Job Search - Start Here

When between jobs, make best use of the time preparing for your next job in a way that enables you to move up or get ahead. Your next job should propel you forward, so it is important to have direction.

Reflect on your Career Journey

As you prepare for the journey ahead, take a little time to reflect on the path of your life up to this moment. When reflecting on your education and prior jobs, write down the highlights and achievements that meant the most to you. There may be projects, performance, or objectives that you accomplished that were meaningful milestones for you. Take the time to reflect on these milestones and write them down. Think about what made those milestones important to you, and how you can quantify or express those achievements to someone else.

Every career journey has ups and downs. Jobs and responsibilities can empower us to feel important and valuable, and sometimes feel disappointed or vulnerable. The greatest achievements most often come after a period of disappointment because that is when we are the most determined to succeed. Your greatest achievements are ahead of you.

Document your milestones, what did to achieve them, why they were important to you, and what you learned from them. It is important to keep these things in mind as you contemplate the direction for your future. Place the list or reminders of your milestones where you can see them daily.

Keep a journal of your Job Search

Make a personal journal of your job-hunting experience. Keep track of daily events and observations that may result in new opportunities for you. What job postings or recommendations got your attention each day? Keep copies of job descriptions, companies, web sites and reference information in an organized manner so it is readily available at your fingertips. Treat this information gathering as your own research project. Do not lose an opportunity simply because you lost track of it.

Harness the Power of Social Networking

Network like your income depended on it because it probably does. Quite often the best match to maximize your skill and income come from someone who knows you, or someone who takes the time to get to know your accomplishments, your talents, and your worth. Use professional social media environments like LinkedIn to connect with individuals that have similar interests, thought leaders, and professional organizations.

Network with recruiters that demonstrate an understanding for your experience and qualifications. Highly skilled recruiters often develop specific core competencies and areas of focus which enable them to develop a unique understanding of talent in specific disciplines. Recruiters that most accurately assess your qualifications can also invest time to concentrate on your soft skills, communication styles, personality, and cultural fit. Finding the best opportunity is not only about finding a place to apply your knowledge, it is also about finding the right match that enables you, the team and organization to achieve new milestones together. Obtaining the right cultural fit comes best with people who know you, or a recruiter who gets to know you.

Network with friends, former colleagues, and even former competitors. These are people who may know your qualifications, your personality, and may know of some place that is a good fit for you. It is important to let these people know that you are available for your next opportunity. The time that you invest networking will pay dividends.

There are many ways to work with your social network. LinkedIn helps to maintain professional relationships, keep track of former colleagues as they move from one company to another, and meet professionals with similar group interests. LinkedIn also offers an invaluable tool for sharing endorsements and testimonials. Giving and receiving endorsements with the online utility is a tremendous way to provide an immediate reference, and to demonstrate your own connection with respected professionals. It is common to use LinkedIn endorsements as references attached to resumes, making the job of checking references easier for recruiters and human resource professionals. Giving endorsements is a way to demonstrate your personal connection to a respected peer or leader, and often results in a similar favorable response.

Social networking can be harmful when the social aspect of the online community demonstrates habits or characteristics which may not be desired by potential employers. There are a multitude of incidents in which individuals have lost job opportunities, and lost jobs, as a direct result of pictures or comments posted on social networking sites. While it may be all in good fun to post pictures or comments of friends and family in various embarrassing situations, there are many employers that now use these online references to determine how a potential candidate's behavior may reflect on the organization. It is easy for a company to avoid potential embarrassment by discovering the content that is already available online and avoiding the hire. Treat online social contacts with courtesy and respect, ask for the same considerations in return.

Market your Skills with Multiple Terms

In reflecting on your talents, certifications, skills, and achievements, think about the many different words, acronyms or variations of titles that may relate to your accomplishments. Look at how the terminology and acronyms are posted in job descriptions and in online profiles on LinkedIn, because this is how it should appear in your online profile. Applicant Tracking Systems used to find and rate top talent will rely on the terms, titles and phrases used by the person doing the searching or scoring. It would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity because you used a term or acronym that was slightly different from the person using the tool. Keep in mind that the people reviewing applications and searching for candidates only review the profiles that have the best match for the defined position, based on what matches your resume or online profile. It is perfectly acceptable to spell out a term and use the acronym, if applicable, to increase your changes to be found.

Make sure that your resume is consistent with your online profile. Make sure to mention specific quantifiable achievements and contributions. Your profile should not just be about the place that you worked, it should also be about what you contributed while you were there. When appropriate, share your meaningful milestones in your profile.

Prepare for the Next Interview

When you are invited for an interview, study the company history, mission statement, recent news, and company culture. Study the company competition. Why is this position important to the organization? Be prepared to have an intelligent conversation about the company and the position. Be prepared to present your ideas regarding how your experience and capabilities will contribute to achieve the goals of the company. Identify key strengths from your resume that you think may have caught the attention of the interviewer and be prepared to discuss them in detail with examples. Prepare questions about the company, culture, and the other people in the area of responsibility. It is not enough to fill the position with your personal attributes, you must also be the right person to fit in the mix of the other personnel who are already in the organization. Prepare yourself to be that person.

During the interview, be sure to listen with intensity. This means active listening to the person conducting the interview and allowing that person to speak, elaborate and share. Some interviewers will tell you about the company, the position and the expectations in detail, let them do it. Make sure to hear the full question before you begin formulating an answer, to make sure that the answer is most appropriate. When possible, include references to the interviewer comments and details in your own answers to demonstrate a connection and relevance.

Do Something for Yourself Right Now

Do something positive for yourself. When you were actively working at your previous position there were many things that you probably wished you could do if you only had the time. Now you have the time! Do you remember how you always wanted to lose weight and get in shape, but you were always too busy to go for a walk or do a little exercise? Do you remember those books that you thought would be good to read, but you never had the peace and quiet to sit down with them? Do you remember how much you wish that you had time to complete that project around the house? Have you thought about how a specific certification or degree might help you to get to the next level in your career? It may seem difficult to get the energy and enthusiasm to start those things right now, but you have more time than excuses now. You will be amazed at how much this simple act of personal courage can change your life. Use the time that you have now to do those things that you always wanted to do, and then when your next career starts to consume your time, you will discover that you can always preserve the time that you need to do these projects. Once you start to exercise, you will always find time for it. Once you start to read, do projects around the house, or to renew your education, you will discover that working will not get in the way of doing those things again. You are in control of your own destiny. Take full advantage of this opportunity to make a tremendous change in your life!

Do Something for Someone Else

Just as you make time to do something for yourself, make time to do something for someone else. This could be calling an old acquaintance to renew a friendship. This could be contacting a former colleague to offer encouragement to them during the job hunt and career transition. This could be volunteering, a community event, or donating time to a special cause. Make use of your talents, experience, and capabilities to help others. While you are waiting for your next employment to apply your skills, you can keep your mind and talent sharp by applying them to help other individuals or organization in the interim. Very often, such involvement leads to networking, connections and recognition which individuals who have similar commitments, and thereby creates introductions to job opportunities. If nothing else, this keeps your skills actively engaged, and it gives a sense of reward.

Embrace Change with Purposeful Direction

It is never too late to hit the reset button, to change the direction of your life. Little decisions and small actions create the ripples and knock the dominos that cause bigger results. Character comes from commitment, and commitment is fueled by desire. Define your character by daily commitment to achieve your next milestone, and set the direction for your milestones with your actions and affirmations. The alternative is to blow in the wind and to accept the consequences that come when you land where you fall. You do not need to be carried away by the wind, because you can set your sails and choose your own direction. You may not know exactly where that course will lead, but you will know that every step in the right direction is one step closer to your goals and to your true self.

Words of Wisdom

“The future depends on what you do today.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” —Arthur Ashe

“Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.” —Katharine Whitehorn

“Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.” —Denzel Washington

About the Author: John Mehrmann is President of Belcan Canada Inc., an IT and Engineering staffing and recruiting company that is dedicated to augmenting and empowering the internal teams at client businesses. John is author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity, and contributed to 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life Vol 3, and Leading Loyalty: Cracking the Code to Customer Devotion.