Optimize your job hunt for todays ecomony -

Optimize your job hunt for todays ecomony - As co-coordinator with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, I am pleased to participate in our second round of posts from our community of expert career advisors and resume writing professionals  called the Career Collective. Todays post is special because we are participating in Quintessential Careers Job Action Day. This is one of many responses aimed at helping job seekers focus on the future and what they can do differently in todays economy to succeed. I encourage you to visit other members responses, which are all linked at the end of my post! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective and visit our Career Collective site. As a career coach and blogger, I am constantly seeking inspiration and looking for messages to convert into job search advice for my readers. So, when I watched a commercial for Lexus, one sound byte really resonated with me: You cant change traffic, so change the way you drive through it! How true there is so much that individuals do not control. The economy. The weather. The neighbors barking dogs. I bet someone once told you, You cant change other people, but you can change how you react to them. How much happier would we be if we stopped trying to change the things that we cannot alter and instead focused on what we do control our responses? The job market is a case in point. What if job seekers stopped oh woe is me-ing and instead focused on what they DO control the way they navigate their searches. The playing field has changed, and it is important to adjust to the new terrain. Here are some tips to help you take the wheel: Draw Your Own Career Map Identify your goals. You cant get anywhere until you decide the destination! What characteristics and traits make you special? What are you (or do you hope to be) known for in your field? Review trends and industries with career potential and determine if there are matches between your skills and interests and those fields. Instead of cursing a business with a shrinking job market, re-adjust, re-tool and re-train to take advantage of new possibilities. Once you know your direction, optimize your resume. Be sure that it is skill and accomplishment focused, not a list of stuff youve done. (If youve been blaming your age or experience level (too much/not enough) for your lack of interviews, take a good look at your resume. It may be holding you back.) Is this new advice that only applies to todays economy? No. However, it is so much more important now than ever. If you do not know where you are going, you are EVEN LESS likely to get there! Design Your Vehicle Brand YOU! Once you identify a destination drive there! Learn how to position yourself as the expert in your field. Use all of the tools at your disposal to create a vehicle (your brand it doesnt have to be a Lexus. Or a bus!) that will drive you where you want to go. If you havent looked for a job in a while and/or arent tuned in to managing your digital footprint, its time for a quick lesson in social media. Presenting yourself well both online and in person will help open previously closed doors. Optimize Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and other social networking tools to make connections and share information. In fact, Twitters new Lists (which you can read more about HERE) are an absolutely amazing way to mobilize a terrific network in your industry or niche. Essentially, those who use this feature (which is not available to everyone, yet) will select a group of people they identify as leaders in their fields (or, at least the most interesting people to follow in a topic). You will be able to visit someones Twitter page and easily access not just whom they follow, but whom they endorse. Job seekers who take the opportunity to get inside someones head (via Twitter lists) will be able to narrow down the movers and the shakers in their fields of interest. This is really an incredible opportunity. The only downside is the amount of work it takes to get these lists filled in! I have not had a chance to create all of my lists, yet, and it is possible some will opt out of creating lists. (For example, Chris Brogan, a social media guru and author of Trust Agents, has some reservations about leaving people out and does not plan to create lists of individuals.) For anyone who jumps in, though, it is a gold mine of opportunity for job seekers. Take advantage of it! Take the Keys! The key to a successful career is to network generously. There is nothing more important or more useful for your job search, and the current economic climate makes this even more crucial. Your success depends on your ability to broaden your professional circles and to reach out to a diverse socio-economic group of people. Do not allow your network to be the people you happen to know. Be purposeful. Identify organizations and see how your network can lead you to people who work there. Conduct informational interviews and demonstrate why they cant do without you! Professionals who habitually facilitate introductions earn goodwill and reputations as valuable resources and colleagues. Become that professional; it will help you overcome obstacles to career success. Start the Ignition Communicate Your Value Your ability to promote, communicate and connect your value to colleagues and superiors is crucial. Hone this soft skill practice your writing, emailing, speaking, interviewing and presenting skills. Join Toastmasters. Make a point to learn how to communicate well. When you can articulate why your role is vital, you will help secure your future. Confidently Forge Ahead Start Rolling Adjust your rear-view mirror, but keep your eyes on the road! Move forward with your plans knowing that you DO control your career. Is it as easy as reading these steps? No, but if you follow this plan, you will be on your way to managing your job hunt and/or your career with finesse and aplomb! Seize control of what you can! Dont be a victim of circumstances. Drive your own career bus! Feel free to add your 2 cents to the commentsWhat are YOU doing differently? (Or SHOULD you be doing differently?!) How have my colleagues responded? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts: Gayle Howard: Todays Enlightened Job Seeker Meg Montford: Job Action Day: Finding Your Mojo After Layoff Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesnt work out? Heather Mundell: Green Jobs What They Are and How to Find Them Erin Kennedy: Cutting Edge Job Search Blueprint Grace Kutney: Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Change Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Different Heather R. Huhman, Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurship Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogging Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: Its Not Just for Boyscouts Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The On-Demand Professional of Tomorrow? Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for todays economy GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You? Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes Martin Buckland: Job SearchThe Key to Securing Your Future Career. Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are 2009 and Beyond JT ODonnell : Actions that got people jobs in this recession I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?   If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While youre at it, dont forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on FacebookId be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since were on the subject of doing something newAre you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.