The Morning Blend: Knowledge Without Action Is Entertainment!
Brad Raney | Apr 21, 2011 | Comments 0
What a fantastic event we had at the Jacksonville Career Expo last Friday at the Aloft Hotel in Tapestry Park! Congratulations to Carlos Gil of JobsDirectUSA and JobsDirectJAX for executing a flawless day of information, introductions, and innovation for job seekers in Northeast Florida! Also, hats off to the staff and management of the Aloft Hotel for providing a beautiful venue and amazing service – great job guys!
The biggest takeaway for job seekers at the event was definitely the great line up of speakers, hiring managers, and experts who donated their time and efforts to help attendees become better prepared for the job market. I am humbled to have been included on the list of speakers and I hope the info I provided on the VOWELS is of great benefit to folks now and in the future!
For the people that attended the Expo, or for anyone else who is looking for ways to set themselves apart in the job market, there’s one very important fact to consider: Knowledge without action is simply entertainment!!
And as you have heard me preach about before, “HOPE” is not a strategy! Waiting for things to get better is really confirming that they will stay the same, and probably get worse! Absorbing knowledge and feeling more confident about the job search process today is great – but if you don’t create a plan of attack, then you are just entertaining and distracting yourself from the real task at hand!
Here are three real action steps you can (and should!) take now to put your new found knowledge to work:
1- Meticulously Research Companies! 80-90% of the jobs filled now days are in the “hidden” or unpublished job market. That means that you need to be selecting the companies you really want to work for and learning as much about them as possible. This info will help you figure out who the real targets of your search should be, and it will give you great talking points to use during your interview. (One of the VOWELS is Effort, and doing meticulous research is one of the great ways you can show your Effort to a recruiter or hiring manager!).
2- Balance Your Time! If 80-90% of the jobs are really in the unpublished job market, then that means you need to be spending 3-4 days per week on researching and meeting with companies in this part of the job spectrum. Responding to job postings should be limited to 1-2 days per week because the amount of jobs there is less and the competition is much greater. To really stand out in the job market, fish where the fish are and most of the other fishermen are not!!
3-Use Your Contacts! Here is where all the training and knowledge you have gained about creating a vibrant personal network will come into play: using your contacts to get introductions! When you know the companies you want to target, the next step is to find ”champions” inside to help you find the right decision maker. Remember, finding your perfect job involves a lot of sales skills, and one of those is in building a vibrant, loyal, and active personal network. If you’ve built such a network, then work your contacts and ask for introductions (in person or electronically) to hiring managers. This personal connection is the way jobs really happen – if you’ve followed the other steps and built a great network, then this is the fun part!
If I can help you research companies, balance your time, or create a great network, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m here to help you find your perfect job!
Sincerely,
Brad Raney
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.
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