Money Matters and More

A laid off worker, a career-changer, and someone entering the workforce for the first time.  In each of the scenarios should the job-hunting strategies be the same?

Not according to workplace speaker and author, Alexandra Levit, who joined me for a live interview on the Money Matters & More show earlier this month.  (To hear the interview, click onto the BlogTalkRadio box in the upper right corner of this page.) Levit’s most recent book is, New Job, New You, A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.

Here are some of the strategies she recommended:

Laid-Off Workers: Use the layoff as an opportunity to pursue a course you wouldn’t have had the courage to follow. Take a step back and do a self-assessment.  Ask yourself where you might find meaningful, satisfying work, before sending out resumes to prospective employers.

Career-Changers: Keep expectations low with regard to salary and title.  Entering a new field may mean less money and a less senior title.  Remember that any job in your new field will be a door opener for greater opportunities.   When you bring a large body of knowledge and experience to the new job, the right employer will recognize that and ultimately reward you for it.

New to the Workforce: Be pragmatic about your search for your first job.  Make your goal that of finding a position that will enable you to acquire transferable skills, and take you across a wide variety of industries, like those in sales, marketing and project management.

Have these strategies worked for you?  What other tips would be effective?