22
Young People For
Young People For
01
Table of ContentsYP4 Little Black BookMastering the Search Process:Knowing & Communicating Your Authentic SelfContent by Cathy Wasserman
Presented By:Cathy Wasserman, MSWFor: Young People For Fellows, People for the American Way FoundationApril 2006
Edited & Compiled by the YP4 Little Black Book Editorial Board:TJ Helmstetter Alex Flores Liz FossettElizabeth Camuti Paul Kendrick Reed Schuler
Chapter 1: Starting the Search Process ..........................01
Chapter 2: Your Ideal Job Description................................12
Chapter 3: Potential Future Careers ....................................22
0302
tStarting the Search Process: Getting to Know Your Authentic Self
Steps to Build Your Self-knowledgeIt takes a lifetime to fully know yourself and that is if you are moving quick-ly! So how do you take the express bus to self-knowledge? Well, there are alot of things that you can do to jump-start or intensify this journey.
2 Be OpenWhen you are just starting out as a professional, it is particularly importantto consciously make the effort to keep your mind, and thus, your futurewide open. Try out new experiences; a new hobby or volunteer opportuni-ties are great ways to get your wheels greased.
2 Assess Your Past ExperiencesTake every volunteer and professional experience you have had and formal-ly assess what you learned and what you would do differently next time for
Self-Knowledge: Your North StarMy experience has shown that your knowledge about who you are professionally
and personally is the most critical element in creating a successful search process.
It is not the ability to “sell yourself.” Indeed, “selling” yourself usually backfires
because it comes across as pushy and about self-serving, whereas you want to con-
vey a straightforward style and interest in a position and organization. Invest your
energy into clarifying what you really love to do, where your strengths and skills
lie, and potential careers that most excite you! Once you have this clarity, you can
communicate to the world with precision and enthusiasm. Without this clarity, you
may send mixed and ultimately confusing signals that do not allow future employ-
ees and others to recognize all that you have to offer.
2 Create a Professional ProfileA key part of this process is creating a per-sonal professional profile; a document whereyou take full account of your expertise. Thisshould not be with relation to a particular jobyou want to apply for, but on the whole, sothat you can get a real sense of your bestassets and which areas you would like toimprove for the future. A professional profileis different from a resume (although it pro-vides a great foundation for writing aresume) in that it is an assessment, not just adescription of your passions, skills, knowl-edge, and experience. It should also act as a projection of your ideal job,working environment, and possible future careers.
Don’t forget to update your professional profile at least once a year so thatyou have a continual read on your “professional temperature.” Keep yourselfon track for a satisfying and exciting future.
0504
ta better experience. This can help you to quickly build a personal databaseabout your strengths, skills, knowledge, and weaker points.
It is important to bear in mind that, especially when you are starting out,very few experiences or decisions you make are critical mistakes. Instead,they allow you to refine and clarify where you want to head and how youwill get there.
2 Ask for On-going FeedbackYou almost always gain valuable information when you ask for feedbackfrom colleagues, supervisors, professors, mentors, and friends. Asking peo-ple to think about your strengths and those areas that they think you canbenefit from working on can help you to further assess how you want tobuild your skills and experience.
This should not be with rela-tion to a particular job youwant to apply for, but on thewhole, so that you can get areal sense of your best assetsand which areas you would liketo improve for the future.
Work on a professional profile before you create or edit yourresume or send out your next cover letter. The appendices maytake you several hours to do, but they are a great investmentbecause they will undoubtedly help you write standout resumesand cover letters that paint a succinct yet vivid picture of howyou can benefit a potential employer. It should also help you tocome across strongly in both job and informational interviews.
07
2 Strategically Build Your Skills, Experience, & KnowledgeIt is crucial to put all of the assessments that you do in your professionalprofile to work for yourself! Pay particularly close attention to recommen-dations described below within the ‘Skills, Experience, & Knowledge toBuild’ section for how to build into your life the on-going learning that willhelp you to continually secure great work.
The Nuts & Bolts of the Professional Profile2 Biggest Personal & Professional Passions
Doing things we love to do satisfies our personal and professional aspira-tions. Thus, it is crucial to know what activities or work responsibilitiesyou enjoy. This category may include activities that you may not practiceprofessionally. These activities are important for several reasons; first, youmay be able to incorporate aspects of these passions into your next job.Second, continuing to develop your passions, even if you do not utilizethem in your professional work, will increase your energy and enthusiasm.Energy and enthusiasm, in turn, will help you to be more successful professionally.
2 Skills, Experience, & Knowledge AssessmentUndoubtedly, you have substantial skill, experience, and knowledgealready. You may not yet be clear on the many facets of your expertise andthe added value that they can bring to organizations. Clarity about yourskills will allow you to clearly communicate how you can best serve andbenefit potential employers. It can be particularly helpful to poll col-leagues, mentors, friends, and supervisors for their perspective on yourstrengths to complete this exercise.
06
t2 Professional Accomplishments
Knowing what you feel most proud of having done professionally can giveyou a lot of good clues about where you have had the most impact. It canalso give you clues about which areas you devote your time and energy toin the future.
2 Your Ideal Job DescriptionPeople have the tendency to try to fit themselves into jobs rather than firstfully assessing whether they are the right fit. Knowing what specific tasksyou are energized by doing on the job as well as the kind of environment inwhich you thrive will help you to understand the kinds of positions andorganizations in which you are likely to be a great fit. Your thoughts heremight vary from organizational culture to the kind of supervision that bestnurtures your professional growth. See Appendix 1 for worksheet.
2 Potential Future CareersAt the beginning of your career it can be tough to know exactly where youare headed. Staying open to different possibilities will help you find themost fulfilling professional path. At the same time, it is important to assess
Additionally, if your GPA is over3.5, you may wantto include it.
09
what you know and what skills you lack. Project possible professionalpaths to give yourself an advantage when exploring new professional oppor-tunities and directions. See Appendix 2 for worksheet.
2 Skills, Experience, & Knowledge to BuildAfter you have completed all of the other parts of the profile, it is crucial tospend some time thinking about which areas you would like to or need tobuild over your career given your longer-term goals. Then, you need tobuild a realistic and energizing plan outlining the specific steps you aregoing to take to build your skill set.
Managing the Logistics of the Search2 Keep a Search Notebook
Before we dive into the mechanics of the search, purchase a notebook. Useit to take note of every action or step you take, no matter how small andinconsequential. There is no need to get fancy, just date each entry andsummarize what you did that day in bullet points, whether you completedthe ‘Ideal Job Description’ or sent an email to set up an informational inter-view. In addition to being a great way to keep track of everything you aredoing and helping you to stay on top of deadlines, the search notebook canalso be called upon as a source of support.
Search processes can be demanding and there are bound to be times whenyou feel frustrated. In those times, it can be really helpful to review every-thing you’ve done and to remind yourself that you are making steadyprogress. Lastly, by showing you every step in your search, your notebookcan also help you take note of whether you may need to fine-tune yourmethods.
08
t
Establish a Good Search Support SystemIt is important to establish a core group of peoplewhether friends, mentors, professors, career coaches, orfamily who you can call upon for advice or when youjust need some encouragement. Know ahead of time thelist of people you will contact to lighten your load fromthe outset.
Pace Your SearchThe search process takes a lot of time and energy and itis important to make sure that you maintain your stami-na. Before you dive in, try to assess what expectationsyou have for yourself each week. Consider all of yourother responsibilities and come up with a thorough, butrealistic plan. Please see each up-coming section forinformation on how to pace yourself through specifictasks, including writing your resume and cover letters,preparing for interviews, and networking.
NOTES
t Appendix 1:Your Ideal Job Description
Your ideal work
2 What tasks will definitely NOT be included in your ideal work?
•
•
•
•
•
•
1312
Be as specific as possible in describing your ideal duties and responsibilities. Next toeach one, approximate the percentage of time you would like to spend doing theactivity. Do not worry about making sure the activities all fit within a particularkind of job, just list the activities that you really love to do at work. (For example,Meeting with potential funders to discuss how my organization’s teen mothers’ pro-gram can add to their portfolio- 15%.)
Your working style and ideal organization,colleagues, and manager
2 Please describe your working style: (For example, do you tend to prefer working on your own? Checking in with your manager daily, everyother day? Is it important to you to be low-key and calm under pressure? Do you thrive when you canbring your sense of humor to the job? etc…)
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
2 Please describe the working styles of colleagues with whom you interact welland less well. (For example, some people work well with colleagues who take a lot of initiative or are more formalon the job. Others tend to work better with colleagues who are more casual or who pay enormousattention to detail.)
I interact well with colleagues who:
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
I interact less well with colleagues who:
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————15t
2 Are you supervising individuals? If so, how many? Are you supervising projects? If so, what kinds of projects?
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Please summarize in 1-3 sentences what you will be doing in your ideal joband, if possible, list a few job titles that seem to capture your ideal work: (For this question, you want to look for themes in the tasks that you love to do; now is the time togroup them and reflect upon what kinds of jobs involve everything or most of what you love to do.)
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
14
1716
2 What kinds of expertise would you like your colleagues to have? What kindsof things would you like to learn from them?
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Please describe the kind of organization you would like to work for:
Mission(s):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
Approximate # of staff:
———————————————————————————————————————
Organizational culture:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Please list any aspect of an organization’s culture that would NOT be a goodfit for you:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Please describe the characteristics, working style and approach to supervisionof your ideal supervisor:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Please describe any characteristics and style of a supervisor that would NOTbe a good fit for you:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 What kinds of things would you like to learn from your next supervisor?
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
1918
Benefits etc…2 Optimal number of hours you would you like to work per week: — —
2 Number of hours, which you will not work more than per week: — —
2 Optimal preferred salary or salary range: — —
2 Minimum preferred salary or salary range: — —
2 Description of optimal benefits:
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
2 Description of minimum benefits you will accept:
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
Deal BreakersPlease list any elements in your ideal job that are deal breakers for you, that is,without which you likely will not apply to or accept a job. Note, that it is alsohelpful to list your deal breakers in order of importance. (For example, perhapsyou know that you absolutely cannot do your best work if an organization hasmore than 40-50 staff so staff size of more than 40 would be a major dealbreaker for you.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2 Is there any information that you left out that you think is a key part ofyour ideal job?
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
NOTES
tAppendix 2:Potential Future Careers
In 1-2 years, I would like to:
2 Be working with these kinds of organizations (mission & culture):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be doing these kinds of tasks every day at work:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of job titles:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of colleagues (expertise, working style, educational background etc..):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
Although it can be hard to imagine yourself in the future, do be detailed in thisworksheet. Your aspirations may evolve, but this worksheet will provide you with anumber of ideas and with a better sense of yourself. Don’t forget that most peoplechange careers more than once during their lives so do not hesitate to incorporatediverse ideas and dreams! (If you want, add career intervals such as 7-10 years or 15years for greater insight.)
2322
25
2 Be making these kinds of impact:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Questions I need answered or additional information, knowledge, or skills thatI may need in order to do the above:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
In 3 years, I would like to:
2 Be working with these kinds of organizations (mission & culture):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be doing these kinds of tasks every day at work:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————24
2 Have these kinds of job titles:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have this kind of expertise:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of colleagues:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be making these kinds of impact:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of job titles:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have this kind of expertise:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of colleagues:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be making these kinds of impact:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————27
2 Questions I need answered or additional information, knowledge, or skills thatI may need in order to do the above:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
In 5 years, I would like to:
2 Be working with these kinds of organizations (mission & culture):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be doing these kinds of tasks every day at work:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
26
2 Have these kinds of job titles:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have this kind of expertise:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of colleagues:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be making these kinds of impact:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————————————— 29
2 Questions I need answered or additional information, knowledge, or skills thatI may need in order to do the above:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
In 10 years, I would like to:
2 Be working with these kinds of organizations (mission & culture):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be doing these kinds of tasks every day at work:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
28
2 Have these kinds of job titles:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have this kind of expertise:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Have these kinds of colleagues:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be making these kinds of impact:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————————————
31
2 Questions I need answered or additional information, knowledge, or skills thatI may need in order to do the above:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
By the end of my career, I would like to:
2 Be working with these kinds of organizations (mission & culture):
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
2 Be doing these kinds of tasks every day at work:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
30
33
2 Questions I need answered or additional information, knowledge, or skills thatI may need in order to do the above:
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————
32
NOTES
NOTES
NOTES
Young People For
Young People For
is a initiative
is a program of
