Planning Works
Failing to plan doesn't guarantee failure, but it fosters a seat-of-the-pants approach that tends to squander your precious resources, like time, energy, and, ultimately, money. Planning makes so much sense that almost everyone would do it if they really thought about it, and knew how to do it. But many people don't. Fifty-four percent of our survey respondents indicated that they had no plan to find employment.
Planning works because it structures your ideas, time, and efforts. You benefit because you:
- Save a great deal of time
- Gain a sense of control (of your day and yourself)
- Gain confidence.
- Specifically, planning?
- Provides direction and focus
- Helps you to set priorities
- Helps you to proceed systematically
- Includes developing strategies to accomplish goals
- Makes it easier to break down your goal into achievable parts
- Makes it easier to measure progress
- Gives you something to return to when you get side tracked. If you have no plan, there is no way to get back on track.
As you know, the kind of plan which is particularly relevant to your needs is a marketing plan. Having assessed yourself and set your goal, you know what you're selling-from your perspective. To communicate that effectively, you have to understand the prospective employer's point of view.
What Are You Selling?
Yourself, of course. And you know that you have fine skills, talents, and a lot of energy to offer an employer. But that, unfortunately, isn't sufficient. Your success will depend, to a great extent, on your ability to present yourself in a professional manner.
Plan to Communicate Effectively Avoid Common Pitfalls
Every job seeker is, of course, eager to land a good job with a good organization, opportunities for growth, good salary, convenient location, etc. Some people are so preoccupied with their needs, however, that they actually undercut their own efforts. The results might be amusing if they weren't so sad.
Being excessively "me" oriented is a common pitfall. One example was a middle-aged man who applied for a position on my staff some years ago. When i inquired about his qualifications, he responded: "I live right around the corner." "What difference does that make?" I asked. He thought for a while and replied: "Well, I won't have any trouble getting here in the winter."
Another example was the resume of a young college graduate, a computer science major, which stated: Objective: A position where I will be able to contribute (the final "e" was omitted) my skills in software design and which will allow me to attend graduate school in computer science, [My italics].
Although his skills were much in demand, the young man had received no positive responses from the dozens of software companies he had contacted. No wonder! The glaring type at the beginning of his resume communicated unacceptable carelessness. Even more inappropriate was his statement about what he expected the company to be for him. Being trained to do the job the way the organization wants is, of course, standard procedure.
Describing your qualifications in meaningless generalities is another common pitfall. What you're selling must be of value to the other person. Job seekers who don't plan what they're going to say are apt to mutter such vacuous statements as:
"I'm a good team player."
"I'm a good communicator"
"I like people." (Do you know anyone who claims not to like people?)
The most common error, however, is making too many assumptions. Job seekers assume that prospective employers will know how valuable they are because of their titles, degrees, and years of experience.
"Was the operations manager for 14 years with the Wormy Compost Corporation and was recruited by Moose Moss of America to run their operations department. I was there for 6 years when they moved all their corporate functions out of state. My family didn't want to move, so here I am." OR "Have a BS from State University. I started working for the Crabgrass Corporation in marketing right after graduation. I did crabgrass and dandelion marketing for 8 years, but the last few years were really bad for crabgrass."
The "So What? Machine''
Imagine that on every employer's head is a so what? Machine. It's like a toaster, except that it beeps and flashes red lights. Every time you make a statement about yourself, like: "I graduated from State U. in 1979" or "I like people," a so what? Sign pops up like a piece of burnt toast. What difference does it make - TO THEM?
So What? Make It Perfectly Clear
When you say "I like people," you undoubtedly think everyone knows what you mean. It's obvious, isn't it? You get along well with your boss and co-workers. You're not a troublemaker. That should be a reason for hiring you, right?
Not if "I like people" means something completely different to them. The last time they hired a really friendly type, he spent all day at the coffee machine, rerunning his favorite team's plays while everyone's work stacked up. Now when the company recruits, they seek out the merits! If you're an agreeable person who is great at creating a harmonious atmosphere, why not say that? Your interpersonal skills could be the reason you're hired-especially if you find out that this particular department has been plagued with friction. What they really need is a gentle, soothing person like you.
Most job seekers rattle off facts about themselves, assuming that others will understand the significance of what they're saying. But what does 14 years of accounting experience mean? It could mean that you saved the company megabucks by initiating cost-effective procedures. But it could also mean that you learned the job in 6 months and coasted for 13 1/2 years!
