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<\/a>\u201cDon\u2019t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maggie Mistal, career coach and Sirius XM radio host, loves this quote from Theologian Howard Thurman.<\/p>\n
But Mistal has heard enough corporate castaway tales from her clientele and radio-call-ins to know that soul searching is the first step to making a successful career transition today, and a job search requires more.<\/p>\n
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After all the gloom and doom of the recent Rutgers\u2019 report and the December unemployment statistics that I wrote about last week, I asked the New York City-based coaching powerhouse to share her secrets. What\u2019s she advising people over 55 who\u2019ve been slogging through a long stretch of unemployment? Here are some of her tips:<\/p>\n
1. Broaden your search. Don\u2019t try to recover exactly what you had in your old job, Mistal says. You can\u2019t have tunnel vision and try to shoehorn your experience into a certain job\u2019s description and requirements, she counsels clients. Use it as a starting point to help the employer see how you can do that and far more. \u201cThink bigger. Not where\u2019s the hole, and I\u2019ll plug it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And maybe you should be hunting for more than one employer. Many people are mired in the mindset that a full-time employer is the only money-making option that\u2019s safe and worth their time, she notes. If you can work freelance, or as a consultant for several employers, and not have all your eggs in one basket, that gives you flexibility, she says.<\/p>\n
You might even make more money, if you know how to package and sell your skills. A coach could help you with that. Of course, not everyone has the temperament, or self-motivation to work for himself or herself.<\/p>\n
2. Think like an expert. If you\u2019re desperate and thinking I just need a job and want to make money for the next ten years, employers are on to you. They are going to pick the best, most interested, most innovative candidate. You need to be able to articulate your value.<\/p>\n
Approach the interview like you\u2019re a highly-paid consultant. State clearly what you think needs to be done and why based on your experience. \u201cBy taking a genuine interest in the firm you\u2019re interviewing with, learning about the company\u2019s history and goals, and talking to people who work there, you can demonstrate that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
3. Get a faith-lift, not a face-lift. That\u2019s my terminology, not hers, but Mistal laughs. \u201cYou won\u2019t believe how many clients ask me immediately if they should dye their hair, as if that\u2019s the number one thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to landing a job is \u201cnegativity\u201d she says. People dwell on the bad news\u2014\u201cI have a stigma. I\u2019ve been unemployed for too long. There\u2019s my age.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all true, of course, but you have to have faith in yourself. She tosses out an Oprah Winfrey quote: \u201cTurn your wounds into wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
After you have been out of work for a while, you forget your value. You take for granted your accomplishments and contributions. \u201cTake time and internally focus on your best moments, what situations you shine in, and be clear in interviews that if they put you in those situations, you will perform,\u201d Mistal says.<\/p>\n
4. Go for an ego boost. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to toot your own horn. One of Mistal\u2019s favorite exercises: Ask people who know you well, whose opinions you value and trust, to write down on an evaluation sheet what your best skills and talents are, what your personality is like, what roles you have been really good at.<\/p>\n
Guess what comes back? All the accomplishments, all the positives that you need to be reminded of to demonstrate to yourself that you\u2019re a quality individual, who still has a contribution to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when you\u2019re in the interview, networking, or doing informational conversations, you can say, \u2018well people have said about me that blah, blah, blah,\u2019\u201d Mistal says. \u201cAll of a sudden you have all the words to use, and it\u2019s easier to talk about your accomplishments and qualifications because you are using someone else\u2019s testimonial.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. Keep a healthy skill-set. Feeling depressed and shut out of the working world? To be honest, when you are out of work, it\u2019s hard to hang around with people who have jobs. And answering questions about how the job search is going gets old fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do something,\u201d Mistal instructs. If you\u2019re on unemployment benefits, try volunteering for a non-profit organization, or do pro-bono work. You might even use your skills to create your own business or non-profit project at home. \u201cCoursework and travel, too, will also demonstrate that you\u2019ve been actively learning and growing,\u201d she counsels.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll probably land additional references, too\u2026afterall, you\u2019re doing something that makes you come alive.<\/p>\n