Career Management ABCs

Career Management ABCs Attitude. Keep a positive attitude about managing your own career. No one is more motivated to help you succeed, and no one knows you better than you know yourself! You are the best possible choice to market your expertise, showcase your talent and advocate for your career! Best. Do your best in every position, even if your eye is on another prize. Promotion and references attesting to success in every job you take is the ultimate goaland the fuel driving upward momentum! Cover Letter. Just like your resume, your cover letter should be kept current and can be tailored to each position to which you apply. Dynamic. People like to work with, and hire, individuals who add energy and positivity to the corporate culture. Ensure your contribution is positive and consistent. Executive coaching. Consider an Executive Coach to help you identify your career goals, create a path to reach them, improve your resume, and design a personal branding strategy to build your career. Fearless. Dare to try something new. Offer to take on a new task, join a team, or sign up for a course. Learn to get outside your comfort zone and reach new career milestones. Generosity. Add value when you network, to your team and organization, and to your community. Pass along solutions to others in your industry, be a great source of potential candidates and knowledge about open positions to Executive Recruiters and network contacts, and consider serving on the board of a non-profit as a way to benefit your community while you grow your career. Help. It not only feels good when you are of service to a person or a team, but it could be a smart career move. When you pitch in to solve a problem, share a contact with a recruiter, or freely give your time to a worthy cause, you make a positive and lasting impression. Industry expert. Establish yourself as an industry expert by keeping abreast of relevant news, innovations, and knowing the important numbers and statistics behind the business you do. Share links to cutting-edge articles on social media, offer innovative solutions to common industry issues during networking, and get comfortable discussing your field of expertise. Join. Grow your network by joining groups on LinkedIn, attending industry-related events, being an active member of an industry association or as a volunteer at a non-profit. Your next job will likely come from who you know; not what job board you applied on. Kindness. It begins with simple good manners with everyone from landscapers to CEOs. Offer constructive criticism without humiliation, be the voice reason in a tense meeting, keep your cool under pressure, and do your best to mentor and grow the talent around you. Leadership comes from within, and makes you stand out from the crowd. Learn. Youre never too old to learn and advance your career. Age is but a number. Those who stay stagnant and fail to acquire new skills will be left behind. Those that embrace new technology and learn new skills to remain current, will land a new job despite the age on their birth certificate. Match. Make sure your public information matches: Your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and other career-boosting information must be consistent. Narrate. When was the last time you practiced your elevator speech? Part of your career toolkit should be a well-rehearsed 30/60/90 second pitch of your career expertise that you can enunciate with precision. Practice your speech with friends and family, and let them critique your narration and your non-verbal body language. Optimism. Every job hunt is going to have ups and downs. Dont let the silence from recruiters or the plethora of rejection letters get you down. Bring the best possible you to each interview, whether in person, via phone or Skype. No one wants a Debbie Downer on their team. Proofread. Make sure you proof your resume and cover letter! A second set of eyes is a good idea, as some common errors slip by the original author. Hiring influencers need to see that you give great attention to detail, and that you are an effective communicator! Questions. Ask questions during the interview process, while networking, and while learning. Asking isnt just about learning, although that is important, its also about showing that you are open to new ideas, to collaboration, and genuinely engaged in the conversation. Asking questions when invited to do so during the interview process also helps you evaluate the fit of the open position, to ensure that the job is right for you. Crucial, since fit helps predict future success in both the position and the organization. Resume. Keep your resume current and ready to send. You never know when the next big opportunity will appear. Are you aiming for C-Suite or Board positions? A professional Resume Writer can create a compelling resume for you, a wise investment in your career! STAR stories. The most effective leaders connect with both hiring influencers and employees with relevant, brief, interesting, and insightful stories. Collect your best teaching moments and career successes and craft the stories that get your message across. Never be caught speechless again! Talents. Develop your talents. Its never too late to enhance your skill set. A candidate who adds new skills and experience with every job is more valuable and more flexible than a candidate who is an expert in a single category. Understanding. Dont go into a job interview unprepared. Do your research to understand what the company does, their culture and dress code, product line or service offerings, and who their customers are. Validate. Prove youre the perfect candidate by ensuring your resume is rich with achievements and not filled with bulleted lists of job duties and responsibilities. A LinkedIn recommendation is a tremendous validation of your expertise and useful when being vetted for a new job. Watch. When youre in a job interview, the interviewer is listening to your responses but also observing your non-verbal cues. Be aware of the non-verbal messages communicated by your body language. Dont fidget, check your phone, chew gum, or look at your watch. X-Factor. Want your resume to stand out? Make it rich with x-factors! Fill it with numbers. Led an xx-person team. Boosted sales by xx% in x-months. Saved the company $xM. You. Get comfortable in promoting the value of YOU! Sure many of us dont like bragging but a critical element of an effective job search is all about knowing how to sell your value. A professional Resume Writer can help by working with you and sharing the best of YOU in a resume, a cover letter, biography, and on your digital profiles. Zigzag. Sometimes our careers take an unexpected turn. How prepared are you if you were terminated today? Is your resume current? Or perhaps you got reassigned to a different business unit. Being adaptable and open to change is a valued trait. Those curves in the road bring new opportunities to learn and discover talents you never knew you had.