Celebrations!
Tell me your story! Let’s inspire others who are still on the hunt for something new!
I would like to congratulate Susan B. on landing her dream job as Executive Director at an assisted living facility. When Susan met me at a Change Your Stripes™ workshop, she had been looking for a job for 3 months and getting nowhere. So, she jumped full throttle into the job hunt coaching system, got clear on what she wanted … and then she took a big, scary risk: she got off the internet, started networking and started walking in to assisted living facilities. 3 weeks later, she was interviewing with 3 different companies … and ended up with 2 job offers in hand! The job she landed was a $20K more than she was expecting, and precisely the job and the company she wanted.
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Upcoming FREE Events: Come Change Your Stripes™!
MON 09-14-09: Woodville, WI
WED 09-16-09: Anoka, MN
FRI 09-18-09: St. Paul, MN
MON 09-21-09: Monticello, MN
MON 09-28-09: Minnetonka, MN
THU 10-01-09: Shakopee, MN
TUE 10-06-09: Eagan, MN
Do you know about a group or association that needs a speaker? Let me know!
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Stripe Changer News!
September 2009 | First Edition
“When you want something that you've never had, you've got to do something that you have never done.” – Quincy Oliver
What your last vacation can tell you about getting a new job
Close your eyes and think about your last vacation. Really think about. Remember the place, the people and the things you did. What was so great about it? Would you do it again? Why? If you have ever had a vacation to remember, then you know exactly what you need to know to get a great new job.
Most people spend more time planning their vacations than they do their career. The same is true for job hunters. But if you plan your job search the way you planned your last vacation, you’ll be sure to find a great new job – FASTER and EASIER!
This is, quite simply, your recipe for landing a great new job – right now. So why do most people jump in at the deep end by writing their resume and throwing it out on the internet? Because that is what everyone tells them to do! Well, stop listening to them! Instead, take these three steps:
- Figure out what you want! And write it down. This is the most important step by far.
- Know how to get it! Stop chasing random leads. Do some research, identify your target market, and make a plan.
- Go get it! Take focused action every single day toward your goal. The clearer you are on what you want, the clearer you will be on what you should and should not be doing.
Now, I know that you're thinking “I just need a job! In this economy, I can’t afford to worry about what I want.” I am here to tell you: in this tight job market, it is especially critical that you pay attention to yourself. It is the shortest distance between you and the job you want. Why? Because job seekers who know what they want stand out - and get hired faster. Every time. They write better resumes. They network more effectively. They get more job leads. They get more interviews. And they get more job offers. Period.
Listen, you WILL find a job eventually, no matter how you go about it. But if you attack your job search the same way you planned your last vacation, you'll find a job much faster. Even better? It will be a job you'll love.
Ask Cat:
Send me your questions!
“I’ve had a tough run of it the last few years: Between layoffs and a rotten job I quit, I’ve had 4 jobs in 7 years. I know companies don’t want to hire job-hoppers, but I want to work, and I really want to find a job I can stay in for years. What can I do about this?”
First of all, you’re not alone! Gone are the days of sitting in one company for 10, 20,30 years. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average American will have 12 jobs by the age of 38. Wow, huh? Despite this, companies will always be concerned about a "spotty" job history. Here’s why: the cost of turnover is rated at about 150% of someone’s first-year salary. Employers want a return on their investment, and that usually comes after at least a year.
This is your elephant in the room, but you can get rid of it ... if you are willing to do some work. It sounds like you are. Let me tell you what I want to know when I am interviewing candidates with spotty job histories. And then I’ll tell you what to do about it. When I am interviewing someone, and they have left a number of jobs in recent years, I want to know these three things:
- Why?
- What did they learn from it?
- Do they know why that job did not work out, and what type of job to avoid in the future?
Now here's what you can do about this: answer these questions yourself, about each job, one by one. Get really honest with yourself. You have nothing to apologize for! But you do need to understand what went wrong, and be able to tell other people what went wrong, clearly and concisely. If you got laid off, figure out why. Did your firm lose a big customer? Merge with another company? Was it just you, or were there 100 people laid off? What did you learn from this? Did you see the trouble brewing? If you got fired, then you were in the wrong job! You're not a bad person! However, you do need to figure out what made that job so bad for you, and why you got fired ... so you can learn from it, and know what to do differently next time you're faced with a similar situation ... before you get fired. Better yet, you want to avoid taking a job like that again.
Write your answers down. Then practice answering them briefly - over and over again - until you feel comfortable. Not only will you feel better and less afraid of this issue, but you'll move through these questions quickly and easily in an interview. When I am interviewing, I always ask someone why they left previous jobs. I dig deep to understand what type of an environment and job are right for the candidate. If someone can tell me quickly and easily why they left a job, I move on to more exciting questions. However, if they cannot, then I will spend time digging in until I understand the real reason. It is my job as a recruiter to get the right long-term fit, and making sure you will enjoy and thrive in this new job is a huge part of it. Getting clear on how and why you left previous jobs can shed enormous light on this - for you and potential employers. |
