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3. Consider putting together a portfolio. You might think portfolios are limited to “artistic” professions like illustrating or advertising. But no matter our profession, we’ve all done things we are very proud of that had tangible products, whether they be papers, slides, graphs, or photos. Pull some of those together and organize them according to the same top three skills you organized your resume by in Step 2.
Referring to one of these products in an interview and explaining how it came to be is a great way to display your professional enthusiasm and creativity. Plus, I’ve had prospective employers borrow my portfolio for a few days to show to other people in the hiring loop, which can be a much more expressive way of sharing what you do than the words in your resume.
4. Once you’ve completed Steps 1 through 3, you’re ready to let the world know that you’re looking. And I do mean the world. The biggest mistake I made was in assuming that I didn’t have a professional network in a place where I had lived much of my adult life.
First, I had to broaden my definition of “professional.” Your professional network actually includes a lot of groups: friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family members. Let them all know, in whatever way you think appropriate (meeting, phone call, email, etc.) what you’re looking for. Ask them if they can recommend someone else for you to contact. Get business cards made up with your name and other contact information. They’re cheap and you can hand them out as you go along. And most of all, send each and every one of the people with whom you talk a thank-you note!
5. As an adjunct to Step 4, research the businesses in your town. I went to the Chamber of Commerce website for my city and noted down any company that sounded interesting or might have a use for someone with my skills. Almost all of them have their own websites. Go there and find out as much as you can about them. While you’re there, fill in an application or upload your resume if they have the means for doing so. Google them. Not only will you find out more about them, but you’ll also most likely find a listing of their top-ranking leaders.
Send a great cover letter and your resume (or just a really great cover letter) to the one(s) most likely to have the power to hire someone in your field or to pass your letter on with a suggestion to someone who does. This “cold letter” alone will probably not get you an interview, but that combined with your networking means they may start hearing your name from more than one source, and that generates interest.
As for the interview itself, there are many helpful books and websites out there to tell you just what to do. The key thing is to be ready for anything. Ask yourself: what do I hope they don’t ask me about? And have an answer ready. Have a friend practice interviewing you, and have them come up with the toughest questions they can.
Success!So, you might ask impatiently, did you do it? Did you find your dream job? Indeed I did. A VP in my professional area was looking for someone with my qualifications and was given my name by two different people (whom I had met while networking) during one of her own networking events. My name rang a bell; she went back to her office and dug up the letter of introduction and resume I had sent her a few months back. She took it to her staffing specialist, who had already heard about me because I had uploaded my resume at their website, and so I was invited in for an interview. My interview preparation, my portfolio, and my very clear message that I wanted this job, and was perfect for it, did the rest.
Am I a strong, self-confident, articulate person as a rule? Not really. I’m riddled with the same doubts and anxieties that most of us are. But that’s the point. The more prepared you are for anything, the more confident you’ll be. In the case of finding a job, it’s not just the preparation for the interview. It’s doing the work that helps you to understand who you are, and how to best market that knowledge. It’s knowing your personal brand! Jody Patterson is currently Senior Consultant for Learning and Development at University Federal Credit Union in Austin, Texas. She holds a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, and has over 15 years experience in the assessment, design, and implementation of learning solutions in both the public education and corporate arenas.
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Written by Guest - Friday, August 15 2008 |
I really appreciated Jody's story. I too had age, place and career change issues. Although I am not yet in the place that I think is right, I am on my way there and it really helps to reaffirm that when you read articles like this.
Thanks. |
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