It's the beginning of the year, and I keep hearing that hopeful job applicants are very busy sending out CV's in every direction. I hear.
"I send at least 15 CV's out a day".
"I have my friends and family helping me by emailing my CV to everyone they can think of."
If this is your modus operandi for finding a job - please think again!
Allow yourself to think of Yourself and your Skills as "your brand".
You are a product or service that someone who has a need might consider hiring to solve a problem or realise an opportunity.
If this is the case
What do you have to offer?
Why would a company listen to you?
Consider the market or audience that would want to hear from you. "Who is your market?"
Marketing and advertising companies spend a lot of time researching, exploring and considering what the market needs. When they know who needs what they have, and why they believe they need it - they can then accurately and specifically communicate their message to this audience.
So my question to job seekers is - "Is your job search any different?"
Knowing what a company is looking for and being specific about what you can do for them in this regard will not only help you communicate your value better, but will also draw their attention to the fact that you could solve their problem.
In this way, a more convincing and meaningful message can be created in:
- how you word your covering letter
- the way you highlight areas in your Resume
- how you demonstrate your edge as the person that is right for their role
As you get more involved and continue to take ownership of your job search, and consider all the options and challenges that this process presents, it should become clearer to you what is right for you, and what you are going to make happen in your career.
Ten Things To Consider In Your Job Search
- What do you want? - target an organisation and write an individual cover letter for each target organisation
- Where would you like to be doing this? - target an industry.
- Who do you know that could give you a referral? - reference comments provide an effective proof source to include in your communication
- Who do you know who could give you an introduction / referral? - use any advantage you can to get a foot in the door for an interview
- Research the organisation! - be interested and knowledgeable about the company
- What is the culture of the company? (The all important "X-Factor Fit" )- know the company's mission and values and how these relate to what is important to you
- Write a letter directly to the company - get proactive and demonstrate your work ethic
- Plan for your interview!
- Interview the company as you are being interviewed - Conduct a needs analysis during the interview. If you know what their needs are you can discuss how you can solve those problems.
- Send a thank you note to each interviewer within 24 hours of the interview.
And most important of all, smile and look forward. Good luck!
Author: Cindy Bell
Cindy Bell is a Career Coach and owner of Directions - offers coaching packages that facilitates you towards greater and more meaningful career growth and performance strategies. Cindy is an international accredited Meta Coach® and Trainer, a Neuro-Semantics and NLP Master Practitioner, all recognized by the International Society of Neuro-Semantics (ISNS).
