The unemployment is still high, and if you are one of the unlucky ones, your future may seem uncertain right now. Instead of waiting for the right ad on CareerBuilder, or a phone call from your former boss, consider redefining your career and creating your own position.
In this economy, more than ever, organizations are looking for creative professionals who can bring value to the company and help move the business forward. No matter how far their budget has been cut, most large companies are open to hiring innovative, educated and energetic people who are not afraid of challenges, but rather face them head on.
The first step to creating your own position is defining yourself. Spend some time writing down your strengths and why you feel you are knowledgeable in these areas. What experiences have shaped these qualities? Was it the difficult project at XYZ Company that you managed to complete before the deadline and impress the client, thus creating more business opportunities for the company? Was it the innovative application you created within your company’s database?
Next, review your resume and adjust it based on what you have rediscovered about yourself. At this point, you should be ready to determine what type of organization can benefit from hiring you and what role would bring out your best qualities. Create a 2 minute “pitch†summarizing the role that you would love to assume and the type of company you want to work for; highlight the key benefits that the company will reap from hiring you.
Enter the networking scene and when asked about what you do, mention that you are currently unemployed and then talk to your friends and various professionals that you know about what you’d like to do. Ask for them to recommend you to their company.