Your Career: It's All About Results
"Never mistake activity for achievement." –John Wooden
This quote by John Wooden is great to keep in mind when talking about your career. Experience is great, education and training is usually required and always useful, industry knowledge helps, but in the end it's all about the results. When you're talking to a prospective employer, the main question they're asking themselves (and probably you) is "did you deliver results before, and can you do it again for me?" People are hired based on prior success, and an assumption they can make a repeat performance.
When talking and thinking about work, it's easy to get caught up in "time spent" as a measure. In school I remember one student whipping out their project an hour before class, I'd slaved over mine for days. Theirs was better, everyone loved it. So unfair, right? I had worked longer and harder. A lesson I learned quickly was that there are no points for time or effort, only for the end result.
This same lesson translates to the workplace. While most employers recognize years on the job, and some reward (openly or otherwise) hours spent in the office, in the long run results count. If a great product is developed, a problem solved, or a sale closed, the years of tenure or "face time" doesn't matter nearly as much as the end result. Success is what people remember, and what pushes the company forward. I know some workplaces aren't like this…but most people want to work somewhere that they can see the result of their efforts.
This is a difficult reality to face, especially when you have a lot of experience. We often think that experience itself is a reason we should be hired or kept on a team, but really it just means that you have the background and knowledge to get results. When you're sharing your strong experience with a prospective employer, describe the successes that experience helped you achieve. Show why having the experience matters and helps you get the results they need. Experience is a tool to help you achieve something, just like training, education, industry knowledge, or anything else you may bring to the table.
When editing your resume, keep this concept of "results delivered" top of mind. Read your resume with that filter – what can you change to highlight the results you've produced in previous positions? Prospective employers are interested in what you can do for them, and that is best shown by what you've done before. A results-oriented resume with specific outcomes, backed up by years of experience, education, professional development and a strong portfolio of work (however you show that) helps you show that you can deliver when it counts.
This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included. ©2010 Kristen Harris, Portfolio Creative, LLC.
Kristen Harris is co-founder and owner of Portfolio Creative, a workforce innovation firm that was named the 326th fastest growing company in the U.S. by Inc. magazine in 2009. Portfolio Creative helps companies streamline and innovate their creative work to save time, energy and money. www.portfolioiscreative.com.
Questions and Answers
Remember is that currently there are a lot of other people out of work. It's a small comfort, but you are not alone. You have not been singled out. It is an unfortunate change in our economy that many people have been caught up in. Which means that when a job is posted the company will get bombarded with hundreds of resumes. In that pile is you, along with all of the other very qualified people. It's possible this might be a long process, so why not learn how to make the most of it?
We've talked before about using social media in your job search, and while this maybe second nature to some, many of you are still baffled and bewildered by it. So this is our quick-yet-in-depth guide to using social media in your job search.
As head of a job placement firm, I've seen a lot of do's and don'ts when it comes to finding a job. Networking, while a powerful strategy for landing a new career opportunity, can be done in such a way that it limits your chances rather than expands them. Here are five of the most common networking blunders and some strategies to correct them.
Whether it's a New Year's resolution, rebounding from the holidays or simply having more free time, the new year makes people think about their career.
Job hunting in a good economy can be an effort. In a slumping economy it can be downright brutal. It would seem logical that job seekers would use every available strategy to secure employment. Yet according to a recent study by Career Builder and The Inavero Institute for Service Research*, the majority of job seekers are not utilizing key resources in their search.
Online career tools, of which there are many, should be a key component of your job searching strategy.
If you are unemployed and wanted to find a good job, then the shortest route possible is approaching a placement agency.
Time management is an act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.Time management can be effectively done by using various tools and techniques.
Glass ceiling is legitimate and find a solution. This is one of the biggest mistakes that many commit. Sexual discrimination is extremely much legitimate and don't permit this only thing to hold you back and accomplish your ambitions especially in this ever-changing age of modernization.
Microsoft IT jobs are not easy to come buy, the nature of the company, requires the best there is and this is why you have to get outstanding skills and qualifications to even be considered.
The health care industry is continuously growing and there's no sign of it slowing down soon. The growth can also be seen on the allied health care services closely tied up to medicine. The reason for this growth is the continued demand for health care. It was further fueled in the past decade by the fact that the world population is aging and is therefore requiring more health care services.
Whether it's a New Year's resolution, rebounding from the holidays or simply having more free time, the new year makes people think about their career.
Whether you are aggressively seeking a new position or just putting your feelers out there because you've heard that companies are starting to hire again, this information can provide a lot of insight into how to approach your search.
When it comes to jobs, "the new normal" often means higher unemployment rates, fewer manufacturing and construction jobs. What else should we expect as we adjust to lingering changes in the work world?
A creative staffing professional gives tips on how to make the most of your job search
There are many ways people evaluate you in your career. Learn how to make every reflection of you a positive one.
Discuss this Article
