Get that Job in 7 simple steps. Peter Storr

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       Step 1

       PLAN YOUR HUNT AND KEEP IT MOVING

      ‘Knowing that we are responsible – “responseable” – is fundamental to our effectiveness and to every other habit of effectiveness. — Stephen R. Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

       Five ways to succeed

       Five ways to fail

       The changing job market

       How it used to be …

      Let me start with a personal example. I left school in 1980 and got a job in a bank. I didn’t mean to really; it just happened. I remember having a chat with the school careers officer who suggested banking was a good idea, but to be honest I don’t think I gave it any more thought than that. What seemed to be important is that I got a job – any job – and that was that. I also seem to remember (it has got lost in the mists of time, rather) the job interview going something like this:

      Them: Why do you want this job?

      Me: Well, it sounded interesting and I’m good with numbers, I think.

      Them: Congratulations! You’re in. You’ll retire when you’re 65.

      I’m sure it wasn’t really like that, but it wasn’t far off. I got an interview at the first time of trying, too, and without really trying at all. It doesn’t work like that now, and it could be argued that it shouldn’t: I got a job that I wasn’t really interested in, wasn’t very good at and it was a rather unfulfilling period of my life – and they got someone who was average at best.

       How it is now

      Wind forward 30 years and things couldn’t be more different. There is no such thing as failsafe job security, it’s rare to get a job at the first time of trying and even rarer to be offered a job if you haven’t done your homework. Perhaps the major change though is in who is responsible for our career path. In my case, I was made to feel like I was a passive recipient of my future, with no control or accountability; as long as I went through the motions, I would fulfil the destiny presented to me.

      Nowadays, it’s us, the jobseekers, more than ever, who are responsible. We’ve had to replace security in our employers with security in our employability; in other words, it’s up to us to build the transferable knowledge, skills and abilities to take from one employer to another, in a kind of ‘portfolio’. We are now in charge of our careers, which is both empowering and a little scary.