Document 6520628

t work/life balance.
LIFESTYLE SUNDAY
sundayterritorian.com.au
www.bodyandsoul.com.au
Stuck in a career rut? Make 2014 your best year
yet with these expert tips on how to turn yourself
into a successful search engine. By Kris McIntyre
W
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
Megan Dalla-Camina, a business
strategist and author of Getting
Real About Having It All (Hay
House), knows what it takes
to forge a successful career.
She spent 20 years working for
multinational companies such as
IBM, and has experienced the
work-related “burn out” and the
difficulties that come with ambition
and striking that work/life balance.
Her first piece of advice to jobhunters is to start by defining the
life you want to create for yourself.
“How can you possibly know what
your career looks like if you don’t
have a clear vision of what you
want your life to look like?” she
says. “Any job search should start
with understanding what you’re
passionate about and what kind
of work is most satisfying for you.”
The next task is to identify the
kind of role you want and the
type of environment you want to
work in. Ask yourself, do you work
better as part of a large team or
working from home on your own?
Do you want a stable “nine-tofive” position or are you happier
in a project-based role? Do you
want to focus on one area or do
you want to use your skills across
different roles and industries?
What factors are important to
your lifestyle? Is it a promotion, a
lateral move or a complete career
change that you’re seeking?
MAKE A PLAN OF ACTION
Once you’re clear about what
your goals are, map out what
your new career looks like and
how you’re going to get there.
“Whether it’s a well laid-out
plan or, at the very minimum, a
vision for where you’re headed,
it’s important to have direction,”
Dalla-Camina says.
Consider the types of roles
you’re open to and the work you
want to do. Draw up a skills map
to determine what talents you
have and those you may need to
obtain in order to achieve your
dream job. Make a plan to fill any
gaps that emerge in your skill set
and figure out how you’ll move
from where you are to where you
want to be. Work out how long
it will take, what resources you’ll
need and what funds you have
to support you in the interim.
DON’T RELY ON JOB ADS
LAND
YOUR
WDREAM
JOB THIS
YEAR
the internet, newspapers and
trade journals; using recruitment
agencies; and sending your
resume to employees. (For the
most effective ways, see right.)
yourself – don’t wing it. Be
specific about your expertise
and skills, your career goals
and what you’re known for.
BE YOUR OWN BRAND
Social media is quickly becoming
a powerful job-hunting tool, but
it’s important to use it strategically
and wisely. LinkedIn, Twitter and
personal blogs can be effective
allies for building your brand and
your reputation and profile online,
so invest adequate time and
thought into this project.
Be conscious of who you
connect with, what you post
online and watch out for those
potentially career-limiting party
snaps on Facebook.
BE SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY
When it comes to your career,
“you” are the product, so
maintaining your personal brand
is a vital element to consider.
The first step to building your
brand is knowing yourself: What
are your strengths and passions
and goals, and how do you work
best? Then it’s about how you
project yourself to your audience.
One of the most important
factors in your personal brand is
your appearance and how you’re
perceived by other people. In
other words, make sure that what
you wear, your grooming and the
way you conduct yourself reflects
who you are as a brand.
Brush up on your interview
skills, develop your pitch and
rehearse key messages about
yourself – don’t wing it. Be
BODY
+SOUL
b
bodyandsoul.com.au
For more life-changing tips, visit
bodyandsoul.com.au/wellbeing
SEEK OUT EXPERT ADVICE
“So many jobs are filled through
connections, not ads. Making it
known that you’re looking can help
you connect to the opportunities
you need,” Dalla-Camina says,
adding that you should seek advice
Why you shouldn’t
Why you shouldn’t
47%
86%
Why you shouldn’t
65-70%
In the classic how-to guide for
job-hunters What Colour Is Your
Parachute? (Crown Publishing),
author Richard Bolles describes
what he calls the “Seven Secrets
About The Job Market Today”.
He says that, generally speaking,
employers and aspiring employees
actually search for each other in
almost exactly opposite ways.
Surprisingly, the least effective
ways to look for a job are perhaps
the ones that seem most obvious:
responding to job postings on
the internet, newspapers and
GET THAT ROLE
Success hinges on
the job-hunt, Bolles
says. Here are his
top four methods:
33%
SUCCESS RATE
Ask for a job lead from
family members, friends
and acquaintances.
SUCCESS RATE
SUCCESS RATE
Knock on the door of any office or
b
other workplace
of interest, whether
they have a job vacancy or not.
Do extensive
homework on
yourself in order to
understand who you
are, what you have to
offer the job market,
what kind of role
would match those
specific skills and
what you want your
life to stand for.
SUCCESS RATE
Identify fields that interest you
and call any potential employers to
ask if they’re hiring. Or try joining
a “job club” with fellow job seekers.
Why you shouldn’t
www.sundayterritorian.com.au
from successful people in your
field, look for others who’ve made
a similar change and consider
talking to a career coach.
Sunday, January 5, 2014. Sunday Territorian.
PUB:
hether you’re entering
the job market for the
first time, looking for
a new gig or thinking about a
career change, it’s important
to understand the job-hunting
game and how to succeed in it.
PHOTOGRAPHY: SNAPPER MEDIA
body+soul
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