You are about to hit the market. You just finished school – you need a job, you are miserable where you are – you need a change, you just got let go – you need a job, they cut your hours – you need more money and need more work…what do you do?
You take control. You get your head in the right place and begin to put things in perspective, reach out to resources that make sense and you take charge of yourself and direct the ship. You are the leader. You need to find self awareness and self leadership. It requires a call to action from within yourself that will allow you to drive, navigate and command the vessel.
If you cannot lead the ship with leadership, you are going to float and waste time. The novelty of that will wear off pretty quickly and you accomplish nothing.
Some people aren’t great leaders and need assistance along the way. That’s OK as long as you can rely on a trusted resource to help you manage the trip. Making that decision and committing to finding the right assistance is, in its own way, a display of leadership. You take control and help by finding help. A sense of direction is critical in order to get from one destination to the other. Map it out. Think about the best possible route and get going. You think it through and you take the lead.
At any level of career experience, this market is tough. It’s very competitive. Expertise and skill is not the only thing to capture the essence of who you are and what the hiring community is looking at. The marketing skills you have, the influence you have, the way you project yourself as a leader will make a huge difference in how people perceive you.
It’s not all supply and demand. You will not get hired just because a spot is available. No, you will get hired because something in your personal presentation tells a compelling story and you are recognized as someone that can lead. Entry level can still exhibit leadership. It’s a combination how you process and manage people.
This is your ship and your ride. Get the course plotted out and take control.