Identifying Your Ideal Career Fit

According to a 2019 study by Toll-Free Forwarding, only 10% of Americans will land their conceived ‘dream job’ that they identified at a young age. Of that 10%, just 64% of those journeys play out to meeting their surmised expectations. Furthermore, 61% of those remaining do not regret the divergent direction their career path took. So what conclusions can be made? Do not fear the ‘no’ or the prospect of change when it comes to finding your ideal career fit.

If you require a little guidance when it comes to your career indecision, here are three thoughts you must consider when pursuing a complementary role for your next career:

Understand Yourself

Talk It Out – If you need a helping hand identifying your greatest strengths and the job features you desire most in a new career, ask those closest to you (family, friends, mentors, etc.). Not only will this provide some clarity on your career path, but it will provide encouragement and confidence when you need it most. Some of the answers you receive may surprise you.

When employees find themselves dissatisfied in their current role, it is often because they did not take the time to align their strengths, interests, passions with their job search. Their objective was merely to find a new job, rather than solidifying a long-term career. If you aspire to get more out of your career and find natural motivation, take career assessments to identify your greatest strengths, weaknesses, and career preferences. What interests or personality traits tie into your career preferences? Your blueprint for success is likely varying from that of your role models, friends, or co-workers. 

60% of employed Millennials are open to exploring a different job opportunity [Gallup 2020]

Company Values/Environment

Write It Out – Base your LinkedIn profile and resume around your ideal job and ideal employer. Courtesy of The Balance Careers, here are four key questions they recommend you ask yourself when determining your work style and ideal ‘fit’:

  • Which activities are most satisfying about your current job?
  • What might you like to avoid in your next job?
  • What does work-life balance mean to you?
  • What is your ideal company culture?

The more information you can collect about what you want, the easier it will be to make a decision.

When interviewing for a new position, aim to get a feel for the company by doing your research, asking the right questions, and walking around the office before your interview. Is the atmosphere collaborative or competitive? Are employees being micromanaged? Is there an option to work remotely? Is their model of business more structured or flexible? It is paramount that you take note of these considerations, especially when you are getting pulled in different directions in your job hunt.

What Do You Hope To Get Out Of Your Job?

Think It Out – Now that you’ve identified your strengths, weaknesses, and passions, it’s time to pinpoint your job search and make the most of your opportunity:

What is most important to you in a new job? Are the company’s values a top priority for your workplace happiness? Other top examples of job priorities include work culture, skill development, room for growth, salary/bonus potential, healthy work-life balance, job security, location, and trust. Which features are your ‘non-negotiables’? Don’t settle when your happiness and mental state are at stake. Finding your new career should never compromise what you stand for or your most coveted features. 

Wrap Up

Once you have a firm understanding of your desired job title and industry, it is time to get connected. Networking is your greatest tool when it comes to landing your desired job, so it is best to get started before the connection is needed. Why? Your desired connection will know you are not seeking immediate benefits out of the relationship, but rather to learn more about their journey and potentially provide support, even if through a ‘liked’ post.

Sure, sending a hiring manager a LinkedIn invitation with a personalized message is unique and highly recommended in the job search, but imagine the difference if you already share a connection within the organization you are hoping to join. Effective networking does not involve asking your network to find you a job opening. It consists of building functional working relationships you can tap into when you discover a shared connection (and vice versa).

With some self-reflecting and dedication, you will begin to discover your dream job is closer than you first believed. 

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When Your Qualifications Are No Longer Enough

If you are not working to improve yourself and your job performance continually, future opportunities and competitors may pass you up. Whether you are an active employee or an active job seeker, there is likely someone working harder than you. Are you content staying stationary in your career while others surpass you? The reality is that there are millions of employees actively seeking a highly coveted promotion and millions of job seekers waiting for an employee to misstep. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but there are some elements you can control to end the cycle.

If you are tired of facing uncertainty, doubt, and the fear of being fired in your career, it’s time to do something about it. Here are three steps you can take to improve as an employee, prove your worth, or even reestablish your career:

Upskilling

Technology is always changing and adapting for the better, and there is no better time for you to follow suit. No matter your industry or job title, there will always be a new methodology readily available to enhance work efficiencies. Make a conscious effort to adapt alongside your industry and train yourself and your team. If you feel you are in a repetitive, vapid cycle, this is the perfect way to shake things up. Do your due diligence in researching new advancements and trialing new techniques. 

A great example of a resource I’ve used in upskilling is The HubSpot Academy. With hundreds of lessons and certifications available in topics varying from Customer Mapping, Inbound Marketing, Sales Strategies, Web Design, to Lead Generation, it is an excellent resource for bettering yourself and your organization. Additionally, adding new certifications and expanding your horizons is an enticing resume booster.

Let’s be realistic – No employer wants to fire their employees – but if you choose to remain stagnant for your career, you are only forcing their hand. A recent study by Employee Benefit News (EBN) revealed that the average cost of replacing an employee is 33% of their salary. For a $50,000 annual salary, this would amount to $16,500. That’s not a chunk of change management teams will comfortably be willing to relinquish.

Ask for More Responsibility 

Asking for increased responsibilities will offer the opportunity to put your new skills to the test and to learn even more. If you believe you can take a larger role with greater responsibility, communicate it with your boss. But keep in mind that if you are not 100% confident in your work’s quality, chances are he/she won’t be either. Reaching this step may require some upskilling and critical thinking. 

Although your qualifications may not yet be worthy of a salary bump and new job title, taking on a new assignment is the best step to getting there. Don’t let employers speculate on what you are capable of in a more significant role. Instead, show your aptitude for the work before you consider a promotion or new job. Not only will this provide a chance to show you are trustworthy and competent, but it shows initiative as well.

When making your ‘ask’ for increased responsibility, come prepared with an example. If your boss is on board, he/she will likely ask what you had in mind. Do you want your shot at running a project or managing others? Explain why you have what it takes. Did you identify a new problem that needs addressing? Have the beginning stages of a new solution ready. Lastly, don’t demand an immediate answer, but rather encourage your boss to think it over for the week. 

Revamp Your Networking Efforts

Update your social networks – everything from LinkedIn to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This includes contact information, location, biographies/career summaries, and adding work history, descriptions, and examples of your expertise to your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is always a great tool to make new connections in various industries and locations, but each of these platforms can help build name recognition. Don’t be afraid to reach out to interesting individuals and make an introduction. Do you think you could desire a career change soon? Use LinkedIn to connect with recruiters and hiring managers, and toggle your ‘Career Interests’ to ‘On’ in the profile section.

Create or enhance your elevator pitch. Don’t simply share your work history and assignment you completed. Tell a story (using the STAR Approach) that demonstrates your critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and creative abilities.

“Your elevator pitch should consist of what you’ve done, what you’re doing, and where you’re going.” – Jason Patel

Studies show that 85% of all jobs are filled through networking. For more on this and additional steps to building and maintaining a strong network, check out these six tips from our friends at Northeastern University. 

Wrap Up

There is never a bad time to learn a new skill or improve on a workplace procedure. Keeping your mind fresh and avoiding career burnout starts with intentionality. Quit procrastinating and start today!

If your conversation for increased responsibility doesn’t go as planned, don’t lose hope. Asking your boss what goals can be placed to expand on your role is a great step to reigniting your motivation. In addition to setting goals for yourself, your boss will likely jump at the chance to throw new weekly or monthly objectives your way. When you surpass them, maybe it can be time for the ‘increased responsibility’ conversation again. 

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Networking Tips For Recent Grads

As the calendar turns from July to August, students everywhere are gearing up to go back to school. For recent graduates, this is the first time they will swap their classroom desks for cubicles in the “real world.” If you are a recent graduate looking for the first step in your career, the importance of networking cannot be stressed enough. Given the competitive nature of the job hunt, figuring out how to stand out becomes crucial.

According to Front Office Sports, one out of every 200 resumes results in a job offer, but one out of every 12 informational interviews results in an offer. What does this mean for job seekers? Networking is the way to take your job search to the next level.

Although it is commonly perceived as something only done when looking for a job, networking takes place at all stages of your career. While it is often an awkward experience, networking doesn’t have to be as difficult or daunting as it is thought to be. For recent grads looking for a job, building a network can be the first step in finding your career fit.

If you’re a recent grad on the job search, check out some networking tips from Forbes Contributor Frances Bridges:

Networking Can Just Be Making Friends

Networking is often seen as a contrived, transactional process. Believe it or not, not all networking needs to end in a job offer. In fact, it rarely does. If you’ve already landed a job, this is a way to engage with coworkers and connect with other like-minded individuals within your industry. In doing so, these relationships can be more valuable than the relationships you build up the ladder. According to Bridges, your peers can be the first ones to think of you when there is a job opening, or be a soundingboard for when work is difficult. Your relationship with them is just as important as your relationship with your boss.

Be Intentional With Your Events

When it comes to networking events, selecting which ones to go to comes down to quality over quantity. Don’t sign up for events just for the sake of doing so. If you want to connect with professionals within a specific industry or at a certain company, there are events at which you can do just that. Often times these events have a list of companies that will be represented, so you can decide whether or not you want to attend before signing up blindly. What can you do instead? Try reaching out to industry professionals you’d like to connect with via email or LinkedIn InMail.

Introduce Yourself At The End Of Events

There serial-position effect is a psychological term that refers to the tendency of a person to recall the first and last items in a series best, and the middle items worst. Broken down further, the primacy effect refers to remembering things that happen first, while the recency effect is when people remember things that happened at the end of an event.

That said, when introducing yourself to people at networking events, you should introduce yourself to people at the end so they remember you better. If you make a good impression at the end of the event, they are more likely to remember you compared to introducing yourself at the beginning.

It’s All For Nothing If You Don’t Follow-Up

As we mentioned in last week’s featured article (Want To Get Hired? Don’t Forget This Simple Task), following up is a key way to stand out in both the job search and networking. If you make a good connection with someone through your networking, make the effort to follow-up and stay in touch. If anything, just stay relevant to them because it is hard enough to make connections, but pretty easy to lose them. You don’t want to gain a reputation of being someone who only reaches out to connections when you need something (a job, introduction, etc.). Fostering and maintaining your networking relationships is as, if not more, important than making that initial connection.

Wrap Up

If you’re a recent graduate looking for your first “real world” job and are frustrated with the job search, it might be time to take a step back and focus on your networking efforts. Thanks to these tips from Frances Bridges (read the full article here), you can use networking as a way to stand out during your search.

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Looking to Network? Admitting You Need Advice is the First Step

Stop and think back in time for a moment. How often have you said no to someone when they asked you for advice?

The answer for most is likely never. As leaders and professionals, most relish the opportunity to share their expertise and be seen as an “authority” on a topic—even if it is only for a short period of time. It is also why many leaders, like yourself, write blog posts for their company to share their insight and advice into the world they work in.

Why is this important? Well, the idea of asking for advice can help open up a bigger world of networking for most people, they just never really looked at it that way.

Let’s face it, in large part the reason professionals network is an attempt to create new business opportunities for their company and find a new way to meet their monthly sales quota. Very few people really want to go to a networking event for two hours AFTER they have been at work all day long, but they bite the bullet for the drinks, appetizers and possibility they may have a good conversation with one prospect who can make their month go from okay to great when it comes to reconciling their bottom line.

While I am sure some of you thoroughly enjoy the repetitive nature of networking events, what if you took a different approach when it comes to networking? Why not reach out to people—either at the events or through great tools like LinkedIn—and ask for their advice?

How could this work? Why would someone who does not know you take the time to give you advice? Well, let’s look at a scenario.

Let’s say you have identified a company you would like to do business with in the future. Furthermore, you have identified a key member of that organization who you would like to be in contact with because you know they can influence the outcome of the decision. How do you go about reaching out to them?

Most would start with something like, “Dear (insert name here), my name is so and so and I think our businesses would align well in the future. I’d love to set up a meeting with you to discuss. Please let me know if you have 15 minutes on (insert date here).”

If you are laughing right now, it is probably because you sent that email—or one like it—at least 10 times this month alone. On the other side, how many times have you ignored an email just like that from someone you do not know? Probably quite a few times.

So how do you get around this “blocker” of an email?

Well, it is time to turn back the clocks and do some good, old-fashioned research on the person you want to reach, then ask for their advice. “Dear (insert name here), I came across your profile on LinkedIn and notice your company is doing (insert stat from profile or website here) in the (insert industry here), that is amazing! I was wondering if you could share some advice with me on how you motivated your team to reach numbers like that. I have a great team here, but I really want to do something to take them to the next level.”

Your message does not have to be exactly like that, as you will tailor it up to fit your need and the person’s industry, but you get the picture. The identified prospect is much more likely to take a couple minutes to provide you with advice on how they were successful, than set up a 15 minute-fact finding mission with a person they do not know. On top of that, they will likely look into your organization through any links in your email signature as well to find out who you are and what your company does (boom, you do not really even have to spend time establishing credibility). And if you are really lucky, they may extend an offer to “talk more.”

But Wait …

Now that you understand how to ask for advice, I have to tell you something—the message of the email or LinkedIn message is great, but it does not get you in the door. You need to make sure of one thing above all else.

Your request for advice MUST be in subject line or everything we just discussed does not matter.

Finding a way to make your need for advice stand out in the email subject line is paramount. If they are from the same college you went to, point that out (Fellow Viking Grad Looking for Advice), if they are in your industry, mention that (Fellow Marketing Professional Who Needs Your Advice). These are just a couple of suggestions, feel free to get creative with it when reaching out, but unless you draw attention to the fact you need advice before they open the email, they may never see your request!

The moral of the story here is simple.

Everyone is looking for a way to grow their network and develop better business contacts, it is just a natural part of our professional lives. Furthermore, everyone is looking for a way to stand out from the crowd.

Well, standing out has never been easier. All you have to do is stop looking for a cheap trick that has worked for someone else on the internet. Instead, swallow your pride and be genuine—and just ask someone who is doing it right for a little advice.

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3 Ways to Get Ahead With LinkedIn

After a brief trip into the NexGoal toolbox last week, we have decided to return back to our “Three for Thursday” ways here in the content department. This week’s focus returns to a constant source of frustration for some job seekers—LinkedIn.

Commonly viewed as a “living resume” by some, jobs seekers do not seem to utilize LinkedIn to the most of its capabilities. Sure, it isn’t as “cool” as Facebook or Twitter, but creating and managing a top-notch LinkedIn profile could help you ascend to new career levels you never thought were a possibility.

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With the next evolution of LinkedIn on the horizon (I had the privilege of recently viewing the upgrade coming for users in the near future as part of an Influencers’ community), making sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and accurate is going to be of the utmost importance. With this in mind, let’s take a look at three ways you can create or update your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the crowd!

Take Advantage of the Summary Section

The difference between LinkedIn and an actual resume you send to an employer is you can personalize it more because you are not bound by the one/two page requirements of most resumes. The best place to do this is the summary section.

In this area, you have plenty of space (2,000 characters to be exact) to tell employers what you can bring to their company. Do not just reiterate what you have done at past companies, instead utilize industry jargon and keywords to draw connections to the skills you possess and help you stand out from the first moment they read this section.

In my personal summary section, I chose to let other LinkedIn users get to know me on three levels. The first level is in regard to my sports writing background, then the second is directly tied to my current industry experience. Finally, I put a short statement on what I bring to companies right there in the summary section.

You can obviously tailor this section to fit your industry and career desires, but make sure to put some thought and effort into developing something original for this section. The more you can stand out, the better chance you have of someone reaching out to you about a career opportunity.

Make Your Profile a Portfolio

Did you know you can add videos, images, documents, presentations and more to each of your positions on your profile? Seriously, it is a great feature that can help enhance your profile from just another resume to a small portfolio website that stands out from the crowd.

Pretend you are a hiring manager for a second. Say you are looking to hire someone for video editing and are searching on LinkedIn. How great would it be if you could actually view a video they have edited before reaching out to see if their skills match what you are looking for?

Well, that is exactly what LinkedIn allows job seekers to do—and many are taking advantage of it, so you should too.

Connect With People!

LinkedIn is all about connections, so you need to actually have some for the social networking website to be effective. You can connect with people you know in your personal life, former colleagues, those you have met at networking events and so many more. In fact, when you log on you even have the option to scroll through recommendations for people you may know based on your current connections.

Why is this important? Put simply, the more connections you have the better chance your profile shows up in search and recommendations for others. If your name and job title stand out to someone, that could then trigger them to reach out to discuss a possible opportunity for career growth. So go connect, now!

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