way. The best advice to counter the frustrations of not knowing what to do next, not hearing back from prospective employers and getting rejected for good opportunities is to develop a focused, workable job search plan.
If you are treating your job search like a full-time job, then you will have goals for the number of contacts you need to make each week, including networking contacts. Remember, your next job may very well come from a friend of a friend of a friend. Over and over I have seen this happen, so I always request that my clients spend about 40% of their job search time working on developing those all-important networking contacts.
Keep in mind that you are NOT asking these contacts for jobs, just leads to potential employers and other people who may be helpful to you. It takes a few tries before this feels comfortable, but after that the fear/frustration subsides. It is at this point in the job search process that I see my clients really become focused and confident in their searches.
If you are treating your job search like a full-time job, then you will have goals for the number of contacts you need to make each week, including networking contacts. Remember, your next job may very well come from a friend of a friend of a friend. Over and over I have seen this happen, so I always request that my clients spend about 40% of their job search time working on developing those all-important networking contacts.
Keep in mind that you are NOT asking these contacts for jobs, just leads to potential employers and other people who may be helpful to you. It takes a few tries before this feels comfortable, but after that the fear/frustration subsides. It is at this point in the job search process that I see my clients really become focused and confident in their searches.
Today's Top 5 Interview Tips
As a Certified Career Management Coach, I often find that my clients are more than happy to have me create their professional resumes, but not at all interested in having me help prepare them for their interviews (at least initially). When I ask them if they feel prepared, I ususally hear, "Oh, I can talk to anyone. I don't need any help with that."
Since they are sitting in my office things typically haven't worked out that well for them in their job searches and they are now asking for help, particularly with their interviews. Here are the top 5 tips I share with them before we begin the process of videotaped interviewing practice.
1. Know Thy Self. Know your resume inside out. Be able to recall and describe in depth your key accomplishments and key strengths and how they relate to the goals of the company you are interviewing with. Practice, practice, practice. Here's an example: if you had a golf match scheduled and you hadn't played in a couple of years, would you just got out and whack away or would you go to the practice tee/green to get reacquainted with your swing and get more comfortable?
2. Be prepared - know where you are going - exactly where you are going, which building, which floor, etc; who you are going to be meeting and their titles. Be sure to take several copies of your resume with you to the interview. Not everyone will have had an opportunity to review it beforehand (believe it or not).
3. Dress one step above the level you are interviewing for. This is the best you will ever look on the job and you will be making many first impressions on the people who have the power to hire you, so do it right. Remember it is one step above what YOU WOULD NORMALLY WEAR ON THE JOB. Look sharp!
4. Know the 4 stages of the interview:
Stage 1 is your introduction, which includes a cool, crisp handshake with good eye contact. Be pleasant, be yourself - your best self. This is a time to be professional, not to tell jokes.
Stage 2 is when they ask questions - typically it feels like an interrogation, but it really is just them gathering information about you so that they can decide if you are the right fit for the job and the company. Be prepared by knowing what types of questions they might ask and practicing your answers to them.
Stage 3 is your turn to ask questions. Carry a portfolio and have 7-10 questions already written down. When it is time to ask a questions, just open your portfolio and begin asking. This shows your level of preparation. Not only will they see that you prepared questions, but also that you have extra resumes as well.
Stage 4 takes place as you are leaving. You need to 'hook' them. Let them know that you are very interested in the job and that you would like to know how/when you will be contacted regarding the next step. You may offer to call, if appropriate. Remember to look them in the eyes and thank them.
5. Always send a thank you note/letter. I advise using snail mail as opposed to an email. I think it carries more weight. And over the years, this simple gesture has earned my clients second interviews and lots of compliments.
Those are today's top interview tips. There is so much more I could say about interviewing, but I will save that for a later time. If anyone has any particular questions please send them my way. I will do my best to answer them.
Since they are sitting in my office things typically haven't worked out that well for them in their job searches and they are now asking for help, particularly with their interviews. Here are the top 5 tips I share with them before we begin the process of videotaped interviewing practice.
1. Know Thy Self. Know your resume inside out. Be able to recall and describe in depth your key accomplishments and key strengths and how they relate to the goals of the company you are interviewing with. Practice, practice, practice. Here's an example: if you had a golf match scheduled and you hadn't played in a couple of years, would you just got out and whack away or would you go to the practice tee/green to get reacquainted with your swing and get more comfortable?
2. Be prepared - know where you are going - exactly where you are going, which building, which floor, etc; who you are going to be meeting and their titles. Be sure to take several copies of your resume with you to the interview. Not everyone will have had an opportunity to review it beforehand (believe it or not).
3. Dress one step above the level you are interviewing for. This is the best you will ever look on the job and you will be making many first impressions on the people who have the power to hire you, so do it right. Remember it is one step above what YOU WOULD NORMALLY WEAR ON THE JOB. Look sharp!
4. Know the 4 stages of the interview:
Stage 1 is your introduction, which includes a cool, crisp handshake with good eye contact. Be pleasant, be yourself - your best self. This is a time to be professional, not to tell jokes.
Stage 2 is when they ask questions - typically it feels like an interrogation, but it really is just them gathering information about you so that they can decide if you are the right fit for the job and the company. Be prepared by knowing what types of questions they might ask and practicing your answers to them.
Stage 3 is your turn to ask questions. Carry a portfolio and have 7-10 questions already written down. When it is time to ask a questions, just open your portfolio and begin asking. This shows your level of preparation. Not only will they see that you prepared questions, but also that you have extra resumes as well.
Stage 4 takes place as you are leaving. You need to 'hook' them. Let them know that you are very interested in the job and that you would like to know how/when you will be contacted regarding the next step. You may offer to call, if appropriate. Remember to look them in the eyes and thank them.
5. Always send a thank you note/letter. I advise using snail mail as opposed to an email. I think it carries more weight. And over the years, this simple gesture has earned my clients second interviews and lots of compliments.
Those are today's top interview tips. There is so much more I could say about interviewing, but I will save that for a later time. If anyone has any particular questions please send them my way. I will do my best to answer them.
3 Steps to Jumpstart a Career Change
It seems that this time of year I typically have a number of clients who are seeking new career directions. They do this for a number of reasons. The most common reason that I hear is that they dislike their boss, followed closely by the fact that they are not appreciated/rewarded and not far from the top is that they are bored with their career or have no room for advancement.
Regardless of how my clients come to me, we always step back and look at where they are and how they got there. Looking back and assessing/analyzing their current situation and the career path they have followed is essential to making good career decisions in the future.
Without going into the nitty gritty of just how to do that, I typically start with a client by asking three questions:
1. How did you choose your career field? (Looking for motivators/decision making style)
2. What do you like about it? (Looking for values)
3. What would you change if you could change something about your current career? (Looking at problem solving style and values and possibly skills)
Conducting a thorough career assessment is important to making good career decisions. However, over the last twenty years, I have found that many successful people have told me that they ‘just fell into’ their careers. When we discussed their career paths at great length, what I found was that they had actually positioned themselves to be in the right place at the right time. What that means is that they typically had a good idea of their values and the types of things that motivated them. So when an opportunity came around they pursued it. Some people call it, ‘following their passion’. Others call it ‘dumb luck’. Either way, it is very important to know what is important to you and what price you will pay to get what you want. For example, is more schooling going to position you? Will relocation give you a better change of getting what you want? Will changing your lifestyle help to have a better quality of life if that is what you are seeking? The bottomline is that you need to know what is important to you. That’s where a good career coach or career counselor can help you. You can find listings of Certified Career Management Coaches at Career Coach Academy.
Regardless of how my clients come to me, we always step back and look at where they are and how they got there. Looking back and assessing/analyzing their current situation and the career path they have followed is essential to making good career decisions in the future.
Without going into the nitty gritty of just how to do that, I typically start with a client by asking three questions:
1. How did you choose your career field? (Looking for motivators/decision making style)
2. What do you like about it? (Looking for values)
3. What would you change if you could change something about your current career? (Looking at problem solving style and values and possibly skills)
Conducting a thorough career assessment is important to making good career decisions. However, over the last twenty years, I have found that many successful people have told me that they ‘just fell into’ their careers. When we discussed their career paths at great length, what I found was that they had actually positioned themselves to be in the right place at the right time. What that means is that they typically had a good idea of their values and the types of things that motivated them. So when an opportunity came around they pursued it. Some people call it, ‘following their passion’. Others call it ‘dumb luck’. Either way, it is very important to know what is important to you and what price you will pay to get what you want. For example, is more schooling going to position you? Will relocation give you a better change of getting what you want? Will changing your lifestyle help to have a better quality of life if that is what you are seeking? The bottomline is that you need to know what is important to you. That’s where a good career coach or career counselor can help you. You can find listings of Certified Career Management Coaches at Career Coach Academy.
Leaving a Job
As a Certified Career Management Coach I find that everyday I am working with people who are unhappy in their jobs. They may love what they do for work, but detest where they do it. Sometimes that boils down to a bad boss or even bad co-workers. When you find that you are spending a great deal of time and expending a great deal of energy negative work situation, it is time to fix it or forget it. Sounds simple. However we are often so afraid of the unknown, particularly in a job search, that we stay put.
By the time I usually see someone in this situation, they have boiled over. They will tell me that for years they had wanted to leave their employer, but it wasn't until something big happened that they just couldn't stay any longer. They also tell me that they wish they had made the move years before. The relief I see on their faces tells me that they have done the right thing.
What is it that has forced you to leave a job? There is a poll going on right now, so join in and let us know. If the reason you have left a job is not listed then feel free to post me through comments section. We will discuss this in more depth after the poll.
By the time I usually see someone in this situation, they have boiled over. They will tell me that for years they had wanted to leave their employer, but it wasn't until something big happened that they just couldn't stay any longer. They also tell me that they wish they had made the move years before. The relief I see on their faces tells me that they have done the right thing.
What is it that has forced you to leave a job? There is a poll going on right now, so join in and let us know. If the reason you have left a job is not listed then feel free to post me through comments section. We will discuss this in more depth after the poll.
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