Finding a Career in the New Frontier

Gone is the day when your career is in the hand of your organization.  “We will take care of you” is often said but honored for a select few.  You may be already in the C-Suite or tracking to get there.  Either way, you know anything can happen and you are the captain ofyour own career.   In fact, relevance and value is up to you at every stage of your career and level and age group.  It is not optional to have enough equipment and tech savvy to communicate with anyone on the planet.   It is up to you to be interested or curious enough to be trend savvy and anticipate how the world might change so that you stay relevant.  It is up to you to find efficiency and effectiveness while staying “engaged” in the work you do.   It is up to you to change before the world around you changes it for you.

How Do You Stay Up to Date in the Changing Job Hunting Frontier?

Every CEO of a Fortune 500 organization that I have met has the essence of a rock star.  They own every room they enter.  They do not worry whether you like them.  They are never alone.  They have a great deal of information at their fingertips.   They spend time on what matters.   They have a 360 degree view of the industry, market and products.    Do you?

How do you identify, articulate and then leverage your inner CEO/Rock Star to manage your career or simply get your next J.O.B?

Put on your marketing hat.  You are a product.   As a product, you offer the gift of what?  Probably a service or you create a product.   What is it?  You satisfy or solve what problem?  What is your “point of difference?” Articulate those easily at the ready and you are a step ahead of the pack.  You need those weapons to win in the “new frontier of job hunting.”   By the way those weapons go beyond your technical knowledge, which is foundational, but your secret power is always in the soft skill arena.

For those in the C-Suite this should be a no-brainer but I have met plenty of people in the tower who don’t really know themselves.   The first step is to do a deep dive on you.  Get real about your offering which might require a third party perspective and input.   Know your strengths, and your “areas for development.”   Be brave and really see them, and own the truth about what you offer.  If the person you are asking suggests, no you are good as you are, then ask someone who is not afraid of losing their relationship with you.  Get solid with your special gifts or what some might call super powers.  They have served you well, now understand and harness them.

Steps to Conquer the New Frontier of Job Hunting

1. Do the deep dive on you; use a coach, do a 360 survey, assessments, strengths, review previous data points like performance reviews or projects that were well done.  Even doing the Sudoku is information… what do you do where you lose time and you can’t stop yourself from doing.
2. Create a mission for you and your life. A vision grounded on values.
3. Set your intention on the end goal. What do you want the world to say about your contribution to humanity?  Too big?
4. List all that you bring to the table specific experience: growth, savings, insights, solutions, super powers, etc.
5. Develop your brand – use the same steps as they do in Mad Men. What is your core value to the world?  What problem does having you around solve, and more importantly, what problem do you enjoy solving?
6. Design a series of next steps or positions to get there.   This should include absolutes (must haves) and non-negotiable items or what you won’t tolerate.
7. Create a marketing plan toward your end goal, Google marketing plan or communication plan.  This must include talking points of your interests and strengths but must be short like a 10 second and an expandable version
8. Build the marketing pieces like a pro
   1. Bio – one sheet on who you are, your strengths, and possibly companies you might like
   2. Resume – get someone to help grow this
   3. Manage your on-line presence – create, manage, comb, edit or erase information not aligning with your brand
9. Make a target market list of organizations or industries that you would dream about working with that match your mission, vision and values
10. Build the opportunity – it may not exist in the traditional sense so look outside the boundaries of the Fortune 500 world.  Why not make it up?  Create a few part time gigs that dove tail into less typical

hours and get paid more per hour for access to your super powers and passion toward their mission.

You can actually do these steps while working in a position that is less satisfying than it once was but remember that it is the relationship that gets the job.  If you have unique job skills and no one else does, which is rare, there might be an exception.

When talking about your career, leave them thinking…. I want that!  I want what she has….

Contact Us for Additional Help Navigating the Job Hunting Frontier

As technology evolves and new communities develop so does the job hunting frontier. Navigating it is growing increasingly tricky, for additional help as well as general career advancement advice contact Pat Weiland, President at Sage Strategies http://www.sage4change.com.