Career Planning and Job Search Transitions

							Career Action Plan




Putting the Pieces Together
          Career Center of Lowell
      18 John Street, Lowell, MA 01852
          Career Action Plan
 Your Career Action Plan will help you navigate
                 your job search.

1.   Assessing your values
2.   Identifying your strongest skills
3.   Knowing your PARs
4.   Researching the Labor Market
5.   Developing a marketing strategy
              Agenda
Job Search Process   Your Marketing
Career Action Plan   Campaign
Examining Your       Your Personal
Values               Commercial
Identifying Skills   The Hidden Job
PAR                  Market
Researching the      My Career Action
Labor Market         Plan (CAP)
Ask Yourself Two Questions:

What has changed about you since your
            last job search?

  What do you need to put in place to
   strengthen this new job search?
    The Job Search Process
     The job search is a full time job.
       To be successful requires:

   Focus and dedication
   Organization
   Preparation
   Setting goals
   Developing an action plan
      Examining Your Values
What are three of the most important values that you require
for a rewarding work environment? List them on your
handout.
  Independence                 Nurturing
  Power                        Friendship
  Leadership                   Family
  Expertness                   Health
  Duty                         Religion
  Security                     Pleasure
  Self-fulfillment             Cooperation
  Wealth                       Job Satisfaction
  Integrity                    Creativity
  Achievement                  Leisure
          Identifying Skills
There are three types of skills that are required for work.




 Transferable                             Job-Related
    Skills                                   Skills




                     Adaptive Skills
      Presenting Your Skills
Every part of your job search is affected by the
ways in which you identify and present your skills.

 Résumés
 Cover letters, approach letters and
 thank you / follow-up letters
 Networking
 Telephone calls
 Interviews
      Job-Related Skills
Also referred to as technical or
occupational skills
Required for a particular job
Gained through training or experience
Used for “screening” applicants
Adaptive (Personal) Skills

 Describe your personality
 Allow you to adapt to situations
 Make you a good worker
 “I am … consistent, efficient,
 resourceful, systematic, trustworthy, a
 team player.”
Transferable (Universal) Skills
   Transfer from one job to the next
   A foundation for career changers
   Show added benefit to a company.
   Often the “tie-breaker”
   “I can…communicate well, use
   computers, train others, provide great
   customer service”
       My Strongest Skills
List three of your strongest skills on your
                   hand out.
   Job Related
   Adaptive
   Transferable
 PAR

P = Problem

A = Action

R = Result
 Accomplishment Statements
          (PARs)


Result-oriented action statements

Quantify – #’s, $’s, %’s
Qualify – “Who, what, when, where, why
and how”
       Selected PARs
Saved $4,500 in outside training costs
by voluntarily training other staff tax
preparers on new computer software.

Made appropriate adjustments to
machines, which eliminated defects
and poor quality saving the company
$4,000 annually.
Researching the Labor Market
 Research industries and occupations
    The Internet
    Company websites
    Industry councils and trade events
    Business associations
    Local newspapers, cable
    Networking
 Find out where the jobs are
    Industries doing well
    Industries doing poorly
Your Marketing Campaign
Your written          Your verbal
communications        communications
   Résumé               Networking
   Cover letter         Interviews
   Approach letter      Informational
                          interviews
                         Effective telephone
                          techniques
             Your Written
           Communications
Résumé
     Your first contact with the employer
     Describes your strongest skills for that job
     Related experience and accomplishments
Cover Letter
     Should accompany your résumé
     Tailored to the company
Approach Letters
     An effective networking tool
     You haven’t seen a job posting
     You take the initiative
             Your Verbal
           Communications
Networking
     Develop a contact list and let people know
     Network online using LinkedIn
     Develop a personal commercial
     Go on “Informational Interviews”
The Interview
     Prepare, prepare, prepare for the interview
     Know how to express your related skills and
      experience
     Telephone techniques
Your Personal “Commercial”
Advantages:
     Answers: “Why should I hire you?” Or “Tell me
      about yourself”

     You are selling your skills and experience

     Very helpful in cold/new situations

     Can be tailored to a specific audience
           Your Commercial
Your commercial may include:
 Occupation you are seeking
 Most recent work experience
 Pertinent strengths (hard skills/soft skills)
 Accomplishments
 Future goals/avenues currently exploring
 What is special about you
     energy, enthusiasm, awards, learning ability,
      productivity compared to others, willingness
   Uses for Commercial
Job Interview
Telephone
Cover or Approach Letters
Job Fairs
Networking Situations
        Hidden Job Market

Most of today’s job openings are not
advertised
Companies save money because:
   Potential candidates will contact companies directly
   Many companies have Employee Referral Bonus Programs
   Companies are more creative in their recruiting efforts

Most positions are replacement positions
          Three Stages of a Job
               Developing     Jobseekers

                  Stage 3: Job is advertised.   25%


          Stage 2: Need for worker.
          Job now “open” and inside
          referrals are being accepted.         55%


Stage 1: No job opening, but
employers always looking for
good employees.                  Employers      20%
How to Penetrate the Hidden
        Job Market
Be pro-active: approach growing
companies
   Access web sites of companies that are
    advertising – more possibilities?
Join networking/support groups
Volunteer today
           Questions
What are work values?
What are the three types of skills?
What is a PAR?
What are two ways to research the
labor market?
What’s included in your Marketing
Campaign?
What percentage of all jobs are hidden?
 The Winning Formula

          Is

Your Career Action Plan