Job Search Strategy To Get The Job You Want.

Tour Overview 1. Assess Yourself 2. Research Potential Employers 3. Establish Your Fit 4. Write Your Own Resume 5. Start Networking 6. Get In On The Ground Floor 7. Create Your Own Job 8. Informational Interviews 9. Interview Preparation 10. Tough Interview Questions 11. Negotiation Skills 12. The Key To Hirability

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ASSESS YOURSELF

Career Planning
The difference between getting a job and discovering what you love to do!

Tips and Advice for Launching Your Job Search

Career Assessment
A successful job search comes down to just one thing: keeping it simple.  By simplifying the process
it's easier to achieve success.  Most people feel a job search can be a very intimidating process.  For this reason, many job-hunters have difficulty getting started because they don't know where to begin.  Rather than being focused on just one key element at a time, they end up trying to do too many things at once.

Think of your job search as a series of steps that when properly completed, will yield stunning results.  
It is just a matter of separating the core elements into manageable parts, thus making it easier for you to achieve success during each stage of your search.

By investing extra time and effort now by eliminating jobs that are not a good fit for you, you'll actually spend less time on your job and career development. Kind of like a carpenter's advice: measure twice, cut once. What you devote to this all-important first step of your job search is directly proportional to the amount of success you will achieve.  It's that simple.

The most important thing to remember is - don't quit on yourself.  There's a saying, people don't fail they just give up.  Don't let this happen to you.

Know Yourself

The first step in career planning involves gathering information about yourself to assist in making a decision about a career.  Assessing yourself is a lifelong process.  Your goals may change as you learn more about yourself and your values, needs, objectives, and other areas of interest.  This initial focus will help you narrow your options and target appropriate employers.

Each and every one of us has our own individual, unique set of skills, talents and ambitions. Identifying one's skills and talents is essential to your success.  A skill is something you've learned to do.  A talent is something you've been born with, or at least that you seem naturally qualified to do.  It's important to recognize the difference between the two.

You may be skilled at something and still not find it interesting.  Chances are, however, if you are naturally talented at something, there will usually be a corresponding link between that particular talent and your interests.  Put another way: you are more apt to enjoy doing what you do well naturally than what you have simply been taught to do.

Job Satisfaction

Every job you have ever had, required some tasks you enjoyed and some you dreaded.  Not surprisingly, people tend to perform more effectively when their job tasks and responsibilities correspond with their career interests.  How much satisfaction you derive from work is directly linked to the match-up between your personal career interests and the scope of a specific job.

Think about what you enjoy doing, what is important to you, and what you do well. Ask yourself these questions:

• What activities do you engage in that bring you the most satisfaction?
• What kinds of activities do others ask you to perform?
• Were you ever acknowledged, presented with an award, or praised for something you did?
• What skills and talents have you used in the past to achieve goals?
• Were you ever told you do certain things better than others?
• Think of a time when you felt successful. What were you doing?
• What motivates you to jump out of bed in the morning - raring to go?
• Was there ever a time that you achieved results that exceeded your/others expectations?
• Something you did that made you feel proud?

Understanding the value of the strengths and accomplishments you have gained gives you an edge during interviews by helping you answer the question, "Why should I hire you".

Do You Fit the Corporate Culture?

Values are important in career planning because people who believe in the goals of their employers and generally reflect the interests and personalities of their coworkers' are more likely to be successful getting and keeping a job than those whose values conflict with others in the workplace.  Think about your current job and ask yourself these questions:

• Is your work satisfying?
• Do you feel that you contribute to the overall success of the organization?
• Does management acknowledge your contributions?
• Are you learning and developing new skills?
• Are you growing and advancing in your career?
• Are your daily work routines challenging?
• Does your job fit your long-term goals?
• Do you feel that you are in the right job with the right organization?

Quick Tips for Career Success

The secret to career success rests on a number of factors:

• Identify your career goals
• Create an action plan
• Be results-driven
• Update your skills
• Keep on learning
• Network
• Find a mentor
• Be positive
• Be persistent
• Be enthusiastic

Do You Have What It Takes to be Successful?

• How do you define success?
• Do you think success will make you happy?
• Do you believe that success and satisfaction go together?
• Do you believe that success and money go together?
• When will you know that you are truly successful?

Do you know what kind of career would make you happy?  If yes, what are you doing now to prepare yourself?  How committed are you to achieving your own career happiness?

Now, Imagine You Could Have Any Job You Want!

• What type of job would it be?
• What kind of people would you want to work with?
• Where would it be?
• How would you spend a typical day?

Put yourself into the mind frame of having just won a $30 million dollar lottery.  All the pressure is off.  You don't need to work.  In fact, you never have to work another day in your life.  But, rather than do absolutely nothing, you're now in the position - for the first time in your life - to do something that's personally satisfying and financially rewarding.  This attitude forces you to place more importance on personally satisfying issues rather than financial significance alone.

Chances are, the money will probably be the same in either a job you mostly like, or one you mostly dislike.  The difference is, people who are passionate about what they do achieve far greater success in their work life in the form of bonuses, raises, and promotions.

Evidence has also shown that job satisfaction can profoundly effect one's personal quality of life as well. Positive attributes such as: emotional stability, security, optimism, and happiness can play a significant role in achieving one's goals.  Finding rewarding and satisfying work can even prevent illness and disease by maintaining a healthier immune system!

Knowing what you want from a job is critical in your job search, saving you time and giving you an edge during interviews.  Understanding this important part of your career profile will allow you to "sell" yourself to employers as the right person for the right job.