Are you a senior professional in a job search mode? If yes, then chances are high that you would be struggling because you would not include a strategic approach to make your job search effective. It is no reflection on your capability but because of paucity of time combined with lack of expertise, you don’t think out of the box and continue to use traditional methods while things have changed unimaginably. Let me explain this with an example. If it is your spouse’s birthday there can be a temptation to try and bake the cake at home however on such a special occasion, it is best to outsource it to an expert bakery if you want it to be memorable. Or, if there is an electrical instrument flaw in your house, there is no point in repairing it yourself when you can call a good electrician who can get it up and running in minutes. Similarly instead of conducting your job search yourself for which you do not have the expertise, it is best to outsource it to a job search or career transition coach who will dramatically increase your job search pace. To stand out from the clutter, you need innovative methods and a strategy to effectively communicate the benefits you get to your target audience. However you can’t see the picture if you are in the frame, that is why it helps to have a coach.
When do you require the services of a career transition coach? Let me help you with 6 situations where you will get dramatically better results by outsourcing it.
1] When you are applying and not getting interview calls:
I had coached a senior professional who had applied for 25 jobs over a period of one year and had not received a single interview call. We rewrote his resume, optimized his LinkedIn profile making it powerful, customised his pitch letters and coached him with techniques on networking with prospective employers. He received 5 interview calls within a span of 3 months. So you need to ensure that all the tools are being utilised well.
2] When you want to shift industry or role:
There have been instances where we have helped professionals shift into allied industry or roles by focusing on their key strengths and the use of transferable skills.
3] When you want a customised resume and powerful pitch letter and a strong LinkedIn profile:
There are so many talented and capable professionals who have their Resume running into 5 pages and a LinkedIn profile which is either poorly presented or not focused on the individual’s brand value and pitch letters which are general and not customised. The resume also is not ATS friendly. Whether you like it or not, the ATS is a part of most companies automated screening mechanism and you need to ensure that your Resume scores well. This kind of a flawed approach will only frustrate you.
4] When you are 45 plus by age and want to target hidden jobs :
Effectively presenting your richness and depth of experience requires art as well as tact. A good coach can train you on how to present your value and handle the perception block that your age is on the higher side and hence a concern. And coach you on how to start conversations with recruiters when there is no publiced job.
5] When you want to learn how to effectively answer tricky interview questions:
There are many job seekers who land up with interview calls which is a great achievement however cannot make the cut in an interview. That is because of not knowing how to present responses which impresses the interviewer and find the connect. It requires special techniques to research companies and jobs to be able to ensure that you are shortlisted.
6] When you want to stand out as a candidate by using transferable skills:
We have had instances where by identifying the transferable skills of job aspirants, coaching them how to use them in their Resume, LinkedIn profile and customising their pitch letters, professionals have started receiving interview calls and they stand out amongst the thousands of applicants.
A good coach can get you out of any kind of a job search challenging situation. So it is worth investing in hiring the services of a career transition coach because you will make up multifold in terms of landing up with a career break which offers great prospects and obviously an attractive compensation. The choice is between remaining frustrated or outsourcing your job search and landing up smoothly with the job you desire. You decide.
For any assistance on career transition coaching, please send me a DM on my LinkedIn profile (37,000 + followers), Instagram (82,000 followers), Facebook (2 lac followers).
Best wishes!!
Sarabjeet Sachar
Seasoned Career Coach, Founder & CEO, Aspiration