Communication in Career Planning ~ Why is it so important?
There are various aspects to career planning and in order to reach many of those goals you need to be able to communicate your skills and worth to an employer, to your network, and even to yourself.
The beginning stages of the career planning process are usually about setting your attitude for success and choosing goals. In order to do this you must be able to clearly articulate/communicate your needs, desires, and steps so you know exactly where you are going and how you are getting there.
One of the areas that we work with as we are defining your needs is to look for your transferable skills, those skills that you already have that can slide from one job to another. Those skills could be hard skills such as computer knowledge, or soft skills which are traits of behavior such as flexibility, punctuality, honesty, and getting along well with others and again we are going to have to decide the best way to communicate those skills to a prospective employer.
Since your resume is often your first impression to an employer it is critical that your wording express exactly what you can do so you can grab the attention of the reader. Clearly communicating your skills, qualities, and achievements will give the employer a reason to take a second look.
After you have impressed them sufficiently with your writing skills and they want to interview you, then you must again show your superior communication skills to them while you are having a conversation during the interview. You will be asked a series of questions that you must answer and articulate your particular skills in relation to the job they want you to do. This is not as easy as it seems and it must be practiced...to be perfect. You must communicate with yourself; you must communicate out loud to either yourself or to others so you know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you can't say it to yourself how do you expect to communicate it to someone else?
Often the first question asked in any interview is "Could you please tell us something about yourself?" so you must be prepared to answer that question. The trick is to communicate and articulate how your previous experience, skills, and talents mesh with the current job opening. Most people know what they do, or have done in previous jobs but most people aren't sure how to explain those skills, qualities, and traits to others in relation to something new. I have helped many people learn how to do this so they can be successful and I want to help you strengthen your communication skills in this particular area.
Being a great communicator is a skill like any other in which it must be practiced and continually upgraded to be able to be the best. We spend considerable amounts of time communicating with others in various way and they are all important to be aware of so we can use them to the best possible advantage. See my blog page for more on communication and the 5 ways to communicate.
Communicating on your resume ~ Make sure you use keywords and phrases that show your skills and best describe your talents. Action words will make a big difference in a good vs great resume. Descriptive wording gives an employer a bigger picture of you...read more at careercreate.com/blog/
There are many aspects to communication and one that each person needs to consider is "First Impressions" because we all only have one chance to make a first impression and once it is made...it can take months to change it, if we even get the chance to change it! Cleanliness, clothing, make-up, jewelry, tattoos, and attitude are all part of the first impression package and must be carefully considered when we are thinking of how we want to communicate to others.
Handshake, eye contact, posture, facial expressions are all critical aspects of how someone will perceive you the first time they meet you. I have coaching packages that cover these aspects and I will do my best to set you up for success based on my knowledge of workforce development and employer expectations.