Job Seeker or Career Seeker? It's in the results!

By: Kenneth L. Johnson

Part of what we do at East Coast Executives is “course correct” job seekers and get them to restructure their job search and transition into a strategic career search. When done correctly the results are life altering. We call it the Career vs. Job Dilemma. It basically comes down to this... Do you want to (A.) find a job or do you want to (B.) position your skills and interest to guide you into the next great opportunity? Ok...let me help you out...the correct answer is (B.). If you are still unsure you may consider completing a self-assessment, skills assessment, market analysis and ultimately making a decision about what it is specifically that you want to do for a living. Trust me...the clarity will save you countless hours of frustration.

The transition from Job Search to Career Search is much more difficult than it appears; Career Seekers know exactly what it is that they are looking for (position title, industry and preferred companies). Job Seekers more than often struggle to identify what it is that they bring to the workplace, where they add value and what careers bring out the passion in them. They often know the answers but are afraid to acknowledge and/or correct bad habits for fear of missing out on an opportunity due to being too specific. They tell me that they don’t want to be put into a “box”. Ok...that’s great but a “box” is exactly what your resume is designed to squarely place you in.

The actual “Art of Job Searching” is to look at what appears available in the market and position yourself in a place that allows others to see your skills as they relate to an advertised opportunity. The “Art of Career Searching” is to establish your unique value outside of the resume and bring your skills to the market (Networking, LinkedIn, Informational Interviews) as an independent business of one. This will position you as a desired candidate and open up the "hidden job market" and ultimately deliver to you the next great opportunity.

There are several ways to successfully transition into a Career Search but here are 5 Traits That Always Stop Job Seekers from Becoming Career Seekers.

1. They fail to customize their resume
2. Not active on LinkedIn
3. Refuse to network
4. Continue to rely on job boards
5. Have no defined daily plan