The workplace has changed; it is tougher than ever to find the right job and to get hired. And with so many new unemployed people in the market place, the competition is intense for each job. That means that when you apply, you have to stand out...you have to get noticed. And getting noticed is about being the right employee for the right job...it is about fit. This will improve the odds to get hired when others are ignored.
A little basic information and then I'll focus on the steps to help you identify your talents, identify and find jobs that make sense for you, and how to make your resume or application stand out. It is a new world - be very aware that your old approach to finding a great job is exactly that...an old approach. It is time to update to today's intellectual workplace and to what gets you noticed and hired today.
Note that we used to make things - we were an industrial economy. But now, most of manufacturing has moved offshore; its departure ushered in a new intellectual or thinking economy. This new thinking economy means most businesses in the US are now service-related. And working in a service economy is significantly different than working in a manufacturing economy. Today, you add value by your ideas, thinking and responsiveness, not by doing the same procedures everyday. Our world is variable; it is constantly changing. Every employee must be actively thinking through each service response - no more recurring procedures and "one-size-fits-all" responses. Thinking is king.
Thinking is personal and unique to each of us and each job requires very particular thinking; this means not everyone is a good fit for every job. You must know your talents and strengths (because they reflect your thinking) to know what kind of job is right for you, and then you must show your future employer that you are a good and natural fit for the job. This is how the workplace has changed...and you need to know this to know how to apply for the right job and how to stand out and get noticed.
That being said, let's create a plan to help you find the right kind of job, and then to stand out when you apply.
Get Hired Plan:
1. First - you must understand what talents are and be able to define yours (because these drive your performance). Talents represent our strengths and our natural thinking; they direct the way we think and act. We can't learn a talent because it is part of our natural brain hardwiring; we have what we have for talents. Though we can't learn a new talent, we can develop the ones that exist. So, your first step is to define how you think and what you are naturally good at. You know you have a talent when:
a. You are naturally drawn to it, you are passionate about it and it appeals to you.
b. You seem to learn quickly or already know things in the area.
c. You can spend hours doing it and it doesn't feel like work.
You need an example: let's say that I am passionate about working with people. I know how to easily connect to them, relate to them and always can build a rapport with them. So part of my talents are reflected in my social (versus analytical) nature. Now, if I worked in an accounting or engineering job, I most likely will not be very happy as jobs in these fields are very detail-oriented, precision-focused and less social. These are talents I don't have. But, if I worked in an inside or outside sales job, or in a manager's role that relied on constant interaction with others, I would see that my talents make me feel capable, confident and very interested in my work. This engages me and encourages greater performance. I love what I do; I get excited to do the job. Additionally, because I naturally think this way, the quality of my decisions will most always be more significant...this gets me noticed in the workplace.
There are many tools on the market to identify your talents. Each can provide an assessment to determine your talents but moreover, they help you learn the language of talents. It will be important for you to not only know your talents but be able to assess what talents are required in each job to determine if you will be a good match for the job. So, once you know your talents, the next step will be to move on to define jobs that require your talents. Follow the link in the bio section below to access talent assessment information.
2. Next, now that you know your talents, think about jobs that need or use these talents. For example, if you are a more social and supportive personality, you may love inside sales, healthcare, mentoring or teaching. If you have a stronger directing and thinking personality you may prefer leadership, law enforcement, engineering and sciences. These are just ideas - the list is as robust as you can create. You'll notice that your talents help you see more options for jobs, than fewer; this increases your potential to find jobs that not only appeal more, but will help you stand out when you apply.
Notice that I have not spoken about skills or experience yet. Skills and experience in an intellectual or service workplace are not as important as talents. Talents create greater opportunities for finding jobs that fit you. Skills and experience limit you; they naturally force you to look back at areas in which you have always worked. This doesn't mean that you either liked your work or were good at it - you have just done it before. You can learn new skills and develop new experience; but talents must exist because there is no way to add them. Remember: hire for talent (because you can't add them if they don't exist), train for skill (because you can learn them). Talent match is the critical component of hiring in today's intellectual and thinking workplace. The job's thinking and your thinking must match for you to excel.
3. Finally, to stand out when you apply for the right job, create a new talent-based resume. Remember the old resume or application? It only asked what skills and experience you have. These don't matter as much as talents so your new resume should clearly and openly focus on and identify your talents. It is now important to provide a talent-based resume when applying for a job. This is a new approach to resumes but as you can see, the most meaningful information a perspective employer will need is a clear understanding of your talents. Experience and skills mattered more in a workplace were jobs were more routine-based. Today's jobs require agility, flexibility and response to changing environments. A talent-based resume introduces future employers to your fundamental strengths and thinking style. Follow the link in the bio section below to see the format of the new talent-based resume.
Think for a minute how this can make you stand out. You know your talents and the talents needed in the job to make it successful. When you present this on your resume, you have already done most of the work that the interviewer is supposed to do - to see whether you would be a great fit for the job. Other candidates send in experience-based resumes that don't tell the interviewer how they think and if they would be able to handle the thinking and responses needed in the role. You, however, have made it obvious you will be a good fit because you compared your talents to the talents needed in the job...you didn't apply to jobs that didn't match your talents. You know this job is a good fit; you think in the way the job needs you to think which encourages your engagement, interest and performance. Applying for the job with the talent-based resume makes you stand out. And because you are a good fit, once in the workplace you stand out. You understand what is important in intellectual-age jobs - you did your work ahead and now are a great candidate. This gives you the best employment advantage.
When you went to bed last night, the world changed. Manufacturing and skill/experience-based hiring was replaced with service and talent-based hiring. Employees must actively think and respond to drive company performance. Since each of us think in different ways, we are not all a good fit for every job. We have to match our talents to the talents needed in the job. When we do, we are more responsive, more interested, more engaged and perform better. This is the edge you need to find the right job and to stand out. Now you know what is stopping you from getting hired; don't let it stop you anymore.
