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Make Your Career Search a Project!

Wednesday, 30 April 2003 16:00

The Economy and the Job Market: Sometime around August 2000 we started to see an economic down turn. Jobs began falling off and the economy started into a recession. With the Federal Reserve raising the prime every time we turned around, and then 9-11, jobs and career opportunities almost ceased to exist. To make career search matters worse, the economy got even worse as terrorism became our focus. Nothing business could do had any positive impact.
Today, the economy is beginning to swing back into a positive mode. Terrorism seems to be somewhat under control and business is a bit more able to focus on the future, not worry about the present. According to ExecuNet, an association of recruiters, the Job Market jumped from 150 data points, an 8-month low, to 200 data points, an 8-month high. YES, the sun is coming out…

On the other hand, most of the nationally “known” economists claim that even though they anticipate a business recovery in the second half of 2003, they predict the unemployment rate will remain “gloomy.” Please! Let me remind you, “Economists have predicted 18 of the last 4 recessions.” The Market is a psychological animal with a century track record of total unpredictability. And all the “talking heads” cannot tell us what to expect today, tomorrow or next year. THEREFORE, LET’S MAKE OUR OWN FUTURE!!!

Ok, so it’s time to put your career search into high gear. Get your plan of action together and find that “perfect opportunity”, before someone else does. Make your career search effort your priority SIGNATURE PROJECT. Build a BEHEMOTH that is unstoppable.

So, you’re ready to go. You’ve read the volumes of books on job search, resume writing and career search marketing. You’ve been to career workshops, coaching classes, several seminars, you name it you’ve been to it at least once. And now you’re totally confused. What do you do first, second, third... How do you implement a program that really works?

Well, let’s use some good ole fashioned common sense. Get back to the basics like in construction and first prepare the site, then build the footings, then the foundation, then the rest. You are building a PROJECT MODEL. A model as real and as professional as you would build for any corporation. For example, you could put our Career Search Project into a “cpm program” if you wanted to, with timelines, etc. But for now, let’s keep it simple.

Start with question NO. 1: “What do you really want to be when you grow up?”

Do you want another career where your job is exactly what you are now or was last?
Do you need to implement a partial or total career transition? (Job specific or Industry specific.)
Do you want to stay in the same area or are you willing to relocate and start over?
Do you want a job at all? Maybe it’s time for you to go into your own business?

(To answer question NO. 1, you will have to do a great deal of self-assessment. What are your true likes and dislikes? What are your best attributes? Where is your heart? You might want to consider seeking the advice of family, friends, associates, etc. Many heads are better than one.)

Career Transitions sometimes require continued formal education and can consist of everything from additional coursework to acquiring a full degree. For busy adults, there are usually adult education programs offered at local colleges and universities. Also, there is a fully accredited on-line university available to you at www.universityofphoenixcampuses.com.

Leaving the wonderful world of employment and starting your own business is not as difficult as one might think. Many MBAs, as an example, are turning in their managerial positions for Real Estate Licenses. Some are even joining our Associate Mentoring Program. Even Microsoft commercials on TV are directed towards the entrepreneur. Hey, you never know when a Chicago Hot Dog Stand might take off and turn into a Four Star Bistro.

Interested in buying a franchise? That’s not all that difficult either. You can visit a national source at www.franchiseexperts.com for complete information and help.

How to finance it all? Check out the U.S. Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/ , or any of the Venture Capitalists on-line…

Question NO. 2: If you are going to find a new career… There are numerous methods of Networking and Marketing yourself locally, regionally and nationally. What marketing plan will you choose?

If your plan is to send out resumes, which I do not recommend, plan on sending out a significant number of them… 2,000 resumes mailed is a good average. That’s $1,400 in costs for cover letters, resumes, envelops and stamps. And then an additional $600 to $2,500 plus, for full company database information with names and addresses. Check out www.harrisinfo.com and see what they offer. We have used their services for years and have been well pleased. Also, there are several Internet marketing companies that will mail out resumes for you. Try www.wsacorp.com . I think they charge $2-3 each.
On-line services? www.monster.com or any of the others? Join the ranks of the lemmings. You’ll be in a small group, 20 or 30 million resumes, give or take a few. Personally, I don’t recommend this either. My company has used several of the on-line services and we have been greatly displeased.
News Paper Ads? Well, there aren’t many. But if you should see one, apply quickly.
Recruiters? They always represent the company, not the candidate, and will not be of much good unless you just happen to find one who is currently searching for someone with your EXACT credentials. You might not hear of anything for quite some time if you wait for their call.
Personal referrals? Asking everyone you know to refer you to someone is a great contact source. Although it’s a superior method, the list runs out rather quickly.
Networking… This is the most complex, yet most successful of all methods of marketing yourself. Simply put, you build a list of 100-200 potential companies/employers, 2-3 contact names per company, and then begin an ongoing, continuous and consistent program of repetitive communications with everyone on the target list.
An Agent: Some recruiters / headhunters are now calling themselves Agents. I think they believe a different label might change their image? A TRUE AGENT is someone, very much like the old Hollywood agents, that functions as Your Career Search Practitioner. You pay them roughly 3% of your annual salary, up front, and roughly 5% of your “new deal” if they are responsible for finding it for you. They become your Career Coach, Business Manager, Solicitor, Friend and Advisor.

Question NO. 3: Why will employers what to interview you? What are your Career Achievements? Why will someone want to hire you? What is your true Value?

Write down a list of 20 accomplishments. “While managing the CM team I was able to reduce overhead while simultaneously reducing incidents of missed deadlines.” (Accomplishments are the justifications for the money spent to pay you, not your job description.)
Build your NEW Resume around this list.
Build a new BIO for presentation. (A BIO is used to introduce yourself to a potential new employer while you are networking. A resume is used if the employer agrees to an interview.)
Build email templates that succinctly state your value and why someone might want to respond.
Build telephone scripts that are similar to your email templates. Practice them so they are natural and then use them when you call prospective employers. If you already KNOW what you are going to say, you have your entire brain available for listening and evaluating.

Question NO. 4: How will you implement your Project?

Build a schedule.
Create a journal where your Project resides. Modify it as time passes and incidents cause change.
Create Goals and Objectives.
Record your activity. Record your results, your successes and your failures.
Each day, evaluate your plan of action and modify it as necessary to achieve the desired results. Your PROJECT is controlled by the scheduled implementation of activity.

Hopefully, by now you have built the infrastructure of your Project. You’ve determined who you really are, what you really want and how you plan on bringing your project to closure, ie., achieving your goals.

Ready, Set, Wait A Second!!! So what are the rules of the road today? What’s going to happen when I start my Career Search? What do “they” want? Who are “they”?

What employers want today are sharp, efficient, motivated, positive thinking team players. The individualistic “bad boys / bad girls” are a thing of the past. You need to know what you’re going to say about you past experiences in advance. It must be POSITIVE. If you say anything negative, you’re dead. Criticize a previous boss and you’re dead. Bad mouth an employer, you’re dead. Be an enthusiastic ball of positive energy and an “educated fan” of the company you are interviewing.

Salary Issues? Benefits? Options? What can you expect and what can you ask for in a total package? Today’s employment scene has changed radically. Sign on bonuses are scarce. Those that exist have been substantially reduced. Relocation expenses are available, but plan on packing your own bags. Stock options and guaranteed bonuses are also rather anemic these days.

We are finding that some senior managers and executives are accepting reduced packages to join larger companies. When negotiating salary and benefits, get back to the basics of negotiating. You must know the three magic numbers to successfully negotiate your deal. Your Set Of Numbers and desired Goodies: One: What do you actually need in salary and benefits? Two: What do you want? Three: What will you walk away from. ie, what is your bottom number? These basics will give you a substantial negotiating edge and allow you the appearance of confidence under fire. Remember, AFTER you are hired you can always go back to the negotiating table, say 6-8 months later, and ask for reconsideration. “You don’t ask, you don’t get.”

What if you’re 50+? Is this an issue? Should you worry? Unfortunately it is a huge issue. Even at 45 some people get the evil eye from the potential employer. Fortunately there are numerous ways to turn age into a positive for you.

If you are hitting the mark, if you have had a track record of earning your true worth, you should be fine. Take your accomplishments and use them to show the potential employer how you can help their bottom line. Companies that have significant challenges ahead of them prefer 50+ers. “Where are the land mines?” You’ve been there, done that, so make certain the potential employer has a taste of what you KNOW…

Be certain you are prepared for the all to often heard “you’re overqualified” tone of rejection. Always respond positively to this comment. “Oh, could you clarify that?” “AH, I appreciate the compliment, but could you be specific?” Make them break that comment down so it can be discussed. Often the term overqualified means you are earning too much money. Or you would be bored in the position. Or you’re too old. Or, MAYBE, you really ARE overqualified. Never accept the rejection without first understanding exactly what was said, and why. Often, simple clarification of your skills and abilities can make all the difference.

And finally, be prepared to answer tough questions. I’m certain each of you has your goals written down in your journal, right? Review them. Know where you want to be later, and why. Think about your good experiences in the business world, and your bad ones too… Understand them and know how to make necessary corrections. In essence, understand the REAL YOU before you go into interviewing.

Build your PLAN. Create your PROJECT. Implement, Record, Modify and Move Forward. Be Positive, be Creative and always be YOU

Happy Hunting!

Don Reid is president of DMReid & Associates a national Retained Services Executive Search Firm located in Brentwood TN. Mr. Reid is a 20-year veteran of the career search profession and has worked with thousands of clients to help match the right people with the right career. Mr. Reid’s firm currently specializes in executive placement for the Healthcare, Financial Services, and Entertainment industries.

You can reach Mr. Reid by email at dmreid@dmrnet.com

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