Transform your view of the job market! Discard the myth that your only chance for making a career change is as a result of a job opening or vacancy. Every time someone is doing a job, there is a potential job opening. New jobs are created every day in most fields, some of them based on new concepts. Over half the jobs today have titles that did not exist ten years ago! The job market is far richer and more varied than you may realize.
How do jobs become available to you? There is a job opportunity every time there is a job vacancy. There is also a job opportunity every time there is a potential vacancy. This is when someone is about to leave a job or to be terminated. But very few people know about these types of opportunities.
Career opportunities emerge when an organization has a need that is not being met or a problem that is not being solved. There are many job opportunities when an organization is expanding. There are even job opportunities when an organization is contracting. People are needed who can (1) wear more than one hat, (2) replace unproductive employees, or (3) help make a business more profitable.
General employment statistics are rarely helpful in understanding the job market as it relates to your own career change. Statistics can even lead to unjustified negative assumptions and defeat. A negative interpretation of high unemployment statistics may discourage you. Worse, it may lead you to accept a bad job situation with ensuing suffering.
A positive view of the job market allows you to see 6 percent unemployment in terms of 94 percent employment. These are excellent odds for someone with a purpose and the will to achieve it. In a previous Blog, I discussed beliefs that may hold you back
There is a direct relationship in career building between expectations and results. The highest expectations lead to the greatest results.
High expectations are compatible with a realistic career change. You do need accurate information on which to base them. How do you get this information? Every unsuccessful job seeker will shower you with tons of misinformation. Successful people may be too busy working at their jobs to volunteer a lot of information. Yet they are the primary sources of reliable facts.
The value of getting accurate inside information is illustrated by the experience of a senior level client. Jennifer, a woman in her forties, was seeking a career change after a layoff. She wanted to combine her ability to streamline costs with her passion for alternative energy products manufacturing. She visited some of the major firms in her chosen field. Of ten senior executives she talked with, five mentioned that there was one small company that had grown during the past year.
She wrote to the chairman of the board of that small company and described the compliments paid to the firm by five well-known people in the field. The client got a first interview, several follow-up interviews, and finally the offer of an executive position. She has since been instrumental in helping the company continue its spectacular growth. Her success in getting the job was due to her ability to isolate useful information.
You can take action by reaching out to people in your network. Ask questions; find out what is going on. Develop strategic insights into your industry. Identify the key players and what their needs are. This can lead you to a successful career change!
Need Career Help?
I provide innovative solutions to help people make effective career moves. I welcome you to be a part of the growing body of men and women who are determined to take control of their lives. You are invited to contact me for a “Career Action Plan” session to help you make your next move.
Image courtesy of SCY