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February 23 - March 17, 2021
you can at least double your chances of success in your job search by doing six things: Mastering job search skills Improving the way you present yourself in interviews and elsewhere Being more aware of and confident about your skills Taking action Setting goals Getting help when needed
Employers’ main value/concern is risk. Job hunters’ main value/concern is time.
When you change jobs by choice, you often can obtain a much higher salary than you would if you remained in the lockstep salary plans of your present employer.
In today’s world, the person who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best; rather, it’s the one who knows the most about how to get hired.
THE JOB SEARCH IS A MIND GAME: HERE ARE TEN WAYS TO WIN
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” What a wonderful reminder that our thoughts aren’t always our friends.
1. Take care of your body and mind by getting adequate sleep.
2. Keep yourself physically fit and healthy.
3. Treat yourself kindly.
4. Believe that your behavior matters.
Dr. Seligman suddenly turned his research around and started studying “learned optimism”; that is, how we can learn to be optimistic in the same way we learned to be helpless. And we can. Dr. Seligman’s book Learned Optimism
5. Develop a flexible mindset by reframing your situation.
6. Let your mind wander and envision a new future. Another principle of appreciative inquiry is that images inspire action.
7. Harness the power of goal setting.
8. Avoid procrastination.
9. Expand your mental horizons and learn something new.
10. Find positive ways to channel your frustrations or anger.
HOW TO DEAL WITH ANY CHALLENGES YOU HAVE IN THE JOB SEARCH
Read a newspaper earlier on the day of the event. Check the headlines for interesting events people might want to talk about. Have some conversation starters ready; entertainment is always a good start—concerts, festivals, sporting events.
or future careers that you are considering. The kinds of topics that work best for this exercise are: A hobby you love, such as skiing, board games, exercise, technology Any leisure-time enthusiasm, such as a movie you just saw that you liked a lot A longtime curiosity, such as how they predict the weather, or what astronauts do An aspect of the town or city you live in, such as a newly revamped historic district An issue you feel strongly about, such as unhoused people, racial justice issues, climate change, peace, health, returning veterans
Ask the person you’re practice interviewing: How did you get involved with/become interested in this [hobby, curiosity, aspect, issue, or enthusiasm that you are so interested in]? What do you like the most about it? What do you like the least about it? Who else would you suggest I talk to who shares this interest? Can I use your name? May I tell them it was you who recommended that I talk with them?
List of 248 Skills as Verbs achieving acting adapting addressing administering advising analyzing anticipating arbitrating arranging ascertaining assembling assessing attaining auditing budgeting building calculating charting
checking classifying coaching collecting communicating compiling completing composing computing conceptualizing conducting conserving consolidating constructing controlling coordinating coping counseling creating dancing deciding defining delivering designing detailing detecting determining developing devising diagnosing digging directing discovering
CHOOSE A CAREER, CHANGE A CAREER, OR FIND A JOB: WHAT WORKS
Explore Broadly Look into any career that seems fascinating or even interesting to you. But first talk to people who are already doing that work, to find out if the career or job is as great as it seems from the outside.
A projection from Glassdoor.com, reported on CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/22/glassdoor-the-20-best-jobs-in-america-in-2019.html), listed these top ten hot jobs for 2019: Data Scientist Nursing Manager Marketing Manager Occupational Therapist Product Manager Development & Operations (DevOps) Engineer Program Manager Data Engineer Human Resources (HR) Manager Software Engineer
Use Career Tests Sparingly
Dr. Martin Seligman’s assessment website, Authentic Happiness. This site provides a variety of assessments related to work, including the Values in Action (VIA) Survey of Character Strengths and the Work-Life Questionnaire, at https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter. They are all free, but you need to create a password. The University of Missouri’s Career Interests Game can be found at https://career.missouri.edu/career-interest-game. This is based on a shortened version of John Holland’s Self-Directed Search (SDS), the “Party Exercise.” It’s well redesigned here.
Going to private employment agencies or search firms for help. These firms, also known as staffing agencies, talent agencies, and recruiting firms, used to place just office workers; now it’s hard to think of a category of jobs they don’t try to place, especially in large metropolitan areas.
THE FLOWER EXERCISE: SELF-INVENTORY, PART 1
The Flower Diagram describes who you are in seven ways, summarized on one page, in one graphic. After all, you are not just one of these things; you are all of these things.
You must think instead: “I am a person…” “I am a person who… has had these experiences…” “I am a person who… is skilled at…” “I am a person who…knows a lot about…” “I am a person who…is unique in this way or that…”
The petals are set up in a flow, so to speak, in that one item leads to the next: The people you work with The look and feel of your workplace The degree to which it lets you use your favorite skills, abilities, or talents The degree to which this job lands you in your favorite field or fields of knowledge and interest The salary The geographical location The degree to which it gives you a sense of purpose for your life, or fits in with the purpose you want your life to serve
Am a Person Who…Has These Favorite Kinds of People My Preferred Kinds of People to Work Beside or Serve Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To identify the types of people who can either make the job delightful or ruin your day, your week, your year. What You Are Looking For: (1) Coworkers and colleagues: a better picture in your mind of what kind of people surrounding you at work will enable you to operate at your highest and most effective level. (2) Clients or customers: a better picture in your mind of what kind of people you would most like to serve or help: defined by age, problems,
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I Am a Person Who…Has these favorite working conditions My Preferred Working Conditions Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To state the physical working conditions and surroundings that would make you happiest, and therefore enable you to do your most effective work. What You Are Looking For: Setting yourself up for a great work environment and avoiding past bad experiences. Form of the Entries on Your Petal: Descriptors of physical surroundings and general work environment. Example of a Helpful Petal: A workspace with lots of windows, nice view of greenery, relatively quiet, decent lunch period,
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I Am a Person Who…can do these particular things in these particular ways My Favorite Transferable Skills and Traits Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To discover your favorite functional skills and personal traits, which can be transferred to any field of interest. They are things you probably were born knowing how to do, or at least you began with a natural gift and have honed and sharpened it since. What You Are Looking For: Not just what you can do, but more particularly which of those skills and traits you most love to use. Form of the Entries on Your Petal: Verbs, usually in pure form (for
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So, call the Seven Stories from your life that you’re about to write your personal offline blog, if you prefer.
At least to begin with, write a story about some brief episode or task you accomplished, in which you also had fun!
Analyze Your First Story, Using the Skills Grid, to See What Transferable Skills You Used Above the number 1 in the grid on this page, write a brief title for your first story. Then work your way down column 1, asking yourself for each skill in the right-hand column: “Did I use this skill in this story?”
Write Six Other Stories, and Analyze Them for Transferable Skills
Write a story about: A situation that made you feel part of something larger than yourself An experience that stood out because you were proud of what you accomplished Helping someone, or making someone else’s life better Something you did despite others saying you couldn’t do it Something you did that you would like to do again A strong skill or interest of yours and how you used it Something that was exciting or inspiring to you An experience you look back on fondly An experience that taught you something, even if it wasn’t fun at the time An experience that required you to take a risk
Discover Patterns and Priorities Okay, when you’ve finished this whole inventory, for all seven of your accomplishments/achievements/jobs/roles or whatever, you want to look down your completed Skills Grid to discover any patterns or priorities.
Am a Person Who…already has (and loves) these particular knowledges (or interests) My Favorite Knowledges, Interests, Subjects Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To summarize all that you have stored in your brain. Required: From your past, subjects you already know a lot about and enjoy talking about. Optional: For your future, what you would like to learn. What You Are Looking For: Some guidance as to what field you would most enjoy working in.
I Am a Person Who…prefers a certain level of responsibility and salary My Preferred Level of Responsibility and Salary Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To gain a realistic picture of how much money you will need to earn, or want to earn, at whatever job you find. What You Are Looking For: A range, because most employers are thinking in terms of a range, too. When you negotiate salary—as you will almost certainly have to, if the employer is of any significant size—you want to get the best outcome for your needs. Form of the Entries on Your Petal: Total dollars needed, weekly, monthly, or
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I Am a Person Who…prefers certain places to live My Preferred Place(s) to Live Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To define in what part of the country or the world you would most like to work and live, and would be happiest, if you ever have a choice. Also to resolve any conflict (should it arise) between you and your partner as to where you want to live after you retire or make your next career move. What You Are Looking For: Forming a clearer picture about what you hope for in life, now or later. Now, if you’re able to move and want to make a wise decision as to where.
Am a Person Who…has a certain goal, purpose, or mission in life My Purpose or Sense of Mission for My Life Goal in Filling Out This Petal: To know the moral compass or spiritual values by which you want to guide your life, or the overall goals that inspire you. What You Are Looking For: Some definition of your overall goals, purpose, and/or mission of your life. This may help you pick out the kinds of organizations or companies you’d like to work for, if you find ones that are serving the same mission as yours. Form of the Entries on Your Petal: A description of what sphere of life you want to
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Public Service Announcement: You Must Send Thank-You Notes, Please, Please, Please! After anyone has done you a favor, anytime during your job hunt, you must be sure to send them a thank-you note by the very next day, at the latest. Send the note to anyone who helps you or talks with you. That means friends, people at the organization in question, temporary agency people, receptionists, librarians, workers, or whomever.
YOUR RESUME IS ALREADY ONLINE
FIFTEEN TIPS ABOUT YOUR JOB INTERVIEW
But really, there are only five basic questions that you need pay attention to.
