Kick Start Your Career In 2011

“The best way you can predict your future is to create it “

The New Year celebrations have faded and Xmas is a distant memory and already we are fast approaching February!

We are now 20 days into the New Year, so what ACTION have you taken to ensure that 2011 is the year that you shine, the year that you fulfill your career ambitions?

For many, the past two years (and this includes myself) have been difficult, however, I do feel some comfort knowing that I wasn’t alone. The recession has bought redundancy and uncertainty within the City and for those of you who have held onto your jobs then perhaps you have experienced taking on more responsibility or working harder to justify your existence within the workplace.

I read a very interesting article this week in the Evening Standard giving hope to those who are looking for new opportunities in 2011. The article predicted that there could be potentially 20,000 job moves within the middle and back office alone!

So, it appears that the City is optimistic which is great news for job hunters, however, don’t expect it to be easy…there is a lot of competition out there and companies want the best people on board.

With this in mind what ACTION can you take to stand out from your competition and ensure that 2011 is a successful year for you?

Below I have listed six important points to consider when looking for new opportunities either internally with your existing employer or externally for a new employer:

Adding Value – How can you add value to your existing or new employer? Being aware of your strengths and being able to talk about your key achievements to date is essential when interviewing.

CV – This is essentially your marketing tool, is it up to date? Have you included your key achievements for example how have you added value to your role by saving money or time for the company?

Telling Your Stories – It’s important that you have real life experiences / stories to talk about during an interview. Have you heard of the STAR technique? Whilst this is widely used in competency or behavioral based interviews it is also worth remembering that you can use this technique in any interview situation. The STAR technique will help you to focus on the answer without going off on a tangent.

Interview Preparation And Practice - “When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you come up against that someone he/she will win” If you assume that most people don’t prepare or practice then you can also assume that the odds in your favour start to improve greatly if you do make the effort and take the time.

One Minute To Win It –This is your sales pitch, your opportunity to impress. I recommend that you prepare a brief summary of your career and achievements. That’s it. Just your career – jobs you’ve held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. If you have relevant experience, this is the place to bring it up. If not, explain why the experience you have can help you in this role.

Networking – If you consider that 80% of jobs in the US are recruited via LinkedIn then it’s important for you not to underestimate the powers of networking.

Will you act NOW and get noticed or sit back and keep dreaming?

During the month of January I am offering a full CV critique including making the necessary adjustments to your CV for just £57, if you would like to take advantage of this offer then please contact me NOW!

Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step.