In my practice, I often hear, “I do the work of three people and no one understands what I do." So when asked to provide an explanation, the only answer we can come up with is, “It's complicated." This happened to me in my own company.
For me, it got to be that I did so much, so quickly, and in no particular order, that no one really knew what I was doing and what my value was to the company, particularly after several years. Worst of all, I had a very difficult time explaining what I did because I just did what I thought should be done at the time. I had done it that way from the beginning and why should I change? Diagnosed with ADD in 2008, but still in denial, my mind would tend to lead the way I worked – on a “need to know" basis with little organization. One of our gifts with ADD is we are generally light years ahead of everyone else when it comes to determining what needs to be done in almost any given situation. We see the bigger picture clearly. But when it comes to filling in the details, we often fall short. However, if we are not able to articulate what we do within our organization can have negative and costly consequences.
Even though I founded the company, I eventually realized I had to be accountable for my day to day activities. Due to my somewhat “rebellious" nature (another ADD characteristic), I felt I did not owe anyone this information because I had created the company. Not true. No matter what level you are in a company, be it your own (even if it's just you), or in a small, medium or large organization, it is important to be able to articulate your primary duties, how you handle them and what you accomplish in a day, week or month, etc. In other words, be accountable.
The truth is, it is important for others to know what you do so your work is valued, and ultimately you are given the respect you deserve. In some cases, you may be missing out on a promotion or a raise. Or, again, you could be on the chopping block. Armed with information about what you do in general and in detail, and in writing, can help us to articulate our value to others.
Here are some career ADD tips for those who feel you work tirelessly, and are still questioned about what you do each day to bring value to the company:
Keep a log of your activities daily for a month. Write down EVERYTHING in as much detail as you can muster (detail is not a forte with us ADDers). You will likely be shocked at how much you do in a day. On the other hand, you will know where you might be procrastinating. Be honest.
After a month, sit down with some tea and music, or whatever you need to stay focused and comfortable, and read what you've written.
Take it in. Take a breath. Add whatever you might have left out.
Once you've gotten into a calm state of mind, taken a break, etc. begin to put your tasks into categories or larger headings. For example, Business Communications (this can include meetings with clients, office meetings, phone communications, e-mail, etc. or Reports or Sales, Marketing, etc.
Once you have your larger headings, decide what tasks go under each heading.
Allocate a percentage of time spent on each category.
Now tweak the information as needed so that it is the truest picture of what you do in your job or career.
Keep it in your desk or within reach at all times. Add or subtract tasks as necessary and review at least once a month.
If anyone asks you what you do every day, you not only can commit the bigger categories to memory and answer directly, but you now have evidence of your true value. If you are falling short of your job description, this is a good time to decide if you are in need of help getting those tasks completed. If you absolutely abhor them and see if you can work out a way to either eliminate them or find a way that works for you to get them done and/or make them more enjoyable. If this doesn't work, and you find that the majority of your time spent is doing tasks that you simply don't like, it's time to consider a Plan B – defining a new career path.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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