By Kay Blosser
Once a job seeker has cast his line, it is difficult to change course. He continues to go with the flow. Breaking free from that cast is similar to swimming upriver. The tide keeps pushing him back and soon he surrenders from mental and physical exhaustion. The same could be said about changing occupations once he had started down the career channel. However, with the proper gear, it can be done.
Occupations are altered for various reasons. A job seeker may find your current vocation stressful, or he may have financial reasons for the shift, or perhaps, he simply has developed a dislike for the path that he originally started down. The timing varies also. Education may be complete and he now has the opportunity to refocus. Management changes may have taken place causing a stressful work environment, or maybe he was fired. Your reasons may differ, but the common goal remains. Your client wishes to achieve Career Satisfaction.
The following 3-step program is designed to assist job seekers in the organization of career focus and the challenge of implementing a transitional career search.
Step I-Identify Career Objective
You must first help your client to evaluate what he wants out of the future employer in looking for a new vocation. Start with compiling a list of what he has found most satisfying in former jobs and another list of what was not satisfactory. Tangible and intangible abilities should be included. The following illustrations represent an attorney who is wishing to transfer skills. See example:
Satisfactory: flexible schedule client involvement helping others problem solving private office
Unsatisfactory: demanding hours salary stale management shared administration no growth potential Now start a new list. Divide into three columns. Label them Need, Want and Yahoo. Transfer the first list to the second according to importance and include what may have been missing in your first list for career satisfaction. Have fun! Dream a little in the Yahoo section. See example:
Need: Want Yahoo $75K $90K $125K+company car 2 wk vacation 3 wk vacation 3 wk at company condo private office office + secretary exercise room customer contact client contact community involvement management-level #1 management-level #2 management-level #3
The benefit of the above exercise is to analyze the data and find a common thread running through the lists, and to determine what careers are available that aid in meeting your client’s requirements. There are an abundance of online assessment tests that may also help in locating this. They are designed to assist in narrowing vocation choices. Using more than one assessment tool may eliminate additional fields and give further insight of career interest. The following websites represent just a few:
www.careermaze.com-identifies behavior and the types of jobs that are most compatible (cost) www.centerforcareerassessment.com-develops career and life skills assessments for career development, job search, self-esteem, or values assessments (cost) www.myfuture.com- distinguishes work interest (free) www.emode.com-reveles personality and work interest (several free) online testing for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and DISC system available at http://www.paladinexec.com/ (cost)
The Occupational Outlook Handbook located at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/, in conjunction with the above assessment tools, is very helpful in understanding the outlook of a chosen career. Salary indicators that may be useful are www.salary.com and Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (Bureau of Labor Statistics) at http://stats.bls.gov/oes/oes_data.htm.
Step II-Prepare Marketing Package
After the career objective has been diagnosed, the next step is to identify the target companies this career would fit into and to prepare the marketing package specifically for this industry. There are several layers to this package.
Transferable Skills- Identify the strengths previously used in terms relevant to the new occupation. Match these relevant strengths to prior accomplishments. Verbally practice the connection. Then, practice some more. Continue practicing until the comfort of communicating the correlation is there. The key is believing-not what you can do-but what you have done. Rephrase the terminology used in describing duties. Practice it. Believe it. See example:
Strengths Modified „Ï Law Practice Senior Management „Ï Trial Experience Public Communication „Ï Write Briefs Published Articles „Ï Deposition Interview „Ï Investigate Research „Ï Closing Argument Persuasive Speaking „Ï Judicial System Legal Knowledge „Ï Plaintiff Client „Ï Mediate Alternate Dispute Resolution „Ï Arbitrate Decision Maker
Resume- Structure a chronofunctional resume centered on the transferable skills revealed using modified strength terminology. Include all credentialing, education, seminars and volunteer work, in this field. Build a portfolio of relevant past accomplishments and successful situations to demonstrate select skills. Include graphs, pictures or stories pertaining to the transferable skills in addendum if necessary.
Geographical Preference- Know in advance of geographical limitations. Keep in mind that with additional restrictions, the more difficult the search may be and/or the length of time it takes to achieve.
Attitude- Check the attitude. As a walking-talking billboard it is important that a job seeker is prepared to consistently present himself in a positive and enthusiastic manner. There are no ¡§do-overs¡¨ with first impressions! Strategic Plan- Lay out a plan that stresses accountability, both in time commitment and results. Share this plan with a mentor, or cheerleader, per se, to assist in staying focused. Research- Research industries and companies best suited for your skills and proposed vocation. An excellent site for this is The Riley Guide.
Step III-Market
The marketing approach is different when there is a career change. Your client’s colleagues view him in only one line of business. It is up to you and your client to change their perception about his abilities to venture into a new role. This is where practice sessions and coaching with your clients to build self-confidence are necessary. Once he believes in himself and can prove his transferable skills, he will have gained a new audience.
Network-Help your client to choose his contacts carefully. They must be a link to his goal. Look for Associations that are within his chosen field. Encourage him to go to the association meetings and make new acquaintances in this field. Usually there is an opportunity before and after the meeting to mingle. During the meeting, he should take note on what is happening in this industry. There usually is an introduction time. This may be an opportunity for him to communicate his interest and how he fits in. Research the Companies/Employers that utilize your client’s skills. Again, Google is an awesome tool for this research. Locate the person who would make the hiring decision. Don’t let your client be shy. He should pick up the phone and make contact with this person asking for assistance and guidance on his new career path. If he runs into a brick wall at first, encourage him to keep trying. There are some who will not share their success stories with him, but others who will find it a privilege.
Make sure your client is prepared. It is not a walk in park to change careers. Your client may at times feel that he is still swimming upstream, but with your guidance, focus, determination and perseverance, it is possible. The end result is well worth the effort.
