You would probably not believe how many people approach me each week for career or job search advice. Because I am a human resources professional, people kind of assume that I know the secrets to job search success.
Actually, the truth is that there is no secret. The reality is that the job search process intimidates many people. When you are intimidated, you are not on your “A” game. So this results in your not making the very best presentation of your job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics during the selection process. What some don’t realize is that the selection process begins with your submission of your resume and cover letter in response to the vacancy announcement…not with the first interview. So the key to jump-starting your job search success is preparation and relaying a positive, can-do attitude via your cover letter. So your preparation begins by developing a “killer” resume and creating an awesome cover letter. The challenge with both of these activities is that they require writing, which intimidates some people. Believe it or not, writing does not have to be difficult or intimidating, and if you think that you can’t write a “killer” resume and/or an awesome cover letter, I’m here to help change that.
This post is the first installment of a multi-part series that will break down each step of a successful career search process. You’ll likely be surprised that my initial points of advice have nothing to do with a resume, cover letter, or interview preparation. They begin with emotional and mental fitness, along with a healthy self-confidence. So how do you develop these qualities if you don’t already have them? Well, stay tuned and I will detail for you how you should really begin your successful career search. Follow the steps that I layout across this and several blog posts to follow, so you can exponentially improve your odds of career search success so that you can begin living your absolute best life.
- Develop a success mindset. You know, self-doubt has killed too many people’s dreams. So don’t let your dream be its next victim. If you don’t develop a success mindset for yourself, you will have defeated yourself before you start your journey to the next level. The best thing that you can do for yourself and for your successful career search is to give yourself permission to see yourself authoritatively and confidently doing your new job. It has been proven that people who envision themselves accomplishing their goals have a much greater chance of achieving success and living out their dream. Don’t believe me? Take a moment to watch this Post-It® commercial on YouTube® at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qp1GiLSAHk/. It really brings the message home. So get inspired and take a big dose of believing in yourself and become your own biggest cheerleader.
- Next, learn to maintain your power by being selective in whom you confide your vision. Remember, the vision is yours, not someone else’s, so others may not be able to see you walking in your success. If you share your vision with someone and they discourage you from attempting to make your vision a reality, don’t be deterred and don’t take it personally. Rather, remember that our family members’ and friends’ advice is typically based on their own life experiences. So if they once went after a dream and weren’t successful, they have likely developed a fear of failure. Subsequently, as well-meaning as they may be, they may find it difficult to encourage you to chase your dream. Why? Because they don’t want you to experience the disappointment that they did. While their concern is admirable, it will do little to propel you to the next level. Everyone’s situation and outcome are different. So I encourage you to press forward because looking back with regret because you did not try is even worse than trying and not succeeding. I recently spoke to an employee who was seeking a new career opportunity within our organization. She is currently in school working towards completing the degree that she began pursuing over thirty years ago. I remember that employee saying that had she finished school when she was supposed to, more opportunities would be available to her. I quickly reminded her that at least she had tried, life happened, and now she is taking action to achieve your goal. The way I see it is, “Better late than never.” And guess what? She won’t look back with regret. So the moral of the story is, “Attempt and see what happens.” I also encourage you to not give your power to those who try to manipulate you. These people’s intentions are not admirable. Their advice to you is based solely on selfish reasons, so beware and don’t fall prey. As many of you would likely agree…this subject is a blog post on its own. Remember, with some people, it is sometimes best to just let your success speak for itself.
- Once you make the decision to pursue your dream, move forward by writing your vision. Many of you know that my faith guides me in all that I do, so I believe in the scripture, Habbakuk 2:2, “Write the vision and make it plain.” And don’t stop at only writing the end result that you would like to achieve, lay the foundation for your success by documenting the steps that you will have to take in order to make your dream become reality. I know that for me, writing something down positively affects my psyche. It kicks me into action because, in my mind, the act of writing a goal down is my act of committing to it, so I won’t rest until I have given it my best effort. You will be able to use that list to track your progress. And never forget to celebrate small wins just as much as you do big wins because it is all progress. Another way that I have begun to document my commitment to my dreams is by building a vision board with pictures, quotes, and words that depict the goal that I am trying to accomplish and that inspire me to take action towards making my dreams a reality. Once you build your vision board, place it in your home, car, office, or another place where you can see it each day. I even took a picture of my vision board and emailed it to myself so that I can have access to it all times. Hey, you never know when you might need a bit of inspiration. For many people, nothing is more inspiring than a reminder of the things that you want to achieve. Once you achieve a goal from your vision board, remove the items related to it, place those items in an accomplishments or gratitude container, then rearrange your vision board to include new life goals. For example, now that I have a great job, I’ve taken those reference pieces off. See my vision board below.
I keep it on my bedside nightstand so that it is one of the first things that I see when I awake each morning. - Engage in continuous learning mode. Always welcome the opportunity to get knowledge. You will become a more well-rounded person and you will be able to see situations from a diversity of perspectives. Your confidence will also sky-rocket. You will suddenly realize the wealth of capabilities that you have and amaze yourself with what you can accomplish in a short time frame. Soon you will be an authority in your own right.
- Have a killer resume. The first step to beginning your successful career search is to get your resume career-search ready. Pay close attention to ensure that it is as quantitative as possible; showcases your career accomplishments; is full of action verbs; is true; and, is well-formatted. In fact, some people have had successful career searches with a “killer resume” only. I don’t recommend going that route, though. Just going that extra step to pair your resume with an awesome cover letter could make the difference in your being advanced to the first step of the interview process…or not. My advice is to take the time to represent your qualifications fully. When you get that long-awaited call, you’ll thank me.
- Make your cover letter awesome. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again. An awesome cover letter is the perfect companion to your “killer resume.” After your resume presents your work history, your cover letter builds on the resume’s job by expressing your interest in your position of interest. It then highlights a couple of noteworthy examples of how you have used your job-related experience to positively impact your current and/or former employers.
Are you someone who suffers from FOW, “Fear of Writing?” If so, I have a prescription for that. It’s called Career Search Rx, your comprehensive career search system. Just visit my products and resources page at https://nnamtique.com/products-and-resources and take advantage of the mix of free and for-sale self-paced training modules devoted entirely to your career search success. This learning system differentiates itself from other career/job search training modules by starting off with a mental, emotional, confident approach to landing your dream job.
Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!
