Excellent article that demonstrates the importance of establishing career direction and developing strategies to evaluate interviews or job offers before you write a resume or try to secure interviews. Create a “dream job list” as the first step in the job search process. Brainstorm and write down the job-related, day-to-day responsibilities you would like to do in your next job. Avoid using job titles. Next, write down things external to the job, but are important to you such as commute time, size of company, company culture and so on. This list should be periodically updated just like a resume. The end result is that the job seeker should have enough direction to enter the job market based on day-to-day responsibilities, good questions to ask the company during the interview (ask appropriate questions that will get you the answers to your dream job list), and a tool to conduct a formal evaluation of the interview or job offer so a decision is not based only on emotion.
Need additional assistance? Please consider contacting Job Transitions for a free resume review and initial consultation. www.jobtransitions.net.