MANAGING YOUR CAREER IN A DOWN MARKET

MANAGING YOUR CAREER IN A DOWN MARKET


Don’t let the prevailing depressed atmosphere get you down—in fact, keep it at bay and keep moving forward. It is a slow time, but make the best of it.

How in the world can one do that? Well, it’s not easy. Competition for jobs is fierce, to put it mildly. One is responsible more than ever for making sure that skills are at an optimum and that you are the best you can be within whatever profession you work in.

When my clients go in for interviews, I always tell them to be sure to ask where they stand in the line-up of candidates. Literally, it is necessary to kill off the competition by proving that you are the best in what you do. What distinguishes you from the competition? What unique skills do you bring that will positively impact the company’s bottom line. This, by the way, becomes even more important for maintaining career growth even if you currently have a job. Make this list, and add to it all the time.

Look carefully at new ways of marketing yourself, and selling your unique qualifications. This isn’t a time to sit back and wait for a recruiter to call, for instance. Let everyone know who you are, and what you are looking for. You are literally in a marketing stance at all times.

It’s great to be in a recruiter’s database, but it’s even better when you convince a recruiter that you can make them look very good by being the number one candidate of choice. Stay close to these people. Their on-going relationships with clients can benefit you greatly. Find a few that you really feel comfortable with, and cultivate these friendship and professional association..

Think of every way possible to create demand for your services and knowledge. Be sure to stay close to business networking events, programs, and Internet networking. Knowledge and information is power, and this is the way that breaks come through. Sometimes it’s the only way.

Continuous learning is so important. One has to stay abreast of everything happening in their world of work. Nothing in the world of work is the same now, so new ways of thinking and staying on top of change are vital for success. In job interviews, you are expected to be aware of what might be happening next in whatever your area of expertise might be. This kind of knowledge says to the perspective employer that you are able to move with the speed of change, that you are a life-time learner, and that you are endeavoring to be on the cutting edge of tomorrow.

Watch the business news. Be aware of trends and know what the current growth industries are. This is where you will find new and interesting opportunities. The chances for advancement will be here. Growth areas, like alternative energy, are constantly moving. We are going to have careers and job titles never with us before.

Don’t fall into the trap of answering any old ad. Be sure your background and credentials match those demanded by a potential client. Be ready to defend your knowledge and expertise, and know constructive ways your experience will make a substantial contribution to the company’s profit. Even letting interviewers know that you are taking courses in new areas is impressive.

Be creative and constructive. Recently I heard of a group of young people, all recent college graduates, and all out of work, who decided on a unique approach. They established themselves as a group, and advertised their diverse skills both on the Internet and locally. It was, in many ways, an overnight company—no benefits, no bosses, no infrastructure to speak of. This is simply a group of pooled skills, ready to serve. It’s working—better in some areas than others—but giving everyone a sense of purpose and determination to move ahead in the world of work.

There is a huge increase in numbers of people who are working on their own, as freelancers and contractors. For many, they are discovering great delight in independence and entrepreneurial activities. Things first done out of necessity can become life-long passions.

The times we are in are demanding creativity like never before. There are so many different challenges in developing and managing a career now. Just today, a long-time professional acquaintance spoke about avoiding falling into all the conventional despair that seems to be around now. Yes, all is daunting, but remember this: there ARE good jobs out there at this moment in emerging and growth industries—and even in companies we might label “traditional”.. It has also been true in our history that seemingly hard times have created great opportunity.

Create your own opportunity, and keep growing and changing—making the world a better place. We have job reports daily in our world now. Concentrate on what your own career report might be. Be the best you can within whatever you do.

It is said that we now have a new freedom to work in this country, particularly the freedom to work longer. We will definitely have more than one career path in a lifetime. Make each step your very best. Make your contribution outstanding. Stay optimistic and hopeful. The only certainty is—change.

And REMEMBER: especially in a time like this, astute management of your career is crucial. If that management means taking a detour into some other work, or into part-time endeavors—do it.

Have the goal of customizing your career to meet your needs, now and in the future. Rigidity cannot be the name of the game.

Network, listen, learn. Get a Career Coach, even for a short period of time. It will change the way you think and operate in the world of work. Two brains are always better than one.

INTERVIEWING IN TODAY'S MARKETPLACE

February 16, 2009

INTERVIEWING IN TODAY’S MARKETPLACE

WHY IN THE WORLD MIGHT I NEED THE HELP OF A CAREER COACH?


Well, perhaps you will decide not to go with a Coach. But let’s look at the big picture and see what factors might influence your decision making.

Particularly in this time of economic doom and gloom, with the media feeding us interview after interview about job loss, financial advice, and generally no hope—it’s tough to think about spending money on help.

Here, though, are some reasons why a coach might actually ultimately save you money—or even make you more income.

Let’s face it. The market is pretty competitive right now. Particularly with interviewing, it’s crucial to nail each interview on the first round. You may not get a second chance. Interviews have always been crucial, just more so now.

Prospective clients phone with stories about at least getting their Resumes and applications noted, and even get invited in for an initial interview. Sometimes it stops right there. Or occasionally after a second interview, everything comes to a halt. What happened?

Interviewing is a very emotional event. You, yourself, will not necessarily know what stopped the process, unless you know exactly how you blew the event.

Keep in mind, always, that the purpose of any interview is not to get a job—it’s to get the next meeting. That’s where lots of job seekers fall down. Further, the first interview may be conducted by someone who, while definitely not being a decision maker, has the task on passing on your suitability for fitting into the company environment. He or she will not be the person offering you a job at any time.

So your job is to be prepared, professional, charming, and especially enthusiastic. Enthusiasm goes a long way toward success.

How are your communication skills? Do you have excellent eye contact? Are your listening skills up there at the top? So many people are much too busy thinking about what they will say next, and they forget to listen carefully. Active listening is such a skill that it can sometimes tell you exactly what the interviewer wants to hear next.

Are you looking and acting the part? Are you dressed appropriately for the company culture? Have you done your homework, and are you prepared with questions to ask the interviewer when they say: “Do you have any questions?” You better have this list with you, because it indicates your sincere interest in the company, the job, and moving ahead in life and your professions.

What about those questions that you are so afraid they will ask? Well, they will indeed ask these things, and you better be prepared. We go over and over these questions in mock interview sessions.

So how does one prepare for an interview?

This is where a Career Coach can come in. It’s not rocket science to know that two brains are better than one—especially when one of the brains is not only able to be objective, but has years of experience in doing these things. A Coach may well see some pitfalls and detours that you, in the rush to get the job, might be overlooking or ignoring.

Doing the research to mount a supremely qualified search is essential. Know everything possible about the company, and the people interviewing you.

Be sure that a Coach’s background enables them to know and understand the current job landscape and its implications. What is their background and experience?—and how does it relate to today’s world of work?

Talk to several coaches before making a selection. Of course price is one thing to consider, but background and experience are really important. Are they certified as a Coach? What has been their prior professional background?

Many Executive and Career Coaches have a background as therapists of psychologists. I do not. My prior background is retained, executive search. I’ve been in the world of jobs and works for many years. I’m a pragmatic business person.

So what does all this mean for right now? If you can possibly round up the money to pay for coaching services—do it. Don’t wait until you find yourself in the ditch of interviewing—but no job. The money you invest will come back to you many times over.

Perhaps this is the time you have been waiting for, in that you can now transition to that which you love. It’s happening! Or maybe you decide you want to join the ranks of the permanent part-time, as many of my clients are doing—and loving it. The options are many, but having a partner in the process is just great.

Recently one of my clients wrote a piece on what he thinks the value of Career Coaching might be. One of the things he said was that there are many virtues of having an Executive Coach in a difficult economy. “Professional athletes have coaches, so why not me?” He says I help him connect the dots in a way that he couldn’t do by himself. He declares that I help him understand companies, and strategies for transitioning from the military (where he is now) to the outside world. I’m focused on winning, and so is he; and his confidence in this move is growing by leaps and bounds.

So remember that a Coach is not a luxury, it can be the vehicle that pushes you ahead in these tough times. The market will change, but we just don’t know when. Those achieving jobs now, even if they are bridge jobs to something better, are in good shape.

Figure out a way to get the best help possible to polish those interviewing skills. An interview is a performance, and you need to put forth a top professional effort.

Executive Coach

Beth Ross is a certified Executive Career Coach, maintaining a private coaching practice and working with clients in the areas of Career Transition Services, Resume Writing Services, Interview Training, Assessment, Targeting, Salary Negotiations, and all parts of the Job Search Process. Her client base is national in scope, with teleconferencing and email sessions available, although she is based in New York.

She is a frequent speaker on Job Search and Career Transition topics and conducts Career Workshops for organizations. She serves as a resource for the media.

In addition to being an Executive Career Coach, Beth Ross is also an Executive Career Search professional with over twenty years experience, including time with prominent national retained executive search firms. Since 1989, she has been a sole proprietor.

Prior business background includes consulting for major technology companies, and a partnership that specialized in financial services recruiting. Her earlier career was in public and private educational administration and instruction. She also worked in sales and educational consulting with top publishing companies.