de Wit

Set Achievable Goals

 

If someone told you they could give you the job of your dreams, would you know what to ask for?

 

Step 1 in a successful job search is to perform a Self Assessment including an inventory of skills, priorities, values, goals, dreams and aspirations: what are your unique talents and abilities? What expertise have you gained through your education or professional experience? Is this expertise unique? How so? What are your personal priorities? What achievements are you most proud of? What type of environment brings out the best in you? What do you need to be successful? Where would you like to live? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

 

Step 2 is to Assess the Market relative to your strengths, weaknesses and goals: what industries are growing? Where can I find opportunities in marketing? What are pharma/chemical/tech/energy/other companies looking for? How much does consulting pay? How is the financial sector doing in South Africa? What opportunities can I find in Dubai?

 

Steps 1 and 2 above result in a/several Career Goal(s), which need to be articulated by 1. Industry, 2. Functional Area, and 3. Geographical Area. You can have more than one Career Goal, but they should be clearly defined (i.e. Career Goal A: "I want to work as a consultant for a top tier consulting company (BCG, McKinsey, other) based in Germany" and Career Goal B: "I want to work in marketing for the Pharmaceutical Industry based in Colombia").

 

It may be that either Industry, Functional Area or Geography "anchor" you. This means that living in Spain is more important than working in Consulting. Or working in Investment Banking is more important than where you are based. Acknowledging your anchors is an important outcome of this process. 

 

de Wit& can guide you through a self assessment and inventory relative to the market in order to set achievable goals - whether you just graduated or have been out of school for a while.

 

 

 

Draft an Action Plan

 

Once you have defined your career objectives you need to draft an Action Plan for each objective that includes a list of potential employers and what they are looking for, key people you need to speak to (within or outside your network) and key steps you need to take to get to where you want to go.

 

de Wit& will help you draft your Action Plan, but more importantly, we will help keep you honest and on track. Each step in the Plan has a reason for being there. Asking Executive A from Company X to go out for a coffee with you to learn about Industry Y is just as important as attending a company presentation at your b-school. We will make sure you not only reach out to Executive A, but you know how to approach an informational interview and get the most out of it.

 

 

 

Develop Effective Marketing Materials

 

Having defined your goals and drafted an Action Plan to achieve them, the next step is to develop effective marketing collateral to sell yourself. Why should Company X hire you? What makes you unique relative to your peers? What "features" do you offer, what is the "benefit" of these features, and what is the ultimate "value" for a potential employer. In other words, how can you help Company X either make more money or save costs? What is your unique value proposition?

 

de Wit& will support the development of action oriented resumes/CVs and tailored cover letters that communicate the value of hiring you versus the next best competitive alternative.