You’re In The Wrong Job If…

There are two ways you can find yourself in the wrong job; you land in it right away or over time things change and what was once right is now wrong. But how do you know if you’re in the wrong job? Here’s some indicators:

1. You live for your days off.

Suppose you’ve got that typical Monday to Friday job and you find yourself becoming stressed on Sundays thinking about Mondays, and when you are at work, you focus on just surviving the week until quitting time on Friday releases you. You my friend are most definitely in the wrong job.

2. You’d never apply for the job you have now.

Knowing what you now know, if you could go back in time you’d never apply for it all over again.

3. Physical and Mental illness.

Wow! If performing your job is literally causing you to be physically and mentally ill, why on earth are you still doing it? Isn’t your health more precious than whatever is keeping you going in day after day?

Should you find yourself using up all your sick days, visiting Emergency Clinics, sucking back pills during the day and using up the Employee Assistance Program allocated to you for counselling just to be able to go into work day after day, well…heed the signs.

4. Conflicting priorities.

If for example you’re number one priority in life is family and your job is robbing you of time that you planned to spend with them, why are you allowing your work to eat away at what you know is your number one thing? Fact is my friend, if you actually permit your job to do so, you’re consciously choosing to make family you’re number two priority; and what’s replaced it is your job. If you’re uncomfortable with this new reality, why aren’t you doing something about rearranging your life to align properly what’s important to you?

5. You can do the job blindfolded.

There may have been a time when things were challenging at work, but that was so long ago. You find you’re able to do your work pretty much on auto-pilot because you’re no longer stimulated with problems to solve and challenges to overcome. Read the signs my friend, you’re at danger of being brain-dead if there’s nothing to stimulate your little gray cells of the brain through the work that you do.

6. Isolation.

Now I realize we are all different and that while some of us enjoy socializing with our co-workers, others actually are attracted to work with limited human interaction. That being said however, if your job has somehow changed and you are so isolated to the point where co-workers don’t even recognize you as a fellow employee, you’re far too isolated from others. That isolation could lead to anxiety, a fear of others and depression. Is your job worth it?

7. The job morphed.

If you compare the job description that once attracted you to the job requirements you currently have, you may find your title is the same but the work you felt passionate about is no longer the work you are actually being compensated to do. What changed? If there was some organizational shift and your job functions were drastically adjusted, it could be that the job title you really want isn’t the one you hold now. If this is the case, maybe all it takes is finding out the title of the job that holds all the things that really excite you. Seek the move.

8. Your Supervisor.

Yes we have to look at the person just above you on the organizational chart. Did the person who so inspired you retire, get promoted, quit, get fired or laid off? Maybe the person who is now in their former role isn’t connecting with you and providing the kind of leadership that inspires you to do your best. In fact, maybe the Supervisor you work for now actually restricts your freedoms, curbs your creativity, shuts down your enthusiasm for the work you do, and gives you zero incentive to do anything that shows initiative. Yikes! Is waiting out their tenure and playing a game of who will leave first really in your best interests?

9. The benefits and salary have you trapped.

Are you staying in your current job simply because the money is good and the benefits you’ve earned just aren’t going to be offered to you in some other job? If you’re tired of your present job and just dragging yourself in to work but you’ve lost all real enthusiasm for the job, don’t fool yourself; you’re paying a heavy price for that income.

10. You’re slacking and you know it.

If you’re consciously looking for ways to cover up your own poor work; spending more energy devising ways to avoid doing the job than just diving in, it’s a clear sign that you don’t find the work itself rewarding. Or is it that you clearly see the quality of what you can produce is diminishing rapidly. Would you tolerate this production drop from a co-worker if you were working at your peak efficiency?

Look, the time you’ve got left in your working life is too precious; you’re too valuable to spend 5 days of each week in a job you know is no longer doing it for you. Start looking for another job with zeal; find and save yourself; you’re worth it.

 

 

 

 

“Sorry, We Just Don’t Think You’ll Stay”

When you’re out of work and experiencing the frustrations of applying and being rejected only to apply and be rejected again, it’s tough to keep positive. One thing that can really be upsetting is when you’re told by a potential employer that you’ve been rejected because in their opinion, you won’t stay long because you won’t be happy to stay in the job they might have offered you.

The most annoying part of this message you receive is that the company has essentially ruled you out by thinking for you. Rather than believing you when you say you’ll stay and sincerely believe you’ll be content with the job they are offering you for the foreseeable future, they reject you based on what they themselves believe.

Ah but they aren’t unemployed are they? They don’t experience the ups and downs of unemployment; hopes raised and hopes dashed. They don’t therefore know the point you’ve reached where you will be truly grateful for the opportunity to work for them in the position you applied to. Given that you put all your previous work and academic qualifications on your resume and they were good enough to get you the interview, what changed between the offer of the interview and being removed from the hiring process? Did you somehow oversell yourself?

At this point many job seekers become confused. On the one hand the job seeker wants to put down all their experience and qualifications that match the job they are going for and certainly want to show a passion for the work they’d be doing. On the other hand, the job seeker now feels they have to conceal or downplay some of their long-term plans or additional skills so they don’t market themselves out of the running and end up rejected; again.

When you’re in this situation don’t you just want the opportunity to tell them flat-out that you’d like them to respect your honesty and yes thank you very much you’d appreciate being believed when you say that you’re making a commitment to them and won’t depart in weeks for something better? If that was honestly the case, wouldn’t you have just waited the few weeks and accepted that better job? They don’t know though that you’ve been out of work and searching unsuccessfully for such a long time that you have in fact re-evaluated how important work is and you’ve a new appreciation for whatever organization will hire you.

The company of course knows none of this. From their standpoint they see an applicant who has held positions with greater responsibility and salary than what they are offering, and they’re fully convinced despite your assurance that you’re going to jump at the first opportunity that pays more and uses more of your skills and experience than their own company can at the moment. They do not want to be re-advertising and re-interviewing applicants in a very short time or in the position of calling back people they’ve previously rejected to offer them the job.

Of course the other thing going through the head of small-minded employers or interviewers is that you could possibly not only do this job exceptionally well; you may actually come up in discussions as a suitable replacement for their own jobs with your wealth of experience. The last thing these small-minded folks want to do is be responsible for their own demise by hiring you!

Ah, but what’s a job applicant to do? Some people give the advice of, “dumbing down your resume” and in an interview, avoiding coming across as passionate, intelligent and highly self-motivated. I think this is terrible advice. After all, even if hired, you’d have to carry on this charade until your probationary period is over. Are you going to be happy or even capable pretending to be someone you’re not for 3, 6 or 9 months? Are you going to go in each day trying to remember what you’ve told or not told co-workers and your boss about your past experiences?

No stay true to yourself I think. Be genuine and authentic. If an interviewer or Manager rejects you out of hand – not because you can’t do the job but because you are more than capable of doing the job with skill and expertise and they believe you’ll depart soon, you probably wouldn’t thrive in the culture.

One strategy I have employed myself and I’ve recommended with success to others in this situation is to state your position at the conclusion of the interview in lieu of asking a question. Before you shake hands and walk away leaving the decision entirely in their hands, make your best pitch summarizing how hiring you will benefit them. There’s no harm adding how truly appreciative you are for the opportunity of working on their behalf and representing their business. Tell them straight out if they’ve communicated doubt about your commitment that you are a person of integrity and character; that if you are offered the position and accept you can be relied upon to honour their confidence in you with a reciprocal period of employment that will reward their decision in hiring you.

You do get to accept or reject a job offer and the employer gets to offer you a job or not.  If you’ve done all you can to communicate an honest intention to repay a job offer with your own commitment, it truly is out of your hands.

Obesity And Job Searching

Anyone who has accepted an offer of my help, or who has indeed sought out my personal advice will tell you that I will show little hesitation to point out what I perceive as barriers to employment. While this is helpful in getting an issue out for discussion that needs to be addressed, I’m also quick with suggestions, ideas and have a willingness to look at ways to address the barriers. In other words, it’s one thing to say to someone, “Here’s your problem…” and another to say, “Here’s an issue and I have a few strategies for overcoming the problem.”

Now this being said, I am going to launch into a subject that many will find uncomfortable and I may either get some backlash on for even raising at all, or I might get a message or two of support for having the courage to raise the issue. Either way; avoiding a conversation or talking about the issue doesn’t change the fact that the barrier to employment exists in the first place.

So what am I leading up to? The issue of obesity for those seeking employment who like all job applicants are evaluated and judged by interviewers and company representatives among other things on their appearance; that all important first impression.

You know it’s one thing to critique a person’s resume or cover letter; both examples of an external product. It’s far easier for someone to hear that their resume needs a complete overhaul because it is extremely bad than it is for the same person to have someone else point out their excessive body weight. Likewise, it is also more comfortable for the Coach or Counsellor to point out problems with applications than it is to have a frank discussion about physical appearance and being overweight. It does not serve the job seeker however to avoid topics which the Coach or Counsellor find uncomfortable. I have found over time that when trust is built between me as an Employment Counsellor and those I work with, they appreciate my honesty and they appreciate too the suggestions I give on how to tackle the subject in an interview.

We must be honest and agree that prejudice is all around us. We have our own biases and prejudices and we all size up those we interact with. It is no different to acknowledge that we ourselves are going to be sized up and evaluated when we meet others. Some of our meetings are going to be first with a Receptionist followed by an interviewer or perhaps a panel of interviewers. While you can perhaps hide a tattoo or manage to skirt an issue with your previous employer, you cannot hide your physical presence when you are overweight.

Some jobs of course require a person to be in excellent physical condition. If the posting itself indicates there’s a lot of heavy lifting and the job is physically demanding, not only are you wrong for the job, but quite frankly the job is wrong for you. You could seriously harm yourself through over-exertion and ultimately have to quit because your health is endangered. In such a situation, a company official has to take your physical health into consideration and you may be disqualified in part or in whole for being out of shape and obese; this isn’t discrimination.

On the other hand, if the job doesn’t involve physical exertion and you have the skills and experience, being rejected based on your weight is discrimination. They may not say it outright, but you could probably read into their body language and cues that you’ve been rejected before they actually tell you you’re not what they are looking for.

To combat this barrier here’s a few ideas. First get a medical checkup and have a serious conversation with your doctor about your weight and decide for yourself if losing weight is what you want to do. It may not only be good for your employment prospects but also good for your heart and your health.

The most immediate thing you can do is to ensure your clothing matches your size. Getting the right size clothing often costs more than a standard cut but the end result is a better look. You’ll want to look comfortable in your clothing too during an interview, and the right sizes can keep you from fidgeting with tucking in a shirt or trying to keep your stomach tight etc. And of course the right size clothing can help you avoid over-sweating and snowballing your anxiety.

Arrive early, visit the restrooms and take stock of your appearance. This is the best place to change into your interview attire – especially if it’s a very hot day. Freshen up with hygiene products and be as discreet as you can as another visitor could be your interviewer.

If you feel upon the first few minutes of the interview that things are going badly, be prepared to gamble the opportunity by talking about your goals to lose weight, your plan to make it happen and refocus back on your actual qualifications. In fact, you could even praise the interviewer for not making the mistake like other interviewers who have held open prejudices about your weight. How can they now do anything but agree with you?

Being overweight is not a comfortable topic but you should be open to the discussion.

 

The Hiring Charade

Ever had one of those job interviews where you suspect the job is already taken by another person and they are just having you in to give the appearances of having held a competition? The entire interview is about 10 minutes long and just when you start to settle in and focus on all the things you want to stress the other person stands up, shakes your hand and tells you they’ll be in touch!

The above is not how any organization should conduct themselves, nor is how they should treat prospective employees; although in fairness to them, they might smugly state you were never a potential employee because they had already made a decision before you even showed up. When this happens, and it does occasionally; all you can really do is move on and leave your indignation behind.  The energy, frustration and outrage you might feel isn’t going to make the job suddenly available, so it’s best to take the high road and leave with your pride in place and focus on other opportunities.

What I personally find frustrating about this practice is the total lack of respect for the people being used by the company to justify their decision. I think most applicants would rather be contacted before they travel to the site of the interview and be told the job is no longer available. However, the likelihood of this happening is low if the company feels they need to go through the charade of conducting interviews. It could be the Hiring Manager already has their pick made, but they have to satisfy someone in Human Resources who wants to go by the book; and this is just one scenario.

What’s frustrating for the people being used – and abused – in this process is the investment of time, energy and hope that this job interview will culminate with a hiring offer made to them, concluding their unemployment and their job search together. There’s an investment in several things preparing and going to an interview. The most obvious investment is the cost of travel to and from the interview. When you’re out of work many of course batten down the hatches; they spend what they have to spend only and there is no discretionary spending. That public transit fare or gas money was precious.

There’s an investment in preparation time too. Researching what the company stands for (this being subsequently re-evaluated after being mistreated so poorly), looking seriously into the job responsibilities and qualifications; preparing proof stories for all the potential questions one may have been asked in a legitimate interview. There’s time getting the clothing ready, cleaned and laid out, hygiene matters attended to, including perhaps a haircut, some new clothing or accessories – all on a tight budget.

Coming out of a false interview can also leave a person feeling jaded; and let’s face it folks, an unemployed person probably has a shaky self-confidence to some degree so being mistreated isn’t helpful. A job seeker can’t afford to be negative and has to do their best to keep any negative feelings reserved for times they are alone.

Now some of you might disagree and feel that were it you, you’d give that company via their interviewer a piece of your mind. No doubt some would say that they wouldn’t want to work for a company with so few scruples and calling them out on using you and people like you is much better than meekly walking away. There is an argument to be made for taking this approach, and part of me certainly agrees that it could strengthen your own feeling of self-worth to do so. The problem I have with this approach however is that life seems to find ways of having us move in circles and sooner or later in the future, you may find yourself wanting to apply for a legitimate job with this company, or perhaps running into the interviewer again but at a different firm. Odder things have happened. Then you may wish you had bit your tongue and risen above the experience so you’re name isn’t on some black list of people to avoid.

As hard as it is at the time, I suggest moving on. Laugh it off, punch the steering wheel (when you first get it not on the road), tell your best friend how lousy that was of them; do anything that gets rid of your emotional response to the bad situation but do move on. There are other opportunities that may be better suited to you and with better companies which, if you are wallowing in self-pity or going on an anger outrage fit, you may miss altogether. Remind yourself your goal is employment and get back into the job search mode without giving yourself a poorly timed gift like a week off of job searching to lick your wounds.

There are other poor practices that some companies engage in; advertising a job that doesn’t really exist in order to collect resumes of those who otherwise might be good candidates in an effort to see what’s out there. Never liked this practice either myself; few companies would even admit to this practice either because of the poor ethics connected to it.

You can however state in your exit that you were previously under the assumption that the job was legitimately open and you had looked forward to competing on a level field for it. Then walk out with your head up.

The New Hire And The Trainer

Congratulations on your new job! So you’ve had a few days on the job, and you’re working under the guidance of a co-worker who has been asked to take you under their wing and essentially teach you both how to do the job and more importantly how to do the job the way the company expects you to. How’s it going?

If it’s going great and you’re learning all the things you should, no doubt much of the credit for your positive experience goes to the person training you. If you are fortunate, that person is not only good at their job, but they are also skilled at sharing the necessary skills and information to you in such a way that you’re picking things up. This has required two things; you as a motivated and invested learner and of course the aforementioned good trainer.

However, what about those situations where you are placed under the guidance of a trainer who is either too busy to properly train you or the person moves at too rapid a pace for you to fully grasp all the information you are being given? I know of a few people who are pretty intelligent in their jobs but who are not the best trainers when it comes to relaying what they know to others. They are excellent people with friendly smiles and fantastic attitudes too. The problem really is just that when they are explaining concepts, techniques, and processes, they have an expectation that those learning from them absorb the knowledge just as quickly as they share it, and that they learn it as they themselves would understand it if they were on the receiving end.

There are many trainers who make the critical mistake of improperly reading those they are training. It’s not that they are poorly suited to train others, it’s just that they go so quickly, they fail to ensure that those they are training imbed each piece of information they are being given so they can then build on what they’ve just learned and learn more. They may indeed check with the new employee to see what they’ve learned, but they do so using suggestive language such as, “You’re getting all this right?” This kind of question suggests the answer the trainer expects; in this case you’re understanding everything I’m telling you and if you aren’t it’s somehow your problem. Not many people new on the job are going to have the confidence to reply with anything but an, “Absolutely.”

People don’t all learn at the same pace, nor do people all learn the same way. Trainers don’t usually start off by even asking the person they are working with their preference for learning styles. And yet, there it is in a nutshell. Some people learn best by being given a manual to read on their own, others prefer to be shown what to do and some like to be told, shown and then given the opportunity to try on their own under the watchful gaze of the trainer who can check on their learning just a few examples.

I’ve heard some people who are chosen to train others say things like, “Oh it’s so frustrating teaching so-and-so. She’s so slow! I show her something and she just doesn’t get it!” Being on the listening end, it could in fact be that the new employee is indeed overwhelmed and not a good fit for the job. It equally could be the case however that the new employee is not the problem at all, but that the trainer has failed to adapt their training style to match the learning style of the person being trained.

Many people who are excellent workers and highly skilled are just not cut out to be trainers for new learners. What makes things difficult of course is that Management probably sees the person they’ve asked to train the new employee as a superior choice. They do their job very well and are friendly, intelligent etc. so they will make a great trainer. That’s an assumption that just isn’t translating in reality however all the time.

If you are ever put into a position where you are asked to train others and you yourself haven’t been formally trained on how to train others, you should seek out some personal development opportunities on how to become a trainer. Maybe your employer has such classes available at no charge. Train-The-Trainer courses are good places to start so if you have the opportunity make sure you invest in it.

When you are in an interview for a job, one of the questions you might want to pose is to ask about the training you’ll receive when hired, and further how long you’ll be given until you’re expected to be up and running productively on your own. Knowing this timeline can ease your stress level or at the very minimum prepare you for the company’s expectations if they differ significantly from what you would have expected.

It can be a stressful time when you start up with a new company. Their expectations coupled with your own can heap a lot of pressure on you that you’ll have to deal with. Stay positive, don’t expect to learn it all immediately nor work free of errors in the early going. Unless that IS the company’s expectations! AHHHHH!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save Yourself From Being Embarrassed

A critical mistake you can easily make is relying solely on your quick-thinking and natural charm to get you through a job interview. More often than not you’ll be asked increasingly tough questions that will expose your lack of research and clear understanding of the company or job you are applying to.

At some point in the interview, you’d likely get this feeling of having your bravado take a hit, then another; your armour of good looks and charisma whittled away by thought-provoking questions or perhaps puzzled looks from interviews to your answers. Your antiperspirants kicking into overdrive in an effort to combat the increasing wetness of your armpits, and your frequency of looking interviewers in the eyes diminishing as your confidence unravels and embarrassment takes its place.

The danger is not so much blowing this interview – which you would think is the worst that could happen. No, the worst thing that can happen is that your self-confidence erodes so much that it carries over into future interviews. As you prepare for the interviews to come following such a poor one, you could become anxious about repeating the experience and essentially paralyze your ability to perform well.

No you don’t want to embarrass yourself, wasting both your time and the time of the people who granted you the interview. What you do want to do – presumably – is account for yourself with a positive interview where you planned for success.

So now the question is how to prepare for the interview. So let’s look at some of the key things you can do to increase your chances of success.

First of all know why you want the job, and more importantly why you want the job with this specific employer. There are likely similar job titles with other organizations, so what is it about the combination of this job with this employer that has you excited about the prospect of working in this position?

Related to the first very closely is the question of what you have to offer the employer. What makes you the ideal candidate? You know your background more intimately than anyone else, so how will you market yourself to address the needs of the employer? Are you an experienced problem-solver? Maybe you’re a seasoned or skilled negotiator with a proven track record of bringing people together in a non-adversarial atmosphere? If you don’t know what you have to offer an employer, you can hardly count on them to identify it for you.

Here’s something you’ll probably find reassuring – maybe you never even realized; you can predict the questions you’ll be asked with a fair degree of certainty. It’s true! Pull out a job posting – any job posting that lists qualifications or areas of responsibility. In all likelihood, you’ll find yourself being asked questions that seek to draw out your previous experience and qualifications that are listed in this job ad. So if it says you must have experience working in a team, prepare yourself with some examples from your past that demonstrate when you were a productive member of a team. If it calls for customer service skills, have several examples ready that prove or demonstrate your excellent customer service.

Now let’s look at social media. Do you love it, hate it or are you indifferent to it more out of ignorance of what it could do for you? One tangible thing that might ease your own anxiety or give you an edge over your competition (and don’t we all want this?) is to look up the people who will be interviewing you on LinkedIn for example. You can search by the company, probably find the profiles of some people in HR, the CEO or CFO. You can look up a Manager or search by their name if you are savvy enough to ask the person calling you for an interview who you will be interviewed by.

When you do use social media to look up your interviewers ahead of time, you can read their career path, maybe sock away some tidbit of information to drop in the interview such as, “Good morning Gerry, I see we share a passion for ________”. (insert the name of some charity that you and Gerry both contribute to). Sometimes just seeing the picture of the interviewers ahead of time can give you reason to relax, or give you clues on how to dress.

Before you walk into the room, have a few intelligent questions to ask. What information would you like to know that would best prepare you for this job?  Are you keen to know the supervision style of your potential new boss? Are you wondering how much latitude you’ll be given to experiment, introduce cost-saving measures, or the expectation to contribute to projects outside your specific job description?

I never recommend going into an interview unprepared but I hear and see people do this all the time. “What do you know about the company?” I ask of people who are on their way to an interview. “Not much. I’ll find out more when I’m there I guess” is NOT a good answer. What you’re likely to find out is that you should have already known this.

When you prepare and do your homework, you may not even get asked many of the things you came prepared with true; however, better to be over prepared and ready for anything than counting on a wing and a prayer.

 

Empower Yourself!

I suppose the two bonuses of empowering people is that you share a skill that enables them to do things independently which is good, and your relationship with that person now changes as they are no longer as dependent on you for your help.

I’d be the first to say that I derive tremendous satisfaction from empowering others and seeing them take a newly-learned skill, try it, master it and then employ it on a regular basis with confidence. There’s something special and gratifying about seeing self-confidence rise up in another and with it a change in attitude.

When I see someone master a new concept and use it correctly on a regular basis, I often think back to when they didn’t have that skill, and how dependent they were on me and others to guide them or do things for them. Now it’s not a bad thing in any way to seek out help from others that have knowledge of things we lack. What I find interesting to reflect on however is not so much the skill enhancement itself, but the change in the person overall.

Think perhaps of a time in your life when you suddenly moved from not knowing something to suddenly, “getting it”. At that moment when you thought, “I can do this by myself”, you experienced a moment of pride, accomplishment, confidence and had anyone been there to see you in this moment, they would have noticed an observable change. No doubt you may have smiled, laughed, and sat up straighter, walked with your head held higher, etc. Think about it; that recipe you made perfectly for the first time, that hobby you mastered (like that difficult knitting manoeuver), that first bike ride without falling over, the first time you crashed through that mental block in your weekly run.

Sometimes the things we master and find great joy in are in the things we choose to do in our spare time such as the above examples. When we experience those moments of mastering something, we’re happy largely because we find whatever it is we are doing pleasurable and that means we can repeat those pleasurable moments whenever we wish making our personal time more enjoyable.

Just as often, we can be empowered in our workplace. Someone on our team can teach us a practice, share a skill, and tip us off to a short-cut or better way to do something that saves us time and the company money. This kind of empowerment we really appreciate because now we have the skills and experience to repeat these positive experiences and presumably we’ll save time as most of us repeat whatever it is we do often in the course of our work. When we are empowered, we have to seek out help from others less often, and in so doing we become more productive at the same time as the others around get more productive having to help us out less often. It’s a win-win.

Looking for work is something most of us only invest our time in when we are actually looking for work. That may sound trite, but its true isn’t it? When we have jobs and go to work every day, we don’t usually devote and time – less even a thought – to upgrading our resumes, mastering how to write a cover letter or staying up on how looking for jobs has evolved. We may not verbalize it, but what our actions say is that we’ll think about learning the skills to get a job if and when we find ourselves actually looking for a job. Essentially we put off acquiring the skills for job hunting because we aren’t job hunting.

This becomes problematic then down the road when we find ourselves suddenly unemployed. Whether it’s being laid off, having quit, been fired, moved etc., we can find ourselves suddenly needing those job searching skills again.

What typically happens for many people is they go about job searching the way they went about job searching the last time they were out of work. Depending on how long they were actually working, this could be a month or two or it could be several years – even a decade or more. ‘Dusting off the resume’ for some people literally means dusting off the resume because time has left it sitting idle. The job seeker looks on their own thinking finding a job will be something they can do independently, but often, outside help soon becomes something they realize they need help with.

Looking for a job and the way in which employers go about hiring people has evolved and changed. The faster one realizes this and asks for help from someone up on the latest trends and best practices can often mean the difference between a short period of unemployment and a long-term experience.

If you lack the sufficient knowledge to navigate Applicant Tracking software, online applications, crafting targeted resumes, doing research using social media as examples, you may find yourself dependent on others with these skills to help you. At some point, hopefully you will master your own job search strategies and have the skills to go about conducting a successful search that concludes with landing your next job or resuming your career.

You are no doubt in possession of knowledge, experiences and education that collectively make you the expert in your field. Don’t therefore discount the wisdom of seeking the aid of others who are experts in the entire employment counselling realm. Take the steps to empower yourself!