Your Job Search Toolkit (part 6)

Although we have talked about several pieces for your Job Search Toolkit, your plans for a job search are not yet complete. Additionally, I encourage you to prepare a professional bio, identify your target companies/organizations, select professional references, develop a networking script and list of contacts, and create/purchase a record keeping system.


The professional bio should be prepared to highlight achievements related to your current career direction. It should be brief, typically no more than one page, and should be written in third person. This document could be used in some networking meetings and possibly in contacting potential employers. Instead of peddling your resume everywhere, a professional bio can be used when you talk with people about what you are looking for, as it will give them concrete examples of your experiences. If you are approaching a potential employer about how your background may be beneficial to them, a professional bio can be a good representation of you. You may also wish to share a copy with people who will be serving as professional references for you and others who may be able to put in a good word for you with people they know.


A professional biography (bio) is a brief (one typed page) description of your work history. Obviously, you would not necessarily include every job you have held, only those that are most relevant to the kind of work you are currently seeking. The points on your bio should be linked to your accomplishment stories. You should also include some tangible results from the accomplishments you include. It is good to include any quantifiable data that relates to your accomplishments, as well. Find appropriate action words to use in describing what you have done.


Once you have clarified the kind of work you are looking for, you should put together a list of preferred potential employers who could benefit from your skills and talents. Those would be the organizations that you should research fairly well to learn about them as you try to find a niche you could fill for them. You will want to find out not only their location and primary contact information, but also names of key people related to your desired position. You would also want to research potential needs they may have or problems you could help them address. We will address the remaining pieces for the toolkit in the last blog post for this series.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a job or career change, coping with an empty nest, planning to return to work or school, non-retirement planning, coping with loss of job, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in-person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.