7 Most Effective Personal Career Development Tools and How to Implement

7 Most Effective Personal Career Development Tools and How to Implement Them

You are probably on this page because you are planning a Career Development or a Job Change or are doing a Job Search. If yes, then you are at the right page.

Current Job Market - are there fewer jobs or less talented candidates

I am in the Recruitment, CV Writing, Interview Training, Career Counseling and Executive Coaching business for the last several years. Never before have I seen a dichotomy where a good candidate is not able to find a good job matching with his / her skills and experience on one hand while a good employer is not able to find a suitable candidate despite the overall slowdown in the economy for quite some time now. While it is possible to comprehend the reason for less number of jobs or lower levels of increments in the current economic scenario, but it requires a deeper study to understand the puzzling situation on co-existence of contradictory situations.

So what could be the possible reasons

Well it is so very simple!

To successfully compete and win in today’s economic scenario, a proven and effective Personal Career Development Strategy should be a vital part of your self improvement plan.

Even in good times, the achievers who scaled enviable heights did not do so without effective planning, strategizing and working hard. Therefore, regardless of the state of the economy or the health of the job market, to make a successful career one has to have a clear focus of what one wants to achieve and consistently strive to pursue one’s goals.

It so very easy to say, but what are the specific Career Development Strategies which are effective and easy to implement? You might ask me.

Well going by me solid experience of so many years through 3 cycles of peaks of highs and lows and as a Recruiter, Head hunter, Consultant and Career Counselor, it is highly recommended that you should stick to 7 fundamental tools and never leave them, if you want a successful career.

7 Highly Effective Tools of Personal Career Development

1. Good CV

Your CV or Resume is one of the best ways of attracting the attention of the recruiter and proving your suitability for the job you wish to apply to. Therefore, invest your time in CV Making. Your CV should be a convincing sales pitch to let you through to the interview. It is highly recommended that you seek the services of a professional CV Making firm – in case you are not good with written words.

2. Customized Cover Letter

Do your research - have good knowledge of the job profile and the skills required, research about the organization. Use this in your cover letter. This will help you orient your communication specifically to the selector, highlighting in brief that you match their requirements. A customized cover letter will increase your chances to get shortlisted to the next level in the process of selection.

3. Effective Job Search

Do your own SWOT analysis. Decide what kind of job you are looking for. Then take a survey of the current job market in your domain or industry and in your city / region. A smart and effective job search should include the current industry news, competitors and the salary levels. By this time you would know how to look for the job: Job Portals / Company Websites / Newspaper Ads or the Social Sites or contacting reputed Executive Search Firms.

Also pl see Job Search Tips

4. High-quality Self Branding

It is rare to find “the suitable job” when you start looking for one. The chances are that it will take time. Unless you possess very unique combination of academics and skill sets - which are in high demand. Even if you are highly employable, the world has to be told that a unique you exists. The world of internet has made it easier through Social Networking Sites. However, this needs to be complemented with other offline PR and Networking strategies too.

Sundeep Kataria is the founder CEO of a Management Consulting Firm, which was established in 1991 in New Delhi. He professionally started the trend of CV writing in India. Till now he has helped hundreds of professionals in their career advancement with his expert services like CV Writing, Interview Coaching, Career Counseling and Executive Coaching.

His services are sought by professionals from all the fields and from fresher to top management level.

The contents of this hub are straight from his years of professional experience.

It is as bad to be overconfident as it is to be under confident. Often, candidates get panicky or get nervous at the last minute spoiling the show completely. The best solution is to prepare thoroughly for your oncoming job interview. Do not be shy to get professional help of an established and reputed interview coach who can help you to prepare for your interview and provide practical 1-1 interview training lessons.

We live in a fast changing world of technology. What you studied or learnt even a few months back (not even years) could be obsolete. It needs to be replaced with what is in now. Even with solid basic qualifications like IT, Medicine, Engineering, Healthcare, MBA acquiring knowledge of the tools like Time Management, Leadership, Communication Skills, Team Building would be highly beneficial.

Once you have reached the preliminary round of interview, you will need to show to the prospective employer your worth and possibly the benefits of hiring you. One of the best ways of proving your value is to let them see your performance in the current job and your track record. Remember, nobody will hire you on your face value. So do your best in your current job.

An important tip

It is necessary that you use most of the tools (if not all) in this Personal Career Development Plan simultaneously.

Keep Marching Ahead….

Once achieved, go ahead, set your sight higher and get ready to achieve it too with the effective career plan in your hands.

Also you may like to know "How to Find Happiness and Satisfaction at Work"

My other hubs on the same subject:

Successful Tips to increase Effectiveness of Your Management Skills

How to edit your CV and make a Long Resume short: Success Tips

"Author: Sundeep Kataria"

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