To succeed in today’s demanding and ever-changing work environment, you must take charge of managing your own career. Gerard McLoughlin offers some advice!
Buying and selling
Think of yourself as a company with a product or service to sell. Analyze your market and devise a carefully targeted marketing campaign, keeping in mind that companies recruit employees who offer them the best results and the best value for money.
- Begin by identifying your skills, qualifications and accomplishments. Adopt a customer-focused approach. What benefits and results can you offer employers? Are your skills marketable and up-to-date?
- Determine what additional skills you need to develop to make yourself more marketable. Seek out and take advantage of all opportunities for continuous learning and professional development.
- Employers place a high value on team players and problem-solvers. They want to see evidence in your CV or resume of specific, quantifiable accomplishments.
What are others offering?
In the business world, successful companies win customers by developing a unique selling proposition. To give yourself a competitive advantage, analyze what other employees in your field are offering. It is not enough emulate your competitors; you must strive to differentiate yourself by offering something extra, something unique.
- Try to assess yourself as objectively as possible to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Analyze your performance appraisals and, if appropriate, enlist the help of a trusted friend or colleague to help you evaluate yourself.
- Define and prioritize your short-term and long-term career goals. Make sure they are challenging but achievable.
- Study recruitment web sites and the appointments pages of newspapers to familiarize yourself with the current requirements of employers.
- Your CV/resume should be fine-tuned regularly and kept up-to-date to enable you to make a swift and targeted response to any suitable job opportunity that arises.
Learn strategies
Learn all you can about job search strategies, job-specific resumes, and professional interview techniques.
By adopting a planned, proactive and carefully targeted approach, you will maximize your chances of landing the job that best matches your skills and personality.
More career tips for women
- Risky career moves for the gutsy career woman
- A good resume versus a great resume
- Thinking about making a career move?
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