(written by Sue Posluszny, career counselor)

Back in early November I wrote a blog about the famous author of What Color is Your Parachute, Richard Nelson Bolles.  Well, I was thrilled to hear him speak at a teleseminar that I attended through a career coach training organization.  After all, Richard Nelson Bolles is the Master Trainer of career professionals.  When Dick speaks, career counselors listen!  He’s 82 years old and has been in the field of career development for well over 40 years (how’s that for career longevity?!).  The interviewer asked him a number of questions about the current recession and how to approach searching for work in this climate.  He answered by saying that there are 8 million out of work even in the best of times so there’s always competition for jobs.  He went on to say that the media has a short memory highlighting how times are tough but Bolles notes that times are always tough.  The issue, as he sees it, is more of magnitude. What makes this time tougher is that a deeper recession reveals just how elementary our job hunting skills are.  So, in other words, we need to know more about how to find work than we do in non-recessionary times.  He referred to this ‘needing to know more’ as ‘sophisticated job hunting’.  He said that job seekers need to focus on themselves first (not on the ‘job market’ or on the ‘hot jobs’) and to inventory their values, needs, interests, personality preferences and so on.  Then, job seekers need to hone their job searching and networking skills.

So, if you’re searching for work, be aware that the career assessment process can help you to focus your efforts thereby saving much time and energy in the process.  This is also an opportunity to hone those job search skills.  The resources for doing so are endless and, of course, one great resource is that all time best seller, What Color is Your Parachute.  If that book is too daunting, try his latest book (only 100 pages and referenced in my early November blog), The Job-Hunters’ Survival Guide: How to Find Hope and Rewarding Work, Even When ‘There Are No Jobs. 

So answer me this, are you a “sophisticated” job hunter?  Or, could you benefit from enhanced search skills.  Hey, as I see it, there’s always room to become more ‘sophisticated’!

Until next time…
Sue Posluszny
www.careeroptions4me.com

For more information about me and my qualifications, please click here.