ShareThisLast fall, a new hotel in Rhode Island posted job listings for 50 new employees and over 5,000 people applied. In Miami, more than 1,000 applicants vied for 35 positions on the local fire department. In today's economy, competition for jobs is fierce. Getting, and keeping, a job has never been more important. Executive coach and author Marc Dorio offers sound suggestions for weathering today's job market with the following:
- Be a force multiplier. In interviews, or with your current employer, show that you are a team player who gives 110 percent to get the job done.
- Sell your skills, not your tasks. Know your "portable skills" - the talents you have that are transferable from one project to the next, like the ability to analyze data. Help employers see your versatility.
- Upgrade yourself. Look for new opportunities in your existing role; ask for new responsibilities; develop a new skill set.
- Interview with your ears. The single biggest mistake made by 85 percent of all job seekers in an interview is that they talk too much. Listen well, and then ask strong questions.
I particularly like Dorio's last tip about interviewing with your ears. Salespeople know all about listening to the customer's needs, making the pitch, and then shutting up until the customer talks. We all tend to talk too much and listen too weakly!
Consider Dorio's experience and insight in two new releases:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Job Interview (ISBN: 9781592578276).
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Career Advancement (ISBN: 9781592578320).
As Dorio says, "A little wisdom - and a lot of hard work - can help employees move their careers forward, even in a tight economy."
I suggest that statistics like those in the first paragraph above give reason to use the Internet wisely, for research and information about jobs, industries, and specific employers, but limit its use for resume and job posting. One should also understand that your next opportunity is more likely to come from a networking referral than from a job posting or advertised job opening. Employers hire when they don't advertise and often when they don't think they have an opening, or even have a hiring freeze - that is before they meet you!
Sell your accomplishments!
(Marvin Walberg is a job search coach. Contact him at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net, marvinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO Box 43056, Birmingham, AL 35243.)
GETTING HIRED
