When you’re conducting a job search you need to combine a variety of skills and abilities. Some you have, others you’ll want to learn. For example; you’ll want to think like a visionary, plan like a strategist, operate like a tactician, write like an advertiser, research and revise like an editor, persuade like a sales person, deliver like a distributor, and follow through for all you’re worth.
Skip a step and you’re back to square one so you’ll want to get it right from the start.
Think like a visionary: if you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know how to get there. Expand your thinking beyond the next job and the next paycheck. Imagine yourself in a place and with people who fulfill your intrinsic values doing work that meets your extrinsic needs.
Plan like a strategist: Once you know where you want to be and what you want to accomplish, develop a strategy that takes you there. Identify the life-skills and job skills you’ll need to acquire that will meet the expectations of future employers.
Operate like a tactician: Connect the dots and make the plan. Outline and organize your short- term objectives that combined will satisfy your long- term goals. Identify the gaps in your formal and informal education, on the job training, technology training, and cross- functional training. Decide and commit to what you’ll need to fill those gaps and what you’ll do to make that happen.
If you want to advance you need to lead courageously, challenge considerately, be out front and upfront about what you think and actions you’re willing to take. If you want to change companies or industries from those that are receding to those that are achieving, decide which they are, what to do, and when to do it. Once your plans are in place you’ll be ready to put together your promotional materials.
Write like an advertiser: Start with your cover letter. Make your feature/benefit case as compelling as it is convincing. Here’s what I do and how my strengths and experience can add significant value; here’s how I will drive your top line (or protect your bottom line or streamline, expedite, lead or manage) in a way that takes you where you want to go. Be as confident as you are courageous. Draw on past experience, apply it forward, and demonstrate how you can create benefit for them.
Research and revise like an editor: Create a resume that gives evidence you’ve done what your cover letter says you can do. Jump- start it with an objective that reads like a headline: this is what I want to deliver for you. List your positions in reverse chronological order. Highlight your experience with bullet point accomplishments and in two pages or less, write a document that’s succinct, easy to read, in 12 point type, with wide clean margins. Use action verbs to tee up each applicable, valid, quantifiable, reliable piece of information you include.
Persuade like a salesperson, operate like a distributor, and follow-through for all you’re worth: Network to get in front of the people you need to know who will connect you to the people you want to meet. Go face to face to get your name, your brand, and your message to the individuals who lead and manage businesses you want to join and can benefit most. When you get a lead, qualify it, follow up on it, follow through on it until you understand what the employer needs and can clearly and effectively communicate how you can deliver a product, process, system, or service that gets the company closer to where it wants to go.
