Latte and Laptops-Best Stategies for Re-Careering Women
Do you have a laissez faire job hunting style or are you doggedly pursuing your next job? These are extremes, but if you lay out a clear, workable, job-hunt strategy and are committed to your goal and taking action, you’ll find your new job even in tough economic times.
The following are some of the pointers I recently went over with a new client who hired me because she was burning out on her job hunt, admittedly relying on her credible experience and expertise on the job, and not working off any organized plan.
If you don’t know what job you’re after there are great workbooks you can use, such as “What Color is Your Parachute?,” or if you’re not that disciplined to go through a workbook yourself or short on time, hire a Career Coach to help you quickly assess you and your interests, narrowing it down so you can finalize your choice and move ahead. This is for women who already know what job they’re seeking with ideas of how to make it more strategic.
Grab your cup of coffee or tea, your laptop, scheduler, paper and pen. Prepare your own list from these mentioned here and then get ready for action.
1. Make a list of any specific contacts you know who are in your desired field that you can call for an informational interview, to meet with over lunch or tea, to help you brainstorm, and even to position you within their company or one they know that does what you want to do.
2. Make a list of all of your closest friends and supporters. Schedule a short phone call with each of them separately to briefly introduce your job experience and what you’re looking for. Request their support for introductions. Don’t hesitate to call someone you know well if they’re in an unrelated field. You never know who else they know. Set a goal to leave the call with at least one contact name or number – better yet – see if they’ll make a call to introduce you and let their contact know you’ll be calling them.
3. Attend your informational interviews and luncheons. Bring pad and pen to write down any advise or leads from those meetings.
4. Be very organized in your followup. If you told someone you would call their contact, be sure to do that in a timely manner and let your friend know you did it and the response. They may have meanwhile thought of other folks you can try, or that they’re willing to talk to on your behalf.
5. Only after you’ve exhausted your contact lists should you put more effort into the job search sites online you’ve already been looking at. There are many of them, such as Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com. (See my resource section of this website for listings). Be sure to talk with any friends who’ve recently job-hunted, for their suggestions.
In preparation for your calls and to stay on top of the process, keep an organized paper of who you’re calling, who referred you, when you spoke and any followup. Don’t keep these details in your head. Schedule specific time to work on your new job hunt rather than leave it to “available time.” Life has a way of sweeping you up in activity and your important job hunt will be delayed.
On the other hand, make yourself comfortable when you sit down to make those calls, enjoy a soothing latte or tea and take short breaks. A balanced, job search approach will keep you fresh and energized for your upcoming interview. This can be an enjoyable learning time and valuable growth experience.
Interview skills a little rusty? Contact Laurie for help in improving these and your job hunt.
