Finding A New Job Quickly. by Arthur Cooper (c) Copyright 2005 http://www.arthurcooper.com Today’s working environment is unpredictable. Economic downturns can arrive at any moment. Redundancy can swiftly follow. No-one is fully immune, and severance payoffs do not last for ever.
If you found yourself in that situation tomorrow could you cope? If you had to find yourself another job quickly in order to pay
bills, could you do it?
Here are steps to follow.
1.Identify Your Skills 2.Analyse Your List 3.Identify The Job Sources 4.Take Action
1.Identify Your Skills
Think hard about what you are good at, and about what you enjoy. Since you usually enjoy what you do well, two are often same. Think back over your career to date and dig deep into experiences you have had and skills you have acquired.
List them all on paper. Leave nothing out. Be as objective and honest as you can. Don’t put something down just because you think it is what you need in today’s employment market place. Only put it down if it is a skill that you have here and now. Don’t forget, you are looking here at how to get a job quickly. You are not planning your long term training needs.
Think in terms of three main divisions of skill and divide up your list accordingly.
Firstly there are physical skills.
These are skills of aptitude, of working with your hands, manipulative skills, mechanical skills. These are skills required in a wide range of manual and hands-on jobs. Sometimes these skills have been acquired by way of a hobby rather than paid employment, but a hobby that can at some stage become grounding for a new career doing something that you really enjoy. Don’t ignore these leisure-acquired skills.
Secondly there are knowledge based skills.
These are academic skills gained by formal study. These are skills gained as a result of book learning and training courses. These are specific technical skills related to a particular function. This is specialist knowledge absorbed as a result of working in a particular industry.
Thirdly there are people skills.
These are team skills, relational skills, ability to get on with and work with other people. These are skills of management. The skills of leading a team, skills of winning arguments and convincing others.
2.Analyse Your List.
Now look at your list. See where you strengths lie. Think what you would like to do using those strengths. Decide on job you would like using those strengths.
Be honest. Once again you must remember that your objective is to get another job in shortest possible delay. Don’t base your hopes on skills you would like to have. Plan on using what you already have.
