Positioning for Success: Develop a Process

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Last week we talked about how you need to create purpose in order to better position yourself for success, but it doesn’t stop there. In order to really achieve that success, you have to go beyond the purpose and develop a process for success. While it sounds like a lot of work, you need to put in the time and effort to create the self you want to be.

While this could be applied to your personal life, it also greatly applies to who you are as an employee. When trying to get a new job or start a new career, having a developed process will help. Here are a few things you need in order to position yourself for success:

Passion

We talked about the need for passion when it comes to creating purpose, but it’s also a vital step in developing your process. Without passion, it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to find a job. In fact, if you don’t have passion for what you do, then you need to consider a career change. What are you passionate about? Can you turn that into a career? These are the types of questions to ask yourself before beginning.

Expectations

Do you want to be successful in life and your career? Then don’t expect perfection. Should you always do your best work and work your hardest? Yes, but perfection is impossible. When you set yourself up for perfection, you will fail. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have high standards, but you need to know your limits and set your expectations within those limitations.

Belief

Above most things, you need to believe in yourself. You need to believe that you will succeed. In order to better position yourself for success, you need to believe that you will be successful. As a step in the process for achieving success, belief is a foundation that you must have. If you don’t believe in yourself, then no one else will and you’ll find the process of getting a job much more difficult.

Self-Evaluation

If you’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, then it can be difficult to shift your focus on pursing a new career. Instead of allowing projects, other people, and hobbies to take all of your time, schedule some “me” time. When you schedule time for yourself, you’re able to better focus and think about how to position yourself.

Relationships

When you are starting a new career, looking for a new job, or simply need some professional advice, it helps to have genuine relationships with established professionals. These people can be in your network, they could be your friends or mentors. No matter what, you need to foster genuine relationships and work at keeping them strong because in the professional world, it pays to have friends.

Positioning for Success: Creating Purpose

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When you feel like you’re down on your luck and having trouble finding your next job opportunity, it can be hard to find purpose in anything. From filling out job applications to filing unemployment, you may be pretty discouraged. One of the best ways to combat this feeling is to position yourself for success. It’s easy to give up and settle, but you won’t find success by doing that.

Positioning yourself for success can be difficult and is certainly a journey. However, by creating purpose you may just find the success you are looking for. Even if you are currently unemployed, that doesn’t mean you have to be purposeless. Here are a few ways to position yourself for success by creating purpose:

Brand Yourself

No matter what type of career or industry you work in, knowing who you are is important. Branding yourself can be broken down into just that. While companies use brands to tell consumers and customers about their products and services, you need to create a personal brand that tells potential employers about you. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need a logo or a website. It does however mean you need to evaluate your goals, lifestyle, and your professional persona.

Develop Passion

Without passion, much of life will seem pointless and purposeless. If you aren’t excited about what you do for a living, then you’ll have a much harder time finding a job. You need passion in order to make a difference, make a change, or improve your career. Without passion, you are far more likely to remain stagnant in life. By making conscious choices and decisions to develop a passion for what you do, you’ll find increased results in your job search.

If you want change to happen in your life—if you want to find a new or better job—then you need to focus on these factors:

  • Your mind
  • Your attitude
  • Your appearance
  • Your words
  • Your follow-up

When you focus on these things and make efforts to improve them, then you’ll start to see positive changes happening in your life.

Do you have any suggestions for creating purpose in your life or career? Leave your stories and suggestions in the comments section below!

How to Handle Job Rejection

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Being rejected for the job you really wanted can be difficult. You worked hard on crafting a great cover letter and updating your resume. No matter where you were in the interview process—just finished a third interview or didn’t even make it to the first round of interviewing—getting that rejection letter can be difficult. However, there is a right way to handle job rejection.

Continue reading “How to Handle Job Rejection” →

10 Ways to Make Career Gaps Positive

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When you apply for a new job, potential employers are going to look at your resume and they may notice a few career gaps. These gaps occur when you go through a period of unemployment. While this happens to almost everyone, it’s what you do with those gaps that matters.

Employers are going to ask you about career gaps and how you spent your time. You want to project that you working towards improving yourself during those times you were out of work. Did you spend your time learning? Traveling? Volunteering? Moping around? Turning these career gaps into a positive experience will not only help you personally, but will increase your chances of landing your next job. Below, you’ll find 10 ways to turn your career gaps into something positive:

Take a Class
More than likely, your field of work is constantly changing; using this gap period to enhance your knowledge or learn new things can give you a competitive advantage when it comes to finding your next job.

Volunteer
Whether you decide to help out at a local animal shelter or tutor kids, being able to place volunteer experiences on your resume is a real differentiator. Potential employers will see this and recognize you as having empathy and a strong work ethic.

Join a Professional Organization
Go beyond being a “member” of a professional organization. Be engaged in activities and take initiative to be a leader. Not only with this help you branch out and expand your network, it will give you valuable skills for your future job.

Network
Mentioned above, your career gap can be a great time to meet new people and expand your professional network. By doing this, you can make great connections that could end up helping you both personally and professionally.

Become an Intern
No matter where you are at in your career, an internship can be a great experience. This could be your chance to learn a new skill, humble yourself, or just ensure that you are building your resume experiences.

Teach
Do you have a lot of experience in your field? Take this opportunity to teach others about what you do. Maybe you just want to share one of your hobbies with others- no matter what, a teaching experience can help you become a better communicator, establish yourself as a leader, and allow you to meet new people.

Start a Business
Have you always dreamed of owning your own business? Do you have an original idea or innovation? This gap period could be exactly what you need to start your business. Take a chance and see what happens. Just make sure you think everything through first.

Freelance
If you don’t want to start a business, but need to keep working, then you should consider freelancing or consulting. As an expert in your field, businesses may be looking for your expertise. Start small and build your way up. Be sure to use your professional network to get a few accounts.

Travel
If you have money saved up, you can use this time to travel to a new place. Doing this may not seem like it has much impact on your career, but when you travel somewhere new you are stepping outside of your comfort zone, being independent, and being detail-oriented.

Relax and Refresh
Sometimes, these resume gaps are the perfect opportunities to relax and refresh. Maybe you feel a little burnt out and you need to recover. Take this time to do that. Rediscover why you love your field of work and get your passion back.

Remember, career gaps don’t have to be a negative thing on your resume. In fact, you can make career gaps into a positive and rewarding situation. Instead of moping around because you don’t have a job, you can do something to better yourself, your community, and your career.

What have you done to fill in your career gaps? Leave your stories and advice in the comments section below!

 

Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net 

The Rules of Shaking Hands

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Shaking hands is simple, right? You just put your hand out, grab another one, squeeze, and then let go. But, what if you let go too soon? What if you hold on too long? What if you squeeze too hard? When you are preparing for your interview, there’s a good chance you aren’t practicing your hand shake. However, you should know a few common rules of shaking hands.

No matter how many times you have shaken hands, it’s important to know how to give a proper hand shake. After all, it is one of your first impressions, and those are crucial in the job seeking process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when shaking hands during your interview:

  • Wipe your hands off. There is a good chance that you are going to be nervous before your interview and that may mean having sweaty palms. Wipe your hands off on your pants or in a restroom before your interview.
  • Initiate the shake. If the interviewer doesn’t automatically offer you their hand, you should offer yours. It shows that you take initiative and will result in a good first impression.
  • Smile. Smiling and saying something like, “it’s nice to meet you” can take your interview handshake even further. It’s important to act like you are confident and not nervous.
  • Make eye contact. You may be tempted to look at the handshake as it’s happening, but you need to establish eye contact with the person you are shaking hands with. Doing this helps reinforce that you are confident.
  • Be firm. In the past, it was common to treat handshakes between men and women differently. But, in the 21st century, it’s important to treat everyone equally, and that means the same handshake for all.
  • Avoid aggression. Gripping too hard, holding on too long, or shaking too long can make you seem overly aggressive. It’s ideal to only shake hands for two to three seconds. If you are nervous about holding on too long, take a cue from the interviewer. When you feel them let go, you need to let go.
  • End with a handshake. When your interview is over, you may be ready to claw your way out of the room. But, before you leave, you should shake hands again, refer to the interviewer by name, and thank them. By doing this, you add a personal touch.

That may be a lot to remember right before your big interview. Just keep in mind that you don’t want to be rude or too aggressive. If you forget everything you just read, then follow the interviewer and mirror their actions.

Advice for Candidates

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As a courtesy to our candidates, Diverse Staffing has compiled some critical advice for candidates from some of the top professionals in the employment industry. Some thoughts as you consider your next career decision:

Headhunters Work for the Client

Headhunters work for the client, not for the candidate. Candidates should expect fair and honest treatment from headhunters, but not inside information on hiring organizations or about other candidates. “The headhunter is a broker, not a guide or coach.” (Moats-Kennedy, “What the Recruiter Won’t Tell You,” Healthcare Executive, Chicago).

Call Before You Need Us

The best time for individuals to contact a recruiter is when they don’t need one. Around 64% of executive level positions in the U.S. are filled through professional recruiters. The majority of corporate chiefs have dealt with headhunters at one time or another during their careers. Potential candidates (that is, every employed person) should remember this in their dealings with recruiters (Sheldon: review of Reynolds “Be Hunted,” Communication World, San Francisco).

The Bottom Line

Employees should also bear in mind the material bottom line when they go to work, and regard their current employer with a degree of instrumentality. At the end of the day, labor is just another economic factor input. A better deal may be out there (The Princeton Report, Princeton Search Group).

Know Who the Top Recruiters Are

Candidates should be aware of the top recruiters in their industry and should ensure that they have a profile that headhunters will notice. “With any new search assignment, recruiters often take a quick personal inventory and identify people who may be perfect for the job they have been hired to fill” (Ransom, “An Insider’s Look at Recruiters and Recruiting,” Physician Executive, Nov/Dec 2003.)
NOTE: Professional candidates can improve their profile proactively by making themselves available to the media, by writing articles in trade journals and through networking.

A Form of Representation

Executive recruiters provide candidates with a form of representation that can provide an advantage when seeking a new job (Neil, “Facing Up to Headhunters,” ABA Journal, Chicago, Aug. 2003). Employers may take prospective hires more seriously if they are represented by a third party. Since clients usually only engage headhunters when they need to fill a vacancy, candidates can be sure that they are being put forward for genuine openings and are not applying for jobs that have already been filled prior to being advertised.

Be Sure You’re a Contender

When seeking a position through a headhunter, candidates should ensure that they have the qualifications and experience specified. “Most search consultants would agree that unless you meet at least 80% of the job specifications, you aren’t a contender” (Tyler, “Hey, You! Look at Me!” Healthcare Financial Management, Nov. 2003).
NOTE: Clients expect recruitment firms to put forward only those candidates that closely match their specific requirements. Experienced headhunters are very adept at screening job seekers.

If this advice for candidates seems a little daunting to you, then contact Diverse Staffing at 317.803.2910 for help on finding your next job.