Keeping Your Career on Track in a Down

Keeping Your Career on Track in a Down Economy… and Beyond Webinar #3 Presenting Yourself: Be the Choreographer of Your Own Career The Alumnae Association Of Smith College Career Webinar Series Copyright Barbara Reinhold, Ed. D. www. barbara-reinhold. com

Do the dance your own way… • No matter what you were “taught” by others—this gets more and more important as we age! • Because you and the world are both changing • And because only you really know what you want and need right now

What’s probably different now? • There are no secrets—you have to make peace with transparency • You are entirely responsible for your own employability, and for translating yourself positively to the world • More than ever, selling yourself will require “high tech/high touch” strategies

Here’s where INSIDE and OUTSIDE come together: • really knowing what you do and don’t want next, even if you don’t know what to call it… • helps you sort out what employment will work for you now… • so that you can TAILOR and CUSTOMIZE everything you say about yourself to fit what you’re looking for

Go back to your FILLERS and DRAINERS for guidance • List 3 fillers you know you want, no matter what ___________________ • List 3 drainers you know you want to avoid ____________________

Job search campaign advice to forget immediately: • “Just send a resume of what you’ve done, and let the employer figure it out. ” • “Include everything you’ve ever done, just in case. ” • “Only look for one kind of job at a time, or you’ll look fickle. ”

And don’t forget to forget this one either: • “Don’t overprepare. If it’s meant to be, it will be”

But where do you find work opportunities? • High tech—choose online listings carefully • High touch—let people know you’re looking • Imagination—how could your skills or knowledge help an organization that’s attractive to you?

And maybe you’re not looking for a job at all, but rather a way to do the work you really enjoy?

Particularly in this economy… • You might get further in the long run by being a contractor now rather than an employee • Consider it as an option anyway • Also committing to several months as an apprentice

Taking control of the campaign from the very beginning… (1)SKILLS/ EXAMPLES (2) WHY ME NOW? (3) STAR ANALYSIS

(1) Major RELEVANT skills for each position • List 5 major skills, in descending order of importance, for the situation you’re pursuing • And then write 3 examples of how you’ve used that skill for each one

(2) “Why me now? ” statement • Write 1 -2 succinct, targeted paragraphs in response to that question • Practice saying them out loud until you really believe them

(3) STAR analysis: write out 3 examples for the following template • • Situation or Task you needed to handle Action(s) you took Results you achieved

According to resume consultant Yana Parker • “A resume is a marketing document, not a career obituary”

Kinds of resumes • Chronological/employer-driven • Functional/skills-driven • Targeted bio • Artistic/performance resume • Curriculum vitae • Portfolio

Getting your skills/ interests/passions aligned: • Have a copy of the job description or work requirements as you understand them… • Number them, in descending order of importance for the employer • For each one, make a notation of how your experiences and/or credentials are (or are not) in alignment with that particular requirement

High or low estimator— which are you? • The job description tale… • Ask someone who knows you well to rate you on a scale of 1 -10 for your self-estimating abilities

Practicing for interviews • Create 5 questions you DO want to answer, and answer them • Create 5 questions you DON’T want to answer, and answer them • Answer them all with a peer coach—and get immediate feedback • Incorporate the feedback, and practice some more…

Advice for specialized situations: • Introverts • Extroverts • Re-entry women • Women over 50 • People with disabilities or cultural/lifestyle differences

The Power Pack finale • Remember a time (the earlier the better) when you did something really well and felt great about it!

Go back into your memory and “revisit” that time in more detail: • What happened to make you so pleased with yourself? • Who was there? • What feelings do you remember?

Let those positive feelings take over your entire mind and body. . • NOW you’re ready to PRESENT YOURSELF! • And you can return to this energized state whenever you want to

Now, Q & A • I’ll be responding to questions that have already come in from the group • Add any more as we go • Send individual ones on the Smith career blog or to me via my own website e-mail

Thanks for being here! • Stay in the loop, with the Alumnae Association and with each other • Webinar #4, “Managing Your Own Career Across the Lifespan, ” will happen next week, May 13 from noon to 1 p. m. Eastern time • No matter how old or young you are, we’ll have something to say to you • www. alumnae. smith. edu/career/blog. php