| There are some jobs
in the current economy that were eliminated—and will never come
back. If you were in one of those positions, the best strategy is to
figure out a new way to use your skills.
Retooling yourself
can be a daunting task. You might have the feeling that you’re
starting over from scratch. But that’s not true. You do have experience
that will be valuable in your new job; things like knowing how businesses
work, getting along with co-workers, work habits, etc. They’ll
give you an advantage over workers with no experience.
Transforming Yourself
So, how do you transform
yourself? The most obvious is to go back to school or get more training.
Before you spend the time and money, however, do a self-assessment to
be sure you need it. Start by yourself, but you might want to work with
a career counselor if you get stuck. They have tools that can help identify
your skill strengths. Here's a suggestion to get started.
Start with What You Do and Enjoy
Make a list of all
the things you know how to do well. Don’t limit yourself to work-related
skills. Think of the things you do as hobbies, as a volunteer, etc.
Your new job may be in a totally new field for you and use some of these
skills.
Make a list of what
you know. This could include specialized programming languages, designing
an organic herb garden or how to apply theatrical make-up. This list
might be hard to make since we rarely think about what we know when
we’re working on a task—whether at home or on the job.
Brainstorm about
what jobs use the skills you’ve put on your two lists. It might
help to do this with someone (friend, spouse, fellow job seeker) since
more ideas are better. Be wild and crazy when you’re making this
list. You can always go back later and get rid of the totally “off
the wall” ideas.
Organize your list
of brainstormed ideas. See if there are jobs that fall into categories—either
by task or type of organization that would use them—and group
them together.
Edit your groups,
putting them in order of preference—the one you like best first,
etc.
Do any of your top
three categories require more training? If so, then find a program that
gives you the skills you need (check out their job placement statistics
as well as their courses).
Potential Employers?
Start looking for companies
that would use those skills categories. They might not be companies
posting jobs just now, but they are companies you should investigate
and try to get an information interview with.
The more companies
you can put on your list, the more likely you are to find a job. Use
the want ads (online and off) to identify companies. Look in the Yellow
Pages. Check business directories at the library. Visit one-stop career
centers to check out their resources.
Your next job may
be totally unrelated to your last. Or it may be a variation on it. Just
be willing to change focus. Keep a positive attitude. And get help if
you need it. Just like Steve Buscemi (former NYC fireman, present Hollywood
actor), you can reinvent yourself to get a new career focus.
© Copyright
2005 Dr. Jan Cannon. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Dr. Jan Cannon, Job-Hunt's Mid-Life Career Expert, is author of Now What Do I Do? The Woman's Guide to a New Career, Find a Job: 7 Steps to Success, Finding a Job in a Slow Economy, co-author of Exceptional Accomplishment, and a career professional for 20 years. Visit her Website, CannonCareerCenter.com.
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