WomenVenture is the economic resource for women. We’re your first step for help. We understand women; your challenges and the inherent obstacles in your career lives and as business owners. We’re the guides and champions to help you reach new heights and secure economic prosperity. If you need something we don’t provide we’ll help you find it.
www.womenventure.org T: 651-646-3808
Here are some often overlooked fundamentals to conducting an effective job search
and landing on your feet.
1. Find a safe and supportive place to move through your emotions. If you ignore this important step in the process you’ll end up conveying your ‘mess’ and not your ‘message’ in every networking, interview situation.
2. Focus, focus, focus. If you don’t know where you want to go and how you are going to get there you’ll waste enormous time and energy, and you’ll burn through the people who want to help you without getting results.
- What is your ideal next career position?
- What is missing from your experience, knowledge, skills or connections to get you there?
- How do you know when to expand your search parameters?
- What’s your financial bottom line? How long can you afford to search?
- What resources are available to you to extend that time line, or to reduce stress while you’re in the process?
- How clear are you on what you’ll do if you are offered something that is not what you really want/need?
3. Spend your energy with what is IN your control, not on what’s OUT of your control.
- You have a tremendous opportunity in your hands—embrace it
- Find gratitude in each day. It will save your life and is contagious
- Your attitude is yours to control. Choose wisely
4. Don’t go it alone. Do you know what you don’t know? When we don’t know what to do, we do what we know. For most people this means repeating old behaviors which have yet to get the results we need.
5. Get the right people in your life boat.
- Find accountability partners
- Find guides and cheerleaders
- Find those willing and able to help
- Learn how to respond to those close to you, who should not be in your life boat
6. Once you have clear focus and next steps, be very specific in what you ask for from others.
- People want to help. Make it easy for them to do so while getting what you need.
- Informational interviews are conducted by the job seeker, not the one being interviewed. It is not a job interview. It is your job to be well-prepared, to ask the questions and to honor the other person’s time.
- Know where you are in your process. Are you gathering information to ascertain what career path to take? Are you learning about an organization or industry? What is your objective?
7. Be visible and search-able both in-person and on-line with the right people. Out of every 100 jobs more than 75 are still found because of who you know, but more importantly, because of who knows you.
- Volunteer where you will retain or gain experience, where you will be seen by those in a position to help you, and maximize the relationships you make
- Google yourself
- Get on linked-in and make sure your file is 100% complete
- Develop your value to others and your personal brand. In today’s economy complete is not enough, you need to be compelling
- Maximize key words in your profile and when applying for jobs
- Become a subject matter expert on LinkedIn
- Get your resumes on line: Minnesotaworks.net
8. Have a clear, well articulated personal brand. Don’t try to be all things to all people.
9. Develop five top STAR stories. They are the key to conveying your value. Know them by heart.
- Situation, Task, Action and Result: (2/3 of the story should be on the action and result)
- Showcase multiple skills and results from which you can draw in each story to demonstrate your value specific to the employer’s need
- Telling a relevant, concise and value-demonstrating story will make you memorable and compelling
10. Practice your own cheese sandwich till you can deliver it with full confidence and watch your interview and networking experiences turn around.
- Check out my blog (https://elizabethpetrylee.wordpress.com/ ) for the full how-to’s to building a cheese sandwich of your own and master your most dreaded interview question.
To learn how to do all of these, or for help with starting your own business, contact WomenVenture.
Get Hired! our two day career workshop is a great way to kick-start and focus your career search. Pursue Your Passion and Purpose is a powerful class series designed to find the career and life path which fits your call to purpose and passion. Testing and Assessments provide concrete feedback about your skills, aptitudes and natural talents. Our career transition groups support and hold participants accountable during job search. And our Life Coaching and Career Consultations give you the one-on-one attention you want.
If you are considering starting your own business or want to grow the business you have, Plan to Succeed and our other business services can move your plans to action. WomenVenture has a tuition reduction/scholarship program so that ability to pay is not a barrier to getting the support and guidance you seek. Please speak to our Client Services Team members for complete information. www.womenventure.org T: 651-646-3808
To connect with the community of past clients, current participants, volunteers, sponsors and our staff join our womenventure (one word) LinkedIn group and join the discussion.