career and job search planner

Linda Raleigh/dcdresearchproject2012

Career and Job Search

Planner

©Linda Raleigh

dcdresearchproject.com


CAREER/JOB SEARCH PLAN

MY CAREER/JOB SEARCH GOAL

To gain an entry level post in Human Resources with an employer who values diversity

within an hour travel time and who can offer further training.

MY AGREED COMMITMENT

e.g.

two mornings a week = 6 hours on my days off

or

every day for 3 hours a day


WEEKLY PLANNER

Name: Date:

Key areas to work on What do I have to do What I achieved

1. Job Fit

Career Assessments

Job Descriptions

Observations

Informational Interviews

“Trade Offs”

Does this job match my skills and

abilities and is it what I want to do?

Who can I ask more about this job?

Do I know someone who does a job like

this?

2. Search Strategy

Traditional Job Search

Job Web Sites

Employer Web sites

Job Ads

Job Fairs

Job Agencies

Hidden Job Market

Networking contacts

Informational Interviewing

Cold/Warm calling

Job Leads

Am I using all the resources I need to

find job opportunities?

Who can I talk to about job

opportunities?

How many calls have I made this week

about job opportunities?

Am I staying in touch with people in my

network who can help me?

3. Personal Marketing

Plan

Develop CV

Develop cover letter(s)

Elevator Pitch

How many CVs have I sent/given out for

job opportunities that I am interested in?

Did I send a cover letter that matched

the job?

Did I follow up my application with a

phone call?

Did I send a thank you letter following

interview or informational interview?

4. Interviewing and

Negotiating

Interviewing Preparation

Salary Research

Pre-employment checks

Employer Guide for

Specific Learning

Difficulties

Are my references lined up?

Am I prepared for interviews?

Do I know the current pay for this job?

Have I discussed my DCD needs with

my employer?

Follow Up Notes: Please use Daily Planner to schedule activities and look up resources.


Daily Planner:

8.00 am 9.00 am 10.00 am 11.00 am 12 noon 1.00pm 2.00pm 3.00pm 4.00pm 5.00pm

Monday

Update

CV

Update

CV

Draft

cover

letter

Draft

cover

letter

Tuesday

Wednesday

Coffee

with A N

Other re

job info

Thursday

Friday


JOB SEARCH RESOURCE GUIDE

1. JOB FIT

My Best Self

Dream Future

Comparing Competence

My Favourite Working Conditions

Success Criteria

Trade Offs

2. SEARCH STRATEGY

What are my resources

What am I initiating

http://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/

3. PERSONAL MARKETING

Cover Letter format

CV checklist

CV Branding

Elevator Pitch

Work products/portfolio

4. INTERVIEWING AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT

Interview checklist

Interview Questions

Specific Learning Difficulties – Employer’s Guide


LEARNING LOG – REVIEW

What has happened this week in your job search that has been a good experience for you?

What do you wish had gone better this week?

What did you learn from this experience?

How will this affect what you do in the future?


Reflected Best Self Profile

I am currently taking stock my abilities to help me find a suitable job. As part of my career

review I want to construct a profile of my strengths and the contributions I have made to

others. This profile is based on work completed at Michigan Ross School of Business on the

Reflected Best Self. I am asking/inviting you to help me do this. I wonder if you could share

a brief story (or two) with me about when I was at my very best in your eyes.

It will be really helpful to me if you could describe the situation, explain what I did, said etc.

that made my contribution so important.

I made an important contribution to ……………………………. by…………………..

What did I do?

What did I say?

What was the impact on others?

What did you value most about me in this situation?


DREAM FUTURE

Although real life involve compromises and trade-offs, it is still helpful to try to imagine what

an ideal life situation would be like. Imagining your fantasy future can give you a basis for

evaluating real possibilities as they develop in your life. Comparing the ideal to the reality

helps you to better understand the compromises you might be making by accepting a

particular situation.

In this exercise try to imagine what an ideal day in around two years time would be like. See

if you can picture what you would be doing and answer the questions below. Give as much

detail as possible.

1. What time do you wake up?

2. Where are you?

3. What is your room like?

4. Go to your wardrobe and describe the clothing you put on?

5. What do you do before you leave?

6. Where are you going?

7. What time do you leave?

8. How do you get to where you are going?

9. Describe the building where you study or work?

10. How long do you study or work?

11. What are you studying or working at?

12. Do you prefer to work alone or in a group?

13. Who will you be meeting or socializing with today?

14. What other images does this exercise bring to mind?

15. What do you like best about this time?


COMPARING COMPETENCE

JOB REQUIREMENTS

HOW DOES MY COMPETENCE FIT?

What did I do and to what standards? In what circumstances did I do this? What knowledge did

I develop? What personal abilities did I develop?

Think CAR – what was the ‘Challenge’, what did I do ‘Action’ and what was the ‘Result’ – benefit

to my employer.


MY FAVORITE WORKING CONDITIONS

Your Favorite Working Conditions

Or

Under what circumstances do you do your best work?

Start with all the things you disliked about all your previous jobs using the following table. Column A may begin with such things as: “too noisy, “no

windows” or “too much supervision”.

When you get to Column B, you should rank these factors in their exact order of importance to you.

When you get to Column C, the factors are already prioritized. Your only job here is to think of the positive form of the factor that you hated so much

in Column B. It is not always the exact opposite. For example, “too much supervision”, listed in Column B, does not always mean no supervision, in

Column C. It might just mean: a moderate amount of supervision, once or twice a day.

Places I have worked in my

life

Column A

Distasteful Working

Conditions

Column B

Distasteful Working

Conditions ranked

Column C

The keys to my effectiveness

at work

I have learned from the past

that my effectiveness at

work is decreased when I

have to work under these

conditions

Among the factors or

qualities listed in column A

these are the ones I dislike

absolutely the most (in order

of decreasing dislike)

The opposite of these

qualities, in order:

I believe my effectiveness

would be at a maximum if I

could work under these

conditions:


Places I have worked in my

life

Column A

Distasteful Working

Conditions

Column B

Distasteful Working

Conditions ranked

Column C

The keys to my effectiveness

at work

I have learned from the past

that my effectiveness at

work is decreased when I

have to work under these

conditions

Among the factors or

qualities listed in column A

these are the ones I dislike

absolutely the most (in order

of decreasing dislike)

The opposite of these

qualities, in order:

I believe my effectiveness

would be at a maximum if I

could work under these

conditions:

Adapted from “What Color is Your Parachute”, by Richard N. Bolles


Success Criteria

Complete the table listing your success criteria (examples included based on our discussions). Success criteria are the specific

personal and professional imperatives we must have to feel successful.

List your previous, current and possibly future career options

Assign a numerical value between 1 and 10 to how well these criteria are satisfied in each job

Thoughtfully determine and list the specific personal and professional imperatives you must have to feel successful.

Rate criteria 1 – 10 with 10 being the highest

Success

Criteria

Option 1 Option 2

Option 3

Option 4 Option 5

Option 6

TOTAL

Source: Capitalizing on Career Chaos, Helen Harkness


Job Criteria/ Trade Offs – Ranking exercise

Extrinsic Criteria Rank

Salary

Training

Working hours

Intrinsic Criteria

Job content e.g. ethical

People I work with

Please include any criteria that you feel is important


Coaching Conversations – James Flaherty “Evoking Excellence in Others”

Focus – What Are My Resources

From your own observations and research

1. What are your greatest strengths professionally and personally?

2. Who is part of your network of support? What specific support does each person

provide

3. What does it take for you to live the way you do? Specifically address the question in

terms of :

Monthly expenses (include yearly items such as property taxes etc. by dividing

them by 12)

Hours dedicated to job (include travel), work at home, your spouse/lover, your

children, meal preparation, cleaning, maintenance of home, clothes, car etc.

Emotional energy

Hours devoted to self care

Any other costs, physical, mental, or monetary

4. What resources do you have to address all the costs listed in #3 above

5. What are you learning in this exercise?


Evoking Excellence in Others – James Flaherty

Focus: Gaining Strength – Initiating

Invent, by declaration, an internal separation in yourself. Divide yourself into two

persons, one who acts/reacts and one who observes and is passive in life.

Using the following questions, begin to observe yourself in life. Observe quietly, passively.

Observe your internal states as well as what you show to the world.

At the end of each day, scan through your day and note what happened and how you

reacted. You may want to write notes so you can begin to notice patterns.

1. What actions, conversations, or relationships did you initiate?

2. What other actions, conversations, or relationships were there that you wanted to

initiate but didn’t? How are you justifying that?

3. What actions, conversations, or relationships will you initiate next?

4. What are you learning about yourself an initiating? How and when will you take

what you are learning into action?


Cover Letter Format

First paragraph: Tell why you're writing, in such a way as to arouse the employer's interest. Use

this paragraph to display your specific knowledge about the company you're writing to. You

must grab the employer's attention. Avoid openings such as "I'm writing to you in response to

your ad for a nutritionist in the Sunday Los Angeles Time. Identify the job title or general area

you're interested in. The reader shouldn't have to guess what kind of job you're looking for.

Second paragraph: Briefly describe your professional and/or academic qualifications. Cite

examples of your qualifications for the position sought. Draw on the power of your resume and

refer to it-better yet, expand on it. Avoid trite, overused phrases, such as "as you will note in my

enclosed resume" or "I have taken the liberty of enclosing my resume." If you are short on job

experience, mention extracurricular activities, especially examples of leadership, special

projects you worked on, or the fact that you worked your way through school. If you're a

homemaker returning to the workforce, don't forget to include volunteer work and family-

management skills.

Third paragraph: Relate yourself to the company. Provide details as to why you should be

considered. Use this paragraph to show off your research on the company and the industry. If

you can't research the company, then use this paragraph to expand on your qualifications.

Fourth paragraph: Request action. Ask for an interview appointment. Suggest dates on which

you're available. Tell the employer that you will call to make an appointment. Be sure to follow

up! It's a lot harder for the employer to ignore a request for action than a wishy-washy "call me

if you're interested" approach.


CV CHECKLIST

STRUCTURE

Personal Details

Job Objective/Focus

Career Summary

Professional Experience

Education

Membership Affiliations

FORMAT

Pretty

Balanced - top/bottom; side/side

Consistency of font – Headings and body

Visual Pattern

White space

Bullets – avoid polka dot effect

CONTENT

Reads like advertising copy

Omits superfluous

Active voice /action verbs

Prioritize info

Accurate, brief, clear

NO negatives

Keywords

MOTIVATION (to buy)

Challenge, Action, Results (CAR)

Features and benefits

Is the reader interested?

What does the reader need?

Substantiate claims

Buying Motivators

o Make money

o Save money

o Save Time

o Make work easier

o Solve a problem

o Be more competitive

o Build relationships/image/customers/vendors

o Expand business

o Attract new customers

o Retain existing customer


CV - Personal Branding

1. My top 5 strengths are?

2. What have people been saying about me all my life?

3. My passion is?

4. In what area can I be considered an expert?

5. What single core strength/talent makes me distinctive?

6. Who is my target audience and what is important to them – what keeps

them up at night?

7. What is the ROI (return on investment) I can offer an employer?

8. Who is my competition and how do I differ from them?

9. What are my top 5 competencies?

10. What have I done to demonstrate them? Facts?

11. What do my peers say about me?

12. What part of my work do I love?

13. Oprah’s brand is rich, compassionate, humanitarian, humorous, warm,

caring and powerful. What is your brand?


Elevator Speech - Example

Answer the following questions:

What do I want do?

e.g. I want to be a Customer Services Representative

The reasons I can do this…..e.g. because I am a friendly helpful person who

enjoys solving problems.

I really want to do this work because…. I enjoy making people’s lives easier and

more pleasant.

My capabilities benefit others/employers because....I am always looking for ways

to help people and I am patient in trying to find ways to do this.

My unique capabilities are (list three)…

I am patient and helpful and will help keep customers loyal

I am pleasant and polite and will ensure customers get a friendly experience

I am good at solving problems with technology so can help customers quickly

Put it all together…

I am a friendly helpful person who enjoys solving problems and I enjoy making

people’s lives easier and more pleasant. I am always looking for ways to help

people and I am patient in trying to find ways to do this. I want to be a

Customer Services Representative and my patience and helpfulness will help

keep customers loyal. Because I am pleasant and polite customers will always

get a friendly experience with me and I am good at solving problems with

technology so I can help customers quickly.


.INTERVIEW CHECKLIST

CONTENT OBSERVED EXAMPLE

Meets key criteria of job (see job

description/employee

specification)

Relevant answers

Communicates clearly

Illustrates competence by

reference to detailed examples

- stories

IMPRESSION

Appearance

Facial Expression

Eye contact

Gestures

Posture

Voice

SUMMATIVE FEEDBACK

INTERVIEWER:

DATE:


Interview Questions You May Be Asked

Before attending an interview you should think about your responses to the following questions. Your answers may depend on the job or company in question, so you should go through your responses just before each interview. Wherever possible, give an example to support your answer.

Why do you want this job?

Think carefully about this question. Stress the positive aspects which have attracted you to applying for this position. Do not mention any negative aspects of the job in question.

What can you contribute?

This is your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements which are relevant to the new position you are applying for.

Why do you want to work for this company?

Emphasize the positive reasons why you want to join their company, but avoid aspects such as more money or shorter hours. These would not endear you to a prospective employer.

What do you know about this company?

This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their company. Give them a rundown of their products/services, sales figures, news, company figures, customers, etc.

Why should we employ you?

The answer to this question will be based on your achievements or experience which relate to the company. At the end you could add that you think there is a good fit between you and the job, and do ask the interviewer for their opinion.

How would you describe yourself? / How would others describe you?

Pick your best attributes and achievements.

What was your greatest success? How did you achieve it?

You should pick an achievement which is related to their needs.

What has been your biggest failure?

Try to pick a failure which you were later able to correct or something that is not really important.

Do you work well with others? Or are you a loner?

Some jobs mean that you have to work very closely with other people whilst other jobs mean that you are largely working on your own, so you need to say that you are happy in both situations.


Are you accepted into a team quickly?

Hopefully you can answer a resounding "Yes" to this question.

Can you act on your own initiative?

You should say that you can. You could ask how much responsibility you would have.

How many hours are you prepared to work?

You would be prepared to work the necessary hours to get the job done on time.

What interests do you have?

Your hobbies and interests can tell an employer a lot about you, including whether you are sociable or solitary, and whether you can take on 'leadership' roles. So you should think about which interests will paint the right picture of you given the position you are discussing.

What level of salary are you looking for?

Be very careful when you answer this question - you do not want to appear to be greedy. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is and target the upper range. If they ask you this question fairly early on in the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities."

What will your referees say about you?

Say that you expect excellent references.

From the candidate to the interviewer:

Sample Interview Questions to Ask about the Job

* Would you please describe the ideal candidate for this job?

* What are the day-to-day duties of this job?

* Do you have anything to add to the job description that XYZ advertised?

* What is a typical workday like in this position?

* How would you describe the working environment?

* Who would be my immediate supervisor and where does he or she fit into the

organization?

* Why was this new position created?

* How does an employee know he or she is performing this job to expectations?

Sample Interview Questions to Ask about the Company

* Do you foresee any significant changes in XYZ Company?


* What's XYZ's policy about employees advancing their education?

* Does XYZ offer employee training?

* How would you characterize XYZ Company?

* Would you please describe XYZ's strengths and weaknesses?

* What can you tell me about the employees who work here?

Sample Interview Questions to Ask in Summary

* Is there anything else I should know?

* Is there anything else you'd like to know?

* Do you have any feedback?

* Do you have any concerns? What can I do to alleviate them?

* When can I expect to hear from you again?

* May I follow up with you by phone or email in about a week?

* If you decide to extend an offer, when would you like for me start?

* What’s the next step?

career and job search planner

Documents

sample interview questions

daily planner

search strategy

feel successful

professional imperatives

decreasing dislike

success criteria

job fit