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6 New Year's Resolutions to
Catapult Your Job Search in 2008
(by
Joe Turner) |
We could
be headed into a recession. Are you prepared? Do you
know how to find and win a job in a smaller, more
competitive job market?
Here are six winning resolutions to maximize your
chances of scoring a secure paycheck in 2008:
1. Get in the Game:
If you're serious about finding employment, become
proactive. Stretch yourself, get out of your comfort
zone and aggressively search beyond the listed jobs
you find on the Internet. This requires a game plan
and the expectation that you're going to win this
game. Decide to excel and achieve at job search.
Do something every day to further your search.
Positive action diminishes anxiety and other
negative feelings. This goes beyond survival of the
fittest. For anyone who wants to succeed, it
requires an iron will and determination. You will
not be defeated by this job search process. You will
prevail and you will outlast this challenge. Remind
yourself of that.
2. Lose the Neediness:
Take the words "desperate" and "defeat" out of your
vocabulary. Employers can sense neediness and they
won't hire you. If you present yourself with a sense
of desperation, you're bringing your anxiety and
fears to the table. Rather, focus on what you can
do for an employer. Don't focus on your needs.
Instead, focus on what the employer needs, and this
leads us to Resolution #3.
3. Think ROI:
Employers don't hire people to be liabilities on
their balance sheets. They hire people to be assets
(to provide a Return On Investment) and to solve a
problem. To do this, demonstrate clear benefits that
you offer them.
Take a look at your skills, experience, abilities
and talents. Determine how you can best help the
employer either make money or save money.
Turn your skills and talents into benefits that an
employer understands and appreciates. Pull out
examples from your past work experience. Ask
yourself, "How did my work save time or money, make
money or otherwise improve the overall situation for
my employer?"
Education and skills, while valuable, do not
translate into benefits. What can you do for this
employer that your competitors can't? You have a
unique set of skills, experiences and talents. Turn
them into a "Unique Selling Proposition" for the
employer.
4. Widen Your Network:
In the past it was easier to find work by responding
to ads found in the newspaper or on the Internet.
That was before the bar was raised. Now it's
foolhardy to limit yourself to ads on the Internet
and expect success. Aggressively seek out those 80%
of jobs that are not advertised.
Start widening your network both in person and
online. Begin by making some new contacts each week
through local events or related professional
meetings. Online, you can add your bio to LinkedIn,
Spoke and even MySpace, for starters. Don't forget
family, friends and neighbors who might know
someone. Job searching is tough enough. Don't
isolate yourself behind a computer screen.
5. Be Persistent:
Nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. There
is a lot of rejection in job search. Sometimes it
seems as if you'll never get a "yes". Remember what
good sales people already know. That winning a sale,
a job, or any other goal is a numbers game.
Commission sales people will tell you that every
"no" is one step closer to a "yes". When you can see
your process from a more objective viewpoint,
knowing that you're one more rejection closer to a
"yes", you'll be less inclined to take the "no's"
personally, and less likely to get discouraged.
6. Inoculate Yourself Against Negative Messages:
Succeeding at a job search is a mental process, and
negative input from anywhere can poison your outlook
and encourage fear, discouragement, anxiety and
other negative emotions. Associate with positive
people and protect yourself from all types of
negativity. A job search can be a big undertaking.
You need all of the assets and advantages that you
can possibly bring to the party. You can't afford to
be exposed to the negativity of others. This
includes friends, relatives and negativity from
newspapers, magazines and TV. Read books and
articles that motivate, encourage and inspire you.
Avoid anything and anyone that doesn't fall into
this category.
Summary
The job search market will only get tougher and more
competitive in 2008. Get an early edge by
implementing these six resolutions now to catapult
your job search into the fast lane in a tightening
job market.
As a recruiter, Joe Turner has spent the past 15
years finding and placing top candidates in some of
the best jobs of their careers. Author of Job
Search Secrets Unlocked, Joe has interviewed on
radio talk shows and offers free insider job search
secrets at:
http://www.jobchangesecrets.com.
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