Career Makeover: It All Starts With You
Job hunting. Without a doubt, one of life’s toughest processes. By the end of the brutal regime, your self-esteem can be rock bottom, your pile of ‘no-replies’ piling and your CV a collection of jibberish. So here’s how to own the process, sell your skills and approach that mean market head on. Inspired by Simon Boulton at Yahoo! Finance.
All Part Of The Package
It’s a fine balancing act- being different without being too different. You want to do something that will make people notice you, without doing something that makes you Watercooler Legend. Don’t send balloons with your face on it, or hire a sky writer. But if you’re best in a verbal situation, spinning the light fantastic with your words, why not make a video CV? Or set up a website to show what you can do? After all, it’s always struck me that employers are looking for people who will fit in well with the company and who don’t need to have their hand held. Good employers want innovation- after all, do you want to work for someone who doesn’t like new ideas?
Get Rid Of The Rose Coloured Glasses
You are unique. There is nothing you can do about that, so you may as well learn to love it and learn to sell it. We’ve all got less-than-hot features, and you can guarentee the employer is going to ask you about them. Don’t say that your flaw is that you work too hard- be honest (unless you’re a kleptomaniac, maybe keep that one on the DL). You’re looking for a job you love- you as much want to make sure you’ll enjoy it as the employer wants to know you’ll succeed in the position. Make sure you can clearly articulate your dreams, goals and objectives. Employers want someone who has a forward vision and knows what they would like to achieve. If you can explain how this job fits in with your wider goals, you are onto a winner.
Don’t Limit Yourself
I think it’s always a good idea to leave a lot of time for the job hunt process. The reason is not solely because it’s brutal out there, but it gives you a chance to approach people you want to work for, not just the ones who are currently hiring. Write a list of 20 companies you would love to work for. Work out your pitch, and call them and ask if you can come in for a chat. You have absolutely zero to lose, worse case scenario they say no. And, in that case, often when the time comes that they are ready to hire, your name will probably have been written down somewhere. This process can yield a lot of things- a possible job, extra information about who in the industry might be hiring and practice at talking to potential employers. It’s never going to hurt your cause, and it’s a great opportunity to network. The whole world is just a big country town- people talk. Behind the scenes, everyone is talking to one another and there can be a lot of benefits in just putting yourself out there.
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