Engaging in your Job Search

I’ve been a Career Coach for a number of years and I have found in many cases clients that have been displaced (laid-off), their first instinct is to update their resume and apply for many jobs on-line, and then wait, and wait and wait to receive a response. Yes, often times they receive the auto-generated response from the company’s tracking system informing them that their resume has been received (and has now landed in their “black-hole”).

Some are contacted and interviewed, without knowing the interview process: how to interview, how to properly respond to the “salary” question, and the weakness question, but they wing it, and some even get an opportunity for multiple interviews and some do receive a job offer. However, this is few and far between.

This is all done, without going through self-assessment or evaluation process to determine, what their next company, position, etc. might even look like.

Clarify your goals, values and where you want to go

Looking back at your employment history, respond to the following:

• What has been most/least meaningful about your work in the past?

• Why was this meaningful?

• Why was this not meaningful?

• What was the best/worst company, or components of companies that you worked at?

• Why were these the best?

• Why were these the worst?

• It’s important that I believe in the company Mission/Values

• True/False

• What are your short-term (1-2 years) career goals?

• What are your long-term (2-5 years) career goals?

• What matters to you outside of work?

• How does your job/career add to what matters to you outside of work?

Assess your capabilities, competencies and development needs

(Quick definitions – Capabilities mean what you do. For example – you do Project Management, you do Coding, you Write Curriculum, etc. Competencies are your characteristics related to your success. For example – behavioral, technical, intelligence, attitude, etc.)

• What are your key capabilities and how can you best demonstrate them to your future employer? (in writing, in conversation, and in reality)

• Which of your key capabilities give you enough energy to bring with you to your next position?

• Which of your key capabilities take energy away from you? Or, key capabilities that you’d rather not focus on in your next role?

• What could you do to improve upon your key capabilities?

• What are your key competencies, and how can you best demonstrate them to your future employer? (in writing, in conversation and in reality.)

• What could you do to improve upon your key competencies?

• What derails you?

• What are the triggers that cause you to derail?

• What might you do to mitigate those derailers?

My post next week will pick up from here – I’ve done my self-assessment, now what?

In my upcoming blogs over the next few weeks, my hope is to outline a few basic concepts and steps to landing your next position that will be a “win-win” for all involved.

Jean Radeztsky is the owner of Avail Coaching and Consulting www.availcoachingandconsulting.com , Avail focuses in the areas of Leadership | Organization Development | Career Coaching | Human Resources

Please contact Jean for any of the above services; she can be reached at jean@availcoachingandconsulting.com