I see possibilities, do you?

image by kretyen

One of the joys of my work is to see the light in someone’s eyes or hear the lift in their voice when they realize that they have options and their career dreams can come true. When you work so hard to find a job and start shoving your dreams aside to take anything, you get very disillusioned. You need someone to help you see the possibilities.

Reasons people search for new jobs

The past year was filled with clients with specific career dreams or goals but for one reason or another they were not achieving their goals.

• It could be that though they had a job, their current work environment had changed or never allowed them the role that they thought they would achieve when they were hired. Now they were looking for a new opportunity that would let them grow.
• It could be that they were let go when the employer’s goals and strategies were not in alignment with their own.
• It could be that they were downsized after many years of contributing successfully due to the economic climate and were disillusioned or depressed because they haven’t had to look for a job in so long that they didn’t know how to start.
• It could be that they just completed or were finishing their degree and now wanted to use the new degree in a new position but could not find it on their own.

Reasons they were not finding career search success

Each of them also had reasons that their existing resume and job search strategy weren’t working.

• Perhaps they were targeting too broadly. They were trying for a one size fits all resume but it had no focus at all.
• Perhaps their resume was disorganized, had no keywords, or had poor writing strategy.
• Perhaps they failed to create accomplishment-driven statements to convince hiring managers that they were “the one.”
• Perhaps they were afraid of the confusing job search platforms or were using the wrong ones or inputting incorrectly and didn’t know how to find new positions.
• Perhaps they didn’t know how to use networking to connect them with hiring managers and were relying on the employer to call them from the online application only.

Once we connect and start working together, I hear enthusiasm and possibilities in their voice. Sometimes it seems like I can even see the wheels turning in their brains as the light goes on and they feel hope once again.

Feeling hopeless is such a hard thing to get out of thinking.

It almost is debilitating. When the light goes on and they have hope again, I know we are headed in the right direction.

People tell me I am blessed with the gift of seeing possibilities for my clients. When I look at a resume and listen to what they want to do and the goals they want to pursue, I start thinking of ways to write their story so the reader will see their value too.

As my clients tell me their accomplishments, we work to get their job search strategy, resume, and cover letters in alignment with their goals.

I love seeing the light in their eyes or the joy in their voice when they find hope.