Archive for Atlanta career coach
Try a little Toll House in your job search
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This is a great story I wanted to share with you all. I was talking to a prospective career coaching client Elizabeth this week about her career transition. She told me that she had sent her prospective employers and networking contacts cookies to help make a good impression. Elizabeth said that every single time she did this, they called her the day they received them.
Hello – what a great, simple and non-pushy way to make a positive impression to prospective employers! Consider sending something unique and thoughtful next time that you are applying for a job. That one small step could make a big difference in your career path.
Get your foot in the door: Snail mail your resume
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My career coaching client Tracy shared a story with me that was somewhat successful regarding physically mailing in her resume to a potential employer. She successfully landed an interview she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
Tracy had a phone interview with the company and unfortunately, someone else who had more relevant experience landed the position. The success is that she got her foot in the door when she wouldn’t have otherwise.
It can be a risky; you don’t always know how a potential employer will respond to you being assertive. Follow their instructions. If potential employers say to send in your resume via email, do exactly that. If they don’t specify though, I think it’s worth it to do something a little different, like sending a hard copy of your resume in order to make a good impression. It may not always work, but you only need it to work a few times.
Think outside the box when it comes to applying for jobs, many times it will pay off and be worth it.
Job Search Tip: Learn to love Microsoft Excel
Posted by: | CommentsFinding your dream job can be a time complicated process at times. Time, effort, and focus are required to investigate career ideas, network with people, gather information, and keep track of your action steps.
It’s imperative that you get very organized, and remain organized, throughout the job search process. This will help prevent you from getting lost in the information you’re gathering, or lost in your networking efforts with others. I always suggest to my clients that they learn to love Microsoft Excel because it can easily be used organize their job search information as they gather it. You can track your goals, action steps, networking contacts, and career ideas. It’s also helpful to keep track of pertinent websites you have found that help you narrow down your job ideas.
Start your job search spreadsheet today so you can get organized, and keep careful notes of what you’re finding. It will help you avoid from feeling like you’re on spin cycle in the dryer with too many career ideas floating around in your head. By the way, another resource to help you manage your job search can be found at: http://www.jibberjobber.com/login.php.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
P.S. You can check out my YouTube video on this subject here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw0b58PPHUE
Go On Job Interviews to Get Started With Your Job Search
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I start the coaching process with a new client, I am often asked, “when can I start applying for new jobs and looking for new opportunities?” I typically ask them to wait a few weeks until we’ve gotten into the meat of our ideal career program, but tell them they don’t have to wait very long.
Looking for job openings in your possible new field of interest will help you learn about the industry and what is out there. This will give you momentum and get you back in the job search mode. Even going on interviews will help you discover what you like and dislike about the fields you’re looking into.
Getting started with you job search can give you clarity about your direction. It can also make you feel better because you’re taking action, and not just thinking about it.
When you find positions that look appealing to you, it can give you hope that something better is out there for you. I’ve had this happen to many of my clients. They come back to a coaching session with job openings they’re excited about and it makes a dramatic difference in their job search. They can see that there are jobs out there they would enjoy.
I’m not suggesting that you go on interviews for jobs that you’re not interested in, wasting everybody’s time. I’m suggesting going on interviews for jobs you think you are interested in, even if you’re not 100% sure. The important thing to know is, you don’t have to wait until you’re 100% clear on your career direction before going on job interviews. Job interviewing is a way to help clarify if a job is a fit for you, and it gives you job interviewing practice if nothing else. It is better to have several job interviews under your belt before you’re interviewing for your dream job. You’ll be better prepared and more confident.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
Career Product Holiday Sale
Posted by: | CommentsNow through Christmas, you can save 50% off on all of our career products in our brand new online career store. Go here to learn more and take advantage of these savings before the new year: http://www.halliecrawford.com/products/
(Use coupon code HOLIDAY when checking out)
We are also offering a special holiday offer for our Ideal Career Coaching Group
If you sign up for a complimentary consultation before the end of the day Friday December 24th, you will receive one month free in the program. Just mention you heard about this special on our blog. This is our most popular option for career coaching. It gives you the best we have to offer: Individual coaching plus support and feedback from other career changers in a regularly scheduled call. This coaching group follows the exact same process we use in individual coaching – at less than half the price.
–Go here to learn more about our coaching group: http://www.halliecrawford.com/identifyyourcareerpath.html
www.flickr.com/photos/laurenmanning CC BY 2.0
Unemployed and holding out for your dream job?
Posted by: | CommentsWith such high unemployment and competitive job market, does it make sense to turn down job offers? Some people might think it’s crazy that someone might turn down an offer – but holding out for a better job, in some instances might actually make sense.
In this Pittsburg Tribune Review article by Margaret Harding, Unemployed workers find job offers but don’t always take them, she gives this information that might surprise many people:
About 17 percent of unemployed workers have received at least one full- or part-time job offer, and almost all of those workers — 92 percent — turned down such an offer, according to a recent survey by Personified, a division of CareerBuilder.com. The reason most often cited — low pay.
I agree with the author that in some instances it’s okay to be picker, especially if you haven’t been unemployed very long. But as time goes on you may need to rethink your opportunities. The market is competitive and sometimes a job that isn’t ideal is better in the short-term while you continue to look for a long-term more permanent job.
Unfortunately many jobs out there right now are very low-pay. If you have a child that needs to go to daycare, sometimes the cost of working outside the home and sending the child to daycare doesn’t make sense. One of my group coaching clients told us about her brother who recently just got laid off. They have a baby who is 6 months old. With unemployment he’ll get $400 a week. Most of the jobs he has found will make him approximately $500 a week. With the cost of daycare, he’d be better off turning those jobs down for the time being.
Sometimes it can be better to hold out for something better – higher pay, more aligned with what you are looking for, etc. But remember having a large gap in your resume can also affect your possibility of getting a job. Also it’s important to note that your dream job is not going to just land in your lap. You need to be networking and actively searching for it. Get clear on what you want, set goals and make it happen.
If you need help with your job search, contact us for a job search strategy session.
Here’s to having a career you love!
Stepping out your comfort zone in your career search
Posted by: | CommentsSusan, a group career coaching client brought up gremlins and negative thinking during our coaching call. She’s afraid of taking a risk to try a new job because it’s out of her comfort zone. Her fears and negative thinking have had a negative impact on her career search.
A critical step in identifying your ideal career is to overcome the fears and negative thinking that might get in the way of you reaching your goals. Unfortunately, when you’re doing something big and out of the ordinary like changing your career, sometimes it seems there are naysayers at every turn, thwarting your efforts. This is exactly what you want to avoid if you’re serious about finding a career doing something you love. Yes, you CAN do it, and yes there is money to be made in almost any profession. It takes time and effort to get there, but trust me when I say that millions have manifested their own career destiny, and you can too.
The key is to keep the “Negative Nellies” and other defeating influences at bay. If there are certain people who seem to react unfavorably when you discuss your plans and dreams; stop sharing with those people. Instead, focus on friends and colleagues who lift your spirits and help further your cause – these are the ones who will help you get where you want to be, faster and with the least amount of effort.
This is a quote I sent to Susan, and I hope you find it helpful as well:
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Here’s to having a career you love!
Hallie Crawford
Career Coach Atlanta
Are you stuck in your job search? Download my FREE REPORT: “Take Control of Your Career Transition: Uncover Hidden Opportunities”
