Navigating the Valley

Skills, Strategies, and Support for Knowledge Job Seekers.

Session 1: Creating Your Path Forward

Welcome and Introductions

   •   Share personal stories: “Where are you now, and where do you want to go?”

   •   Establish a supportive group environment.

Defining the Middle Ground

   •  Discuss the challenges of the “middle” stage of unemployment.

    •   Explore how routines and structure can combat frustration and ineffectiveness.

 Building a Daily Routine

   •   Exercise: Design your “ideal day” using routine building blocks.

   •   Key elements:

   •   Waking up and preparing for the day as if going to work.

   •   Allocating time for job search, skill-building, and networking.

    •   Discuss the importance of journaling: Reflecting on wins, lessons, and tomorrow’s plan.

    •   Action Planning

    •   Develop individual action plans: Set weekly themes and goals.

      •   Apply Peter Drucker’s “managing oneself” framework to self-monitor progress.

Session 2: Mastering the Job Search and Networking

The Job Search as Your Job

      •   Strategies for effective job searching: Prioritizing quality over quantity.

      •   Chunking time for job search activities (e.g., applying, tailoring resumes).

    •   Networking with Purpose

      •   How to stay in front of people: Reaching out with confidence.

      •   Practice: Crafting and delivering an authentic elevator pitch.

 LinkedIn Mastery

      •   Optimize your profile to showcase your value.

      •   Learn how to leverage LinkedIn for connections, job alerts, and messaging.

Session 3: Skill Development for Workplace Competitiveness

Hard Skills to Build

      •   Excel Essentials: Learn formulas, pivot tables, and basic data visualization.

      •   Database Basics: Introduction to data management and simple SQL queries.

      •   AI Tools: Use AI for productivity, task management, and job search enhancement.

    •   Balancing Skills and Routine

    •   Allocate time daily or weekly to develop relevant skills.

      •   Exercise: Identify two skills to build and resources to use.

Session 4: Thriving in the Middle and Moving Forward

Self-Management and Progress Tracking

      •   What did I do well today?

      •   Weekly “call your shots”: Write down goals and assess outcomes.

 Discuss journaling questions:

         •   What can I improve?

         •   What’s my plan for tomorrow?

 Mindset and Resilience

      •   Explore Jason Selk’s “relentless solution focus”: Focus on small daily wins.

      •   Group activity: Share progress and lessons from the week.

Finalizing the Action Plan

      •   Refine individual plans with group feedback.

      •   Set accountability checkpoints and identify ongoing learning resources.

Closing and Reflection

      •   Discuss lessons learned from the workshop.

      •   Share final words of encouragement and support.

Ongoing Support:

   •   Weekly peer check-ins to review progress and adjust plans.

   •   Access to curated resources for skill-building, job searching, and resilience.