Will You Be Ready When Opportunity Knocks? Start Preparing Now!

You may have heard the saying about ‘luck’…that it’s more than just happenstance…that ‘luck’ is when preparedness and opportunity intersect.  So the question is – are you prepared for opportunity to knock?

If you’re a first-time job seeker or a career changer, here are some tips to help you prepare, so that, when those new career opportunities come knocking, you can be ready…

Assess your type – it’s helpful to know your personality type.  It will give you a better sense of jobs that are well suited to you and jobs that aren’t. Consider taking a Myers-Briggs personality test or a ‘Strengths-Finder’ assessment to help point you in a career direction.

Tell your story – sit down with pen and paper in hand, get quiet with yourself, and consider what you value most.  How do you like to spend your time? What energizes you? When time flies by and it doesn’t feel like you’re working, what are you doing? What special skills do you have?

Know what you love – the story that is uniquely yours unfolds as you take inventory of the things you like to do. Write about what you do well and forget about how your skills and talents fit with actual job titles for the moment. This exercise can help you figure out how you want to spend your time – wherever you end up working.

Develop your brand – what’s the special sauce that sets you apart? In the competitive marketplace, what is it about you that will be a value-add to an organization? When preparing to market your unique combination of passions and talents, practice talking about your strengths with family and friends.  In the process, they may be able to point out additional strengths you didn’t realize you had.

Know your territory – once you figure out a more specific career direction, investigate the job market in that 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 job opportunities.

From this point on, it’s about making the commitment to be prepared when opportunity comes knocking.