Coaching is not about giving advice, it is about working with you to generate the steps you want to take to move closer to where you want to go in your life or career. These will be entirely specific to you and what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. At the end of a coaching session a client comes out with a plan of action based on their own personal circumstances, and hopefully feels refreshed and ready to go!
That said, there are often lots of tips and techniques out there that you can look at, and pick out what works for you. With the current ‘credit crunch’ and increasing numbers of redundancies and business closures, the theme of career options and job change has been popping up a lot. With this in mind, I have put together a few ‘top tips’ to help you find that next job of yours!
- Don’t get hung up on job titles or professions. There seems to have been a trend to use imaginative names and labels to describe different work. Dig deeper into the job description to see if there is a match between your skills and their requirements, and try to be open minded about what you want to be ‘called’ in your next job.
- Make the most of technology. There is so much information online you can find a lot about different organisations, from the profile of their top management team to their recruitment processes. BUT…
- …organise your research. There is so much information out there you need to be focused and plan what you want to look at. It is too easy to get sidetracked by Amazon links and a quick check of your emails!
- Be cheeky. Can’t find what you want online? Give them a buzz! You never know, you might find that one person who is happy to chat for five minutes and give you some insider information into their industry.
- Be positive about how transferrable your skills are, you need to be able to sell your skills. Think about the more generic skills you have too, such as organisational techniques, time management and customer service skills.
- Got that all-important interview? Visualise yourself in the role and walk into the room as if you are already doing the job. This will give you an air of confidence and help you to convince them that you can fill the role.
- Don’t take refusals hard. Get feedback and use it to your advantage. You will find a new job at some point, and every refusal is one step closer to an offer.
- If you fancy a change and are already employed, consider a sideways move within your own organisation. They may be willing to give you a go in an entirely different area.
- If you have been made redundant, don’t take it personally. You can’t control the situation but you can mange your own reaction to it. Focus on moving on and remember that redundancy can lead into positive life changes. Try to remember that it is your role that has been made redundant, not you personally.
- Get some feedback from people you have worked with. Ask them questions such as “What do I have to offer?” and “What sort of role can you see me in” – it will help generate ideas and they may suggest things that you have not thought of.
Take your pick of what works for you and good luck! If any of you have any other job hunting tips that you want to share, please send them in and I will post them on my blog. Please state if you do not wish me to use your name.
Feel free to contact me at info@clairehowecoaching.co.uk or 07979 697290 if you wish to book a session to generate specific actions tailored to your own situation, or if you just need some space to explore your options.