Career Moves: Where Do You Want to Be?

David Shindler is a coach, facilitator, speaker, and blogger on jobs, careers and employability development. He is also the author of “Learning to Leap, a Guide to Being More Employable”.

It’s often tempting in life to do what’s easiest and in front of us rather than stepping back to take a wider and more considered view. Doing something, anything, can feel better than nothing at all. Although tactics may get you somewhere, however, is it where you want to be? That’s why strategy should come before tactics. This post looks at three ways of being strategic when changing job or for a career move.

Partner or collaborate

If you’re in a job, who do you partner with as part of your work? Who could you collaborate with? For example, you might be involved in a project or programme with other organisations or as part of your employer’s supply-chain.

See the relationship as a form of research for gaining insights into potential alternative roles and employers. What are their unique perspectives? What are their business needs? Where do you complement what they do?

Adopt an objective outsider perspective. Identify what they need but can’t see they need and that you could provide. By partnering or collaborating, you not only build trusted relationships, but also put yourself in a great position to spot existing and potential opportunities.

Taking a strategic approach to job and career seeking will always be a better bet than diving in head first without clarity and direction.

DAVID SHINDLER

Increase your visibility

Partnering or collaboration puts you in the line of sight of potential employers. You can also do other things as well to increase your visibility. For example, speaking at events, conferences, seminars etc. Get on a platform to talk about the challenges within your industry or about something on which you have a unique perspective. Ask the questions other people don’t ask. Tap into the wisdom of others to build on your position and reach a new place.

Remember, there are now two rooms in the 21st century – the physical one and the virtual one. Your online presence builds relationships and credibility from one to many. Your offline presence cements the relationship from one to a few. Use both. Pull people towards you by giving value without strings attached (like sending someone an article of interest to them). Become a magnet and the go-to person for your thing.

Identify the sweet spot

Increasing your visibility helps to position you in the marketplace. You come to mind when people are considering how to fill job roles because you are on their radar. Your research feeds into your offer to an employer. Articulate what each employer is seeking or needs, articulate how you meet their requirements, and then go that extra step to show how you would add value/meet the need. That match is the sweet spot.

Joining up the strategic dots

Put yourself in the line of sight of potential employers, position yourself online and offline, and articulate your compelling offer to meet or exceed what each employer seeks. Avoid the depressingly poor return of scattergun job seeking tactics. Taking a strategic approach to job and career seeking will always be a better bet than diving in head first without clarity and direction.

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