Job Winning- New Strategies for challenging times

Job Winning – New Strategies For Challenging Times

Murray McLachlan

Copyright Murray McLachlan 2013

Published at Smashwords

Contents

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING?

WHO ARE YOU?

FINDING THE RIGHT JOB

UNEMPLOYED AND WORKING AT JOB SEARCH

NETWORKING YOUR WAY INTO THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET

DESCRIBING YOURSELF ON PAPER

AGENCIES AND HOW TO USE THEM

JOB WINNING - THE INTERVIEW, REFEREES AND ASSESSMENTS

NEGOTIATING THE PACKAGE

MAKING THE JOB WORK FOR YOU

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

CHANGING YOURSELF FOR NEW TIMES

USEFUL CAREER-DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

SKILLS CHECKLIST

THE CAREER JIGSAW

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

This book has not simply been drafted then published in a short period of time. It is the outcome of more than twenty years’ of supporting, encouraging and coaching a raft of people, of all ages, all sectors and all levels of experience, to first identify, then pursue, the role that is best for them. All of the exercises, the suggestions and approaches are proven, modern techniques, and they work!

If you are prepared to commit the time, the energy and focus to the process, you will find a career, an opportunity, a job that will be meaningful and fulfilling.

Job search should always be preceded by career planning, even if you believe you have total clarity on your career direction. Taking time to do the career planning will ensure you’re working with real insight, you have a proper plan with action steps and time frames, and you will be so much more convincing when you’re interacting with others, particularly potential employers and network contacts.

Every part of the job search processes in this book is supported by straight-forward but proven exercises designed to support your gut instinct and insights.

You will be encouraged throughout the book to keep capturing outputs onto once place called The puzzle diagram, where each part slots in to another, to ultimately build a cohesive and clear picture – your ideal role.

All career planning and coaching methodologies follow a similar high level process, (a model) and for very sound reasons.

The model I use looks like this

The book follows the order of this diagram. We begin with defining who we are, (the self audit) we shift to exploring what’s out there, (the networking) and finally, we reduce the outcomes into a grounded, real world type approach, with clear objectives, action steps and time frames (the career plan). It is the career plan that gives rigour and certainty to your search and keeps you on track. It’s very much where the rubber hits the road!

At the end of each chapter you’ll find Review Points, which are simply a short summary of the major points and a reminder of what you should do before you move forward to the next chapter. You’ll find the puzzle diagram at the very end of the book. Print this out so that the format is much larger than an electronic page allows. Keep capturing the outcomes, because it is this diagram that forms the foundations of your career plan and career objectives.

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CHAPTER 1

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING?

Why you may need this book What do you want from your work and your life? Winning a job or changing your life? How this book works

Why you may need this book

There are many reasons why people look to change jobs. It may be that you are out of work right now. You may have just completed your studies and are about to look for your very first job. Perhaps you have lost your job, or maybe you took time out to raise a family and now plan to use your many skills in paid rather than unpaid work. You may even be trying to break back into the work scene after travelling overseas. Other readers may have a job but find it dissatisfying. Perhaps the current position isn’t utilising skills and abilities that you know you have. Or you may that nagging feeling that work ought to be more fun, more fulfilling, offering more opportunities to acquire new skills. Maybe you feel you have 'peaked' in your current position and need a greater challenge, more stretch. Perhaps you simply feel that previous career choices have not been the best ones, or properly planned and wonder how to get your career back on track. No matter what your situation, the techniques for job winning are the same - and job winning is what this book is all about. Our aim is to help you present yourself and your abilities as successfully as you can, and to win the job that is right for you. I use those words, right for you advisedly. Simply swapping employers doesn’t improve how you feel about work which clashes with your particular values, or requires skills which, for you, may in fact be weaknesses. What I will try and help you do, is effectively an audit on yourself. This book will enable you to become very clear on the essentials of effective job search and career planning. They are:

Who am I?

How do I express who I am and what I have to offer, in clear job search language?

How do I go about finding a job which is the right fit for me, my needs and my aspirations?

No matter what job you aspire to, there are some essential steps to winning it. These steps are outlined in this book and if you follow them I can assure you that your chances of getting the right job will greatly increase. This book incorporates a series of exercises for you, the job seeker, to complete. Don't be tempted to skip them, or leave them to do later - you probably won't. They will help you clarify your understanding of yourself, your needs, strengths and values. Understanding what is right for you and following proven steps is what distinguishes job winners from the rest. At the end of each chapter you will also find a series of checklist questions called review points. Read them carefully and be sure you can answer them positively before going on to the next chapter. On the last page of the book I have put a jigsaw type diagram. Each time you complete an exercise, put the outcomes onto the appropriate section of the jigsaw. By doing this, you’ll be able to build up a comprehensive picture of you - your values, skills, weakness, interests, and ultimately, your job search target

What do you want from your work and your life?

Now consider your own situation. Why are you looking? It is a deceptively simple question, fundamentally and utterly critical to your success. Unless you are clear about why you are in the job market you are unlikely to convince any prospective employer that you are the right person for the job. Being clear and positive in your reasons will ensure that you feel motivated and have a sense of purpose. These qualities are quickly conveyed in an interview. The job search is not for the faint-hearted nor uncommitted, nor for the unprepared. Job winning is hard work! It is a full-time job in itself. You can always find good logical reasons to defer the search. However, it is important to ensure you are not merely procrastinating because the whole exercise of looking for work seems too daunting. Tackled in a logical and planned way, the process becomes far more simple and obvious. It is still hard work, but at least you can feel confident that it will pay dividends if the vital steps are followed. Let’s start with a little about you. The following exercise (1.1) will help you establish what you want from your life and your work. We usually refer to these outcomes as values, and knowing what they is very important to ensuring that a job is a good fit with what we value, in our work and our life. Research tell us that more jobs fail because of a clash of values between an employee and their workplace, than because an individual lacks the essential skills. In career planning, where we try to determine where our work will take us, values are the foundation stones of the career planning process.

Take your time to complete the exercise. Don’t forget to transfer the outcomes onto the jigsaw on the last page.

Exercise 1.1 Personal values

Relax and distance yourself a little from the real world. Let your mind explore some imaginary place where you are able to learn about the sort of life and job you would be happy with in the next millennium

In this imaginary place your hosts first offer you a variety of interesting objects to help them discover what you would find most satisfying and enjoyable and make your stay in their world a happy one. Choose the object you most want, then the next most desirable one, and so on, until you have considered all ten. Give each one a number, starting with 10 for the most attractive through to 1 for the least attractive. Don’t use any number more than once! Put the number alongside each description in the brackets . The objects on offer are:

The biggest diamond you will ever see

An insurance policy which guarantees your income will never go below $1,000 per week

A magical glove which allows you to cure others when you wear it

A plant extract which will give you health, energy, vitality and perhaps even immortality!

An aura which will illuminate you in any situation, causing all attention always to be focused on you

A tiny animal which will telepathically provide you with brilliant and dazzling one-liners and clever stories (and being mute, will never upstage you!)

A genie who will become the most outstanding expert (alive or dead) in the craft or subject of your choice

A three-pin plug which connects you with the meaning of the universe - more than once if you need reminding!

A crystal which will attract and re-energise the whole family

The most extraordinary, never-to-be-repeated experience in the history of the planet

Now that you have completed your selection of objects your hosts ask you to choose your future life space. (They want you to be comfortable and happy in your new life.) Again, make your selection using 10 for the most desirable and 1 for the least desirable.

A big house, a great car, a stylish partner, lots of high-living and influential friends

A warm, welcoming home which, whilst not the best house in the street, is great for the family, provides a link with the past and reinforces important traditional family values ( )

A wide range of people who have you to thank for helping you achieve a more satisfying life

A strong, well-designed, attractive and high-performing body created by the latest bio-technological processes

You as an outstanding supernova, surrounded by a constellation of adoring fans

A life of constant drop-ins and social visits by a range of stimulating from your extensive network of friends and contacts

A functional home with lots of room for any equipment and technical gear and lots of space in which to exchange ideas with like-minded people

A totally balanced life

A feeling of harmony and belonging amongst all family members

Being surrounded by and constantly meeting switched-on, live-wire people who enjoy action and activity as much as you do

Now that you have completed your choices, enter your scores on the following chart. Add the scores for each of the pairs below, then find the two or three highest scores. These indicate what your personal values are and how they fit with different jobs. Don’t try and 2nd guess or filter – there are no right or wrongs, simply what is right for you!

QUESTIONS AND VALUE

TOTAL

JOB EXAMPLES

a + k =

Material

Anything so long as it pays well - for example, the professions, own business, sales with high at risk earnings

b + 1 =

Security

Safety-first type, jobs with low risk, low reward, preferably not marked by change, has good systems, conservative management - for example, accounts clerk, librarian, some local government roles

c + m =

Helping

Helper type, want to make a meaningful contribution to the well-being of others - for example, social worker, missionary, volunteer, probation officer, housing officer

d + n =

Fitness

Fit-for-life type, any job which gives opportunity to maintain high level of fitness and health – for yourself and for others -for example, gym instructor, coach, sports therapist, doctor, naturopath

e + o =

Status

Style-focused type, need to ‘strut their stuff’, high visibility is important - for example, actor, television presenter, entertainer, politician, trainer

f + p =

Social

Socio-bubbly type, like getting close to the powerful and influential - for example, journalist, head-hunter, secretary, psychologist

g + q =

Expert

The expert crafter - want fulfilment from being expert in field, recognised for skills - for example, musician, artist, photographer, scientist, surgeon, analyst/programmer, mechanic, cabinet maker

h + r =

Meaning

Fully fulfilled type, seek jobs which let them feel they can make a real difference, contribute to social development - for example, pastor, counsellor, therapist, ranger, public health worker, environmentalist

i + s =

Family

Family-focused type, seek participation, balance and contribution to family life - for example, any job which allows time to spend with family and encourages their welfare. Could include jobs with day care, and excludes jobs which demand long hours, long periods away from home, week-end work

j + t =

Entertainment

The live-wire type, need to get a real buzz from the job, adrenalin-charging work - for example, merchant banker, share trader, rally driver, test pilot

SCORE

VALUE

JOB EXAMPLE

Top score

Second score

Third score

I don't suggest for a moment that the table is exhaustive. I certainly don't recommend you feel in any way constrained by what it describes. It is enough that it simply gets you thinking about what is important for you in a job. Values provide us with a sense of meaning and purpose to life. By gaining some insight into what you value you may be able to narrow down the range of job types that are right for you, and make better decisions on which are fundamentally wrong. It is vital that your job does not conflict with your values. The ideal job is one which supports and reinforces our values. This enables us to feel that the job is both meaningful and important and that we have control over our destiny.

If the result of the exercise points towards staying in your current job,(but addressing other life related needs) then perhaps you should pass this book to a friend who needs some help in the job search. Consider the point seriously. Sometimes certain factors in our lives make our work less enjoyable or even frustrating. Being human, we may find it easier to see it as a work related problem when the real difficulty lies within ourselves. If we do not confront and acknowledge those personal issues then we are likely to simply carry them with us to the next position like some excess baggage. The stimulation of a new job may mask our problems for a short period but they will invariably surface again. Employers quite understandably hear alarm bells when they read a resume which shows a lot of short stays and no valid or logical reason for the employee moving on. They often speculate on some personal difficulties that the applicant may have and choose not to risk becoming yet another step in the job-seeking path of the applicant. Be brutally honest with yourself in completing the exercise and in considering your reasons for wanting to move. From time to time, we all strike impossible bosses or positions that simply fail to measure up to expectations. Two or even three of these are perfectly acceptable and readily explained. So, too, are a couple of inappropriate career choices for younger people. But if your resume discloses a series of jobs lasting less than two years, you owe it to yourself to consider why that is. Don't gloss over the issue because you will probably be asked about it at an interview.

Sometimes it is can be an invaluable investment in ourselves to stay with a job that may be dull or frustrating, if it breaks the pattern of a series of short moves. It is a message to future employers that we can stick at a position. We may even learn to deal with the frustrations and come to enjoy our present job. However, your reasons for wanting to seek new