Job Search - A “Survival Guide” to Success

If you are presently in career transition or you are currently employed and you are conducting a focused campaign for a new career opportunity, a job search can be a time of sheer frustration with the conventional, online application “process.”

The supreme effort of a job search includes staying positive and determined, discovery of attractive career opportunities, submission of applications, navigation of “black hole” applicant tracking systems, frustration with unresponsive recruiters, interaction with cold Human Resources “gatekeepers” and in the present climate, the more protracted time period of company interview and selection schedules.

Stay the Course – Persevere

As a life experience, a job search is typically a “marathon event versus a sprint to the finish line” toward your goal to secure a new and desirable career opportunity. Emotionally, you must prepare yourself for the long term nature of the job search journey. This will be a test of your drive, competitive spirit, mettle, patience, resourcefulness and creativity. Please remain positive and “stay the course.”

Take “Proactive” Steps – Achieve Greater Results

In a dynamic, highly competitive market, you need to take more proactive, assertive “actionable” steps in order to prepare yourself for greater success during a job search versus just completion of near endless online applications. Your job search activity should focus on:

• Research Target Companies: We hold the greatest value in the marketplace with employers that truly need our talents. However, it is our responsibility to discover what companies are in the greatest need of our skills, abilities and gifts. We can discover such companies via research, networking and by staying current on the business performance and activities of companies we find to be highly desirable in our local market.
• Network: People who are well networked and who possess trusted business relationships are far more likely to be approached regarding new opportunities, be considered for promotions, be seen as a solution to a business problem and earn more money over the course of their careers. Relationships matter in business and in life and you are responsible for building them in the pursuit of your career goals and your job search aspirations. This should be an ongoing career endeavor.
• Be Active on LinkedIn: A job search is a strategic time to be more active on LinkedIn. This is also a great time to make new connections with people you want to meet or connect with, post updates to your profile and to share articles that reinforce your professional brand with your connections. You can also conduct research on LinkedIn for hiring managers for positions you have recently applied for.
• Stay Current: Whether you are in career transition or presently employed, it is important to be current with technology, skills and your knowledge base. You must be dedicated to self improvement. You also need to stay up to date on emerging business trends, new products and services and even current events in the news. Information can equal empowerment.
• Communicate Value: It is imperative for you to be well versed in the communication of your “value messages” while networking, in social situations and in your LinkedIn profile. People will not naturally understand your value unless you tell them. You must be prepared to share how you can add value based on real and tangible past performance “accomplishment statements.” Those who do so are far more likely to be hired or promoted and be seen as highly desirable during the interview process.
• Overcome Fear: Fear is often the enemy of success during a job search. Fear holds us back from the communication of our value, the formation of meaningful professional and personal relationships and from being “bold” when true opportunity crosses our paths. There are times when we receive only “one shot” to effectively communicate how we can add value with companies. Do not let fear hold you back. Our career and job search success is a direct outcome of our ability to be fearless and execute when the “game is on the line.”
• Help Others: We can often help ourselves by helping others. Success in our career and in our lives is never truly achieved alone on an island. It is important to surround ourselves with people who support, enhance and enrich our daily lives and it is equally important for us to discard those people who do not do so. When we help others, we create the culture of receipt of the critical assistance we need from others during the course of our lives and in the execution of our job search.

If you engage in these proactive, assertive and focused behaviors on a consistent, relentless and enthusiastic basis you will feel more positive about yourself, your job search initiatives and you will create more positive energy and better results on your journey to a new career opportunity.

This is a time when an accomplished career coach and strategist can inspire you to adopt certain strategies, tactics, behaviors, habits and practices that will serve to strengthen your ability to conduct a more successful and ultimately, rewarding job search campaign.

Bob Lovely is a former senior corporate executive and officer, an accomplished “master level” certified executive and career coach and Chief Career Strategist with Career Strategy Solutions. Inquiries regarding consultation, services, fees or referrals should be directed to: bob.lovely@gmail.com or call: 913-314-4460