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Where is "The List?"
By Catherine Swearingen, Career Counselor
 A STUDENT ARRIVED in my office with a determined look on her face, obviously very serious about her career quest, and asked me where The List was. She was referring to a mythical list of jobs and opportunities from which one plucks the job or internship of her dreams. O, we should all be so lucky.
It shouldn’t come as news to anyone who has been looking, but finding a job is proving to be extremely difficult. A recent statistic from CAREEREALISM founder, J.T. O’Donnell: “With 6 job seekers to every job opening and unemployment expected to hover near 10% for most of 2010, the harsh reality is only the truly committed job seekers will find work.” According to the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans in the workforce are unemployed for an average of 29.1 weeks. The doom and gloom is alive and well.
Not so fast. The job market is down, but there is a job market. The question for you is how to leverage your skills and experience so that you rise above the competition. The answer is to start right now and develop a career plan. There are strategic steps you can take that will place you ahead of other applicants. This is now your job.
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Know Yourself
I would guess that most of us know ourselves fairly well, but how many of us have recently examined our values, transferrable skills, accomplishments, experience and goals in the context of a new career? This is the first, and perhaps most important, step in successful career planning. What do you like and dislike about work—which activities do you enjoy and which ones do you avoid? What are you passionate about—what are you doing when you lose yourself in the task at hand? What are your strengths and weaknesses, and what are you going to do to increase the strengths and minimize the weaknesses? What is your work style—are you a planner or do you dive head first into a new project? How do you communicate and interact? What was your dream job as a child? What are your workplace values? Knowing these things will help you clarify what you want. |
Distinguish Yourself
Think about a product or public figure that you associate with certain tastes, styles, services, attitudes, etc. What do you think when you see a Coca-cola bottle? Refreshing soft drink? Dark color? Sweet taste? You think all of these things because Coke is a brand, an identity that distinguishes this product from all of the other soft drinks on the market.
What distinguishes you from all of the other job candidates? Your career identity, your personal brand. Your brand identifies the skills and experiences you have and how they can solve the problems of a potential employer. What are your accomplishments? What situations or problems have you encountered in your experience, e.g., job, volunteer work, class project, what action did you take to solve or improve it, and what was the result? What honors and awards have you received?
Your “product” is you, and it gives potential employers a complete picture of who you are—your education, your talents, your attitudes, your accomplishments, your activities, your experience, your skills and abilities, your knowledge and your potential. |
Market Yourself
Now that you have your brand, identify the most compelling reason for an employer to hire you. Put together a 30-second pitch that clearly expresses what benefits you can provide to an employer. This is not about you; it is not a statement of what you want, it’s what you have that an employer needs.
According the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a recent poll shows that the top five skills most sought by employers are communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork skills, technical skills and a strong work ethic. Promote yourself with these skills in mind and you will easily place yourself above the competition.
No matter how stellar your accomplishments, experience, talents, or education, they can’t help you launch a career if no one knows about them. I used to work for an elderly state Senator in South Carolina, and he would often point out in his Southern drawl, “it’s a po dog that won’t wag its own tail.” So too with your career. Get out there. Introduce yourself. Let people know you are looking for a job. Show off your brand. Network.
Approximately 80% of job openings are never posted. Sitting at home submitting your resume to on-line job board puts you in direct competition for the 20% of jobs that are posted with the million other candidates submitting their resume for the same opening. Odds are not in your favor. A much more efficient and effective method is networking.
Start with a list of people that you know. It could include family, friends, professors, neighbors, mentors, people you are involved with in sports or social clubs, parents of friends, parents of your children’s friends, and on and on and on. Aim for a list of at least 25 people. Now imagine that half of those people give you a connection to a potential company or employer. And those 12 people give you a contact, and those contacts give you a contact. Before you know it, you will have established a strong network of people who can give you access to that 80% of hidden jobs. You’re no more than six-degrees of separation from your next job, and that one perfect connection can come from anywhere. Katharine Hansen, PhD of Quintessential Careers notes that some of the more unusual connections have been made while getting a mammogram, on a gondola ride to a mountain top, while donating blood, and at a psychic fair waiting for a tarot-card reading. You just never know. |
And Finally
Be flexible. You might not find the job you expected when you set out, so be open to unexpected opportunities. Be aggressive. Put yourself out there and get noticed. Be persistent. Do the hard work. There is no “List” other than the one you create yourself. |
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