You reach out to a potential networking contact and ask if he would be willing to meet you for a cup of coffee. He accepts your invitation. In advance, you research his background on LinkedIn, print off a copy of your resume, and dust off your nicest business suit. You meet as planned and everything is going well until he asks “How can I help?”
Less than five minutes into a conversation with a person you’ve just met, you’re faced with a tricky multiple choice question. How will you respond?
Them: "How's your job search going?"
You: "Fine."
Them: "Let me know if I can help with anything."
You: "OK."
Uncomfortable pause.
It may be that there’s not a lot you can do. Whether you are a fan of nature or nurture, you have been built from the ground up. To either succeed during tough times. Or scuttle through them as best you can. But I don’t believe that.
Based on your prior years, you’ve come into your present self with either a waterfall of confidence, a slow drip or something in between. But you can start to fix that.
How do you measure your flow?
If you look back on your last career transition or if you are experiencing one now, you are likely well aware of just how bullish you feel about your ability to land on your feet.
Or you may have started questioning whether the core ability to succeed in tough times is hard wired in you.
But I don’t question that. Because I’ve done it already. And because I have, I know I can do it again.
How?
Here are my examples:
Each of these examples has now become part of my experience. Ones that I draw on when times get tough. The knowledge that I have made it through successfully is a powerful piece of evidence that I can do it.
Time and time again.
Now I’ll ask you. What does your list of life experiences look like? And how do you tap into that experience when you are challenged in life?
Have a short list? Then start creating those experiences. Right now.
Pick one thing in your life that you know will be hard and set out to do it. Climb a mountain, run a half-marathon, start a networking group, go back and get that degree.
Because once you finish. You can add that to your list. And tap that extra confidence when you need it. And, soon, you can add “successful job search in the worst economy ever”.
While staring “tough times” right in the eye.
When changing careers, it is all too easy to find yourself once more in a job that doesn’t truly give you a sense of meaning and purpose. When considering a career change, and in order to get a job you love, it is therefore vital that you take stock of where you are, what you have achieved to date, and where you genuinely want to take your life from now on.
With the recent downturn in the global economy, a large number of people have been made to looking for new job. When looking for a new career you will be presented with some conventional wisdom that is perceived as being helpful. Unfortunately, most of these standard tips do not give you a clear picture of the current job market. This is why it is important that when you are doing a professional job search you take the advice of a professional. Finding a job goes beyond following the standard path taken by countless others and involves taking targeted steps to ensure that you stand above the rest. The first and very important step is to get the correct advice on how to carry out a professional job search. There are many career coaches out there touting their advice and giving tips so how do you choose which of these people are able to give you the correct information that your need to launch your job search.
A job interview is probably the most nerve-wracking experience you have to go through on your job hunting. During job interviews, it is best to act naturally smart, but without getting too over confident. Also, always expect that your interviewer may give you a chance to ask questions. If this happens and you are not prepared, this goes to show that you are truly uninterested in your job application. So it is best that before applying to a certain company, try to research as much as you can about the background of the company. This will help you more or less on what questions you are going to ask to the employer. But if you find it hard to formulate questions, here are some examples of interview questions to ask employers:
- Can you explain your organizational structure? -
Peg writes: I haven’t had to look for a job in a long time, but in the current climate, I’d like to be prepared for possible job loss. What trends on hiring and job search should I be aware of?
The Career Doctor responds:
Here are the trends I see:
