Job Search Coaching

Job Search Coaching

Tailored to Your Needs

Your niche is the place where your background and abilities best align with the needs of your target employers. It is an ESSENTIAL personal marketing tool. I will help you identify the critical knowledge needed to define your niche, narrow your job search and ensure you're using your time and energy optimally - what it is you have to offer, what it is that is being sought by employers in your chosen field, and what competitors (others seeking similar jobs) are offering.
Contact Jim
Contact Jim

What to Expect from Job Search Coaching

The two main strategies employed by most people looking for a new job is one that is unfortunately a sub-optimal one: seeking to utilize a recruiter, or applying to positions posted on job sites like Indeed, Monster, Idealist or LinkedIn.

Recruiters are almost always paid by an organization to find good candidates to fit a specific position, so unless you have met all of the requirements a recruiter is not going to waste time working with you.

As for applying to posted positions there are some good reasons why this strategy is a poor one:

  1. Many jobs posted on these sites aren’t really open – an internal candidate has already been selected by the organization but for HR or legal reasons the job needs to be posted anyway. Or sometimes an organization is just “testing the waters” to see what kind of candidates might be attracted to the position, and/or how much it would cost to fill it.
  2. As soon as a job is posted dozens if not hundreds of people apply, so unless you meet every requirement listed plus perhaps a few “preferred” qualifications you’re very unlikely to be considered.
  3. Most applications wind up being rejected or not even acknowledged, leading to frustration and often to self-doubt – emotions that will seriously interfere with your ability to find a new job.

It is estimated that anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 of jobs wind up being filled by utilizing connections: a friend knows of a position whose creation is being contemplated, or a contact informs you that a co-worker is going to be moving out of the area in a few months and so their position will become open. Learning of these potential opportunities allows you to get a foot in the door before the “general public” is alerted, and so dramatically increases the likelihood of your being given serious consideration.

Through creative, targeted networking I will guide you as to exactly how to successfully undertake this process.

Top Career Coach

Greater Washington D.C. and Beyond

I’ve helped clients from all over the greater D.C. area land their dream jobs and make successful career transitions. I’ve also taken on clients from across the United States and world in a virtual setting. In Washington, I counsel clients at my Dupont Circle office and at my home office in Alexandria, although due to COVID I am only conducting virtual sessions presently.

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