THE STRATEGIC GAME PLAN
Blasting your resume and cover letter to 10-20 companies per day and posting it on several sites might seem like progress. But, where’s the strategy in that? And what’s the return on the investment of your time and efforts? Proper positioning and strategy could mean the difference between getting that dream job or being the ignored wallflower at the cocktail hour of success. It could also mean the difference between effective job hunting and empty exhaustion.
- Be visible and active in your prospective industry. Meet with internal and external executives, supervisors and others who either have the power to place you in positions you desire or are successfully doing what you’d like to be doing. Develop relationships with those who will be able to vouch for your aptitudes and abilities when a new opportunity or opening develops. Join groups or teams where the power players are involved, and make conscious efforts to get off computer and into the thick of the industry, whether its free events, community rallies, volunteer opportunities or leisure activities.
- Reevaluate your past employment reviews or reports to get a sense of where you could improve professionally. You could find great insights on how to improve your work ethic, how you interact in the culture of the company, or ways you could go about communicating better.
- Determine whether your career aspirations or job track is truly the right path for you. If your skills match better with a recruitment role than that of a manager, why not position yourself to do more recruitment? If you’re better with handling money than coming up with the company’s next money-maker, why not pursue the accounting side of the game?
- Get more training or education to improve your skill set. If you are looking for advancement within your company or another company, utilize resources offered either at your company or local college or university to ramp up your skills and be seen as a more attractive candidate.
- Be flexible and able to adapt to changes. Are you located near the pulse of your industry? If not, are you creating a niche or filling a void that might be needed or open to relocation? Are there ways you could you use your skills doing a job that might not be in your traditional line of work but uncover skills or passions that you’d like to use in your career? Are you willing to take a pay cut or relocate to achieve your career goals?
- Work on projects that challenge you to do other tasks that showcase additional talents. Experts say stepping outside of your usual job duties into tasks you might be passionate about can help you show what additional skills you embody that no one was aware of. Activities such as spearheading a special project or volunteering your talents in bookkeeping, organizations, and new ideas can be a great start.