Job Search and Career Development

Job Search Journey

• The goals of a job search include identifying a career field that fits with your skills and interests, finding a fulfilling job, seeking out employers who value your work, and forming a team or network of people who will be a positive part of your work life.

Career Development

• A job involves performing a designated set of responsibilities and duties for a specific employer.
• A career encompasses a series of jobs in the same occupation or profession.

Career Builder Files

• The Career Builder Files have three sections:
  • About Me: Contains records, awards, and information about you, your thoughts about jobs, and your Personal Brand Statement.
  • About Jobs: Tracks job leads, contact information, research about careers, and job listings, and draft job resumes.
  • Master Career Portfolio: A collection of documents to share with others, including your master resume, customized resumes, job applications, samples of work, cover letters, and thank-you notes.

Networking

• Different types of networks for job networking include:
  • Work Net: People you currently work with.
  • Org Net: People you know who are part of bigger organizations that you belong to.
  • Industry Net: People who are in your industry.
  • Life Net: Family and friends, as well as social media.

Career Action Worksheets

• Examples of things to include in your career action worksheets are:
  • Your education and training, including accomplishments, scholarships, and organizational activities.
  • Your work experience and skills, including dates, places, contributions, achievements, and recognitions.
  • Your job-specific skills, past contributions, and successes, using the WHI Method (what, how, importance).
  • Your Personal Brand Statement, summarizing what you do and why you are unique in your field.

Personal Brand Statement

• Steps to creating a personal brand statement include:
  • Starting with a word or two that describes you.
  • Jotting down phrases that describe how you do things or what you are known for.
  • Listing a few of your personal traits.
  • Thinking about traits that set you apart from others.
  • Weaving the words from the first three steps to create a few lines that describe you.

30-Second Commercial

• A 30-Second Commercial is a "clincher" speech that highlights your strongest qualities and shows how they will benefit the employer.
• Steps to creating a 30-Second Commercial include:
  • Writing your personal brand statement.
  • Writing a brief summary of your education, experience, and skills that equip you to do a specific job successfully.
  • Identifying employer needs and listing several things you think an employer would need.
  • Weaving all the steps together to create a concise speech.