The last few months I’ve seen (and felt) from students to executives so much fear and confusion in just about all sectors of the market. No doubt there is cause for such feelings as unemployment, foreclosures, higher gas prices, oil spills off the coast, and on and on are hitting our lives each day. Leading one to ask, who’s safe from economic devastation and career collapse? Not to spoil anyone’s breakfast or trip to the beach, but no one.
Since, in my opinion, no one is “protected” from crisis’ way, becoming prepared is the only sound practice in this crazy world. Now you’re asking how do you protect yourself. Without hesitation, the first step is to recognize there are more people than available job positions. Recognizing you are not the only contestant in a competitive market brings reality to a new level (no room for pitchy tones or lyric forgetting). Since there are more people than jobs, you must develop a plan to increase your value, worth, and immediate contribution.
What determines value? On a company perspective, what can the job applicant do right now—not next week or even next month? Recent graduates, you offer theory and perhaps a capstone, intern, extern, or a bit of experience to go with it. Is this enough? For some yes, for some no. For experienced executives, knowing is not always enough either—you must be the top performer as well.
Let’s make a connection to American Idol for a moment.
Expert judges decreased hundreds of thousands of wanna-be’s to a baker’s dozen. In most cases it was clear the majority were pretenders; only a hand full truly belonged. After months of hard work, the top ten dwindled to only a few and now we have four standing (okay, after tonight’s episode). Here’s where career management comes in… lack of EXPRESSING talent (or value) creates a schism between the ones who can from the ones who pretend they can. In career management, this schism is created and reinforced within 15 seconds of reviewing your cover letter and/or resume.
Getting back to career management and your initial performance: your cover letter MUST accompany your resume in EVERY situation. Your cover letter MUST be tailored to EVERY job posting. In other words, do not submit a blanket cover letter—incorporate words from the posting and from research about the job and/or company.
Much like any wanna-be singer, prepare for the moment and never go into a situation uninformed. To break it down: don’t submit a response to a posting without doing your homework. How many contestants on American Idol blew their one chance by not knowing the words?
In addition to creating a tailored cover letter to fit each job posting, so should your resume be constructed. Do not submit a blanket resume under any situation. If you do, don’t become angry at your invisibility and lack of getting that golden ticket.
Tip of the day: Place key terms, your connection to the job, and what you will do for the company (in terms of bottom-line results) in your cover letter and resume.
There’s no easy way to become “visible” but there are ways to shed light on your work and value. These are tough times, the winner typically goes to the hardest working candidate offering value (and not always the most talented—after all, look who was voted off last weeks American Idol; I still can’t believe she is gone).
Danny Huffman, MA, CEIP, CPRW, CPCC, author, educator, and co-owner of Career Services International and Education Career Services, www.educationcs.com. He may be reached directly at [email protected].
