Time Management
Study the activities shown on the Weekly Job Search Evaluation sheet. Use it to prioritize your efforts and to objectively measure your search progress on a weekly basis. This will remind you of what you must do to be successful. How much time should you devote to your campaign? There are varying opinions on this subject. But if you spend four or five hours a day conscientiously covering all the bases as recommended, you deserve the rest of the day off.
Weekly Job Search Evaluation-Scoring System
Interview with Probable Boss - 25 points. This is the highest possible score you may award yourself for any singular search activity. The reason for this being the highest possible score is obvious-no meeting with a prospective or probable boss, no job.
Interview with Personnel - 15points. In many instances, meeting with personnel is a key link in the hiring chain. Rarely, especially at the salaried level, does personnel do the actual hiring. But, when you manage to win an interview with personnel, you have taken a big step in the right direction.
Re-contact with Probable Boss-12 points. When you re-contact a probable boss you are keeping your chances alive by maintaining a high profile. Often when you re-contact this hiring authority you are able to cite more reasons why he should seriously consider your candidacy, further strengthening your candidacy. Additionally, you show the employer that you are seriously interested in working for the company and have the initiative to do what it takes to land the job.
In-Person Interview with Network Contact-10 points, In-person, face-to-face get-togethers provide the opportunity to make things happen, to get to know and like one another. Whether it's a network contact, a recruiter, or a probable boss, getting liked can be terribly important to your future relationship. Telephone or mail contact is very limiting and impersonal.
In-Person Interview with Recruiter-10 points. The same reasoning prevails. When someone knows and likes you, likes the way you carry yourself, likes what you have to sell, he or she will work harder to be of assistance. In the recruiter's case, he or she will feel more confident sending you on interviews.
Telephone Contact with Probable Boss-8 points
Telephone Interview with Network Contact or Recruiter-6 points
Letter or Resume to Probable Boss-6 points
Re-contact with Personnel-5 points
Telephone Interview with Personnel-5 points
The rest of the scores range from 4 points down to 1 point. Your objective? Accumulate at least 12S points per week.
Multiply the value of the activity by the number of contacts recorded under the Contacts column heading. Add all of the totals under the Total column heading to determine your weekly point total. Using this scoring system and striving to meet the 125 points per week figure will lead you to do those activities that score the highest number of points. Your greatest chances of success also lie in performing these activities.
Avoid Burnout
Experience indicates, job hunters who pull out all the stops and go at it full tilt for a week or so soon suffer burnout. Not only this, but it takes time for many job search activities to begin to take root. You cannot, nor should not, expect immediate success.
Plan on your campaign taking a minimum of three months.
The higher up the corporate ladder you are, the longer it normally takes to obtain the job you want. Someone earning about sixty thousand can expect to take up to eight months or so, given today's job market. If you land the job you want sooner than that, wonderful. If not, keep at it.
Work at conducting the most intelligent, well organized, energized campaign you possibly can. Not only will it serve you well right here and now, but it will set a standard for any campaigns you might conduct in the future. You can never tell when you might have to, or decide to, prospect for work. Paying your dues now can reap big dividends in the future, as well as in the present.
Don't neglect your family or social life while on the job hunt.
Set aside time to do many, if not all, the things you like to do. When you work diligently at your new job of looking for a new job, you deserve some rewards. So does your family.
There's no avoiding it, no matter how enthused and organized you are, conducting a job search can provide many anxious and depressing moments. Those around you will not only share your anxiety and lows, but they will have concerns of their own generated by this temporary condition. Stop to appreciate the anxiety they are experiencing. Be thoughtful. It's tough enough looking for work without arousing any unnecessary, thoughtless, turmoil.
You will find the "10 Strategies for Job Search Success" in Appendix A. Refer to them often during your campaign. If you find yourself spinning your wheels, these strategies will get your job search back on track.
Conclusion
Knowledge is power waiting to be activated. You now possess this knowledge. You are truly the master of your own destiny. Use what you have learned to reach out and seize your future today. Remember, the ten most powerful two-letter words in the English language.
