Are you Unconsciously Incompetent? 25 Essential Job Search Skills for 2011!

• Are you a getting multiple job interviews and offers? 
• Is your Job Search progressing or stalled?
• Want to learn new skills?

In the 21rst century, employers will no longer take responsibility for their employee's careers and/or career paths. Each of us must do this ourselves. However, people rarely receive formal training in Job- Search strategy. Is it any wonder that job-search, job-loss and/or career change is a so scary?

When assessing your Job Search Skills - ask yourself.

• How do you know what you know?
• What information and skills are you missing?
• What do you need to know for a job search in 2011?

As a Social Media Strategist and Career Transition Coach my goal is to encourage and empower my clients. I help coach them through this stressful and often challenging process. The best part of my job is when my students or clients receive a job!  My role involves quickly accessing my clients' Stage of Competence to determine how I can help them. Let me share a bit of career psychology with you!

In Psychology, there are four stages of competence in the "Conscious Competence Learning Model." This  relates to the psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence to a learned and integrated skill. Job Search is a skill which is easily conceptualized in this model. Of note: these terms do not not have the same definitions in the Psychological Model as they do in common parlance. There isn't a value judgement attached to these terms. Use this knowledge as a tool in your personal, improvement toolkit! Explore your own personal development in a variety of life and work areas.

Before you begin reading the section below - recall what it was like learning a skill such as driving. At first, it was overwhelming and you were consciously aware of every aspect of your car, the road and the route. However, after a few years, it became almost unconscious as your skills improved. In fact, many of us have had the odd experience of reaching a driving destination without remembering how we got there!

The Four Stages - Conscious Competence Learning Model

1.Unconscious Incompetence
"The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognise their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage.[2] The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the motivation to learn.[3]" These are our personal, blind spots or weakness'. Each of us has areas where we lack insight into our actual skills and/or how we really appear to others.

2.Conscious Incompetence
Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. Making mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.[4]

3.Conscious Competence
The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.[3]

4.Unconscious Competence
The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned
  
The entire job-search structure has changed. What you need to do today, is very different that what I'd have recommended even 6 months ago. The entire job-search system is in transition.Gain the knowledge to effectively compete for jobs.

A skilled Career Coach can conduct a "gap analysis" and provide education and skill building to get you to the next level in your career. Review the essential job search skills (below). I provide career coaching and training in all of these topic areas. Let me know if I can assist you.

Essential Job-Search concepts you NEED to understand! 

1. Leads List
2. Cold Calls
3. Intercultural Competency and International IQ
4. Social Media Job-Search
5. Networking
6. Job-task analysis
7. Global Executives 
8. Behavioral Interviews
9. SWOT Analysis
10. Career Fit
11. Career Risk
12. Verbal Business Card
13. Industry & Job Function (in a career context)
14. Professional Reputation
15. Career Values, Vision and Competencies
16. Personal Branding 
17. Positioning Statement
18. Career Action Plan
19. Interview Performance,
20. Mock Interviews & Informational Interviews
21. Professional Papertools: Cover Letters, Reference Sheets, Resumes
22. Salary Negotiations
23. Career Fair Evaluation Scale
24. Retained vs Contingency Recruiters
25. Career Transition Plan

To assist my loyal readers, over the past 3 years I've written blog articles about many of these topics. I have kept these posts free and open to the public. To access My Career Managers' archive library: enter in the key words into the "search button" at the top right of the homepage. Take charge of your own career!

I'd love to hear your ideas and stories. Post a comment on this thread!
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Author: © 2011 - present. All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.


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