If you are employed, you will probably not be able to look for work in the same manner and with the same intensity as an unemployed job seeker. Lack of personal funds could also play a part in how you look for work. For example, the telephone is the strongest weapon in your arsenal, but it can be an expensive weapon to use, especially when making out-of-state calls.
Presenting one way to prospect, a way that will accommodate and make the most of each job seeker's personal situation, is impossibility. If you can afford to, you should use every method detailed in this book. Work smart. Spend your prospecting time proportionately devoting the most time to those methods promising the best results. Don't permit yourself to fall into the despicable and unproductive habit of doing just those things that are the easiest to do, for example, mailing out three hundred resumes to personnel departments and waiting for a response.
It's your future. The way you work now, looking for work, could determine how, where, and how much you work for the rest of your life. Resolve to be courageous (yes, it takes courage to cold call companies), persistent, and organized. Above all, be prepared for a long haul. That way, if you land a position sooner rather than later, it will be a happy surprise. It was once said that it took one month for every ten thousand dollars of salary to find a new position. That is, if you were making thirty thousand it should take you about three months to find a new job. I would venture to say you can up that one month figure per $10,000 to closer to two months for some positions or industries given today's competitive job market.
One last word of caution: be realistic. Don't price yourself out of a promising position. Keep in mind, the longer you are on the market, the more concerned employers will be about your viability as a candidate. If you have a nice severance package to act as a cushion be particularly concerned about appearing to be someone who can't find a position or really doesn't need to work. So, if the salary offer is close and you like what you have heard and seen, seriously consider the possibility of accepting the offer.
Prospect for opportunity
Land a job with a future. Don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. The worst thing that could happen to you is to end up back on the street in six months or a year. Then you will really have some explaining to do to prospective employers. Find the right job. Establish a track record. Prove yourself and your true worth.
Job Search Central
Set aside a definite area to be job search central. It should be near a phone. Keep all of your records, correspondence, and books here. Your typewriter or computer, resumes, letterhead, and envelopes should be here also. Make this your private domain. Post a "Private! Keep Out! Great Mind at Work!" sign if necessary.
Taking Calls
Tell everyone who might answer your phone exactly what you would like them to say. Make sure they take down every message accurately, including the date and time of the call. Use an answering machine when no one is there to take calls. Keep your recorded message brief and businesslike. This is not the time to show off your great Elvis impersonation! Sound professional, friendly, and enthusiastic.
Staying Organized
Keep this area neat. Pick up and organize every day. Consider your job search your new job and job search central your office. Report to work on time, every day, five days a week. Get dressed up if it helps you work better. Plan your work and work your plan.
Record Keeping
Lead Book
Purchase a three-ring binder. Label it "Leads." Fill it with lead sheets like those "starters" provided at the conclusion of this chapter and in Appendix C. Each lead sheet in your lead book will contain pertinent information about a contact you have made.
Keep it current.
Use a new page for each lead. Print the company's name, the relative's name, and so on, at the top of each page in the appropriate space. Keep the pages in alphabetical order by name. When you have a large number of leads, buy some alphabetized divider tabs to facilitate the use of this book. If you need to record more information than the front of the page allows, turn the page over and continue writing or simply three-hole punch an 8*2'' by 11" sheet of paper and add it to the book.
Photocopy the Lead Sheet form at the end of this chapter to make the number of lead sheets you need. Three-hole punch these copies and place them in your lead book. Use your lead book to record all contacts. When recording information about an ad, tape the ad right to the front of the lead sheet for that company. Any time you send a cover letter to a company, turn that company's lead sheet over and copy the cover letter on the back side.
