SITUATION: Pat, in her mid 40’s, was downsized from a direct marketing company in Ohio during the economic slump. She took a part-time position in sales while obtaining a master’s degree in technology. After a year and a half, the marketplace was still unresponsive. This talented woman was significantly underutilized, then devastated with a personal loss. She determined to find the job of her dreams by seeking a professional coach who understood the marketplace and her unique combination of abilities.
STRATEGY: The coach began to reconstruct Pat’s resume to emphasize the quality and level of her past results. They targeted specific market opportunities to highlight the combination of marketing, sales and technology experiences. Pat fine-tuned her interviewing skills and applied them to four job opportunities. One technology company was about to offer her a position when a competitor bought it out. Although disappointed, Pat continued to penetrate the market based on the positive feedback from her interviews and strategies from the coach.
RESULT: During the coaching process, Pat defined her “must have” criteria as: “Increased responsibilities and pay, positive and comfortable fit with management and the ability to use my skills in contributing directly to the results of the business”. Three opportunities presented themselves for which Pat interviewed: As a bank analyst, a consultant to non-profit organizations and marketing for a metals manufacturing company. After interviewing and assessing the job content and her comfort, Pat chose the metals manufacturing company.
Why choose that alternative? She reports to the President and the responsibilities include all of her skill sets of sales, marketing, customer service, and technology. Of special importance was the size of the company, the culture of personal relationships, and the direct contact with customers, which would be the key to her success.
Pat is extremely happy and has had great satisfaction with her job. She has emerged from a state of unhappiness with no job prospects to four opportunities, from which she chose the one that may not have paid the most, but one that she is most comfortable and directly contributes to the success of the business. Pat is clearly a success story. PAT’S QUOTE: “I highly recommend My Greener Future to anyone in a career change or job market”
Lessons Learned? For Pat, she had to make a decision between:
- The pay level and the organizational fit. She decided the relationship and comfort zone would eventually lead to greater pay over a longer period of time.
- The smaller size of the organization best fit her organizational sweet spot
Take action 3 ways:
- Prepare for the surge of jobs in the Fall. Contact Bill Kaufmann as a coach
- Send comments, questions or your resume to: mygreenerfuture1@cox.net – Get a free review and talk about your career alternatives
- Send for a copy of Bill’s “How To Find A Job: Successful Job Search Strategies” Go to: http://www.createspace.com/3884487