"Just tell us how to get a job!" you've implored us at AOL
Jobs, and we listened. We're getting out the heavy artillery for you by posting the "One-Day Career Makeover" from
the book 'Career Comeback--Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want.' It's a makeover
you can give yourself at home, so it costs very little, if anything -- and you can do it no matter where you live. In just
one day, it can put you head and shoulders above your competition.
Dare
we say it? It can even be fun, if you do it right. This doesn't have to be an expensive, laborious, months-long process: Everything
can be completed in a lively eight hours, the equivalent of one normal work day. Recently, Kristen went from looking like
a fun mom to a fund raiser in a matter of hours. This recently divorced mother of three needed to re-enter the working world
fast, and in only one day she was ready.
"I
hadn't had a full time job outside the home in years--I was busy at home raising my kids," she said. "Everything
had changed 180 degrees since last time I looked for work. It's overwhelming trying to figure out even where to start. This
immediately got me going in the right direction."
Kristen's small son had recently battled cancer,
and she decided she would like to work for a non-profit organization to help raise funds and comfort families. She needed
to know how to incorporate her invaluable personal experience in her professional resume, how to use social networking to
reach out to potential donors and sponsors and how to dress professionally to approach them in person. She was able to accomplish
all of this and more in just one day.
Even
if you already have a job, you might be worried about hanging onto it. Why not set aside a Saturday to give yourself this
one-day career makeover, so you'll be ready to start a job search if, god forbid, you get laid off. It never hurts to reconnect
with old (and possibly influential friends) This is also a helpful exercise if you're happily employed and seeking a promotion.
"Once I started suddenly dressing better for work and sharpening my image,"
said Anne, who prefers not to give her full name so as not to tip her hand, "people thought I was going on interviews
for other jobs. Within two weeks my bossed called me in, asked me if I was happy, and offered me a raise and a promotion--even
in this economy! It was great!"
Who knows? Once you complete these steps, you just might wake up the next morning
and find, waiting patiently in your e-mail box, a few job opportunities from employers who are looking for you!
