Overview
In
today's unpredictable economy, the idea of job security
with
any company would seem to be a thing of the past.
Large
company layoffs, golden handshakes, mergers,
leveraged
buyouts, company acquisitions and similar
business
moves have left people of all ages out of a job
they
need to live.
While
there may be some compensation upon being let go from
the
firm you work for, this money won't last forever. Or,
if
eligible for unemployment benefits, this also has a
finite
period of time attached to the check.
Sooner or
later,
job hunting will be necessary.
But
it's not only individuals who have been turned out of
jobs
that this booklet can help. How happy
are you in the
business
you're in? Do you long to do something
else with
your
career? If so, you're not alone. You have plenty of
company
in wanting to change one's goals and focus in life.
Perhaps
you've just turned 40 and realize that you're into
the
second half of a working career you've never really
liked. Studies have shown that working in a job
because
you
have to, not because you like it, can have some effect
on
an individual's life span. Why take
years off your life
when
you don't have to?
The
problem for most people in these situations is that
they're
not sure where to start. They've either
been
tossed
into this situation unexpectedly and are trying to
make
decisions on the run or they know that they at least
have
a paycheck, so they postpone thinking about trying to
focus
in on a job hunt for something they truly like to do.
Well,
cheer up! This booklet will help you
re-focus,
identify
the skills you have, narrow down the type of work
you
like to do and give you a number of outlets to gather
information
from in prospects of landing that job that will
take
you through contentedly into your retirement years.
The
best news is that this doesn't have to be a long, drawn
out
process. You can label your transferable
skills and
acquire
helpful data within a few days! It's not
a year or
two
effort we're talking about.
The
secret is knowing where to look, what to ask and how to
narrow
down the type of job you'd not only enjoy, but be
pretty
good at, too! So much of this is
understanding what
makes
you tick! Who better to identify this
than you?
This
booklet will give you some pointers in doing it, but
it
will be up to you to take the time to really analyze
what
it is you like and want to do. Knowing
your strengths
and
weaknesses will give you the power to change your life!
Identifying
Your Skills
What
are you good at?
Have
you ever thought about it? In a truly
critical,
analytical
way? Have you actually sat down and
listed your
skills
and capabilities?
This
may seem basic, but it's not. Even if
you've
attempted
to start a list, it is very likely you didn't go
far
enough or deep enough and thus missed a few outlets for
your
skills that might very well unlock the key to your
career
future.
The
following exercise can help you truly identify the
skills
you currently use (or maybe not use) and this will
set
the stage to see if they're transferable to another
industry.
There
are three major categories of skill identification.
You
deal with people, things and information everyday. In
each
category, this requires a skill or combination of
several
skills. You might not even realize the
extent of
your
ability in an area. You probably know
what you're not
good
at or what you don't like doing, but pinpointing exact
skills
is not necessarily easy.
People. Let's divide your skills at dealing with
people
into
working with individuals and working with groups.
Individuals: In working with individuals singly, are you
good
at:
*
communicating in direct conversation or on the phone?
*
communicating well by the written word?
*
helping, serving or receiving and carrying out
instructions?
*
referring people, or helping put two people together?
*
advising, monitoring, coaching or counseling?
*
teaching, instructing, training or tutoring?
*
persuading, motivating or selling?
*
assessing, evaluating or interpreting others?
*
diagnosing, healing or treating?
Groups: In working with organizations, companies or
associations,
are you good at:
*
making presentations?
*
communicating by written word like a newsletter?
*
public speaking?
*
leading or moderating a group discussion?
*
preparing seminars or other educational events?
*
training large groups?
*
consulting or giving advice?
*
leading or taking the lead?
*
coaching others in recreation or exercise?
*
performing, acting, singing, amusing or inspiring?
*
motivating, persuading or selling?
*
negotiating a settlement of some kind?
*
following through, getting things finished, producing?
*
managing or running a business?
*
supervising?
*
initiating or beginning a concept, idea or business?
Think
carefully about each of these items.
Answer fairly
and
honestly. There's no reason to try and
fool anyone.
This
is not a personality test! You're simply
attempting
to
frame your likes and dislikes about dealing with
individuals,
singly or in groups.
Compile
your list of definite yes and no answers and write
them
down. Keep them handy for future
reference.
Things. There are, essentially, six major categories
of
working
with various things. These things are
identified
as
objects (tools, instruments), equipment and machinery or
vehicles,
materials like cloth, wood and clay, your body,
buildings
or homes and raising or growing things.
Objects. Do you have specific skills in dealing with
food,
tools,
instruments or the like in:
*
handling?
*
washing?
*
preparing?
*
maintaining?
*
producing?
*
creating?
*
repairing?
* cleaning?
*
knowledge?
*
cooking?
*
preserving?
Equipment. Are you good at working with some type of
machinery
or vehicle in:
*
driving?
*
controlling?
*
assembling?
*
repairing?
*
cleaning?
*
disassembling?
*
maintaining?
*
operating?
Materials. What is your skill level with items such as
clay,
jewelry, metal, wood, stone and cloth as far as:
*
cutting?
*
painting?
*
crafting?
*
restoring?
*
weaving?
*
sewing?
*
carving?
*
molding?
*
shaping?
*
refinishing?
*
sculpting?
Your
Body. Are you good at using:
*
your hands?
*
motor coordination?
*
physical coordination?
*
your fingers?
*
your eyes?
*
your eyes and hands in coordination?
*
your strength?
*
your stamina?
Buildings. Do you have a particular affinity and
capability
for:
*
constructing?
*
remodeling?
*
decorating?
*
designing?
Raising
or Growing. Are you able to
successfully:
*
train animals?
*
treat animals?
*
garden?
*
landscape?
*
raise plants or animals or other vegetable or mineral?
This
is the hands-on category. Do you have
manual skills
and,
if so, what specifically can you do well?
More
importantly,
do you enjoy it? Many people have turned
hobbies
they love into full-time, paying work.
List the
skills
you have as associated with any of these categories.
Also
list the things you dislike doing, too.
Finding that
job
you love is as much avoidance of things you hate as
things
you love to do.
Information. The final category in this part of the
evaluation
process is seeing how good you are and how much
you
enjoy working with ideas, concepts, information,
specific
data and technology. There are four
categories to
concern
yourself with. Do you like creating,
storing,
managing
or putting this information to good use?
Creating. Are you particularly good at:
*
gathering information by observation?
*
gathering information through research?
*
searching for data?
*
imagining ideas or concepts?
*
inventing?
*
sensory feelings?
*
designing?
Storing. Once you've assembled the information are you
good
at:
*
storing or filing records in file cabinets, microfiche,
audio
or video cassette?
*
bookkeeping?
*
computer storage?
*
retrieving the information once stored?
*
helping others retrieve the information?
*
keeping track of details?
*
memorizing?
*
filming or recording?
Managing. You must do something with the data or
information
you've assembled and stored. Are you
good at:
*analyzing
your data?
*
organizing?
*
classifying?
*
planning?
*
accounting?
*
writing?
*
painting?
*
drawing?
*
problem solving?
*
evaluating your data?
*
programming?
*
prioritizing?
*
decision-making?
*
dramatizing?
*
comparing with other data?
Using
The Data. Once you've decided to use the
information,
are you good at:
*
disseminating the information?
*
demonstrating?
*
putting it to some use?
*
showing it to individuals or groups?
*
publishing?
*
reporting?
At
this point, you should total up your positives and
negatives
(what you don't like or aren't very good at) in
this
category. You now have three categories
and you
should
combine the lists of advantages and disadvantages to
see
what your strong suit(s) are. You may
find that you
like
observing people and taking this information and
writing
a script and then putting it on video or film.
This
comes from seriously analyzing each of these
categories
and finding a consistency in what you love and
what
you're good at. Your next step would be
to look at
more
specifics rather than generalities.
Specifics: It's time to look at items you specifically
like
to work with. The following list should
help you
check
yes or no to a number of things. Keep in
mind that
this
is by no means a complete list and you should add your
own
thoughts to this of items you either like or dislike to
make
it more complete. Remember, this is your
list, your
career,
your life, so make it as close to what fits you as
possible. We're merely giving you suggestions to help
your
frame
of reference.
Office
Products: Clothing:
-
desk - all types of
clothes
-
computer - dyes
-
switchboard - shoes and boots
-
word processor - sewing machine
-
pen or pencils - umbrella,
raincoat, poncho
-
printers - buttons or
zippers
-
software - patterns
-
office machines - knitting
Household
Goods: Material:
-
furniture - paper
-
appliances - stone
-
dishes - aluminum
-
laundry - cement
-
blankets - pottery
-
wallpaper - plants
- clocks - bricks
-
pots and pans - wood
-
burglar/fire alarms - bronze
-
chimneys - pewter
-
carpet - cloth
-
paint - steel
-
tools - brass
-
tents - papier-mGchT
Electronic: Financial
-
television - calculator
-
camera - money
- stereo - adding machine
-
videotape recorders - money market
accounts
-
radios - cash register
-
radar equipment - ledgers
-
movie equipment - financial records
-
tape recorder - stocks
-
records,CDs,cassettes - futures
Recreation: Communication:
-
musical instrument - telephone
-
games -
short-wave radios
-
gambling - telegraph
-
board games - answering
machines
-
sporting events - fax machines
-
kites - printers
Transportation: Medical:
-
bicycles - x-ray machines
-
automobiles - lab testing
-
trains - medicine
-
airplanes - prosthetics
-
hot air balloons - dental equipment
-
boats -
anesthetics
-
subways - vitamins
-
motorcycles - hearing aids
-
RV's - eyeglasses
Equipment: Miscellaneous:
-
guns -
books
-
gym apparatus - newspapers
-
fishing rods - videos
-
lawnmowers - magazines
-
garden tools - overhead
transparencies
-
rakes -
candles
-
traps - batteries
-
axes - lasers
-
pesticides - engravings
-
plows -
lithographs
- harvesters - paintings
-
threshers - silk-screens
-
shovel or pick - microscope
-
tractor - telescope
-
handtrucks - toys
-
sander - food
-
drill - wine or beer
making
Your
list should be fairly complete. If
you've followed
your
true nature, you should begin to see a pattern;
similarities
indicating the type of work you were destined
to
do. If your interest is in film and
cameras and
filmmaking,
that will be clear as you review your likes,
dislikes,
strengths and weaknesses from these lists.
Now
you
need to refine and focus.
Cutting
Down the Territory
Next.
let's look at specific knowledge you might possess.
Run
through the following list, add to it and list the
knowledge
you currently have. Second, go through
the list
again
and identify the knowledge you would like to have.
This
will give you two current snapshots: what you know now
and
what you'd like to know in the future.
The latter will
define
your future educational goals. It may be
in areas
you
believe you'd enjoy if only you had a little more
education.
No
problem. It may be that a little more
learning is
needed
to advance into what you truly want to do.
There's
no
reason you can't take classes in those specific
disciplines. There's no reason you can't work at an entry-
level
position in that industry and learn as you go.
Often,
a company may pay for your future education if it is
in
the skill areas of their field. So list
the desires as
well
as your current expertise.
*
psychology
*
chemistry
*
physics
*
cinema
*
foreign language
*
management
*
personnel recruiting
*
insurance benefits
*
geography
*
history
*
art
*
broadcasting
*
accounting
*
taxes
*
marketing
*
sales
*
computer programming
*
aerobics
*
graphic arts
*
religion
*
horticulture
*
government contracts
*
politics
*
teaching
*
interior design
*
architecture
*
vehicle repair
*
travel
*
systems analysis
*
astronomy
*
research
*
packaging and distribution
*
import/export
*
merchandising
*
machine operation
*
graphic arts
*
photography
List
all of the fields you like in priority arranged by
most
knowledge of and likes. List the fields
you are
interested
in and believe you'd like but need more training
and
education. Keep these lists handy and
separate.
Now,
it's time to decide location. Are you
tired of where
you
live? Would you like to live somewhere
else? Is this
the
town you grew up in but have never seen any other
place? Have you gone somewhere on vacation and
thought
about
how great it would be to live there?
Part
of cutting down the territory and focusing your job
search
efforts is to select the area you'd like to practice
your
skills and talent and apply them to a wage paying job.
There's
not much progress made if you find work you like
but
you still dislike everything else about your living
situation. Finding a good job also means finding it in
the
location
you like best.
So,
get out to the library and consult a couple of
publications
like Places Rated Almanac and identify your
top
five places to live. Narrow down an area
and then
specific
towns. Then, find out the number for the
local
Chamber
of Commerce and see how you can get more
information
about not only the place itself but the
businesses
located in the area that are in the field(s)
you've
narrowed down for yourself. These local
chambers
are
glad to send out information and would be equally happy
to
see you move in and become a member of the community.
There
are lots of tremendous places to live in this
country. Take advantage of it!
You
say you're interested in Arizona?
Where? Phoenix?
Tucson? Kingman?
Bullhead City? Pick an area and
start
to
accumulate information. If it's possible
to visit, by
all
means get out and see it.
Now
you have areas and locations and lists of businesses in
those
areas. Now's the time to narrow it
down. Select the
top
two areas and hone in on finding work.
Update
your resume. There are dozens of books
out there on
this
subject. Craft it the way the experts
suggest. Do it
by
skills if that tells more about you than where you've
actually
worked. Find out about local schooling
programs
in
the areas of your choice in the event you need further
education
in the areas you want to do more with.
Don't
move
anywhere that doesn't have jobs in the areas you like
and
are good at or intend to improve your skills.
Finally,
begin to make contacts with personnel.
Find out
if
there are local job hot-lines and other employment
identification
features. Certainly make contact with
specific
businesses that you've already identified as
possibilities.
As
you start to accumulate your information with which to
narrow
down the territory in terms of location, skills and
interest,
there are a number of resources you can tap, the
majority
of which are either free or have a nominal cost to
obtain
the information that can help you decide your
future.
Free
Career and Job Opportunity Information
There
is plenty of assistance out there in the marketplace
to
obtain information about careers and finding jobs and
similar
data. You are often only a phone call
away from
obtaining
details of specific fields of your interest.
One
of
the problems with job assessment and reevaluation is
that
once you know what you want to do and where you want
to
go, your run out of ideas for information search.
Temporary
Work
With
more than 10,000 temporary employment offices around
the
country, these agencies provide individual workers and
services
to thousands of businesses every day.
With the
cost
of employee benefits rising dramatically in the last
few
years, employers have become far more interested in the
temporary
worker.
This
is a great place to catch on with for a while as
you're
learning a new field. You're paid by the
temporary
service
and you may work at a job for one day, one week or
one
month or longer. It all depends on the
job and the
amount
of work associated with it. You may be
just helping
a
company get a big mailing program done.
Or you may come
in
to help with office duties due to extended illnesses or
vacations. It may be a temporary overload situation
that
needs
workers.
Some
of the temporary agencies specialize; others are more
general
and recruit all types of workers. You
don't have
to
be tied down to a regular job. You don't
have the
pressure
normally associated with full-time work.
You can
work
locally or you can sign way to travel for free and
earn
money at the same time!
If
you've made up your mind to move to a new location, but
don't
yet have a job, the temporary agency may be the place
for
you to start while you're looking or working on your
education. Don't overlook the value of a temporary
agency.
Small
Business Assistance Centers
Your
dream may be to start your own business.
All of the
indications
from the tests you've taken point to a specific
career. You don't want to work for anyone. You believe
you
have the determination and desire to succeed.
All you
need
is to know where and how to get started.
There
are ample opportunities for both personal and
financial
assistance from the Small Business
Administration. A new loan program called the "Low
Documentation"
plan has a simplified procedure for applying
for
$50,000 or less in SBA loans to get that venture off
the
ground. These loans are now often
underwritten by
large
banks as well as some of the traditional small banks
the
SBA has long favored.
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