Want to Get Hired NOW?
Bio information: Coach Joan McMahon is President of Career Solutions – Unleashing the Excellence Within!, a one stop shop for career services. A trained Career Coach, Trainer and Speaker, Coach Joan helps people gain greater career satisfaction through identifying values, personality preferences and interests and by helping them through the difficult job search process. She runs Get Hired NOW! Job Clubs each month and a free weekly job seeker’s networking group at the Delectable Egg at 200 Quebec on Wednesday mornings at 9am. Her website is www.coachjoan.com and her email is coachjoan@coachjoan.com.

Looking for work is no easy task. A person needs to not only dedicate time and energy to finding work, but also ensure that they “stay up” during the process when the inevitable rejections and frustrations occur. In my daily interactions with job seekers and career changers, I am often asked for advice about job search productivity and motivation. Questions like: How do I find a satisfying job in the fastest amount of time? How can I avoid wasting time during my job search? How do I stay up when job searching gets me down?

Here are some suggestions to create the most satisfying job search possible.

Reframe how you view your job search. You may roll your eyes when you hear this, but being unemployed is actually a great opportunity! Even if you are dealing with the negative effects of unemployment, especially financially, you now have the opportunity to create a new future for yourself. You can take stock of your past job and say to yourself: Going forward, I will… meaning that you will have learned from the past and set goals to get more of what you want out of your next job.
Be realistic with yourself about your timeframes. A job search, which does not involve a career change usually, takes about 3 months, assuming you work at it for 20 hours per week or more, your job target is fairly clear and your interpersonal skills are good. Even if you have perfect job seeking skills and you work hard at finding work, there is just time involved in the process, some of which is out of your control. Letting this sink in is a great way to stop feeling so bad about being unemployed and better about what you can do to control the search.
Use a project management approach. I highly recommend the book Get Hired NOW! By CJ Hayden and Frank Traditi. This book will help you take a project management approach to your search, give you the step by step goal setting assistance you need and provide information about essential job seeking skills. The system starts with Knowing What You Want in terms of your next job. Once that is clear, then you launch your campaign to your network and use your network to Find Opportunities and Contacts. Then you go on the Internet and apply to jobs, interview for the targeted jobs and negotiate offers.
Create a clear job search target. Before telling everyone you know that you are out of work, get clear about what you are looking for. This way, people can actually help you get what you are looking for instead of just casting a pitying gaze your way. Know what your chosen profession is or at least the titles you are going for, the type of work you want to do, the industries and companies you’d be interested in and where you’d like to work. This can put you ahead of the pack!
Manage your time, including balancing personal needs during the search. Looking for a job is like a full time job. You need to balance all of these new job search skills with your personal needs. Time wise, it’s best to actually plan your job search activities weekly and daily in a structured way while also including doing activities that will support you during the search.
Get support – from other job seekers! Even though your loved ones are compassionate, getting support from those who are in the same boat is invaluable. You can not only get a great deal of understanding, but also hear about what’s going on in the market place, hear about job seeking events, learn about networking venues, etc. Being supportive of others by sharing what you know can be good for the soul. You’d be amazed at how much support is out there for you, which can make you feel less isolated and more hopeful about what is coming up for you next. Check out information about Coach Joan’s Career Café below to get your started.
Network! Network! Network! Once you have job search clarity, a time management plan, and support from job seekers, now it’s time to launch your campaign! Network as much as you can emphasize your target and what good leads for you would be. Remember, you have to teach people how to help you.
Learn how to sweep the web, apply for jobs efficiently, and to follow-up! Applying online is here to stay! Learn the best websites for your profession and how to attach your cover letter and resume to the application. Once you learn this, you should “sweep” the web 2 to 3 times per week. Respond as soon as you can to openings, as they won’t last forever!

Looking for work is no easy task but the benefits of creating a great new opportunity for yourself is the light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck!