A Career Journey Overview for Serious Job Seekers

Are you in your dream career yet?  Do you have a career you love that also allows you to do the things you love outside of work?  If you answered no to any of these questions, do you know what it takes to get into a life where you can enjoy your day job and life outside work?  Yes, it IS possible to have both!

To me, a career journey means that you have an end goal in mind and a plan for how to get there.  Your career allows you to enjoy life at work and life outside of work.   You like going to work every day, enjoy the work you do, work for a company that shares your values, have opportunities for challenging work and advancement and have a good salary and benefit package.  Outside of work, you have a schedule that allows you to balance time with family, go on vacations, have downtime to relax, buy the things you want to buy and you are not working just to make ends meet.

I help you gain skills and techniques to market yourself to stand out from other candidates. The people who have the most success, are those who understand the whole career journey and are willing to put in the work.  You can have great interview techniques, but, those are only good if you have the knowledge and tools to get invited to the interview. Then, you can use everything we learn together to stand out from the other candidates so YOU get the job offer!

 
So, what is involved in your career journey?  Let me walk you through:

Step #1:  Know the industry you want to work in

Are you the type of person who wants a Monday to Friday, 9-5 office job or does the thought of that bore you to tears?  Do you want to work in:  banking, human resources, health industries, automotive industries, education?  Do you want work in a support position or be a Manager, Director or Chief?

One of the ways you can figure out your ideal industry is to write a list of things you enjoy doing and positions that match those interests.  Do your research to see what types of jobs are available in those industries and what typical job duties and salaries are included.  You can research jobs on websites like glassdoor.com and you can talk with people who work in the industries.  Find out what they do and what they like about their jobs.  You can also search online and find numerous quizzes that can help you target the type of work you will enjoy doing most.

You should have an end goal in mind and then you can decide whether you are ready to apply for your goal position now, or apply to positions that will give you the skills to progress to that position over time.  Your career goal can change over time and that it okay.  You will learn transferrable skills in every job so a career change will never be a bad thing.

Step #2:  Understand the steps of the selection process

The steps in the interview process vary from position to position and can involve some, or all of the following:
 
Application – This stage is where you apply for positions.  It can involve filling out an online application where you answer screening questions and attach your cover letter and resume.  The screening questions are a way companies match your skills to the requirements of the job and a way to ensure you can meet the work requirements including availability to work when required.  Do a great job at this step as it can be the defining factor of whether you move forward.

If you don’t have to fill out an application you will most likely need to email your cover letter and resume to the company.  If you are just sending in a cover letter and resume by email, ensure you have a professional introductory email written and include PDF copies. It is best to send a PDF copy because your formatting will lock in place if someone views your resume on a device instead of a computer.

Telephone prescreen - At this stage, you will get a call from the company and it will most likely be the company recruiter or administrator talking with you.  They will ask if it’s a good time to talk and will describe the position to you and ask a few preliminary questions to see if you are a good candidate to move to the next stages.  Always make sure you have your resume close by the phone, and your interview tracker, so you remember each company and position you applied to and when you sent in your application.  The interview tracker you purchase from Brooks Interview Coaching is intended to keep all information in one place and there is a section to write notes about conversations with the recruiter.  If you are asked any interview questions at this stage, your interview tracker will be a valuable resource as you will have some ready made examples to quickly refer to.

Purchase your interview tracker here to make sure you have everything you need for your job search.

Put on a smile when you are talking over the phone and make sure to sound professional and upbeat.  One of the things you are being evaluated on is your communication skills and that will come through positively if you sound the part.  If you have a professional demeanor, and the ability to answer questions on the fly, you will sound like an ideal candidate.  Of course, the recruiter will not know that you have prepared for this stage already by using the information in your interview tracker.  To them, you will sound like an ideal candidate who is prepared and able to answer anything that comes their way!

Testing – Some companies will invite you to complete testing before deciding if you make it to the interview.  This can include completing a:  personality assessment, technical skills quiz, presentation or many other types of tests.  If you are invited to write a test, ask if there is any information you can prepare for ahead of time and then do your best with the skills and knowledge you have today.  If you haves the skills to do the job, you will do well at this stage.

Formal Interview – There may be one, or in some cases two, formal interviews.  This may be in person or virtually over a platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.  In either case, you need to make sure you have practiced so you don’t make any professional mistakes.  The key players in the interview can be a combination of the following:  the hiring manager (the person hiring for the job), other managers of the company who know the position and the recruiter.  If you have two interviews, you will usually interview with the hiring manager’s team first and then interview with the hiring manager if you make it past the first interview stage.

In the interview, there is usually an icebreaker question to start so the interview panel can get to know you.  This is usually some version of “Tell me about yourself”.  After that, you will be asked behavioural based questions that start with some version of “Tell me about a time”, scenario based questions that ask you how will you respond to common scenarios that happen on the job and questions to measure your technical knowledge.

The best way to prepare for an interview is with a professional interview coach – me!  Working with an interview coach is a small investment in YOU that will pay off long term with your career.  Check out my Instagram, Facebook and website blog (www.brooksinterviewcoaching.com/blog) for many tips on how to prepare for the interview.

Thank you note – Not everyone knows that sending a thank you note after the interview will impress most managers and recruiters.  In my experience, this does not happen very often and, when it does, the hiring manager finds it very impressive that you took the time out of your day to say thank you for the opportunity.  It may even be the deciding factor between you and another candidate!

Follow-up – It is perfectly acceptable for you to follow up with the company if you haven’t heard back about the position within the expected timeframe you received.  Just remember that recruiters are very busy, and have many candidates they are working with, so be courteous and give them a few days grace period.  You can email them to request a follow up and say that you will call to follow up in a few days if you haven't heard back yet. 

Job Offer – The most exciting part of the career journey is when you get the job offer!  You can accept the position right away or you can ask for the day to think about it.  If you have any final questions before accepting, make sure you ask them at this stage.  Ask about your wage, benefits, vacation and start date.  If you feel you want to negotiate any items, make sure you do so before accepting the offer.  Taking the day to review the offer ensures you are making a choice that is best for you and your future employer.

Feedback – If you do not receive a job offer, make sure you leave a professional and mature lasting impression.  Request a short feedback session with the company recruiter or hiring manager to see what you did well and what can be improved for next time.  Thank them for the opportunity and ensure they know that you appreciate and enjoyed the opportunity.   Never get upset that you did not receive the offer this time because you want to keep your options open to apply again with the employer.  Once you gain the skills that were lacking, you can apply again to the company.

Step #3:  Know where to look for jobs

You should track your favorite job search locations in your interview tracker.  Many companies allow you to create a profile so you don’t need to recreate your information each time you apply for a position.  This is a great time saver if you are applying for multiple positions during your career search.

In Saskatchewan, the following sites are great places for you to search for jobs:

Saskjobs - Many employers, in every industry, post their positions on this site because it is a free site for job seekers and employers.  You can tailor your search by industry and location.

LinkedIn – I talk about LinkedIn on a regular basis because it is such a valuable tool that serves many purposes, including searching for jobs.  Once you sign up and create your profile, you can set preferences so you get notified when jobs that match your interest are posted.  You will typically see more professional jobs posted on LinkedIn.

Indeed - This is a great site where you can find jobs, company reviews and salary information.

Glassdoor – Similar to indeed, you can search and find jobs, company reviews and interview information from candidates who applied to the company.

Company websites – Many companies will have a career section where you can apply for current and future positions.  I have a blog post that talks in detail about 16 things to research about a company before you interview.

Step #4:  Understand how important your personal brand is

Your personal brand is how you want others, including potential employers, to see you.  It is how you present yourself to the world and what you use to stand out from others.  Your personal brand will be seen in things like:  what you post on your Facebook and Instagram, how you describe yourself in your resume, articles you like and share on LinkedIn, how you dress and act and whether you always have a positive and professional attitude in work and life.  Your personal brand is something you should always be aware of during your career.

Step #5:  Know the power of networking

Networking is a way for you to gain skills and build professional relationships with like minded people in your industry, including potential employers.  Before the pandemic, you could network in person and online.  Now, your best networking tools include seeking events and connections online and that can be harder to do.  LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram are my favorite ways to network with people in related industries.  When I coach clients, I talk about the power of networking and how it builds your reputation.

Take 15-30 minutes each day to connect with people online and read posts and articles that interest you.  Comment positively on posts and articles and ask questions to ensure that two-way communication is happening with people you are networking with.  Take the time to direct message people to comment or ask questions on their area of expertise.  These interactions will build your reputation and make you well known to people working in the industries you want to work in.

Step #6:  Make sure you have the tools to make your career journey easy

If you have the right tools to use during your career journey, you will be able to track information and look back on how far you have progressed.  A list of helpful tools includes:

• A cover letter that includes:  an introductory paragraph that grabs the attention of the recruiter, a bulleted list of 3-4 accomplishments that would relate to the position and a closing paragraph requesting an interview at their convenience.

• A resume that can be tailored for each position to include information and keywords from the job description.

• An interview tracker like the one on my site that includes ways to track career goals, interview examples, job sites, networking events and contacts, detailed interview summaries, notes sections and monthly motivation.  An interview tracker will make your life easier because you will have everything you need in one convenient place. This is available for $19 here.

• An up-to-date list of work and volunteer references that includes the reference name, company and job title, phone number, email address and information about when they supervised you.

• A portfolio that you can leave with the interviewers that includes things like your cover letter, resume, 30/60/90 day action plan and any other items you want to include to make you stand out.

• A proven interview technique, like my STORY technique available online, that you can use to master any type of interview question that comes your way.   

Your career journey is a process that takes time and dedication to get where you want.  It will be worth it in the end when you have the ultimate work and life balance and a career you are proud of!

What pieces of advice can you give job seekers about their career journey?

Related Posts