Career Makeover—2007 Style

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If your analysis indicates that switching employers is a prudent move, how do you find a good "fit" somewhere else? Many companies have comprehensive Web sites that explain their culture and values, so that's a good place to start. But a much better strategy is to find someone who works in the organization to give you a personal assessment. Your alumni office may be able to point you to an appropriate contact. Sometimes employer rhetoric and reality don't match.

Finally, you need to identify a series of "fit" questions to ask your prospective employer. They're questions like "What kind of person does well in this organization?" or "How would you characterize your management style?" You'll want to have these questions in mind throughout your job search. But if you're still in doubt about the real answers, the time to ask direct questions is when you're in the hiring "sweet spot"—after you've been offered the job and before you've accepted.

Think Like an Employer

Once you've identified where you'd like to work, visualize the hiring manager at your ideal employer reading your résumé and cover letter. Imagine she's reading hundreds of applications and will decide within 10 seconds whether to pursue your candidacy.

When most people talk about their experience, they emphasize the areas in which they have achieved the most. But your highly developed technical skills and ability to create top-quality Web sites may be perceived as irrelevant in a sales position. The key to thinking like an employer is to focus like a laser on the requirements of the position, and put your relevant qualifications front and center.

Consider the format of your résumé and the way you've ordered your accomplishments. Do the required abilities show up first? Does your cover letter make it easy for an employer to visualize you in the job? Obviously your résumé needs to be easy to read, up-to-date, with no typos. But your application materials also need to shout out "I have the qualifications, the experience, and the enthusiasm you need. I can add value."

Get Your Own Board

Everyone can benefit from an outside review when they're going through a career makeover. Have you set your sights too low? Do you have a major skill, like fundraising, that you developed through your volunteer work but is nowhere to be seen on your résumé?

Appoint your own personal board of advisers—people whom you know and trust, but who aren't hopelessly biased in your favor. Often the best people are former bosses or colleagues. Good advisers support, but they also critique and ask difficult questions. They're the people who can help you identify your competence gaps and suggest how you can make up for a lack of experience or education. They're the ones who'll tell you how to strengthen your cover letter or find a "hook" to rise above the competition. An added value is that your advisers will intimately know your interests and aspirations. Treat them well, and you'll probably find them a great source of referrals to people in their own network of colleagues.

The job market is robust and excellent opportunities abound, particularly for those with college degrees, making 2007 a great time for a career makeover. But that doesn't mean you have to move on. After you've done your homework, you may decide that the best place to be is exactly where you are now.

If that's the case, don't think you wasted your time going through the four steps. This work will help you be much better prepared when you are ready to make a move. Anything that makes you count your blessings is truly a gift! Happy holidays.

Send your ideas and questions to CurranOnCareers@gmail.com.

Curran has more than 25 years' experience in human resources and career coaching. She is currently executive director of the Duke University Career Center. She is co-author of Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career.