BASIC TENETS
We have studied the job market, career change, and job search over the years, and observed certain fundamentals about the process — “truisms” for developing and mounting a successful job search. We’ve formalized these observations into eleven Basic Tenets. Some of these points are simple, some are obvious, some need to be reflected upon … but if applied, each will help you achieve job search and career success.
Over the next week we are going to be adding additional tenets.
BASIC TENETS
1. Knowledge Is Power — The more you know about the search process, about self-marketing, and about prospective employers, the more efficient and productive the campaign you can mount. The information you need in order to win is out there … all you have to do is go after it and use it.
2. You Have Control — You don’t need to feel powerless over your career or job search. You can take control of the process and guide your own destiny…if you choose to.
3. Look For Unfulfilled Wants And Needs — You can create a job where none exists if you understand a targeted employer’s wants and needs … even if the employer isn’t aware of them!
4. All Change Creates Opportunity — Change is constant, and affects every organization everyday. Whenever a circumstance changes — the competitive environment, a political or regulatory change, a technological development, a market shift — that change must be addressed. Watch for changes in a company or industry, identify the opportunities those changes may create, and use them to your advantage.
5. Pitch The Benefits — Focus on what you can do for your next employer, and on how you can help them achieve their goals and objectives. People don’t buy facts, they buy benefits. Keep this in mind always.
6. Picture Your Desired Outcome — A positive attitude and envisioning success helps bring about success. If you think like a loser, you’ll be a loser. You must picture yourself being successful in something as you begin that process, then go for it!
7. Don’t React. Act! — Never wait for a company to call you. Call them! You can’t just send out a resume and expect a call. And you can’t simply react to opportunities that are presented to you … you must be pro-active and make opportunities happen.
8. Persevere — It takes time, patience and continued effort to be successful in a job search, or in any endeavor. Quitters don’t win … and winners don’t quit. Develop a plan, work the plan, and stay with it.
9. It Takes Just As Much Effort to Get a Job You Don’t Like As It Does to Get One You Do Like — You will spend most of your waking hours at work, and you have one life to live. Don’t waste it! Go for what you really want.
10. The Best Man Doesn’t Always Win — You’re competing against people who are every bit as qualified for the job as you, maybe even more so. The key to beating the competition is truly understanding the employer’s needs, effectively communicating your relevant strengths, and demonstrating how you, more than anyone else, can fulfill the mission of that job. The best man doesn’t always win; the man who is best prepared wins.