FIVE Great Investments to Make When You’re Out of Work

#1 Work with a Career Coach - There’s honestly no debate about what the best investment to make if you’re out of work – it’s to work with a Career Coach. With today’s online technology, you can literally work with the BEST job coaches from the comfort of your living room. Through skype, webinars and teleseminars, you can often get the absolute best of a coach’s services and avoid travel time (and fees) altogether. Remember, working with a job coach really only works if the client is dedicated to the assignments that the coach offers. Also, keep in mind that a job coach does not GET you a job – rather, they help a client explore options and make sure that their marketing materials are written to represent them in the best way possible. They review and help the client to have the best resume, cover letter, thank you letters, etc. A great career coach will also walk a client through mock interviews to help them stand out in the crowd and be prepared and confident..

#2 Have a Professional Resume Renovation - The next best investment a job searcher can make is to have a professional resume consultation and renovation done by a great resume writer – hopefully a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. Be sure to provide the BEST information you can, for instance, what are your accomplishments at a job – not necessarily what you did day after day. Also be sure to have your core strengths at your fingertips to be written into your resume. Remember, “responsible for” and “duties included” should never be on a resume. It should be all about the added value you brought to each company you worked with.

#3 DISC Assessment – The DISC assessment is a tool that allows you to examine your behavior and your reactions to others, and to ascertain your best assets. It allows a person to adapt their behavior to create positive outcomes, which becomes a VERY valuable tool for choosing a career course. Choosing next steps based on your personal STRENGTHS, instead of where you “think” you belong is a million-dollar life changer. Many resume writers will also have a client take the DISC assessment so that they can get a quick sense of the person’s voice and what is important to them.

#4 Add a New Certification or Skill Set - This is an excellent way to “add” to your credentials and perceived value. You can find such courses at community colleges, trade schools, and online, as well as professional associations. You can also look into webinars that might be offered by leaders in your field – or the field you would LIKE to go into. Also, consider joining professional associations that would add to your versatility and professionalism. Often, an organization will let you add their logo to your resume and website once you belong. If you’re an administrative assistant, for instance, you can join IVAA.org (which is the International Virtual Assistant’s Association). IVAA offers a myriad of online courses and certifications for Administrative Assistants. You can find a host of professional organizations by simply doing a Google search on your industry.

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