7 Step Checklist to Job Search Success

1. Get focused. Write down your preferred industry, geographic preferences, salary requirements, job search time frame, and brainstorm on what kind of company you see yourself working for. In other words, you must begin your job search at the end and work backwards. Get a crystal clear vision of what your outcome should be and what your focus is. A bullseye makes a great target. Passively jumping at things that come along on job boards hasn’t worked for a long time.
2. Create your marketing collateral. A great resume and value proposition letter are essential. If you can afford to invest in yourself, hire a TOP certified resume writer. Your effort will pay off here.
3. Create or update your LinkedIn profile. A quick tip about LinkedIn: keyword optimization is one of the primary ways to get more of the right eyes looking at your profile. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is keyword optimized to your next career move!
4. Create a list of people you know to network with. Learn to network smart – don’t ask for a job; ask for information and contacts in your industry of interest. Tip: when you are networking, you are not job searching. Embrace this so you don’t feel like you are tricking anyone. True networking has great rewards. One being that jobs, contacts and information come to you.
5. Define the best job search strategies for YOU. Recruiters can be helpful if you have a stellar track record and are staying in the same industry. Direct mail campaigns work on all levels, from entry to executive – done right, they can cut a line right to the decision-maker and land you interviews quickly. Networking works best when combined with other strategies. Job boards can yield some results if you are in a highly specialized position and industry – otherwise, you might just be wasting your time. Private equity and venture capital distributions can work for certain executives. You need to invest some time figuring out what strategies will work best for your particular situation. Need help? Get my book on the Hidden Job Market, invest in the Job Search Success System or call me at 830-331-9398.
6. Create a schedule and keep it. Assign certain hours and certain days to commit to focusing on your job search. Personally, I prefer you create a modest schedule that you are always able to keep and also ensures you get enough time off. In a job search you want to leave extra time for relaxation and rest (just trust me – it works). Batch your activities so that certain days are devoted to ONE main activity. These may include sending out letters, research, making phone calls, or following up with people, such as recruiters. You will take the overwhelm out of your job search and get a lot more done in less time by doing this.
7. BONUS tip. Automate your search to save you even more time. You can set up news alerts and email alerts to save yourself hours and hours so that all the information you want and need relative to your job search comes to you via your inbox. When I help my clients do this they tell me they go from surfing the net 20 to 40 hours a week to spending just a few hours, with more productivity and better results!

***You can purchase my e-books on Amazon for just a few dollars. E-books can be read on your computer, iPad or smartphone (you don’t need a Kindle!) The Career Artisan Series.

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Most professionals would love to land their dream job but when it comes to writing a resume that would qualify them to make the jump; they end up stuck with what to say and how to say it.

Not knowing how to create an interest-generating opening statement is a common problem and can quickly lead to job seeker discouragement before the job search even begins!

Here are 3 tips to creating a powerful opening statement that will quickly get you positive attention:

Tip #1 Do Create a Qualifications Summary

A qualifications summary should go at the very top of your resume. It does not explain what your professional objective or goal is, but it does give a clear and powerful overview of who you are and what you can do. Why don’t you want to use a professional objective? Because your resume needs to be focused on what you can do for a company versus what YOU are looking for.

Tip #2 Create an Authentic Opening Statement

To maximize your focus and clarity try a simple writing trick:

Begin to write about what you are doing when you are at your very best, followed by your other key strengths and attributes. Do not edit as you freely write up to a page of information. After a quick break, return to what you wrote and begin to highlight the key words and phrases you feel are the most powerful. Your document should be reduced to about half at this point. After another break, return to your document a second time and repeat this exercise. Now you have a powerful, authentic, and compelling draft statement describing where you really shine!

Tip #3 Use Universal Language

Another common mistake professionals will make is to load their opening statement with industry jargon. Yes if you are a CIO, corporate counsel, or a VP of Finance, you have very specific language that you use. However, your resume has to be written for multiple people in multiple departments. In many cases your resume is being viewed (and thus must be equally compelling) to directors of human resources, division presidents and various managers.

Scan your opening statement for red flags, including acronyms that are not spelled out, information on specific companies, too much detailed technical jargon and sentences that are only decipherable to people intimately associated with what you do.

These key tips will help you to easily create an authentic statement about who you are when you are at your career best, and command the attention of the companies that are looking for someone… just like you!

Want step-by-step instructions for completing your resume with custom online resume templates suitable for all career levels that you can download and keep for just $3.99? Grab the amazon bestseller: The 21^st Century Resume by Mary Elizabeth Bradford

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This TED Talk stands the test of time! A fascinating explanation of why we should ALL focus on WHY we do what we do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?feature=player_embedded&v=nj2ofrX7jAk

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*Warning: this article contains some “tough talk” and will probably offend some readers.

Sometimes I will have a client call me and share that while networking, they showed their new professionally designed resume to:

1. Their friend or business mentor whose opinion they trust
2. A powerful networking connection
3. A human resources person
4. A recruiter

And my client posed the question, “what do you think of my resume?”

Well, a large amount of the time, if you have had your resume professionally written by an experienced and certified writer, the response will be positive.

But sometimes they will interpret your question as an opportunity to attack your resume using all their powers of critical analysis – in the name of “helping you” (gee, thanks).

If you have ever been in this situation, you know the result – your confidence is shaken; you begin to doubt yourself; the focus becomes that there is something “wrong” with your resume. You call your writer demanding to know why they used that particular color or font because Suzie who just got a job in the HR department at Target last week knows well that this font color will keep you from realizing your dreams – or at least ever landing a job at Target.

Okay, I am being a little sarcastic, but isn’t that the weight that we end up putting on all these opinions we open ourselves up to? Some people are very caustic; they will tell you with authority they absolutely know what they are talking about (I have seen this to be true especially with College Career Counselors and recruiters. No offense – just stating fact).

So who, or what are you to believe?

• In a job search, common sense tells us we must preserve our energy, our positive attitude and our confidence. Rather than asking everyone who will give you 5 minutes what they think of your resume, the wisest thing to do is ASK A CERTIFIED, EXPERIENCED RESUME WRITER. This does not mean asking THE LADDERS or JOB FOX, who will give you a free “resume critique,” and no matter how wonderful your resume is and how much you invested to have it properly done, they will most likely tell you it stinks and you need to pay them $700 to rewrite it. No, I mean going to Career Directors International and looking up the award winning writers, the Certified Writers, the Writers who have their work in reputable Resume and Career books and/or the writers who may specialize in your field. And although this does not completely shield you from conflicting advice, it does dramatically impro ve your chances of getting a professional and discerning critique of what your resume truly needs (or might already have) in order for you to achieve your career goals.

• Please, refrain from asking everyone what they think of your resume. This opens you up to criticism from people who are may only be partially (at best), qualified to critique how your resume lines you up for your next career move. Don’t go asking your best friend who is accounting about your resume which is  focused on your B.A. in human resources. She will have no insight into what employers are looking for! Instead, get a clear focus of direction on what you want including industry, position title and your driving motivators like ideal companies and positions, your compensation range, where you want to live, and how much you will travel, to name a few things. Couple that with a little research on growing and stable industries.

• Don’t say you are “wide open” to explore a wide range of opportunities, because in today’s job market, you have to demonstrate your value very specifically (this is part of the whole “branding” thing you hear everyone talking about). You need to demonstrate that you know what you want. This builds your network’s confidence IN YOU. You don’t have the luxury of “being wide open,” so please start taking control of your situation and embrace a self-directed and entrepreneurial approach to your job search. This is what is working in today’s job market.

• Once you have your game plan down regarding your focus of direction and where you want to steer your career, ask your friends how they can help you with that. Don’t ask them to help you find a job and don’t ask them who is hiring and don’t ask them what they think of your resume! This is a waste of your time! Learn how to network so that you stay in control of the conversation. I think the reason people hate job searching the most is because they feel they have to take such a passive, submissive role in it. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE! You don’t have to feel hat-in-hand, begging for a job. I teach my clients in my Job Search Success System how to network in a confident and dignified way and they love it. It preserves their sanity, confidence and gets them great results! There is absolutely no reason why you have to roll over in complete submission just because you are in a job search.

• Do not discount the power of critical feedback! You may LOVE your resume and so do 50 other people, but I have seen it time and time again that a single negative critique will leave you doubting everything you ever thought was true! You cannot afford to “go there” in your job search! It’s not the most exacting comparison, but will 50 people look at a piece of famous art from an abstract expressionist and have the same exact option about it? I think you know the answer.

• If you have not had your resume professionally written and you want someone to critique it, your best and safest bet is to go to Career Directors International and look for help and support there. Generally speaking, resume writers are a heart-centered group (especially women) and they find genuinely helping others get what they want in their careers deeply satisfying. You have a great shot at talking to a person who really cares and can really help you at CDI. Writers who take the time to obtain difficult certifications and pay money to keep them current every year generally take their career as seriously as you probably do. And in an unregulated industry such as Career Services, you need that insurance to help protect your interests and investment.

• If you HAVE had your resume professionally done, then I will share with you what I share with all my clients, which is this – you need 3 main things in your job search to be successful:
  • A clear focus of direction.
  • A great resume and value proposition (cover) letter that supports your focus
  • The right job search strategies.

As a general rule, after you have paid a certified writer to analyze your career situation and craft you a resume to get you where you want to go, your entire focus should be on the right job search strategies. I am primarily focused on showing my clients how to go direct to companies by tapping the hidden job market because it works so well, but every job search is different and some job search strategies will work better than others. You may take a multi-pronged approach to your job search strategies, which could include recruiter, venture capital and/or private equity firm distributions, direct mail, targeted networking, working through associations, and learning how to use social networking like LinkedIn to land interviews, to name a few.

In closing, I have not seen it beneficial for you as a job seeker to hold up your resume and state “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Not because I as a writer am trying to avoid criticism, nor am I trying to protect other professional resume writers. And I am not stating that there might indeed be things in your resume that need improving. But if you want the right advice, your safest bet is to go to the experts. Doing otherwise may derail you and detract from your ultimate goal.

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I was so excited to be invited to Channel 4’s San Antonio Living to do a short segment on job search tips! For those of you who comment that you never “see” me – well here I am!

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****HURRY – LESS THAN 100 SEATS LEFT!!****

I am so excited to share with you that brand new for 2012, I am personally

hosting a f-r-e-e monthly teleseminar series on various job search topics.

*all topics were directly selected by you, my e-zine subscribers!

My first info-packed teleseminar is THIS Saturday and it is titled:

How to Brand & Market Yourself to Compete in Today’s Job Market

You can sign up here:http://www.job-searchsystem.com/teleseminar.html

BUT there IS a catch:

these calls will NOT be recorded

and there are only 250 seats on the bridge line.

That means if this call is for you, you must act fast.

Get the call details and grab your seat now:

http://www.job-searchsystem.com/teleseminar.html

Inspiring your success,

Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CERW, MCD

The Career Artisan

www.maryelizabethbradford.com

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I truly understand that in today’s world of instant information it’s very easy to become overwhelmed and maybe a little callous. Kind of like giving a hard time to telemarketers that call our homes around dinner time. It is easy to forget it is a human being just trying to make a living on the other end of the line. Perhaps someone’s son or daughter trying to pay their way through college.

A long time ago I decided I was going to do everything I could to be NICE—REALLY nice, to everyone I spoke with—no matter what the circumstances and whether I knew them or not.

Because in my career, I have been on the other end of the stick many times.

And something that just happened to me this morning REMINDED me of my commitment and how important it is for us all to be gracious when we network.

But first let’s go waaayyy back to my days as an executive recruiter. As a job seeker, you will bend over backward to have a good conversation with a recruiter right? Well as a recruiter who continuously had to cold call and have conversations with employed executives—sometimes my call would elicit hostility. Executives would tell me “DON’T CALL ME AGAIN!” or would grill me “HOW DID YOU GET MY NUMBER?!” or, “I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ANY OF YOUR JOBS!!”

It always amazed me. And often a year or two later many of those executives would call me for help because they found themselves in a job search. You can imagine how “eager” I was to help place them with one of my beloved client companies.

Which leads me to this morning’s incident. Interestingly, a recruiter had requested to connect with me on LinkedIn—which I accepted. I always send follow up email to my new connections to thank them for reaching out to connect and I invite them to sign up for my free newsletter. This particular recruiter emailed me back and said “TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST IMMEDIATELY!” I decided to personally email her back and explain she was a connection, and I had simply invited her to sign up for my e-zine with a link.

Here is what my new LinkedIn connection wrote back: “LET ME REPHRASE: DON’T SEND ME ANY MORE EMAILS!!”

I promptly removed this recruiter from my LinkedIn connections.

This is a PERFECT example of what we should never, ever do. As we network, we simply can’t afford to be rude or mean. So . . . here are some networking tips I have found very useful that I would like to share with you:

1. In your career, strive to be nice to EVERYBODY no matter their station or basis of relationship. You just never know when the tables may turn and who wants to spread bad energy around?
2. If you must say NO to somebody, do so as graciously and professionally as possible.
3. If someone or something around you is negative, cut off communication, if possible. Leaders and professionals who are serious about their careers protect their inner circle and filter the information they “let in.”
4. When networking, think: “How can I help?” If you will always lead with thinking about the other person, you will be showing them honor and respect and they will repay you naturally in kind. Long term, this is the true core of networking. It doesn’t matter if your connection is in person, on LinkedIn, Facebook, or phone . . . strive for consistency in all you do.
5. If someone you are talking to is rude or negative—do not get defensive. This includes all the things that can potentially happen to you in a job search such as someone promising they will call you, or invite you back for an interview, but never do.
6. Find a mentor who holds a high visibility position—one whose personality you admire—and then emulate them. If you are lucky enough to know several executive mentors, you will start to see a pattern. Leaders/Mentors generally have a certain likeability . . . a charisma, if you will, for various reasons—some are attractive because they are fair and do the right thing, others because they want to foster the potential in you, and still others because they are warm and kind.
7. Whomever you are speaking to, try to find a positive thing about that person that you can complement him or her on. Whenever I have the opportunity to speak to someone new, I LOVE figuring out what that one thing is that I can compliment them on. Sometimes it is their photo, other times it is something about their voice, their personality, or their career. This becomes a good habit and you will find yourself focusing on the positive more versus the negative in your daily dealings with others.
8. If you make a practice of focusing on and helping others, at some point you may feel used or that you have not gotten back what you have put in. This goes with the territory. Don’t let it deter you from your course to develop a good reputation, overall virtue, and will ultimately make you a better person.

I feel fortunate that I have been humbled by the above types of experiences over the years because it gives me an excuse to take a bad thing and turn it around to reflect something positive. I hope you can take one thing from the list above and share the love.

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There is a multitude of job options for the attorney who no longer wishes to work in a law firm environment.

If you are considering an industry change, the following valuable tips will help you take action:

Make a Plan

First comes the soul-searching. What do you want to do?

Do you like research and dislike litigating? Are you drawn towards conflict resolution? Love rain-making and billable hours? (I was just seeing if you are paying attention!) In other words, what motivates you? Know yourself — write down your strengths and begin to crystallize your core competencies.

Have you evaluated your law-related career options? Did you know that many lawyers make very successful transitions into roles such as:

• Alternative dispute resolution specialist

• Association executive

• Human resources manager

• (Legal) executive recruiter

• Risk manager

• Bar association professional

• International trade and investment consultant

• Social legislation analyst

• Acquisitions/divestitures professional

• Economic development specialist.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Put the Plan into Action

Once you have your goals clear, develop a strategic plan to discover opportunities to move your dreams to reality.

Uncover the jobs both in advertised and unadvertised markets. The best jobs are not necessarily easily found, but the best career marketing approach that gives you the greatest marketing exposure is to use multiple strategies, simultaneously. For example, consider open positions (found on the Internet); somewhat hidden positions (recruiters/trade associations and networking); and unadvertised positions (identification of companies within your industry of choice that have indications of growth, which could expose a need for someone like you to fill).

There are many ways to do this. To do it well, the busy attorney often times needs help. But, if you choose to go it alone, here are some ideas to help you use your time wisely.

Respond to open jobs by having jobs come to you 24/7. Set up e-mail agents so the jobs come to your e-mail inbox through a job search engine. Resist the temptation to get lost on the Internet for hours, only to feel frustrated in the end..com.

Network with the right people. Activity is no substitute for progress. Most job searchers have heard the long-standing advice about the benefits of networking. There is an erroneous understanding that building contacts and networking with friends, family and associates reaps the greatest reward.

Make a positive first impression. Your resume and career marketing correspondence must be written to the target audience. Law resumes, CVs and business resumes have dramatically different elements. Here’s where a little consultation with a professional consultant might prove valuable, as he or she will likely know how to specifically-tailor your resume to showcase your best strengths, capabilities and transferable skills.

On a positive note, it may help you to know that most employers are always on the lookout for good people. They are appreciative of foresight and ingenuity. And most are willing to look in unconventional places (trade associations, referrals, etc.) before they “post an ad” for an open position.

With clear goals and a strategic plan, followed consistently, you will increase your chances of landing your dream job exponentially.

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In searching for your ideal position are you taking what I call the “I’ll know it when I see it route?”

Well, if this is you, chances are you have been surfing around on the internet looking for that perfect position, submitting your resume to multiple jobs and you are still waiting for the phone to ring.

Although getting clear on the kind of jobs you are interested in can be a worthwhile activity, you don’t want to get stuck on the job surfing and job board treadmill.

Here are three steps you can take right now to take back control of your job search:

Step number one: Focus on what you want

Before you begin your job search you must know what your driving motivators are and what your ideal job looks like.

Think of these driving motivators as the top three things you must have in order for you to feel like your next move is one that meets your needs.

Sometimes your driving motivators will run counter to your dream job, and that is okay. Give yourself permission to define these because they will affect your job search and help you discern which way you need to go – both for your short and long term goals.

To identify your dream job start with a list of things you love to do best. Another way to look at it is to ask yourself – what you are doing when you are at your best.

Step Number Two: get your game plan down

You should know what your job search strategy is – namely the two or three strategies you are going to use in your job search.

Individual strategies include embarking on a direct mail campaign, working with recruiters, special networking techniques like informational interviews and social networking just to name a few.

Each job search demands its own special approach, and by fleshing out your game plan you’ll quickly see what you need to do and where you might need help figuring things out

Step Number Three: Make a commitment to begin

Now that you have a plan and you know where you need help you can start moving forward. A big mistake job seekers often make is to wait and wait and wait until they feel “ready” to move forward.

Rarely do we ever feel 100% ready. So break this cycle of procrastination by writing out one primary actively you can focus on each day. Writing it out in advance means not having to lie awake in bed at night worrying over what you are going to do tomorrow.

Make your goals doable and give yourself plenty of rest and relaxation time to recharge your batteries. Don’t forget to congratulate yourself for every effort and activity you take…because each step is a step forward…and one step closer to your goals!

With your driving motivators, ideal job description, pre planned activities and goals spelled out and crystal clear, you now have distinct areas of focus to build on. This is the first and most critical step to taking control of your job search, so you can land the job you really want.

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I am sure you have heard about the value of investing in a resume writer and/or job search coach to help you during your job search. Certainly, this investment in yourself and your job search will pay off in multiple ways including your ability to fully leverage yourself in your industry of choice, making sure you are optimizing your skills and strengths amidst the competition and securing the highest quality interviews.

However there are additional investments you should be making in your job search that lend themselves to rich and rewarding payoffs.

Have you looked at your home, your health and your time-off activities? Have you set up a system for yourself that provides you with adequate job search support?

Here are some examples:

1. Investment in your health. Are you taking care of yourself? Have you been putting off your yearly physical, your trip to the dentist or chiropractor? Do you invest in eating organic food? Do you get out for a few minutes each day for some exercise and fresh air? Your monetary investment to do this is relatively small but your short and long term payoff is vit al to keeping stress under control and your feeling of well being.

2. Investment in activities you enjoy. You have heard me say it before, investing in yourself, in activities you enjoy and that relax you are MORE important and need to be INCREASED during your job search.

Feel like you can’t find the time? Look at where you spend your time during the day, then commit to cutting out ONE activity that you don’t absolutely need to be doing. Replace it with something you love to do, be it spending time with your family, playing tennis, bike riding or reading a book. The more relaxed and balanced you are, the more energy and focus you will have to give your job search.

3. Investment in your surroundings. Is your office or home a mess? Investment in a clean work and living space will add to your feeling of peace. I have a young child and know how hard it can be to keep things tidy! But each morning I clean my office so I can think clearly, and be present and creative for my clients. In other words, your surroundings can mirror your mental outlook.

4. Investment in your clarity. If you are struggling with your confidence and your self worth regarding your job search, then grab a pen and paper and write out 30 valuable skills, strengths and traits that you can bring to your employer(s). Getting clear here will help you get in touch with how much you really do have to offer. We often devalue our profess ional worth, so this exercise will serve to fill in the gaps if you are leaving out any critical points in your resume.

5. Investment in job search “high payoff” activities. Are you licking stamps and envelopes and running to the printer? Why not consider hiring someone to handle these entry level tasks for you during your job search so you can invest your time focusing on your high payoff activities, such as targeting employers, following up with phone calls and preparing for interviews?

You get so much more done with a little help! Your investment in hiring the neighbor’s teenager across the street (or your own, if you have one) will definitely kick your job search results into high gear.

So, what can you invest in this week that makes you feel good, more balanced and less stressed?

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