by
ResumeEdge.com - The Net's Premier Resume Writing and Editing Service
Interviewing requires poise even in ideal situations. When you face additional psychological
obstacles due to difficult circumstances, staying poised requires perspective. Without
suggesting that you look yourself in the mirror every morning and say, "you're worth
it," there are useful tools for maintaining a clear and positive sense of direction
and potential. These tools bolster your confidence as you search for a job. They
also provide you a strategy for addressing vulnerable topics during interviews.
Laid Off or Fired |
Prolonged Search | Lack of Experience
Laid off or fired:
Losing a job disrupts a worker's sense of stability and career plans. For those
people whose work is a source of personal pride and value, the sudden loss can be
disorienting. When Jim was skimmed from his pharmaceutical company in order to reduce
costs, he suddenly felt disoriented. Despite his understanding of the financial
reasons for eliminating his position, it seemed to him as if his company had rejected
him. Since he had managed multiple teams and thrived on the ability to influence
others, he felt frustrated by his loss of power and the sense of significance that
it had brought him. Jim knew that he was staving off a depression only through the
encouragement of his family and friends. He did not feel that he exuded the confidence
he needed to successfully pursue other jobs.
Then Jim refocused. After all, the layoff was not the culmination of his professional
history or the exhaustive evaluation of his merit. Instead of dwelling on his loss,
Jim made a list of his professional and personal accomplishments. For example, he
had successfully launched a new drug, taking it from experimental testing through
marketing. He had initiated and developed a new employee mentoring program in his
company, effectively training other mentors to provide guidance to employees. As
a result, the morale of the office and communication flows improved. After highlighting
several other accomplishments, Jim made a list of the constructive feedback he received
from his team, colleagues, and managers. Several people had noted his initiative
and his organizational abilities, others had thanked him for his encouragement and
accessibility. Still others saw him as an excellent negotiator. Two of his managers
had commented on his attention to detail in quality standards. He could see on paper
that his colleagues respected him.
As Jim considered his career at the pharmaceutical company, he began to gain an
appreciation for his experience and contribution there. In addition to helping him
feel better, the process refined his goals. Jim saw more clearly what kind of position
enabled him to flourish. With a renewed sense of confidence in his objective achievements
and value, Jim launched himself into the search.
Prolonged job search:
Jim searched for an extended period. His layoff had occurred during an economic
downturn that dampened the entire industry, and now he found himself networking,
searching job databases, and dragging himself to job fairs. Discouragement began
to seep into his psyche, and his enthusiasm for his skills and achievements began
to dissolve. Knowing that he had previously overcome sapped confidence, Jim pulled
back from his immediate emotions to reflect on his overall situation.
Jim identified the facts: he had usable skills and qualities and had a proven history
of adding value to his company. He wanted a job that would challenge and grow with
him, enabling him to build his career. He knew himself well enough to realize that
he thrived in large companies rather than small ones and in positions in which he
was able to assume significant responsibility for outcomes and people. He also had
specific salary goals and minimum requirements. He did not want to settle for any
open position. His circumstances would have been discouraging for anyone, but he
needed to find the right fit. His extended search did not reflect upon his worth
as a viable candidate or person.
Eventually, an attractive company invited Jim for an interview. Since his resume
indicated that he had stopped working at his previous company five months prior,
he anticipated that the interviewers would question him about this gap in employment.
He carefully prepared an answer, focusing on his desire to find a job that matches
his specific abilities and goals. He could guarantee his skills, but he could not
control the availability of positions.
Lack of experience:
Gwen had a formidable obstacle to overcome as well: she had little professional
experience in her area of interest. A recent graduate from college, Gwen majored
in English Literature and Political Science. Now she wanted to break into the marketing
field. She was confident that she could learn the job quickly and contribute creative
ideas. Her friends envied her ability to anticipate and ride trends. As a child,
she used to make up commercials and present them to her family in the living room.
She was sure that she had raw, untapped talent on which she could capitalize. Still,
she would have to convince the Marketing Manager that her inexperience as compared
with other candidates was trivial.
This task seemed impossible-Gwen did not have a portfolio to share or raw numbers
to reveal her success. But she did have abilities, and she began to focus on describing
these. Making a list of her transferable skills and personal qualities, Gwen referenced
things that she had accomplished in school and through part-time jobs:
Transferable Skills
|
Personal Qualities
|
Writing
|
Creative
|
Editing
|
Self-starter
|
Organization
|
Team Player
|
Team Leader
|
Excellent Communicator
|
Event Planning
|
Attentive to Detail
|
Networking
|
Perseverant
|
|
Fast Learner
|
|
Dependable
|
Reflecting on the tangible things that Gwen could offer an employer, she realized
that she could excel if given an opportunity. Still, competitors for positions probably
had many of these skills and qualities as well. But what was she going to do, pretend
to act out a commercial the way she had in her living room dozens of times? Perhaps
the idea was not farfetched. During an interview, she could request an audition.
The employer could test her and her competitors' abilities by giving them an assignment
to complete. Using this method, she could demonstrate her creative potential in
a tangible way. Instead of dwelling on her history, Gwen strategically encouraged
the employer to dwell on her future.