SECOND: NEW ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES
At the same time, the way businesses organise themselves has also undergone radical changes. For hundreds of years they have used the ‘hierarchical’ or ‘pyramid’ structure - MD at the top, followed by the Directors, then the Heads of Department, etc, etc, down to the actual workforce at the base of the structure.
But today things are very different.
A whole new array of organisational structures are appearing - here’s just a few examples - Flat, Team, Network, Virtual, Matrix, Web, Cluster - and there are many more. These new formations better serve the needs of today’s markets, customers and the businesses themselves.
They are appearing as a result of companies taking advantage of new technology, being re-structured, re-engineered, downsized, consolidated and de-layered - organisations are becoming thinner and flatter. Greater emphasis is now being placed on cross-functional teams and network relations. There is a need for more flexibility and increasing importance is being placed on learning, multiple skill sets and the ability to adapt and change.
THIRD: NEW WORKING PATTERNS - LESS JOB SECURITY
These new structures are also giving rise to new working patterns. One of the more visible examples of this is the increasing numbers of people who are now working from home and perhaps only going to the office once a week. Or the increase in flexible working hours.
People are also changing the way they interact with these new structures and are, for example, moving jobs more frequently - which they do for a variety of reasons - to gain more experience, to progress careers, to improve pay and conditions and for a whole range of personal reasons.
At the same time, there has been a general decline in job security, which also results in people moving jobs - and that’s not through their own choice.
TEN, FIFTEEN OR MORE JOBS IN A WORKING CAREER
The net result is that the workplace of only a few short decades ago, has changed beyond all recognition -which means the old, traditional ways of job hunting are just simply not good enough anymore.
Many of these changes are undoubtedly for the better. But the rise in job insecurity is the price that has to be paid for that. Recent research shows that today, on average, a person can expect to change jobs every three to five years, which means that by the time you retire, you could well have had ten, fifteen or more different jobs.
The same research shows that the average person can also expect to have at least three major career changes in their working lifetime - that’s not three job changes, that’s three major changes in actual career.
A LIFE SKILL
The growing use of competencies in recruitment, the rise of new organisational structures and the change in working patterns means that to succeed in today’s world of employment calls for the mastery of new job hunting skills, strategies and techniques - the alternative is to end up being marginalised and condemned to living an unfulfilled life on the sidelines of society.
There has never been a greater need for knowing how to go about applying for a job i.e. constructing a CV, writing a covering letter, getting short-listed and giving a compelling interview performance. It’s become a necessary life skill.
A TRUE STORY . . .
I recently meet a young, highly qualified, college graduate who said she had applied for over 40 jobs without success. She added that not one company had the decency to even acknowledge her application.
On enquiring further it transpired that she had paid a considerable sum of money to have her CV written by a ‘professional’ CV writing company - which she photocopied and used, without a covering letter, for all of the jobs she applied for.
She believed that her lack of success was due to the state of the economy and that it was disgraceful and typical of today’s uncaring companies that not one had the common courtesy to acknowledge her application.
Later, she found out that an acquaintance of hers, who had not gone to college, had been successful in getting one of the jobs. She couldn’t understand how or why that had happened. She is still unemployed . . .
THE HARSH REALITY . . .
Most of today’s job seekers are simply not aware of the highly significant changes that are taking place and continue to go about applying for jobs in the same old tired way, just as this college graduate did.
Then, when their application is rejected, have a stock list of excuses -“there’s an economic downturn”- “large numbers of applicants” - “I was over qualified” - the list is endless.
But the harsh reality is they were not short-listed because their application wasn’t good enough - NOTHING ELSE!
FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUE
Consider this. The whole purpose of the exercise as far as the recruiter is concerned is to identify a suitable short-list of candidates and from that group select and employ the best person. If your application is deemed as not being in that category, for what ever reason, then it’s of no interest - end of process.
On the other had, if your application made a massive impact in the first 20-seconds (that’s the length of time a recruiter will initially spend reviewing your CV and either rejecting it or passing it on to the next stage of the process) you’ll get a very quick response - after all, it’s what they’re spending time and effort looking for i.e. highly relevant applications.
What they will not do - rightly or wrongly - is spend any time or effort on applications that fall short of the mark.
Of course there’s the ethical question of whether or not all applications should be acknowledged, but to be candid, the focus needs to be on getting short-listed and not on the dubious ethical practices of some companies and recruiters.
EINSTEIN’S DEFINITION OF INSANITY
Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity was . . . doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result.
A classic example of this type of behaviour is the continued use of the Traditional CV, the type of CV that most job seekers are still using - with highly predictable results. The problem is that the Traditional CV was originally designed for a career based around and delivered through the ‘traditional’ or hierarchical organisation - it has little or no relevance in today’s world of employment.
But untold numbers of people are still using it - and every day untold numbers of people fail to get short-listed.
WHY A TRADITIONAL CV WILL PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING A JOB
In fact, using a Traditional CV can actively prevent you from getting a job today because it contains six major problems that either hinder you in your ambitions, or are red-flags to recruiters.
1.
First, it begins with your current job or last position and then works backwards with the very clear implication that everything you have ever done in life has lead inextricably to your current job - which immediately categorises you into a ‘silo’ making it difficult, if not downright impossible, to change job direction, career or profession.
2.
Second, in chronological order, it tells WHAT you have done and WHERE you did it. It does not address in any way, shape or form the vitally important question of HOW you did it.
3.
Third, it’s based in the past - it’s a backward looking document - it doesn’t talk about the future i.e. what it is that you can actually do for the company you are applying to.
4.
Fourth, the ‘Personal Statement’ that so many of them have, has no authenticity as there’re not founded in reality.
5.
Fifth, it does not allow you to stand out from the other applicants in the vital few seconds you have to make an impact.
6.
Sixth, the format lends itself to the ‘20-second de-selection’ processes used by recruiters to reduce down the number of applicants and weed out the unsuitable ones.
The traditional CV is dead. It is nothing more than a strait-jacket on your ability to sell yourself in today’s changing, dynamic and fiercely competitive job hunting arena. There’s a better way to go - and it’s known as Competencies.
THE 4-STEP SYSTEM
The traditional approach to job hunting is to first write your CV, booking back over your career and focusing on WHAT you did and WHERE - and then hoping to find a job you can match it to.
The 4-Step System changes this by looking first at what the needs of the employer and the job are - and then writing your CV to match the competencies they are looking for, showing HOW you did your previous jobs. This allows you to take off the outdated, ineffective, straight-jacket and to start talking the language of today’s recruiters -and that’s the language of performance!
A POWERFUL AND COMPELLING APPROACH
Within the pages of this new (2012) publication, you will discover a formidable, authoritative and highly effective way to create an integrated job application that emphasizes the knowledge, skills and abilities you have that are relevant to the position you are applying for. It sets out, in full detail, a Competency-based approach for applying for dealing effectively with today’s new company structures and the advances in recruitment techniques.
Some of the topics covered include:-
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How to write a powerful and compelling Competency-based CV that will get you past the ‘gatekeepers’ and through to a first-round interview.
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How to give a authoritative and commanding interview performance.
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Why you must always use a Covering Letter - how to construct a new one for each job you apply for and a technique that will get you ahead of every other candidate - before you even meet the recruiter.
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The way to differentiate yourself from every other candidate at each level of the selection process.
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Proven techniques for making a massive impact and stop your CV being rejected in the first 20-seconds.
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How to change market sectors, industries and careers even though the entire recruitment process is designed to stop you doing that.
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A powerful way to prove to a prospective employer that you can do the job.
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How to use the STAR technique to speak with authority.
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The power of Preparation, Rehearsal, Verbalisation and Practice.
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PurBAC and the 2-Step Method.
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The Addendum Strategy.
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Plus much more . . .
MASTER THE TOUGHEST OF EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES
But what if you have a particular employment issue? For example, a problem with your age, too old, too young - because despite all the well meaning legislation and the very best of intentions, prejudice is still rife in the workplace, particularly where age is concerned.
Or perhaps you have some awkward gaps in your employment history? And what if you are a typical person with ten or more jobs behind them, how do you stop your CV portraying you as little more than a job hopper?
And what if you want to change career direction but aren't being allowed to break out of the industry, market sector or job ‘silo’ that you’re currently in?
Or it could be that you simply just can’t get the type of job you want.
These are just some of the toughest employment challenges you can face and The 4-Step System will show you how to develop an approach to job hunting that will enable you to win through even when the odds seem to be heavily stacked against you.
It will take the negativity out of age and replace it with proven skills, based on experience and link it back in a powerful way to the actual needs of the company.
It will take the harmful connotations that employment ‘gaps’ can imply and replace them with positive attributes that are of true value to an employer.
And it will give you the blueprint for changing from one career path to another.
THE COMPONENT PARTS
There are four key elements to the system.
1. The Personal Guarantee - what it is, how to construct one for each job you apply for and how to use it to prove to a prospective employer that you have the skills, ability and knowledge to do the job.
2. The Competency-based CV - probably the most powerful concept you will ever come across as a job seeker. Each element is covered, in detail, including how to build a new CV for each and every job (not as difficult as it may first appear).
3. The Covering Letter - used properly, this will not only add weight to your CV. Learn how to write a highly persuasive document plus a very special technique that’s designed to get you a head start over every other candidate.
4. The Interview -here you’ll discover commanding techniques from the world of the Professional Communicators that you can use during an interview to take your game to a whole new level.
The 4-Step System will give you the most formidable, targeted and totally integrated job application that you can make.
WHY THE 4-STEP SYSTEM IS UNIQUE
At the core of the programme lies the Competency-based CV - probably the most powerful concept you will ever come across as a job seeker. To this are added a number of key elements, including The Personal Guarantee. Constructed around the document are easily learned skills taken from the world of the Professional Communicators. The result is a highly-targeted, powerful and compelling job application. It’s applicable to any market sector and any job. Most importantly, it provides a formidable approach in response to the transformations taking place in today’s organisations and their recruitment practices. It’s a system that has been forged and proven in the unforgiving and always brutal job hunting arena.
YOUR CAREER IS THE ENGINE OF YOUR WEALTH
At £45 is this publication too expensive? Some may think so, but expensive compared to what? Compared to a Rolls Royce - then certainly not! But, in fairness, that’s not comparing apples with apples.
So how about comparing it to the myriad of other books on job hunting?
Well, it’s still not expensive because you will not find in within their pages the proven strategies, tactics and techniques that this publication contains. Keep in mind that it is not a e-book you are buying - it’s knowledge.
I cannot even guarantee that if you buy this you will get the job you want - how can I? Buying knowledge will not, in itself, do anything for you. It’s what you do with that knowledge, the actions you take, that will determine the level of your success.
We all wish to possess knowledge, but only a very few are ever willing to pay its price - even fewer still will gone use that knowledge to best advantage . . .
Your career is the engine of your wealth, the key to your future prosperity and happiness - and what price can you put on that?
Invest in yourself. Never sell yourself short on dreams that you know you truly want. It is easy to forget that the most coveted things are not always the easiest to attain. Go beyond what may seem like your limits and you will succeed.
[CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE](http://1.CAMION747.pay.clickbank.net)
£45.00
If you have any questions, please contact the author direct at admin@jobhuntingmastery.com
Whatever your decision, I wish you every success in life and may good fortune attend all of your job hunting endeavours!
Laurie Housley
AUTHOR of THE 4-STEP SYSTEM
“Have you made three or more job applications without getting at least one first-round interview?”
Q:
If your answer is YES . . .there is something you urgently need to know . . . the world of employment has changed
and it’s got nothing to do with the state of the economy . . .
Three momentous transformations have been taking place in businesses across the globe which are having a direct and critical impact on today’s job seekers ̶ failing to fully understand what these changes are will prevent you from getting a job in today’s increasingly competitive job market.
Economies go through a cycle of boom and bust. They always have and they will continue to do so. When it’s boom time life is great, when the bust comes the consequences can be quite devastating. The point is, it’s a cycle and it comes and goes.
The changes taking place in businesses today are here to stay - which means that the traditional, established, old-style approach to job hunting i.e. CV writing and interviewing are simply no longer good enough to get you short-listed. The job hunting arena has always been a challenging and sometimes downright ruthless arena, but it’s just got a whole lot worse!
What exactly are these changes?
FIRST: THE RISE OF THE ‘COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK’
Today’s technology driven, global economy is creating an ever more diverse and interconnected world and to make sense of and to function well in this environment organisations are constantly reviewing and updating the way they do business.
One of the outcomes of this process, is the realisation of the benefits to having a unified approach to all aspects of a business - in terms of reducing costs, communicating with both customers and employees in a consistent way and in improving productivity. One of the key ways in which organisations are doing this is by a practice that has become known as a ‘Competency Framework’.
By adopting this approach, businesses are able to raise performance levels, underpin policies and procedures, communicate effectively and achieve quality of treatment to all staff.
However, the biggest area of growth for this new approach is in the area of recruitment where it’s long been recognised that the traditional methods of recruitment do not accurately predict employment success - the consequences for getting it wrong can be a costly affair for the company, its customers and the employee.
ON ONE DAY ALONE . . .
As a result, employers are/have changed their approach to recruitment and moving to a competency-based system. At first it was only the more progressive organisations that implemented this, but its growing success rate has meant that over recent years most employers, both large and small, have embraced the practice.
Recently, on one day alone, a leading Internet Job Site had over 2,000 job adverts specifically asking for competencies. The market sectors covered were wide and diverse including, for example, the following.
Retail
IT Sales
Financial
Electrical
Marketing
Medical
Insurance
Tourism
Administration
Transport
Technology
Engineering
Manufacturing
Food
Legal
Construction
Medical/Health
Education
