by Wayne Ripley - Jan 22, 2010
Any significant project should start with a plan. A job search is not exception. Create a written self marketing plan articulating your career objective, your time frames, activities, perhaps even a budget. As you conduct research, add your target companies, bridge contacts, research needs, etc.A = Attitude. Work on yours. It's half the equation. Stop making excuses. Just do it! All of it. Sure it's tough out there. Sure it's hard work. But unless you're independently wealthy you have no alternative!
E = Effort. The other half of the equation. A couple years ago you could take the easy way out and put minimal effort into a job search and still be successful. But today devoting anything less than 30 or 40 hours a week may lengthen your search and product a less than satisfactory result. You used to work 40 or 50 hours a week. Why would you put anything less than that into your most important priority?
Think outside the box. If you're doing what everyone else is doing then you're going to get lost in a very large crowd. Get creative. Find ways to separate yourself from the millions of others looking for jobs.
Spending hours in front of your computer logged onto Monster.com or Careerbuilder is exactly what millions of other unemployed people are doing. Think of approaches that others haven't thought of. Be proactive. Find ways to network into your target companies before they advertise openings.
Work on your resume. It can always be improved. It's a "work in progress". Review it every week or two and find ways to strengthen it.
Never send out a resume without first tailoring it to the specific position for which you are applying.
Network, network, network. Networking is always the most important element in a job search. But during a recession it becomes critical. Companies are less likely to advertise openings or pay a recruiter.
Use your 30-second commercial. Set a goal to use your 30-second commercial three, four or five times every day! Really! When was the last time you used your 30-second commercial?
Have business cards printed. Use them! Make it a point to pass out five, ten twenty a day!
Create your own networking/roundtable group and meet weekly or bi-weekly. You can review each others resumes, practice interviewing and share information.
Reach out to senior people in your target companies. Don't be shy about writing letters or calling CEO's or other prominent people. Sure you may be rejected. So what. You may not be.
Try to get some media coverage. Contact an editor of a newspaper, newsletter, local magazine, etc. and see if they are looking for sources to use in stories about the job market or your industry.
Start a blog about something within your area of knowledge and push it out to your network.
Offer to be a speaker at a meeting, professional organization or community group and present something about which you are knowledgeable.
Volunteer. This is an excellent way to network as well as a productive use of your spare time. Look for opportunities with the Metro Orlando Economic Development Committee, a local Chamber of Commerce or Enterprise Florida.
Read the Orlando Business Journal and Monday's Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Business section. What is happening in Central Florida? Who is building, growing, moving, etc.? Who has been appointed, promoted, hired, etc? Who is meeting this week? Both publications are filled with information and intelligence that can give you an advantage over other job seekers.
Are you Linked In? Do you Twitter? These have become "must have" tools for a job search. Learn to use them effectively.
Take a course. Are your computer skills up to date? How about something related to your profession or industry? This may enhance your resume. Did you know that you might be eligible to receive assistance with class tuition, childcare, transportation, books and fees from the State of Florida?
If you are offered outplacement support from Right Management or any other company, take advantage of it. These companies offer a wide range of services that most candidates don't avail themselves of. Right Management candidates: Have you used I-View? Contacted the Business Information Center? Attended all of the workshops? Explored Right-from-Home? Had a consultant review your resume?
Every time you attend a workshop or go in to the Right Management office, make it a point to talk to someone you don't already know. Introduce yourself using your 30-second commercial. See what you have in common and how you might be able to help each other.
Go to job fairs. Waste of time? Poor excuse. You have the time. Sure the list of companies doesn't look that appealing. But a job fair is also a chance to network, to practice your 30-second commercial and your interview skills.
Have a weekly activity plan. Lay out your week on Sunday night, not in great detail but in half days. Your time is limited and goes quickly. Don't look back and find that you squandered it. This is not a vacation.
Practice your interviewing skills. If you haven't interviewed in two, five, ten or twenty years you need practice. It doesn't matter that you've always been good at it. Are you prepared for a behavioral interview?
Get a haircut or new hair style. Shave that beard. Dress more professionally. Update your wardrobe. Project the right image. When you're looking for a job you're always on stage - always.
Find a block of time during the week for an activity you enjoy, such as golf, shopping, time with the family, etc. You need something you can look forward to - something that you couldn't do during the week when you were working. You still need to spend 30+ hours a week on your search but there's plenty of time to take one morning or afternoon for yourself.
Exercise. Really! No, you don't need to run a marathon. Take a walk. Ride your bike. Exercise helps with stress and it may also help lose a few of those extra pounds which will improve your appearance.
Get a copy of "What Color is Your Parachute" y Richard Nelson Bolles. Read it. Apply it.
Go to JobHuntersBible.com. There's a world of information there for job seekers.
Posts
