06-11-2012, 05:16 PM
10 Key Steps to a Successful Job Search
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1. Identify where you want to live.
It sounds obvious, but honestly, there is no better way to narrow down a career search than defining where you want to live while you work.
If your answer is "anywhere," then take the time to figure out where you would LOVE to live. Pick no more than two locations so you can limit your search to these towns and the surrounding areas. Keeping in mind, cost-of-living, transportation access, proximity to family and friends, etc., you'll want to select places that suit your lifestyle and budget.
2. Determine your skills, work preferences, and personal strengths.
Take the time to write out on paper all the things you excel at. Ask friends and family to give their input as to what they think are your best assets when it comes to helping others and being effective doing tasks. It's time to organize your thoughts as to who you are and what you can offer to potential employers.
Use assessment tests (i.e. my ISAT Test) to help you summarize your unique combination of skills and abilities so you can match them to careers and articulate them to hiring managers.
3. Create a list of "must-haves," "nice-to-haves," and "don't wants" with respect to work. What is most important to you? What do you want your first job to provide you with? What things must be present in your work so you can achieve not only your professional goals, but your personal goals as well? Keep this list handy and use it as a way to gage a career's ability to satisfy your needs.
4. Research careers using career interest tests.
One of the best career interest tests I've ever seen is offered on-line by the University of Missouri Career Center. It can be found here. It is called "The Career Interests Game" and the university's career center designed it using Dr. John Holland's RIASEC Model of Occupations. This is part of the copyrighted work of Dr. Holland and his company, PAR, Inc. This test helps you see why you gravitate towards particular careers and provides extensive information on each career.
5.Create a Career Story (a.k.a. Personal Brand Statement).
Write out and rehearse a short summary of who you are and why you feel a particular career is a good fit with your interests and strengths. Be sure to highlight your attributes and how you see them helping you to succeed in this particular career. You'll want to rehearse and get comfortable with this story so you can tell it, without hesitation, to anyone you meet, especially friends, family, teachers and potential employers.
6. Design a high-impact resume that showcases your strengths and accomplishments.
Most resume formats used today are out-dated and ineffective. Your resume should be a simple, one-page summary of your experience. But more importantly, it should quickly draw attention to your best attributes.
7. Set up and complete Informational Interviews.
Contact your career center, your parents, friends and anyone else you can think of to help you identify individuals in your field(s) of interest.
Your goal? To set up either a phone call or in-person meeting with them to learn more about this particular career and how they have become successful doing it.