With all the talk of bailouts and the need for a boost to the economy, I thought it was time to talk about creating your own personal stimulus package. I have been hearing from a number of NETSHARE members lately who are feeling burned out. Particularly those who are unemployed; they are feeling the fiscal pressure from all sides and are starting to take a serious look at where they can cut corners in order to stay above water. Where do you invest, and where do you draw the line?
The first thing you have to understand is that you OWN your own recovery initiative. No one is going to come along and bail you out or hand you a job. You need to get smart, get focused, and start planning your next move. There seem to be more first-time job seekers out there these days (or at least professionals who have never really had to “look” for a job). The competition is stiff and the rules have changed so it’s time to get smarter about how you approach job search.
Most first time or novice job seekers really don’t know how much they don’t know, and I notice they spend a lot of time trying different strategies and waiting for instant results. Finding an executive job takes time. You have to look at career management as you would running any business. You have to invest time, energy, and intelligence, build a strategy and stick with it. There is no instant gratification, and if you think about it, it was that drive for instant returns that brought us to our current economic crisis.
The first step is to understand your value proposition; who you are and what you bring to the table. I recently spent time with a recently employed CEO who hadn’t had to “look” for a position in a long time. I was walking with him through his resume and, after reviewing his second job, we realized that his value proposition was not reflected on his resume (and it seldom is). His skills were extremely transferrable to any industry, and we could identify the synergies, but the value proposition was not in his resume, at least not without the context we created through conversation. You need to create context in your resume to demonstrate your value. If you increased sales 100 percent, great, but is your baseline $1 or $1 million? Make your accomplishments real for anyone who reads your resume. Use the “so what” filter – every statement you make should stand up to “so what?” You need to create the framework for your value proposition.
Once you can articulate your value proposition, then you need to narrow down on where to sell it. If you want focused job listings with more exclusivity, that’s what we offer at NETSHARE – you’ll find positions that aren’t listed elsewhere, which means you are fishing in a more exclusive pond. If you want to cast a wider net and compete with the rest of the unemployed executive pool, then check out SimplyHired or Indeed.com. However, be focused and be realistic, and be able to explain how you will 1) save money, 2) lower overhead, and/or 3) address an immediate, critical problem.
Armed with a solid value proposition and well-defined corporate targets, you now can attack your job search with the help of your network of contacts. But even with their help, it’s up to you to find the right fit. It will help if you can sell specialization as well as expertise. In this climate particularly, hiring managers like unique skills that are hard to find and yield a tangible return. But even if you are in career transition or trying to break into a new market, be patient. There are fewer jobs out there but companies are still hiring. If you can connect with the right people and explain how you will relieve their pain, you’ll get an offer.
