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Facing a Job Search |Dodging Landmines

Looking for a new job during a downturn can be especially daunting. By first identifying your top talents and hot button issues, Tanya Goodwin-Maslach, Executive Coach at Elevati Inc., says you're ready to initiate a conversation with someone in your network and garner a positive result.

Speaker: Tanya Goodwin-Maslach, Executive Coach, Elevati Inc.

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Tags: Dodging Landmines, Hot Button, Recruitment & Selection, Human Resources, Workforce Management, job search, employment, layoff, career change, resume, interview, strengths, weakness

 
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    1

    richardsmj

    01/29/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Facing a Job Search |Dodging Landmines

    For those facing a job search - please visit www.candidateschair.com

    I have run a job transition group since April 2007 and went through my own transition - so I have built a site with a simple premise: Help the reader shorten their search by learning from the lessons, mistakes and advices of other candidates.

    Anyway, I hope it helps!

    Regards

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    2

    Dan Boos Top 100 Change Consultant

    02/05/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Facing a Job Search |Dodging Landmines

    I would argue that identifying and knowing your own preferences is more important than knowing your competncies and skills. Preferences are representative to your "hard-wiring" and "inherent tendencies". Competencies and skills are at times representative of "soft-wiring" or "learned tendencies". You cannot acquire inherent tendencies as they are a natural extension of your thinking and reasoning. You can aquire learned tendencies through training and experience. We as humans can learn almost anything if given long enough to do so,but that doesn't mean we will get up every day and say I can't wait to what I've learned. You may become adequate at such things, but unless your "wired" to do them, you're unlikely to be passionate about doing them. Look, people are good at what they like to do and they like to do those things that they do well. Pursuing a career that is inconsistent with your wiring and natural tendencies ensures future frustration for yourself and likely your boss. If you pursue a career that reflects your inherent interests and tendencies, then you're more likely going to achieve success and is your employer. Learn your pre-dispositions through surveys, preference-based assessments and interpersonal exchanges and then acquire those skills and competencies that will permit you to have a career about which you can be excited and passionate. "Scotty Hamilton (Olympic Gold Medalist) was told a group of adminsitrators at BGSU, that he felt the most important factor in choosing a college major was the lifestyle that the student would wish to have after graduation. He was astute and correct in what he said and in effect was saying the same thing. Know yourself and pursue not that certain job that you've been directed toward, but instead, that "certain job" that is consistent with your inherent preferences and tendencies.

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    3

    tgmaslach

    02/08/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Facing a Job Search |Dodging Landmines

    Hi Dan,
    Excellent point. In fact, in the short 3 minute video, I had little time to get to all the points you cover so smartly.
    I am a proponent of a person understanding those inherent tendences that drive their work styles. In fact, it's critical for a person to develop a rich picture of their whole self for development and growth purposes.
    In addition, putting your tendencies (personality type plus strengths) together for the purposes of helping a potential employer understand HOW you can be a key member of that organization is something every individual should consider. Competencies can be discussed in parallel tracks with inherent tendencies quite easily, so that the 'personal story' one tells the employer paints a real and full picture of the candidate.
    Good conversation!
    Thank you!
    Tanya

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Facing a Job Search |Dodging Landmines

Looking for a new job during a downturn can be especially daunting. By first identifying your top talents and hot button issues, Tanya Goodwin-Maslach, Executive Coach at Elevati Inc., says you're ready to initiate a conversation with someone in your network and garner a positive result.

Sydnie Kohara: Tanya, it has happened. I have lost my job and I am just overwhelmed, but I'm actually thinking about totally changing careers. How do I even start?

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: This is an exciting question actually, I've been there. I used to be a marine biologist and now I'm in business.

Sydnie Kohara: Wow.

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: So, you can do it! The first thing you have to do is discover. What are my three strengths, my strongest areas and list what the impact of those strengths are to the business. The last thing is list your emotional hot buttons.

Sydnie Kohara: Well, strengths are easy enough to figure out, but tell me more about this hot buttons and why do I really need to know them before I start meeting with people.

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: An emotional hot button -- imagine this, I tell you that you can go to an informational interview, a sit down chat if you will with Steve Jobs and you're an IT manager.

Sydnie Kohara: Ho!

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: Right? There's a hot button right there. You either get anxious or you get excited, but in either way something happens for you, it's a visceral reaction. You've got to know what that is because if you're in front of Steve for a meeting you don't wanna be a bluddering idiot in front of him.

Sydnie Kohara: Okay, what's the best way to layout and get this list of your strengths and your hot buttons.

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: Super easy! Put a two-chart together. On the left side put best, on the right side put worst. What you're trying to list is, first, list all the things about a past boss that brought out the best in you. They were candid, they were empowering, whatever it was list all the qualities. Same thing on the right side, only for the opposite. The boss who brought out the worst in you. They were manipulating, they were micromanager, whatever it is. Go back to the left side or the best side and circle three that you think accurately describe you. And write out what is the impact to your business by practicing that. So, if you were transparent in your managerial job before, what was the impact to your business? Does that make sense?

Sydnie Kohara: Yeah, because I mean you add value in some form or fashion. You have a story to tell at your next interview.

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: That's right. This is building your story, exactly.

Sydnie Kohara: I wanna know more about this hot buttons though. I mean, what do I do when I feel my self getting anxious or in trouble?

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: Well, the first thing you have to do is remember, step back for a second, resist the desire to act or speak in the situation. Slow your self down, take a couple of deep breaths. Now, we've heard that before, but the one element we don't hear about is the self talk message in our head. Pay attention to that. Guarantee that's negative, switch it around, make it positive. Your actions and behaviors depend on it. The second thing you have to do is remember a time when you were anticipating the worst and you thought, oh I'm just not gonna be able to do this. And remember what you said to yourself or someone else said to you that made you turn that situation around and make it much better and go fabulously. Do that again.

Sydnie Kohara: In summary?

Tanya Goodwin-Maslach: So, in summary, really what you have to do in this new career search, know what your strengths are, figure out how those strengths made an impact in your business and third is, what is your emotional hot buttons. So things that get you fired up and be able to manage those in the moment.