By : James L Adams
No matter where you may be in your career-path you should always have two things handy at all times, business cards and copies of your resume. I know these are not the first two things that come to mind, but look at it this way, "If you lost your job today, what would you do?".
Years ago the answer would be to go out and get another job, but today networking is the best way to have an advantage over the competition. Stellar qualifications and skills are expected by employers and the days of having skill-sets that knocked them out of their seats are long gone because technology has finally caught-up with business demand.
This means that besides working on those professional skills, you need to also enhance those interpersonal skills regularly. One approach is to view each person you meet as a potential link to your next career move. Now, this does not mean shake their hand while handing-over a resume, but a business card can carry you a long way. If you do not have any, make some with your name, title, profession and the appropriate contact information. The goal is to sell yourself and not the company you work for or have worked for in the past.
This distinguishes you in the mind of the individual because people make mental notes of receiving things from others. There is a good possibility that the card you gave him or her may come to mind in the event a position comes available within the organization that would fit your skill-sets. A business card is easier to place in a card file and serves as a quick reference that may be placed in a wallet or portfolio. This puts you in closer proximity to the potential employer than a resume sitting on a desk with a stack of other papers. A not too enthusiastic manager may not want to go through the trouble of rifling through the plethora of papers to find your specific resume.
The one thing to keep in mind is that if you currently have a job, begin to study up on your specific industry and where it is headed in the future. Keep abreast with current technologies, avoid complacency and be prepared at anytime to have to re-qualify for your current job. This may seem odd, but some employers are trimming the fat but this process, especially if younger, cheaper, and more educated candidates are waiting in the wings. Another tip for those with jobs is to also slowly continue a job search to ensure that your skills are still marketable in the current job market. The main reason for the vast number of displaced workers is that they failed to do this while employed and when thrown out into the market their skills and experienced are dwarfed by the masses of people in the same situation. If you are in a field that has no equivalent in the current job market, it would be encouraged to find one that can be developed while maintaining your job. The goal is to avoid gaps if you are laid-off.
Networking is a good way to have your skills assessed and to discover the best route to take toward your professional goal. In the process you will establish a constituency that can really work to your advantage during lean times like the one we are currently experiencing.
James Adams is a seasoned professional with over twenty years of industry experience in the areas of Information Technology, Broadcast Media, International Business, Marketing, Public Relations, and Entertainment combined.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
No matter where you may be in your career-path you should always have two things handy at all times, business cards and copies of your resume. I know these are not the first two things that come to mind, but look at it this way, "If you lost your job today, what would you do?".
Years ago the answer would be to go out and get another job, but today networking is the best way to have an advantage over the competition. Stellar qualifications and skills are expected by employers and the days of having skill-sets that knocked them out of their seats are long gone because technology has finally caught-up with business demand.
This means that besides working on those professional skills, you need to also enhance those interpersonal skills regularly. One approach is to view each person you meet as a potential link to your next career move. Now, this does not mean shake their hand while handing-over a resume, but a business card can carry you a long way. If you do not have any, make some with your name, title, profession and the appropriate contact information. The goal is to sell yourself and not the company you work for or have worked for in the past.
This distinguishes you in the mind of the individual because people make mental notes of receiving things from others. There is a good possibility that the card you gave him or her may come to mind in the event a position comes available within the organization that would fit your skill-sets. A business card is easier to place in a card file and serves as a quick reference that may be placed in a wallet or portfolio. This puts you in closer proximity to the potential employer than a resume sitting on a desk with a stack of other papers. A not too enthusiastic manager may not want to go through the trouble of rifling through the plethora of papers to find your specific resume.
The one thing to keep in mind is that if you currently have a job, begin to study up on your specific industry and where it is headed in the future. Keep abreast with current technologies, avoid complacency and be prepared at anytime to have to re-qualify for your current job. This may seem odd, but some employers are trimming the fat but this process, especially if younger, cheaper, and more educated candidates are waiting in the wings. Another tip for those with jobs is to also slowly continue a job search to ensure that your skills are still marketable in the current job market. The main reason for the vast number of displaced workers is that they failed to do this while employed and when thrown out into the market their skills and experienced are dwarfed by the masses of people in the same situation. If you are in a field that has no equivalent in the current job market, it would be encouraged to find one that can be developed while maintaining your job. The goal is to avoid gaps if you are laid-off.
Networking is a good way to have your skills assessed and to discover the best route to take toward your professional goal. In the process you will establish a constituency that can really work to your advantage during lean times like the one we are currently experiencing.
James Adams is a seasoned professional with over twenty years of industry experience in the areas of Information Technology, Broadcast Media, International Business, Marketing, Public Relations, and Entertainment combined.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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