With unemployment registering at a high level and jobs being scarce, it is easy to be trapped within a circle of anticipation, disappointment, hope, despair, and wondering if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After trying everything you are left wondering why you should keep up the fight. You reason that there is a need, because the bills need to be paid, perhaps you have others depending on you, and so the circle begins again.
The satisfaction of having control over your life has left. You feel as if you are a pawn within the employment game. Before the circle begins again, it is time to look at this with fresh eyes. There are certain aspects that you have control over and others that you do not. Perhaps you do have more control than you realized before being drawn into the rotating cycle.
Throughout our life we experience change with new developments replacing the old. The same is true with the employment market. Probably for the first time you are experiencing this type of struggle. Perhaps you have worked for the same or only a few employers up to this point. One day you awakened and you thought this was going to be just like any other day, until everything changed. You heard of others losing their jobs and did not really give much thought to it until it happened to you.
Now that you have joined the job seeker club you are finding that the competition is like never before. The employment game has now become too real and unfamiliar to you. You begin the job seeking process like those before you and among you. Listening to the news you realize that the statistics now include you. What you did not count on, is that there are new rules and strategies built into the new employment game. You may be feeling outdated as you muddle through the process hoping to soon regain your bearings.
What is a resume, a cover letter, the art of networking, electronic submissions, job posting sites, and what are unemployment benefits? Yes, the way to win the employment game is by using strategy and self-preservation.
Without realizing it you have now become your own sales agent. If this is unsettling it is understandable but not hopeless. If you are like most you were not prepared for the new employment game prior to its release date, when the economy shifted most everything. So how will you begin to learn the rules to this new game?
First take a moment to express your frustration. You have every right to be upset because this is not fair, but it is a reality and must be dealt with.
•Gather all your employment information, perhaps this information is in disarray and overwhelming.
•Organize your information from current to previous employment and make a list.
•Think about your strengths and what you brought to each company.
•Organize your thoughts and list them for reference.
•Begin thinking about your career growth over the years.
•Research what employers are seeking and begin to evolve into a new you through exploration.
•Determine the geographical area where you would like to work and the practical aspects of your decision.
•Seriously take a long look at your career path and determine if there is something that you may be lacking that an employer would be looking for within your criteria.
•Do you need more training that could be acquired through volunteering, a degree, classes that are more streamlined, an internship, or do you need credentials?
•Begin to create a draft of your resume and a cover letter template that would be further developed at a later date for a specific employer.
•If you need help through the resume creation process seek out a professional. There is not one person that is good at everything, so just accept this as one of the items you do not have control over, but do not let this hinder your career growth.
Begin to realize that for the first time you are actually taking control of your career. You are no longer satisfied with going the direction that was handed to you, but you are determined to seek out every opportunity visible and invisible to you at this time.
Begin applying for positions that you find on the Internet, but do not allow yourself to get stuck at this point of the game. This is only one strategy and it should not be your only strategy.
When you are met with a potential opportunity, and a resume may not be appropriate or available, leave a business card as you begin to network. Seek information so that you gain a connection.
Begin to build your network. Every individual that has started a business has gone through this very same process of exploration. Through a detailed process document what works and what does not, and begin to adapt.
When there is an opportunity to attend an interview be prepared, document what you have learned and what could be improved for the next time.
As you work through this process, perhaps it is time to increase your skillset by seeking opportunities to use existing skills independently as a sole proprietor.
There is one thing that we can be sure of throughout the entire employment maze, is that it is here to stay. Those of us that will evolve and are able to adapt will be successful. Your career took years to develop and this new phase will also be a process of exploration and development.
If I were to provide for you, just one clue to winning the employment game, it would be to be good to yourself by remaining positive through exploration, be proud of your achievements, learn from your mistakes, and develop a keen sense to recognize an opportunity.
Carolyn Lee, CPRW, CEIP
I.A.M. Resumes
http://www.iamresumes.net/
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