Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

UKs top Career Transition Coach reveals 'how to sharpen your survivor instinct at work!'

PRESS RELEASE
Author available for interviews

HOW TO SHARPEN YOUR SURVIVOR INSTINCT AT WORK

14th August 2008 - What are the smartest strategies for impressing your boss? How can you effectively market yourself within an organisation? Why do you need to? What is 'career management'? How can you find new fields of work and completely change careers? What do you do if your current job ceases to exist and you do not have a 'Plan B' in place? How can you avoid 'Monday Blues' and love what you do every day of the week? These are all classic career conundrums! John Lees, top career transition coach and author tackles these, and many more more, in How to Get a Job You'll Love - a practical guide to unlocking your talents and finding your ideal career, (5th edition/revised, October 2008, McGraw-Hill, £12.99).

"No job is entirely recession proof. Right now job security is the top issue for people and there are many things you can do to improve the chances you'll still be in your job in 12 months time. Here are some strategies to set you on your way," advises Lees.

10 Point Checklist for taking control of your career in difficult times:

1.Look at what's working, rather than what isn't. Which parts of your job are still effective even in difficult times?

2.Find leverage. Concentrate your efforts on projects which are seen to be fireproof, or ways of protecting your income stream.

3.Find a fast-track mentor - an informal arrangement with someone more senior than you who can help you decode your organisation while it's going through tough times.

4.Don't ask for a pay rise just because everyone else is reacting to rising costs. Demonstrate your value - not your cost.

5.Go way, way beyond your job description in value-adding ways. Career progression, ultimately, is not a question of what you do, but how far you are seen to be doing the things that matter.

6.At the same time, work smarter not harder on tasks which your organisation recognises as things that make a difference.

7.Stay on winning teams. This is the time to negotiate a move away from a dead-end role, or a part of the organisation which is seen as under-performing or peripheral.

8.Stay in touch with changes in your sector, and do not stop networking - both for industry knowledge and for insider tips on the hidden job market.

9.Don't adopt cynicism of the marketplace. Not all organisations and markets are in decline - do not miss opportunities by seeing your glass as constantly half-empty - adopt a glass half-full mentality.

10.Stock your lifeboat before jumping ship: understand what you are really looking for rather than passively reacting to advertised or headhunted opportunities. Well-informed job seekers find great jobs in tough times.

This 5th revised edition of How to Get a Job You'll Love includes: tips on getting through competency based interviews, advice on how to find the right field of work, strategies to help make a complete career change, updated material on age discrimination and how to conduct an effective job search in a declining market.

Other Chapters include: working smarter at your career, what's the problem?, where next after finishing your studies?, thinking around corners, your career hot buttons, your house of knowledge, what do you have to offer, who are you?, what is the right field of work for you? Do you need a complete change of career? Interviews and how to survive them, how to love the job you've got and building a portfolio career. Also included are: key checklists, help with finding the right careers consultant and useful appendices too.

John Lees is presenting & exhibiting at:

Forum 3 - Volunteering & Recruitment event at the Business Design Centre in Islington on 10th & 11th October 2008 and at
One Life Live at Olympia 13,14th & 15th March 2009.

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All publicity enquiries re John Lees titles to:

Sue Blake Media on
0208 979 5220, 07966 538108, sue@sueblakemedia.co.uk
How to Get a Job You'll Love ISBN 9780077121808, £12.99

In addition to How to Get a Job You'll Love: Take Control of Your Career, Why YOU? - CV Messages to Win Jobs and Job Interviews - top answers to tough questions. McGraw-Hill.