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If you are a woman out of work right now struggling with what to do next, here are 5 things you can do now to impact your job search and career transition.
- Review and evaluate where you need to upgrade your skills
So many women who have been laid off and are out of work now are educated professionals who were at companies and jobs for several years and now find themselves jobless and somewhat obsolete. They did not keep their skills updated with regard to networking, sales, technology, web and social media. Why did they need to?
Take a good hard look at your professional image, communication skills, and all the transferable skills that you have to offer. Now is a great time to seek out career and job counseling and coaching to identify where you need to improve. This will add considerable value to your personal and professional package.
- Update your resume and cover letter, and Get Personal
With the massive amounts of resumes being sent to companies today, it’s very hard to “stand out”. You will have about one paragraph and 10 seconds to capture someone’s attention in your cover letter.
MAKE IT PERSONAL! No stock “To Whom this may concern”, “Dear Sir”. Your cover letter now is like that brief encounter you may get in person with someone on line, at an airport, at an event or party. Speak directly, authentically, and engage them. Try something like “I am a big fan of your company and here’s why”, or “Let me tell you about a positive experience I had with your company, and why I want to work for you”.
- Figure out what your intangibles are
What hiring people are looking for today are well-rounded people who bring many “intangibles” to the job.
“Intangible assets are defined as identifiable non-monetary assets that cannot be seen, touched or physically measured, which are created through time and/or effort.”
The employee who brings the most diverse abilities, experience and qualities to the game will usually win the job. Be ready and willing to cover the floor, front desk or back room! All those “odd” jobs and “high profile” jobs that you have done make up all that you are and have done. They can translate to many work situations and cross skills.
Are you a problem solver, organizer, people person, leader, the go-to person? Celebrate, and brag a little!
- Focus on offline networking and making personal connections
The “power of personal connections” is still the most effective way to get a job today. Get out from your computer, go out into your community, and make offline in person connections. Church, chamber, professional organizations, neighborhood, hobbies, school are all great avenues. People know people, who know people…
- Be confident, bring a positive attitude and value to people daily
Your mindset, attitude and energy are powerful magnets. Work on being a positive energy source and people will naturally be attracted to you. Seek out alternative sources of information and news. Surround yourself with positive, can do, make it happen people. Give, share, connect, receive and watch what happens!
Bottom Line
Women are resourceful, intuitive, connectors and collaborators. Leveraging and using these inherent qualities to make connections and communicate is what makes women so attractive in the workplace and to recruiters! Use your intangibles and assets to stand out and set yourself apart, and watch what happens!
© Copyright Deborah Shane, 2009. All rights reserved. Used With Permission
Deborah Shane, Job-Hunt's Job Search for Women Expert, is founder and President of Train With Shane, which delivers education, training, and professional development in the sales, marketing, and motivation process fields. Deborah is also founder of the Women's Empowerment Series Conferences. Reach Deborah through Train With Shane and also on Twitter at @DeborahShane.
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