Have you looked at yourself through the critical eye of a recruiter or hiring manager? What about from the point of view of your boss, recent or past? Are you the type of employee you would want to hire? Do you meet the high standards you place on others?
Reconnaissance Mission
Take an hour to do due diligence on yourself. Don’t pick an hour when you are frazzled, tired or just in a plain old bad mood. Find a time when you are alert and ready to accept the challenge.
Do you have an accurate sense of your strengths and/or areas for growth? Does your self assessment match the assessment of others?
Reread your most recent performance evaluation. Have you internalized the feedback and made any adjustments?
How thorough is your LinkedIn profile? Did you throw it up with minimal investment or did you ponder every word choice to ensure the best YOU is presented? Did you look at the profile of the person you most admire and compare? What about the profile of your arch-nemesis?
Does your public facebook page reinforce your professional presence? What about your twitter feed?
What are the first 5 entries when you google yourself? If there is nothing there, do you exist?
What does your appearance say about you? Are you: ironed or wrinkled; flamboyant in a bank setting; punked out in hospitality; tattooed in healthcare? Does any of this matter? Nope, but it is a choice. These choices effect hiring. Just like making a choice not to relocate will eliminate you from consideration.
I’m sure there are many more things to consider. Let us know below what other things you should consider prior to accepting the mission.
The author, Diahann Boock, is the founder of Women's Ally. For information about working with
Diahann, check out our Programs.
