So, you’ve gotten your CV all in place and you’re ready to get out there and look for all the help you can get in finding just what you want.

When you are an older applicant, you need to work at it to ensure that you become irresistably attractive to prospective employers. To get this right, you need to be pro-active.

Now, if that sounds like it comes from the mouths of high-fee management-speak consultants you’ve heard swanning around a workplace or other, generally just causing bother, well, that’s as maybe.

Think of it more as those who ’stand up to be counted’ are streets ahead of everyone else - and have the ‘luck’ when it comes to getting just what they want.

Luck?

Well, fact is my friends, that you make your own luck in this life - and being up early in the job-seeking stakes is where you win.

By seeking out opportunities where you can develop your skills in the direction of roles you have been attracted to, you will look like you are very interested in the job.

This can take the form of additional training courses as well as taking on temporary experiences, maybe even unpaid, that will get your ready to hit the ground running when you get the job you’re looking for.

That’s pro-active, fattens up your CV with new experiences and looks real swell when it comes to showing that you have the interest and energy to go an extra mile to deliver what’s important.

And you have no idea how rare that is. And prospective employers love it.

Next up is the next tip in a few days - so hang on in there!

Where You Work Right Now

Often, especially if you work in a big organization, there will be a huge range of jobs there, some of which might suit you down to the ground.

Indeed, if you are looking to manipulate your way to your dream job, it might be a useful strategy to get into the organization first and then work your way into a position where you can apply for the job you wanted in the first place!

Even if the job you fancy seems a long way off (like CEO :-)), the goal gives you a great target to aim at, so you can work your way towards it with a strategic career plan.

That will mean looking closely at what the target role entails and then planning a series of jobs that get you nearer, by building your resume to fill the spaces.

In a lot of organizations now, you get a ‘matrix’ approach, rather than a ‘ladder’ to climb. This means that by building a portfolio of experiences towards your target role, you will then be well placed to get it when the time comes.

You may find the side-to-side roles, often very different a bit challenging to get used to, but it really works!