I’m proud to introduce to my readers a wonderful writer and career strategist, Karen Adamedes. She has graciously agreed to share some of her expertise with my job seeking readers.

You Only Need 1 Job

The process of looking for a new job is time-consuming, at times disheartening and always needing you to be at the top of your game so that you can present the very best you.

With high unemployment rates and plenty of competition on the job market this can be tough going when you need a job for practical reasons (like eating and paying the rent) or even if you are stuck in a job you don’t like and really need to move on.

But on the flip side when you review your own accomplishments the process can also be a reaffirmation of how much you have achieved. It’s also the opportunity for you to determine the direction of your career (and possibly life!) and to make choices that are good for you. You are the person who is making the decision about which jobs to apply for, where you want to be located, which companies you will work for and once you get to an interview – decide if the culture and manager are right for you.

Regardless of how hard it may feel it is to get a job you do get to make all of those decisions. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the power of choice is yours.

I have a friend, let’s call her Sandra, who was recently looking for work. She really needed to get a job before Christmas so she tackled the task like a military operation. There were emails, spreadsheets and full-time application to the task. The eventual result was three offers came in the one week. All of a sudden Sandra was juggling all of the information she had collected to make a decision about which job was the best suited to her, her skills, her future aspirations and to family considerations. She was only looking for one job but her approach and processes and the choices she made gave her lots of options.

Sandra’s eventual decision was governed by three factors, the job in the industry that would set her up for future roles, a manager who she respected and the flexibility to be able to pick up her children at a reasonable hour of the day.

The choices that you make are governed by your approach, optimism and the clarity of understanding what type of job you are looking for and why.

Here are 3 of my hot tips for getting the job you want in a difficult economy:

1. Focus on the fact that you only need 1 job.

Don’t be distracted by the size of the unemployment statistic or the number of people who you know who are also looking for work. You need to be focussed on finding only 1 job. Your next job.

2. Apply for every job as if it’s the only job you are applying for.

Potential employers don’t know (or want to know) how many jobs you have applied for or how weary you are of the process. They want to be convinced that you are the best candidate for the job with the most chance of being successful in the role (and the least risk to them that you’ll succeed!)

To do this you need to approach each job application as if it is the only and most important role you are applying for. Each cover letter and your resume should be adapted for each and every job.

3. If the job suits you – take it – even if it is not at the level you were working at previously.

If a role is suited to you because it gives you a regular pay-check, is in your area of expertise and is with a company you are happy to work for – apply for it and if you are successful – take it. Don’t not apply or take a job because it is ‘below’ your capability. Don’t rule a job out just because it isn’t at the same level that you have worked at previously. It can be a job that sets you up for the future.

Cream, they say, rises to the top, and once you have your foot in the door with a new employer you will be able to demonstrate your skills and new opportunities will emerge. And even if you are from the school of worst-case scenario thinking – at least it will provide you with some income whilst you search for another opportunity. In tough economic times employers understand that you need to be practical and work and ‘taking a step back’ for a while will not negate your previous career advancements.

To all who are looking for work, it can be hard and there’s no disguising that it’s often not fun. Treat looking for a job as a job and do it as well as you would a job.

Remember you only need 1!

Karen

PS There are more tips on how to ‘get the job you want’ in my book “Hot Tips for Career Chicks” available on Amazon!! 🙂

Karen Adamedes

Karen is an experienced business executive, leader, speaker and author of “Hot Tips for Career Chicks.”

She began her career in the back-office of a bank, earned her degree as a part-time student and moved into a sales career.

Karen has worked for market-leaders in Australia and has pursued a successful career in sales , marketing, operations and management. She has managed national teams and multi-million dollar budgets. Karen is an accomplished senior executive with a proven track record of success in driving the delivery of business results and the development of high performance teams.

Her experience has provided her with insights into what works and why for women in the development and management of their careers.

In Australia Karen has appeared in Notebook, Cosmopolitan, Cleo and Madison magazines, and had a national TV appearance.

In fact “Hot Tips For Career Chicks” has been featured in the Australian November edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine as one of the recommended “7 books to get you through’.

Karen is a writer, speaker, commentator and blogger at careerchicks.blogspot.com. You can also follow Karen on twitter @karenadamedes and on face book. Her book has just been released in the U.S. on Amazon.