Job Seeker Mysteries: Do You Have a Plan?

Last week, I told you about a chance meeting that I had with a Jacksonville Jaguar player, and how he got his perfect job via a phone call – Answer the Phone, Your Perfect Job is Calling! That blog created some interesting responses and I’m really enjoying the dialogue that I’m having with some of you about the topics covered here.

Today, I want to touch on one aspect of the job search process that is essential – creating and working an effective plan!

This Thursday, I am doing a mini-workshop for a group of executive job seekers at the Work Source Professional Network, here in Jacksonville. This group is comprised primarily of C-level execs, upper tier managers, entrepreneurs, and high earning sales professionals.

I always tailor my workshops to the group I’m working with, and I spent a good deal of time last week on the phone with the group organizer. I wanted to know as much about the WPN as possible, so that my presentation would hit the hot buttons of the attendees.

Most of the responses I got from the organizer were consistent with the themes I have heard over the past year in speaking to over 10,000 job seekers: they are frustrated in their job search; not sure what to do next; tired of getting few if any interviews; not sure if recruiters have helped or hurt their job search efforts; and don’t understand why they are still on the employment sidelines.

These are the responses I expected, from this group or frankly any other subset of unemployed folks right now. But when I asked the organizer for her opinion on why most of the WPN attendees had not been successful, her response caught me by surprise. She said that most of these people “didn’t seem to have a clear plan of attack” in finding their next position.

Hold on a minute – these are CEO’s, CFO’s, CIO’s, Vice Presidents of corporations, board members of major companies, leaders of companies that have made millions of dollars over the years. Surely, they have had training and have become experts in how to create a business plan and execute it effectively. If any group of job seekers on the planet should know how to evaluate the obstacles, look for solutions, and overcome setbacks in a job search, it’s this bunch, right?!

Guess not – in this aspect, the WPN members are just like the vast majority of job seekers in the game right now. They are either using outdated methods to find a job, aren’t creating a sound plan of attack, or if they have a plan aren’t sticking to it when the results don’t materialize quickly enough.

You MUST plan your job search activities – HOPE is not a strategy! Hoping things will get better is basically insuring that they will stay the same…or perhaps even get worse! There is nothing wrong with “hope” – we elected a President on “hope”. Hope is a fine mental state that allows for the prospect of good things to follow – it’s a positive first step in getting your mind right for the task ahead.

However, hope only goes so far. You must connect the hope engine to the rest of the cars in the train – planning, research, and follow up, mid-stream adjustments, evaluation, and finally execution. Hope puts the right engineer at the helm, but if hope is the only part of the train at the station, the ride will be very short lived.

I challenge you REALIZE where you are right now – critically, coldly, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible. Consult people you trust and professional talent evaluators if needed to discover what true talents lay inside you. Don’t base your next position on your past jobs – rather, ask yourself tough questions about what would be your “perfect” job.

Next you must VISUALIZE where you want to be in 12 months from now: what does that job look like? How will it make you feel? What differences will it make in your life? When you can absolutely see where you are now and where you want to go, you can then draw that “green line” toward your true destiny.

This, my friend, is the essence of planning your job search. You must have the points on the map, the career GPS if you will, so that you know how to get from here to there. You can do this – and if you need help, I’m here for you.

For more info please visit my website at www.BradRaney.com or www.ImproveYourVowels.com

Sincerely,

Brad Raney (www.BradRaney.com)

Brad Raney is a motivational speaker, life coach, author and sales trainer. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and sales management within the broadcast industry. Brad developed the VOWELS program in 2009 and the success it brought his sales team has spurred keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, a website, and his first book “Improve Your VOWELS, Improve Your Career!” which was released in July 2010.. Click here to order “Improve Your Vowels, Improve Your Career! The A, E, I, O, U’s of Finding Your Perfect Job!” — Available Now!

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