∞ Rob McBride ∞

Job Search: 4 Points to Consider

 

Unfortunately you don’t have to look very far to find someone who has been negatively affected by the downturn in the labor market.

While it may not seem all that long ago when this country was pumping out paychecks at full employment, the latest numbers put the jobless rate at 7.6% and the Labor Department says that in January, nearly 600,000 jobs were siphoned out of the economy.

In times of low unemployment numbers, companies can expect somewhere around 70 to 80 respondents per job opening. With unemployment numbers creeping upward, it stands to reason that the response ratio will also ratchet higher.

With an increasingly competitive job market, it is now more important than ever to have a good understanding of what you have to offer the employer, (skills and abilities, personality tendencies, values, dreams, and passions).

When I’m helping someone find their next best fit, I encourage him or her to hold fast to four simple points before they put wheels on their job search strategy.

(Below each point are questions to help you gain clarity).

1. Look inward:

Are there professional themes that continue to play out in my life?

Am I confusing my abilities to do a job with my professional desires?

In what style of professional environment do I feel the most energized?

2. Look backward:

Looking at my work life so far, what has given me the greatest value or worth?

What are some of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned from my past professional achievements?

What did I dream about doing as a younger person?

3. Look forward:

What would really give me professional mobility?

What group of words or rallying cry would describe my ideal career?

Is there a difference between job, career, and vocation?

Should I create my own opportunity, (in this economy)?

4. Look upward:

Did God put a calling on my life?

If I am called to do something, why am I fearful?

 

Joel Boggess

Colleyville, Texas

1-817-358-1713