Career Pathways: On Course to the Future

Viewing life's significant challenges as experiences from which we grow, change and transform enables us to adapt to both the favorable and less than favorable circumstances of a dynamic world community and an ever-changing business culture. One of the oldest life patterns, one that turns up in all societies and age groups, is the picture of life as a "journey". A "career" is defined as a chosen pursuit; life work-a path or a course.

We can all relate to a view of both life and career as a series of "beginnings, turning points, crossroads, or pathways". Job loss is often considered one of life's more significant turning points, often creating emotional feelings of trauma, self-doubt, insecurity, and high anxiety.

The loss of a job causes us to question our capabilities, the decisions and choices we've made-particularly the "paths not taken" and the "bridges burned…along the way".

People often see job loss or any other involuntary career move as one of the more stressful hardships from which one seldom emerges with a secure sense of self-worth and with a handle of what could be the best "next steps" to a successful future.

Transitions
Most employees in this country change jobs every three to five years and many work for ten different companies during their work history. Whether or not you have had advance knowledge of your impending job loss, it is still quite common to feel strong emotions from disappointment to relief and from anger to excitement. During this period it is imperative that you take full advantage of existing support systems available to you as well as cultivate new support systems to help you through the transition to a new job or even a new career. By thinking positively, taken appropriate actions, and looking forward to the future rather than dwelling on the past, a view of your job loss can change from a negative situation to an engaging opportunity to search for and obtain a more satisfying, enriching job at a better pay level.

Rethinking the options
It may help to remember that in this era of downsizing rarely is the decision to let someone go made on a personal basis. Business and industry competition forces tough decisions on the "bottom line"-decisions that routinely affect competent, conscientious employees.

As you begin the mental transition necessary to begin your job or career search, take some of the following points to help you prepare.

Career Plan
When you begin looking for a new job you need to consider your basic career options as they relate to and support your interests, skills, accomplishments, and personal preferences. Before you can consider these factors, you must be sure you understand exactly just who you are and what you are looking for in potential employers. (Conduct) a written assessment of yourself: Begin defining the career goal which best supports your life priorities and long-term career aspirations. List your interests. Take an inventory of your present skills-both technical and non-technical. Finally, make a list of your accomplishments.

The Ideal Job. Before you begin your actual job search campaign, it is important to describe the ideal job for you. "If you don't know where you're going, then any road will get you there." A well-prepared career plan provides a much better idea of what you are looking for and how to prepare yourself for it. With this plan you increase your chances of finding what you really want and deserve.

Having a handle on what you do and do not want in a job is very important. No one can define for you the things that most easily motivate you to perform at your best-to feel inspired and ready to go the extra mile because you feel valued. Seeing your career as a series of work experiences which have left you with skills, impressions, business and cultural insights and knowledge has provided you with the foundation for determining what work conditions you would most like to have as you proceed on course to your new career path.

Competence
As you begin your job search, it is worthwhile to take time to discover more about yourself, to identify the skills and competencies you possess. Always focus on the goal of presenting "you at your best". From this list of competencies, you can begin to develop job search documentation which reflects your past accomplishments based on how effectively you used your skills. This skills listing also provides you with a foundation from which to work at building skills or filling in developmental gaps, positioning you as a more marketable employment candidate.

Key Competencies
We may define a competence as something we do well-a skill, a talent, a capacity. Not every competence is supported by an interest; some things you do well, you may do for survival reasons alone. These might include drawing up a budget, fixing an appliance, or cleaning the garage.
We may define an interest as something that intrigues or motivates us positively. Not every interest is supported by talent or skill. You may wish you could play the organ or wind-surf. Without having the talent to do so, these would be "fantasy interests".

But you, like everyone else, have some talents that match your areas of interest. These are your competencies. By determining your greatest competencies, confirmed by your accomplishments, you can define the functions you will perform best and most happily in your next position.

There are frequently several (and often, many) jobs that can use your talents to good advantage; and it would be foolish to limit your prospects to a single job title. You want to be sure that you can not only cite your competencies but give examples of your talent in action. It will be up to you to explain to those you meet how these skills can relate to the other person's business requirements.

Research
Conducting research and analyzing job markets are essential parts of your job search. The goal of researching is to develop a list of highly promising companies and organizations to approach about job possibilities. Through research you discover where the jobs are. Job hunting is, however, a competitive event. Those job hunters, who learn how the game of finding a job is played and then prepare for the competition, are the ones who win. The key is to focus on the future, taking advantage of the learnings from the past.

Some people are tempted to short-change the research process, usually focusing on only one source of information-newspaper classified ads. As a result, they miss out on numerous opportunities. They lengthen rather than shorten their job search. Doing quality research helps job keepers to stay abreast of changes affecting the job opportunities given the continual changes in the labor communities. Most people have no idea of what is available until they start researching. The best jobs are discovered only after a major research effort. Researching will also help prepare you for the interviews. When it comes time to make a decision, the person with more information is naturally going to make a better choice.

The following shows the probability of finding a job using the five methods most commonly used by today's job seekers. As the data shows, most jobs are found by networking-talking to friends, relatives, former employers, and business associates. However, this does not mean you should only network; remember if you find a job using one of the other methods, it would then be 100% effective for you!

Informal Market Approaches
Approaches in the informal market are more productive than the formal market. These approaches can uncover opportunities you would never discover otherwise, provide you with more effective interviews, enhance your credibility, and put you in less competitive circumstances.

Approaches to the informal job market are dependent on your contract network. People who know you and your work provide referrals to connector contacts. These contacts are people who have information resources on activities, people, and events in your field of choice; they understand the needs and problem; they are in tune to future directions of businesses in your field; and they provide direct connection to other connector contacts or to the actual decision-makers.

Documentation
When preparing for your job search activity, your first concern should be about the paperwork. Often your resume is the first introduction of you and your skills to an employer. There are other critical documents which need to be ready and in place before you begin either the formal or informal phases of your job search and networking. It is important to always leave a "lasting impression". First impressions are often the most lasting ones-regardless of the media of communication.

Gather examples of any correspondence associated with a job search to draw from for your specific purposes. Most likely you will need the following communication products: Introductory letter; transmittal letter for resume; thank you letter for interview; up-to-date resume; up-to-date references (do not list these on your resume); portfolio of your significant, successful projects; worksheets for recording contact information for your cover letters; worksheets for recording results and follow-up needed.

Do not hurry through the preparation of any of these printed pieces. They represent your work ethic more than you may realize.

Winning Resumes
Whether your job search documentation calls for a well thought-out employment application or a formal resume, the objective is the same, and that is to get you in front on the primary hiring decisionmaker.

Today, the resume is most frequently used by employers to simplify the candidate screening process. The employment application and reference lists are still used by human resource staffs to verify prior work-related facts and to do background checks on prospective employment candidates. It could be said that the resume serves four or more different functions.

The resume is a critical tool in conducting your job search. It is best to customize your resume as much as possible for the person or company to which you are sending it.

Interviews
Interviewing is the culmination of all your job search efforts. You will rarely, if ever, get a job without an interview; and it is very unlikely that you will get a job if you do not handle the interview effectively. Remember now that you've entered the game, the objective is to "play to win".

How to Ensure a Successful Interview
DO:

Renewal
As you journey down life's pathways, remember the timeless cliché, "Life's major events fall into two categories: Those you can do something about and those you can't." As you encounter unplanned changes which pose the threat of unstabilizing your life's plan, move quickly to garner the personal stamina to deal with the change efficiently and effectively.

Being told "no" is part of job hunting. You may receive 50 "nos" before you get a "yes". Learn from each rejection; make adjustments when necessary; and do not take the "nos" personally. Statistics who that 90 percent of the placements that do not work out fail because of a poor match to the culture, not because of poor technical skills.

Renewal implies evaluating, re-thinking, and restoring capabilities at or above their existing levels. By understanding what it takes to re-ignite your sense of self-confidence and empowerment, you develop the capacity for self-renewal and resilience despite the circumstance.

Maintaining Mental and Physical Health
Maintaining a positive attitude and paying close attention to your mental and physical wellness creates the foundation for dealing with the unexpected changes in your personal life and career plans.

Maintain your recreation and family activities. You do not need to give up all that is important to you just because you are out of work. Continuing to do some of the activities you did before gives you something fun to look forward to and adds stability to your life. Maintaining good physical exercise is an effective way to prevent illness and eliminate stress.

This article consists of exerpts from training materials from PASS'RELLE ASSOCIATES, printed with permission by associate Lloyd W. Price, SPHR.

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