First, close your eyes and think about what you want to do for work.
Not what your spouse wants or what your friends think you should do.
You.
Then, think about the best way to convince the employer of your choice that you have the skills he or she needs.
Those are two bits of advice from people who help people make career decisions and help them land the jobs they want.
Judy Collins is a Janesville, WI native who works as a life and career coach out of her home. Collins doesn't follow the traditional path of offering her job-seeking clients personality assessments and skill inventories.
"I primarily focus on helping an individual learn about their true self," Collins said. "What inspires them? What is most meaningful to them? What do you want at the deepest level as opposed to what other people think you should do?"
The first step for people who have chosen or have been forced to change careers is to face the fears that come from the loss of control, Collins said. Turn your fears into a sense of exhilaration for learning and growing, she said.
"We're designed as humans to feel fear to take action," Collins said. "The problem is most of the time the things that cause that fear are imaginary. The ones that are realistic, we work on strategies to mitigate those."
Next, Collins tells clients to write what they think is the perfect job description for themselves. Ask yourself what you want to be responsible for or what you want to contribute, Collins said. Now it's time to communicate that to a potential employer. Sue Wendt of Williams Bay, WI is retired from a career as a college and career counselor in LaGrange, Ill. She works part time to help people write resumes. Wendt teaches her clients that it's possible to "attack" a resume from more than one direction. Some people like to put their skills and work histories in order of relevance, while others like to put things in a sequential order, for example. The important thing is to keep it short. If you list every skill you're proud of, you might turn a potential employer off from reading your four-page resume. Use a cover letter to convey your personality, Wendt said. "You have the opportunity to really try to make the match apparent between the position and you," Wendt said. "That's where people tend to overlook the importance of the cover letter." Applicants are less likely these days to have the chance to yack it up with a receptionist while waiting for an interview. Many employers use online resume forms, and you won't get into the office unless your resume passes that first test, Wendt said.
If you can get an employer's attention with your resume and cover letter, you are one step closer to getting the chance to "sell yourself" in person, she said. "Your purpose in being there is to tell the story of you," Wendt said about job interviews. "No one else can tell it like you. You might not be going in with the skills, but if you show an ability to learn, an ability to get along with others and the ability to problem solve, you're one step closer to getting the job."
