Self-assessment should be at the core of your job search strategy as you sell yourself to prospective employers. This means not only evaluating yourself, but also taking an objective look at how others see you.
Of course, you likely already know what you want to do and the direction you want to take. But, this is your career – it’s not something you want to treat lightly. Finding happiness and true fulfillment begins with knowing yourself.
How to Self-Assess
Effective self-assessment is a process that helps you succeed in networking, applying for jobs, interviewing, and when the time comes, negotiating your desired compensation package. Be prepared to pitch who you are, what you know and have experienced, and the contributions you can make. This means:
- Accurately and concisely describing your skills, abilities, interests and passions.
- Comfortably discussing the reasons you’re the best person for a job. (Hint: You have to believe them yourself before you can sell them to others!)
- Knowing, for your own sake, if you really want a position.
Be sure you know your values – the things most important to you, such as work/life balance and the right cultural alignment. This means having a firm grasp on your personality, which reflects your behavioral style. Choosing a career where your personality can soar will reward your effort for time spent self-analyzing – and set you on the path to growth and success within your new organization.
- Prioritize your values in order of their importance to you. Do they provide a good fit within the culture of the hiring company?
How Do Others See You?
Now that you’ve defined who should hire you, based on your self-assessment, take a good look at who would hire you, based on what a potential employer could learn about you if they conducted a search. Because they will.
- Google yourself. More than 80 percent of employers Google candidates to review their reputations. If they find anything that reflects negatively on you, you probably won’t make the interview short list. If necessary, practice defensive Googling to prevent any damaging results from appearing in a search of your name. Google values freshness, so keep adding new information to make positive features show up.
- Optimize your social media presence. When an employer Googles you, they’ll find – among other things – your LinkedIn and Google + profiles and your Twitter bio. Assume that they also will check your Facebook account and other platforms. Spend one or two hours a week keeping your online reputation clean. Think of this as personal branding. The greater your online visibility, the better your reputation and the more likely it is that your resume will make it to the “interview” pile, versus the trash.
Who would hire you? And who should? If you need help defining your career direction, consider partnering with a professional recruiter from PrideStaff Fresno. At no cost to you, we can set you on the path to success. For more information, read our related posts or contact us today.