by Larry Goldsmith on April 10, 2012
Don’t take it literal when someone tells you to run you job search like a business. Don’t assume it means that you wake up each day at 7 in the morning, put on a suit and go to work. Ask yourself this question. What does a job search have in common with a business? The correct response is that, “they both need a Strategy for Success.”
Yes, run your job search like business. Begin your job search with a strategic plan. A strategic plan for a business is one that follows the criteria set out in its Vision, Mission, Goal and Objectives. You should have a similar strategic plan for your job search. Think of your plan beginning with the vision statement. Your vision is where you see yourself in the far off future. It is the job of your dream. This leads to the question of the purpose of your existence? This is called a mission statement. The mission put you on a Strategic Plan to Achieve the Vision.
Each strategic plan needs a goal. Goals are broad statements and are not measurable. There is usually more than a single goal. An example of a goal for a job search is to get a job? There is no measurement to this goal. It is just your desired outcome to help you achieve your vision and mission. The question is however how do you move from a goal to actually securing the job? This happens by setting objectives that are aligned with your goal. Objectives are measurable. Objectives are concrete statements leading to specific outcomes to achieve the goal. An objective is the measurable component of a goal. Here is what the process looks like sequentially.
- Vision: Where you would like to be in the future.
- Mission: Purpose of existence to Achieve the Vision
- Goal: Goals are broad statements of desired outcomes to achieve the vision and mission. [Example: To Get a Job.]
- Objective: An objective is the measurable component of a goal. The difference between a goal and an objective is measurement. One has measurement and the other does not. Objectives are action – oriented with a timeline. [Example of an objective: I will distribute my resume to 20 organizations within seven (7) days]
To sum it up, you want to begin your search with a ‘business’ strategy. Put together a job search plan. Set up a business model that follows strategic planning. Define your vision and mission. Make it simple to start. Choose a limited number of broad goals that reflect multiple objectives that capitalize on your strengths. Those that begin with this strategy will find that their successes multiply. You plan will become your road map to job search success.
by Larry Goldsmith on November 19, 2011
by Larry Goldsmith on November 13, 2011
For over 20 years I have been committed to delivering the best career planning, résumé writing and job search training strategies and techniques to individuals, groups and organizations. [I am a student of career development analyzing, reflecting on and refining processes, procedures, techniques and technologies.] While I do not have a canned or boilerplate presentation when speaking I do have a vision and mission. My presentation highlights strategies which will result in a higher level of thinking. My goal is to engage individuals to make more informed choices and better decisions.
Understand the impact of your career and job search decisions. Take control of your employment, career and life. The strategies listed below (delivered to both individuals and audiences) are highlights of my talks. They give actions that can be immediately integrated to help you build a strategic career plan.
- A Job Search is not a Sequential Event
- There is no such thing as an isolated Job Search Experience
- Better Understand Yourself, Better Understand Your Target Audience
- Search by the functionality of your Occupation rather than the Title
- Apply Strategic planning to your Job Search
- Use SWOT to remove your Governor
- Create a targeted Resume
- Visualize the Experience: Practice with Scenarios to Discover Your Issues
- Research Your Clients to identify their Needs
- We live in an Experience Economy. Learn to Stage the Event
- You have several Opportunities to make a First Impression
- Applying Socratic Questioning will lead to more positive networking (Elevator Speech) results
- Networking works better when you have a tag line
- Objections are king! Long Live Objections
- It does not count if it is not measured
by Larry Goldsmith on May 8, 2011
[This article was published in the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals’ Advantage June (Volume 24) Newsletter. The Newsletter is distributed to approximately 4,500 workforce professionals across the United States. (Congratulations Larry)]
Scenarios are one of the best ways to teach and help job seekers to get to the next level. I tend to open my presentations and training instructions with scenarios. Presenting a situation to the group helps me to determine their level of thought and how they approach decision-making and problem solving.
Consider this case problem: As an analyst, Susan finds that many of her responsibilities envelop a broad cross-section of the organization that can be linked to the bulk of the company’s revenue producing activities. While finishing her last project she proved her worth to the organization and gained significant respect of several senior members of the management team. When the senior analyst announced a retirement date, Susan decided she would seek the position.
Question: What should Susan do first?
Most times the responses begin with tactical tasks. This method of solving problems is referred to as a symptoms approach. In other words, the responses generally are:
• Update a résumé
• Make it clear management knows you want the position
• Return to school to pick up new skills
• Step up your performance in key areas
• Find a mentor
• Network
I’m not saying the ideas are not good ones. In most instances they probably are short-term solutions even if your client gets the interview and the job offer. A symptoms approach does not address the real issues that may prevent career success for your clients. This is because the tasks identified do not get to the root causes. Not bringing the root cause to the surface delays the process of making an informed decision. Done wisely, this process of root cause analysis eliminates the same problems from recurring.
Raising your clients’ focus through a process of defining the most important issues in order to make informed decisions are steps leading to long-term success. In a job search, you want to get your clients to their root causes in order to improve their search steps. If their resumes are not working, they need to find out why out and fix the real issue. Or, if they are not being invited back for second interviews, they need to determine why not. This can be achieved by training your attention on getting your clients to drill down into their root issues. Or you will continue to find yourself in these recurring situations, and continuing to address your clients’ job search barriers or constraints again and again. [Ground Hog Day]
Critical thinking is spending 95% of your time defining the problem and 5% finding the Solution. (Larry Goldsmith)
