Blog Entry - Take the Career Strategy Test. – By Minto Roy
First off, let's be honest.
The employment market is rebounding, slowly. I realize every day newspapers, radio and TV stories scream to their audiences that 1000's of jobs are going unfilled. Movie trailer panic headlines about Labour Shortages and the doom of our economy if we don't find talent to fill the million, zillion, trillion jobs that are vacant.
But, if you listen and read carefully, what the media is not saying is: "Thousands of career position with excellent growth and management potential with starting salary ranges of 50K and above, go unfilled at these particular companies in the North America." Now, I am not implying that there are not alot of jobs in this economy, I'm saying that getting the right career requires the right strategy no matter the market conditions.
For example, we still have thousands of IT professionals, managers and skilled workers, out of work or underemployed. These professionals that would have never dreamt 10 years ago during the I.T. boom, that they would have been unemployed for a single day. Remember the days when all they had to do was post a resume on Monster or Workopolis and employers would scurry to entice them to their dot.com.
Folks the world has changed.
Martha Stewart went to jail.
Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California and a shoe box in Yaletown is worth 500K.
The process of securing career employment has also changed. Ten years ago there were more jobs than technical people. The tech. community walked around with a level of casual arrogance that comes from being chased and never having to chase. I meet many talented people who don't know how to chase great careers. I tell them to look around, no-one is chasing you. No-one is around the corner AND no-one is waiting for you. Goblal changes, have increased competition. Leaner business models have caused a drastic shift in the way professionals need to approach the employment market.
With the right approach however, there are many great careers out there. But how do you know if you have the right strategy to land that great job?
Well, here's a great test that will assess your career search strategy. Before taking the test however, consider the following. Our priorities and principals in life are crucial. For most of us our families and our health are our #1 priority. Also, like most people the second most important prioritiy or "1B" is our careers. By default most of us spend at least 8-10 hours a day of our life working. Everything we do at work provides for the health and economic well being of our families. Like it or not, the right job makes a world of difference in the way you and your family live.
So with the realization, test your career strategy with these 4 questions.
Each question is to be answered on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the highest grade. Please answer and total for the following questions out of 40.
Remember, if you are seeking new employment, then you are the product in a very competitive market of job seekers. So please take a moment to really think about these questions and be honest. The only person you are going to fool is yourself.
I will, at the bottom of this article give you the average total score from professionals I have interviewed from my 10 years of working with professionals helping them secure their next career.
Question #1.
On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of awareness of opportunities for your professional skills? (For instance, how many openings do you know about that are definite right fit for your skills? How many opening do you know about that are in the works, how many of your are asking yourself, what are my professional skills?)
Question#2.
On a scale of 1-10, How aware are you of your current market value? Not just estimate based on your last job. (We know you earned $80K in your last job, but for G-d's sake you've been unemployed for 6 months and have sent out 300 resumes and now call yourself a consultant and the next change to your cv will be an address change back to your parents house). How well do you know what your worth in the current economy? Total compensation packages; salary, benefits, bonuses, stock options, future options, vacations, health plans, further education, etc..
Quetion#3.
On a scale of 1-10 How strong are your interview skills and strategy. Before you answer, think about competing against10 other people with similar skills going into an interview for one job. How well do you interview?
We are not counting the fact that during a one hour meeting you can tell an employer what they already know from your resume; your work history, that your a team player, that your looking for a challenge and your a loyal, hard worker. I am talking about your ability to market yourself with strategic information and a plan to set yourself apart from the 9 other candidates.
Question #4.
On a scale of 1-10, what is the level of your contacts in your targeted industry? For example, if your looking for a job at 50-70K, how many people do you know over 100k that are in managerial positions in companies that would meet you or potentially hire you?
How did you do?
These questions are not designed to be easy. I have found in life that humility is the first step to succeeding towards the next level. So, now that you've been honest and answered these questions, what's your score out of 40?
Most people realize during this survey that they really don't have a great strategy for 1B in their life.
And think about this. Those questions relate to marketing any product. How well do you know the product? Who needs this product? How does this product differ from similiar products? How well can I communicate the value differences of this product? Who do I know wants to buy this product? What's the product worth if someone does want to buy it?
I have had the privilege of meeting thousands of professionals at all levels during my career. The vast majority score between 10-15 out of 40. Actually the higher I seem to go up in the corporate ladder the lower the score admited by the professionals. CEO & VP's invariably score between 10-12. Simply speaking, they know that their competition is equally impressive. They are extremely ready to admit where they are weak and get help. That is the basis of all success in life.
I will follow-up this article next month with some concrete ideas and strategies on how to secure new opportunities in the employment market. There is no magic pill coming, these ideas will require; research, diligence, practice and consistency, but they will work. I welcome you to try the ideas and give me feedback.
After all, it's only your life.
Minto D. Roy
President/CEO
PCMG Canada/Careers Today Canada