What is important to you?



What is important to you?Identifying a career opportunity is only part of the process. Over the last 4 weeks you have been developing an understanding of what you want and who you are, and you have created goals and value statements as a result. You need to you know what is important to you when searching employment opportunities, so you can not only be successful in your job search, but also be successful in the job. Some revisionReview your notes from weeks 2 and 3 (Getting Clarity and Your Roadmap to Success).Again, take time to consider what is important to you. What skills do you want to improve on? Are you searching for career trajectory? Do you want to be in a leadership position and do you have what it takes to lead a team? Is your focus on increasing your salary? Are you ready to take on extra responsibilities and extra pressure? What are the options for the next career opportunity once you have succeeded with this one? What are your employment preferences? Who do you want to work with? What industries do you want to work in? Who don’t you want to work with? Do you want to work full-time or part-time? Contract or permanent? Do these things still fit with your goals and values? Add any new thoughts about what is important to you below. Research your target industryWith your criteria in hand it is important that you research your target employers, so you can align yourself with an organisation that is committed to values common to your own. This will allow you to make informed decisions about employers to approach about work. Sources of information include industry publications, professional associations, websites and annual reports. What employers appeal to you? Why?Identifying job opportunitiesTo ensure you maximise your opportunities for employment, you can target both?advertised jobs?and the?hidden job market.Advertised jobs Advertised jobs can be found on:Job search websites. The best ones will vary according to the type of jobs you are applying for and the country you live in. Types of job search websites are:General job search websites:?where you can look for work in any industry, e.g.?Seek, LinkedIn, Indeed.Graduate job search websites: with a graduate employment focus.Specialised job search websites: sites that specialise in recruiting for specific industries. These may be linked to?professional associations?or industry anisation and industry-related websites. Many organisations advertise positions vacant on their own websites. Also, employment opportunities are also often listed in relevant magazines and industry journals online. It is a good idea to subscribe to reputable ones related to your area of interest and qualifications.Professional Association websites. Employment opportunities may also be listed on?professional associations?websites.Recruitment agencies. Recruitment agencies are useful when looking for both temporary or permanent work, so you may consider registering with a recruitment agency. They are independent organisations engaged by employers to source and screen prospective candidates for job vacancies. They advertise job vacancies, and screen and interview candidates on behalf of employers. A good recruitment agent will serve the needs of both their client (the employer) as well as the job seeker.?Write down the names of websites and organisations that you have identified as a good source of advertised jobs. The hidden job marketNot all jobs are advertised. Finding work through job advertisements can be effective but can limit your opportunities for work as many jobs are not advertised. You should apply multiple job search strategies and proactively build your networks by approaching and speaking to employers, recruiters and people working within the industry. Accessing the hidden job market includes the following:Networking. Networking is about building relationships with people and using these relationships to find new career opportunities. Networking is a key strategy for tapping into the hidden job market. Networking tips include:Be prepared to talk about yourself in an engaging and relevant manner. Make sure you have your ‘elevator pitch’ (your personal brand) ready and remember that networking is a two-way street – talk about what you can do for them.Build rapport. To be effective, do your research into your target industry and have clear networking objectives. Prepare relevant questions or discussion points and build rapport by encouraging the other person to talk about themselves. This takes time and effort.Start with the people you already know and ask them to introduce you to their relevant contacts. Also ask them if there is anything that you can do for them. Join professional associations, attend conferences, industry presentations and meet-ups, and subscribe to industry news stay up to date with the latest trends.Have a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is the popular online channel for many professionals and used regularly to identify employment trends and opportunities, and networking with well-informed individuals. If you’re not already a committed user, it is highly recommended adopt LinkedIn as a means for networking and job searches.If you’re from another culture or country, ensure you’re aware of the culturally acceptable ways of networking in your country. Observe others or seek out a mentor who can provide feedback.Always follow up with a thank you message and make sure that deliver on anything that you promised.Directly approaching employers. You can be proactive and approach employers directly, even when they aren't advertising a vacancy. To do this you:You must have a well-developed idea about what you want. You need to be clear about what kind of industry you would like to work in, the sort of jobs you are seeking and what you seek in an employer to help you target your job search in the hidden job market.You need to choose your method of contact. Whether you approach them via phone, email, or in person will depend on the size and type of organisation, the culture of the industry and your comfort level with different communication options.?You must do your research. Find out everything you can about the organisation and potential roles before you approach employers. Sources of information include industry publications, professional associations, websites and annual reports.Write a speculative application. Prepare a resume and cover letter, and tailor both of these to each organisation that you have identified demonstrating your research and awareness of how you could fit. Find out to whom you should address your enquiry and follow up with a phone call a week or two afterwards if you have not heard anything back. This will also show you are serious and rmation interviewing. This involves applying your networking skills to research careers and professional pathways. Interviewing people working in roles or in organisations of interest to you can provide key information to help you with your career decisions and job search strategies. It is also a valuable way to build networks within a targeted industry and gain confidence with professional networking.Write down ways that you can access the hidden job market and how you can apply them. Can you think of anything else not mentioned above? How about your current employer? Friends and family? How can you keep your eyes, and ears, wide open? Brainstorm some ideas for tapping in to the hidden job market.Be ready to actWith all of this preparation done, you need to be ready to act when that new career opportunity presents itself. This means that you need to have an up-to-date resume and you can confidently articulate what you are looking for in your next career move. It is also helpful if you can be flexible with meetings and have the ability to attend interviews or coffee catch ups at reasonably short notice. More on this in week 6. Your big opportunity may be right where you are now"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."Napoleon HillMany people look for success in many places. They try different things, never settling on one idea. They look for that golden opportunity in all sorts of places and all sorts of crazy schemes. They dabble and never make progress.Could it be that something you already know and are good at is your ticket to success? Is it possible that your current job holds promise for bigger and better things if only you would look into it more deeply?Before you go looking for opportunities elsewhere, take a careful look around you. Your road to success and happiness may be right in front of you. Consider your current circumstances. Are you currently employed? What potential opportunities for growth exist in your current job? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Update your job search planSetting your goals is one thing, but you must have a plan to act on them. In week 3 you developed an action plan to achieve your goals. Here you will make sure that you have identified job search specific activities. Based on your answers above, review this plan and add any additional and relevant activities that you need to perform to carry out your job search. Do you need to send out a certain number of job applications per week? Do you need to set aside time to research employers? Have you identified another source of employment? Do you need to set targets to approach organisations directly about work? Do you need to identify personal contacts to add to your job search network? Have you allowed sufficient time in your week to search for opportunities and your other commitments? Will keep a record of your efforts?Add any new activities below and update your action plan from Week 3 accordingly. ................
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