Getting That Job

The war for talent is beginning to heat up again. I hear from employees who are beginning to look for jobs with more opportunities than they have in their current position and from employers who are telling me that it is getting harder to find good people.

One of the qualities both sides report needing are people who are resilient to the challenges facing the workplace. This week I want to share a few ideas for job hunters about how to present yourself as being able to handle the pressures of high performance workplaces.

Next week, we’ll look on the employer side.

If you are thinking about making a move from your current job or returning to the workplace here are a few keys to keep in mind during your interviews and discussions.

• Emphasize your agility: Most people are doing more than is in their job description. Special projects, professional development opportunities and creating the new and different are all part of today’s workplace. Mention the time you headed a workplace committee and how your leadership made that project a success.
• Understand the generations: Today’s workplace is comprised of multiple generations of workers. Make sure you understand the needs of millennials and boomers and can speak the language of each. If you are going to manage or work with a group of young professionals and you are of the boomer generation, make sure you know how to communicate effectively using social media, texting and in person.
• Be solution oriented: It’s easy to figure out what is not working. The key is to have solutions to problems. Be prepared to discuss things that did not work out in previous jobs and how you remedied them. It may be difficult to tell about a workplace failure but redemption is powerful. Resilience isn’t at all about getting it right all the time but it is about learning from mistakes every time.

You’ll need all the resilience you can muster in today’s workplace. Remember to keep breathing!

© Richard Citrin, All rights reserved, 2015

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