We will explore your personal goals and the real definition of an opportunity.
As you contemplate your goals and “that” new opportunity, carefully list those benefits that will attract you, and will mollify or satiate your family’s goals and desires as well. Every new opportunity must offer at least ten perks to you and your family.
Among those could be:
– To possibly make more money & have better “benefits”
– To have more personal/professional exposure & challenge
– To broaden your personal and professional horizons
– To have a sense of personal fulfillment
– To do what you are good at and also enjoy doing
– To know that the people you work with are ethical, moral and community oriented
During transition, it is most important that you be sure that your motives, goals, and career objectives are realistic, attainable, and in your best interests, long term. A word of caution here, I have actually had many candidates tell me that they wanted the “new” company to make up for what they had lost with the prior one. In their words, they wanted to be “made whole again.” It should not be necessary to say this, but your new position must be a reward for both you and the employer, but in this market, the employer often has trump! Most often the new employer’s goals, risk, and needs will outweigh yours.
As a way to determine your real goals, objectives and definition for a new opportunity we suggest you attempt the following exercise:
Write down ten goals or objectives that are of the most interest or importance to you; and to your family. Yes, as we said above, your family goals, objectives, needs and concerns are important. They must be in the mix in choosing your target market, companies, job and even your title/position. No single factor can destroy a new opportunity more quickly then the constant negative input from family and friends; before and after you have started a new job. Indeed, your family’s concerns/goals may be more important. in some cases, than yours.
Once you have chosen these tentative goals which will flesh out your initial definition of a new “opportunity,” prioritize them in numerical order of importance to you, at this moment. Give each choice a numerical value of 1 to 10. Then re-read your list and re-prioritize them again, and then repeat the ranking. Let them stand for several hours and repeat the ranking. Please attempt to re-rank the order at least 5 times. After you have completed this exercise, you will have at least 10 real goals for your job search. Be sure to share them with your significant family members. There are no right or wrong goals; they are yours, but they must meet your basic needs, with some room for your dreams and aspirations.
Use the web, library, and market newsletters to validate and substantiate your goals. Salary.com and others can help with a realistic assessment of your compensation, job descriptions, and anticipated benefit programs. In today’s market, competition for your new “job” may impact your ability to command all your chosen goals for compensation, benefits, title or location. Remember, there are just too many highly qualified candidates on the market who may be ready, willing, and able to accept a possible reduction in base. Make those goals reasonable and attainable. You can help to insure your success in your transition process by sending your information only to a carefully chosen group of decision makers. Do not blanket mail the universe. Target!
In order to make you more realistic in your goals, there are at least three basic rules in opportunity hunting that all candidates must focus on in order to get a viable offer in the shortest period of time:
– demonstrating the Hiring Authority’s Reward for hiring YOU
– tangible past accomplishments to prove your “real” worth
– realistic expectations and goals
There are also five other considerations for all opportunity hunters. These others are much less obvious and all too often overlooked. They speak to the “value” of the potential employer, product, hiring authority and the job. Candidates must endeavor to address the following:
– Is the product real, does it work, is it needed, is it priced correctly, and can it be supported by the company.
The next four are ethos questions about the possible employer.
– How does the company treats their employees?
– How does the company treats their clients?
– How does the company treats their vendors?
You can often glean that information on their website, advertising pieces or from the interviews.
– How does the company treats or refers to its competitors on their website, in their literature, in interviews and in presentations? Are they selling the strength of their product or the “weakness” of the competitor? Negative selling often speaks volumes about the “real” employer.
The single most important truth about transition is that your goals and the status of any “opportunity” unfortunately often meet reality once the euphoria of the “first request by a target company” for an interview wears off. Yes, you have gotten NOTICED, your presentation materials did separate you form the “herd to be HEARD.
Now that you have gotten noticed; be sure that you can commit to the new position at the predetermined base you have chosen before you began soliciting interviews. Don’t waste the Hiring Authority’s time and yours. You never know when your paths will cross again. Don’t manipulate yourself out of an offer. Have your “nice to have, need to have and settle for #’s” already determined before you interview. I recommend that you actually place those numbers on a slip of paper and put them in your wallet before you interview. Also, before any interview, actually decide whether you will “move/relocate” for the job, when, where, why and how.
In summary, to be successful in transition, your goals and definition of an opportunity must be clearly defined before you solicit that first contact. Your future depends as much on your preparation and planning for the transition, as it does on your credentials or prior work history.
Good luck in your pursuit.
If you have found these concepts useful and want more in depth information, please check out our book, CD’s and website at www.get-THAT-NEXT-job.com.
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