Are You Ready?

It’s official, national unemployment rates are starting to drop for the first time in two years. While the single digit unemployment rate is cause for celebration, it also begs the question – are you ready for the job market?

If you are a first-time job seeker or a career changer, now is the time to do your homework so you are ready for new career opportunities that come your way. Here are some best practices to get you jump started.

Self assessment – get quiet with yourself and really consider what you value, what interests you, how your personality plays a role in your career choice, and what skills energize you enough to call them strengths.

Tell your story – be ready to talk about what you do well and don’t focus on job titles and descriptions until you know what tasks engage you. Think about when time flies and it doesn’t feel like work. These are the tasks you will want to spend most of your time pursuing at work.

Develop your brand – since hiring is starting to creep back, you need to define your special sauce and why you will be a value-add to an organization because competition is still fierce. Market your unique combination of passions and talents and if you need a jump start, query people in your circle of trust and ask them what makes you special. Ultimately you are in control of your personal brand but gathering input from others can be a great point of departure.

Know your territory – before you start sending out numerous resumes (never a wise strategy) investigate the job market in your field and talk to people in the know. Pursue informational interviews, job shadows, and build your professional community with people of influence. The more people who know you and what you do well the better your chances of being informed about new opportunities.

The federal government reported that the economy grew by 216,000 jobs last month with factories, retailers, education, health care, professional and financial services sectors seeing the largest increase. The new-job season has official begun so make sure you are ready for these new opportunities and invest in the time to prepare to be at your very best.