Are you keeping your career process on track? How does anyone navigate change, be it business or personal?
"With the pace of change accelerated for most people, the importance of following a process becomes an important, critical and really effective tool to deal with it. The process is as important as the results it produces."
Changing jobs, lifestyle, health, where you live, the unexpected are all a part of our lives today in a more relentless way then ever before. I’m thinking of these real examples of people I know, who have been thrown into the unknown. That unknown is producing some extraordinary outcomes because each one is following a process.
An old high school friend made a bad decision to practice medicine in the wrong way and lost her license. A seasoned HR professional just let go after being at the same company for 16 years. An unexpected visit to the doctor by a childhood friend revealed a serious fight with cancer that she is winning. A 50% drop in business the last year by a well established company who did not keep pace with the trends.
Change. The cheese moved. The situation unexpectedly shifted. A radical new reality is now in place. What do you do?
You follow a process and move through and with your new reality.
A process offers a set of steps, protocols, principles that go into place in a sensible order. They are designed to restore perspective, functionality, effectiveness, efficiency and well being. Regardless of the situation, defining the process, implementing it and regularly monitoring it can give order and meaning to the results.
By definition "a process" is a verb describing...
"The action of taking something through an established and usually routine set of procedures or steps to convert it from one form to another. A process involves steps and decisions in the way something is accomplished, and may involve a sequence of events. The process that one follows is as important as the results that are produced by the process."
Are you following a career process to move things forward, or are you stuck or aimlessly drifting?
I review these seven areas to make sure my process stays on track.
Making sure “My Vision” is clear about what I do and what I am supposed to be doing. It makes it easier to stick with it and persevere.
Making sure “My Mission” is clear about why I am doing what I am doing. It is about making money but helping people is my why.
Constantly reviewing “The Fundamentals” are in place for doing exceptional work and following the best practices that are available today.
Staying on top of and following “The Trends” forces me to pay attention to change and keep up with it?
Staying focused on serving “My Target Market” to grow my business, build community, engagement and good will.
Nurturing and having “A Mindset and Attitude” that is positive, authentic and kind.
Checking “My Motives” and making sure they are based in the right reasons for everything that I do.
If all of those areas are clear, on track and working together, than I am better equipped to deal with and manage those external conditions I have NO control over, because I have a process and a system in place that guides and moves me. Sometimes it’s lateral, sometimes it’s vertical, and sometimes it’s nowhere, but the process moves me.
That doctor friend of mine, who lost her license is learning new sales and marketing skills representing a direct selling product and feeling quite re-energized. The seasoned HR professional is building a consulting practice specializing in coaching and training people through career change.
That childhood friend who has been fighting cancer is improving and enjoying picking apples and milking cows with her family. The established business has rejuvenated their marketing, product delivery and social media engagement.
They are following a process and moving through and with their realities one day at a time, one step at a time.
That’s the beauty of a process. It guides and moves us naturally.
How do you process and where is it taking you?
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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.