In a professional world that is constantly evolving (teleworking, digitalization of skills, a four-day week, a hidden market for job offers, an injunction to give meaning to one's career, etc.) the ability to identify and seize professional opportunities is essential for a successful career. Whether you are looking for advancement, a career change or new growth paths, knowing how to identify and seize the professional opportunities is an essential skill.
Identify professional opportunities
First of all, let's agree on what a professional opportunity is. When looking for a job, we often think of looking at job offers on specialized sites. These offers, on the Internet, Pôle Emploi, in the newspapers, are plethora and we can think that it is enough to consult them every day, to answer the ones that correspond to us and to wait! This technique can work but it's a shame because you deprive yourself of 75% of professional opportunities by sticking to this method alone.
Professional opportunities are everywhere, including (and especially) outside the professional sphere and classified ads. They are found in a meeting with a person in need, in our intervention noticed during an association meeting, in a classified ad in the queue at the bakery, etc. opportunities are creeping everywhere!
Besides, 75% of the hires of confirmed managers are carried out via the so-called hidden market, i.e. via the network. No offers are published to find out if a job is open, if a company is looking for a new person, so you have to become an actor and meet your network, which is much larger than you think. So how do you contact him?
Activate your professional network
Activating your network is not the same as telling people that you are looking for a job! Activating your network means making yourself visible to the professional community that interests you. Don't be afraid to contact people. At worst, they say no to you or they don't answer you. Nothing too serious!
To access this invisible market, access your former collaborators, friends on Linkedin, friends on Linkedin, professional groups, etc. Participating in trade shows, corporate webinars, being active on Facebook groups or on Twitter discussions about the sector or companies that interest you allows you to highlight your expertise, to establish useful relationships, and to be known by potential recruiters.
Don't forget to stay on top of trends, innovations and developments in your field of interest. Follow blogs, articles, podcasts, and conferences to stay in the know. This exercise will give you ideas for meetings but also ideas for discussions to hold with the different people in your network.
Finally, vocational training can play a significant role. invest in your professional development by participating in training courses, workshops and certifications. This will make you more attractive to new opportunities, and maybe give you other ideas for meetings.
Seizing opportunities
Have you spotted a potential job? First of all, Analyze the opportunity based on your long-term goals. Here are a few questions to ask yourself. Does it bring you closer to your professional vision? Do the tasks you will have to do make sense for you? When choosing, we sometimes forget it because we absolutely want to get the job, but it is important to take a little time and ask yourself a few questions: will I enjoy doing the tasks requested? Will I improve my work/life balance? These questions are important to avoid disillusionment after a few months, with abandonment and a whole search to start again! If, on the contrary, the job offer ticks all the boxes, then do not hesitate.
Your application must be personalized and tailor-made., under penalty of not being taken into consideration by the recruiter. It should relate to the offer, explain what you are looking for and what you are interested in. For example, it is particularly important to take care of the title and the style of your resume and to highlight the skills and experiences in line with the expectations of the recruiter.
To avoid wasting your energy and morale in too many applications, Allow yourself at first to focus only on the offers that you like the most : it is probably on these positions that you will know how to be the most convincing! Then do not hesitate to do a few reminders, without overdoing it, this can be a good way to get a response.
Identifying and seizing a professional opportunity requires a combination of actions and strategic discernment, so as not to disperse and discourage you. Dare to meet new people, dig into the topics you are passionate about, and with a little patience and action, you will identify and seize the best professional opportunities to advance your career.
