| Managing your career may depend on taking
other people with you. Can you persuade them to hire you, to work with you, to buy
your service or product...? Lots
of information here - maybe you should print it for reference |
| You may be the best widgeter in the
world, but if nobody knows that then your career can't happen. Communicate successfully. |
| The most neglected, but best,
job-hunting tactic? Try Networking. |
| The easiest way to get better at job
hunting? Get organised. |
| Employers usually see you first in
print, on screen or paper. Good CVs & letters
open the door to an interview. |
| If you've already got a job, are you
managing your career well? |
| If you're beginning to feel pressed,
could you use some help? |
| Communicating
successfully |
Negotiating a
successful career depends on good communication:
Getting better at communicating can keep you amused and
interested for the rest of your life - it's never wasted. |
| Organising
your job search |
Getting organised improves the
odds no end, even if you'd usually rather play things by ear. |
| Schedule
your time & work full-time at your Job Search |
Finding a job is a job like any
other, so work a normal day & week. Divide your time between networking, writing
applications, attending interviews,visiting web sites, learning to get better, and keeping
records of what's happening. |
| Study the
job market Newspapers
& magazines |
Keep up to date by talking to
people and by reading widely. Identify all
the newspapers & magazines that carry job ads & information about the companies
who might employ you, and find out where you can read them regularly. Note which
days of the week carry job adverts for your field and get your applications in early. |
| Agencies |
Identify recruitment agencies
that handle your kind of job and identify the professional organisations in your field
& contact them. |
| Likely employers |
Target likely employers Find out
as much as you can about find the organisations you'd like to work for, find out who to
talk to,and put together a letter asking for an interview. |
| Web sites |
Register with the major recruitment web sites, especially the ones that offer to email you
with likely vacancies. Visit them daily, and use them to keep up to date with
your market sector. |
| Keep learning & improving |
You can learn from everything
that happens, and so keep on getting better. Keep good records of what you're doing when,
and make a point of considering events & working out what they suggest you should do
to improve. |
| The basics of a
good CV |
 | Keep it short - selectors may reject anything over two
pages |
| Focus it on specific employers |
| Get layout, spelling, grammar right |
| Be positive about yourself but don't lie |
| Have your name as a centred header, in big type, on page 1 |
| Put your address & phone number as a centred line under
your name |
| Begin with a 30-40 word statement of who you are & what
you do |
| Most recent job first, then work back, with less detail as
you go |
| For each job, list "Responsibilities" &
"Achievements" |
| Quantify as much as possible |
| Include the key words of your specialisation (for computer
scanning) |
| Put personal details last, & keep them brief |
|
| The basics of a
good letter |
| Keep it simple, clear, courteous and human |
| Think as much about what your reader wants as about what
you want |
| Have a short, clear title that describes the letter
accurately |
| Tie your letter in to something special about the company |
| Always write to a person - use your network & the
library to get names |
| Keep your sentences short, with one idea per sentence |
| Try to edit down so that the letter covers only one page |
| Make it clear what you want by asking for it politely but
directly |
| Try to offer people something they genuinely want |
|
| Making
a success of the job you've got |
People used to rely on buying
security from their employer by doing a good job, keeping their heads down, not making any
waves & letting The Boss decide who should be promoted or moved to what, when. This passive strategy doesn't make good sense any longer in a
climate of insecurity & constant change. Instead, it helps to become more active in
negotiating with your employers - they need high contributors just as you need good work. |
| The basics
of managing your career - it's mostly about continuing to learn |
Once you've
found something ...
| that you're good at, and enjoy doing |
| and got somebody to pay you for doing it |
Then you need to keep in work by
| learning how to build & maintain relationships |
| learning how to go on getting better at what you do |
| and learning how to be seen as a useful person |
And it also helps to
| learn how to manage insecurity and change |
| and how to become versatile & flexible |
| so that you can cope with losing your job |
|
| Keep
moving forward |
As Billy Connolly said
"It's a serious mistake to think the world is going to Hell just because it didn't
wait for you to catch up." |
| Develop
technically & professionally - be flexible |
| Get better at what you do |
| Broaden your expertise into linked areas |
| Learn more about the business you work for |
| Improve your qualifications |
| Keep in touch with new developments |
| Be active in your Professional Institute |
|
| Improve
your personal skills - be strong & able |
| Find out what motivates you & use it to keep yourself
going |
| Organise yourself & get the important jobs done |
| Work out how you cope best with stress |
| Learn how to keep learning & improving |
|
| Build
& maintain your relationships - be connected |
| Find out how to work well with bosses & colleagues |
| Keep getting better at communicating |
| Learn how to solve the inevitable problems |
| Don't blame others - get yourself right first |
| Learn how to get people to value you |
|
| Want
some help? |
I'm a mentor to chief executives
& apprentices, to directors & administrators, to physicists & receptionists,
to engineers & salespeople, to women & men in all kinds of jobs. If your career
has hit rough water, consider a working alliance
with me. |
