Ten Career Resolutions for the New Year
Voyager Career Solutions®
We all make New Year's resolutions; some frivolous and some serious. However, if this New Year finds you looking for work, it's time to make serious job search related resolutions. I recently challenged our Voyager Career Solutions® staff to develop powerful career related resolutions for our job hunting clients. We came up with many great ideas and I've taken the liberty of drafting 10 of the best as special resolutions for those in the job hunt.
- I will determine where I am. Figuring out where to go starts with determining where you are. Tom Riorden Vice President - Voyager Career Solutions® St. Louis, advises “Before you begin your job search, get a professional evaluation of your strengths, weaknesses, talents and interests.” This enables you to do a better job of targeting potential employers, improve interviewing techniques, and direct yourself toward the best possible "fit." Mark Twain once said, "Find something that you love to do, and you'll never work another day in your life."
- I will improve my personal packaging. Use this time to get yourself in the best possible shape. Start working out; take off a few pounds. Steve Short. Vice President - Voyager Career Solutions® Raleigh NC, confirms “It will make you look and feel much better. Make sure that your clothes and appearance are in first class condition. Use this time to take courses that will upgrade your skills. Get focused and committed. Your competition is always improving.” If you don't keep improving, you're out of the running.
- I will improve my communications skills. No matter what kind of business you're in, it's always the people business. Dealing successfully with people is based upon good communications skills. Carl Brown, Vice President - Voyager Career Solutions® St. Louis recommends: “Join a Toastmasters Club or take a presentation skills class through the adult education department of a local college or high school.” Toastmasters especially is a terrific inexpensive and low risk way to improve your presentation skills. Most cities have several Toastmasters chapters listed in the telephone white pages.
- I will volunteer. Use this period of unemployment to help others and to help yourself. Volunteering not only is a good deed; it's a great way to make your talents known to potential employers who are also serving as volunteers. Constance Pritchard Phd, Voyager Career Solutions® Director Career Advising – Charlotte NC states, “Volunteering lets potential employers know that you are a person of good character as well as a capable business professional.”
- I won't forget my references. Stay in close personal contact with everyone you're using as a reference. Steven Francek, COO - Voyager Career Solutions®, Charlotte NC, adds “Nothing is more devastating than discovering that the people you have depended upon to act as your chief supporters are giving you lukewarm support. If they can't or won't give you a glowing reference, you need new references.”
- I will take good care of my network. Studies show that almost 70% of all jobs result from personal contacts, not cold calling or in response to ads. Only a small number of jobs are found by answering ads and few of these are "quality" positions. Put the predominance of your efforts into networking because that's where the payoff is best. Shelby Heman, Sr. Vice President, Voyager Career Solutions®, Omaha NE says “Remember the old saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Get to know the right people, and let the right people know you.”
- I'll remember that it's real crowded in the glamour tracks. No matter what the current economic conditions, there will always be an oversupply of job candidates in the glamour professions such as advertising, sports marketing and publishing, and in the glamour locations such as New York and San Francisco. Take the opposite approach and concentrate on areas where there is less competition and more opportunity. It's much easier to be a big frog in a smaller pond.
- I will go where the action is. The current employment action is with smaller employers, those with less than 100 employees. In 1998, almost 2 million new jobs were created; a significant majority were from small companies. Shary Raske, Director - Voyager Career Solutions®, St. Louis, MO, believes that “If you want to catch fish, then you have to go where there are fish. Look for emerging companies with clever ideas on products or services.”
- I will keep professionally current. Keep current on the major national trends that could affect hiring polices, i.e. NAFTA. This will enable you both to target those employers most likely to be hiring and to demonstrate to them that you are attuned to a rapidly changing market place. Employers like to hire individuals who are current and can quickly get up to speed.
- I will use a rifle rather than a shotgun. Do your homework. Customize and personalize your efforts for each potential employer. Match your skills to their unique needs. Stand out as someone with solutions for their particular problems. When you emphasize quality over quantity you stand a much better chance of gaining an interview than by shotgunning resumes all over the marketplace.
Summary
Years ago, a boss told me to always give my clients a little more than they expected. That was invaluable advice because I learned that the person who goes the extra mile always stands out from the crowd. Always emphasize quality over quantity. People who deliver quality are consistently in demand. Above all, promise yourself that you will never, ever give up. The goal is too important and the price for quitting is devastating. Patience and persistence are the watchwords of success. Be determined to succeed and you will.
About the author: Alan Ludmer is the president of Voyager Career Solutions®. Voyager Career Solutions® Associates is nationally recognized regional firm and a proud member of the International Association of Career Consulting Firms. For more information, call 314-991-5444 or visit the Voyager Career Solutions® web site at www.voyagercareers.com