You've revised your resume, networked your butt off (with your inner circle and via social networks) … now its time to get that job.
THE FINAL STEP!!!!
To be honest…this step is different for every person, in my opinion. I'll give you 2 scenarios.
Scenario 1:
You're über focused on the job hunt and ready to dive right in. Yay for you!! Okay…so now its time to start applying. Job boards, applying in person, and company websites are just a few of the mediums you can use to apply. Which is the best? In my opinion, focus on
company websites.
- Company websites will give you the most up-to-date job availability. While on the website, look for information about the Director/Supervisor/Manager of the department you're looking to apply for and then try to find out who their administrative assistant is. The assistant is key…believe me. I was an assistant to the VP of a Business Unit for 4 years AND basically managed the Dallas office employees...I was like the lock/key to get to any of them but mainly my VP. I monitored his phone calls/messages and would get calls transferred to me from our HQ receptionists when they received calls asking to speak with him. The amount of info I gave depended on how the caller treated me on the phone. Be rude and demanding, you're getting nothing BUT be polite and engage me…well, I'm more likely to give you helpful info.
Don't forget to utilize your newly found contacts from all your networking! Send a follow-up email, phone call, text (depending on how well you know them) and ask to meet for coffee/lunch so that you can learn more about them and get advice.
- At the meeting, don't start off right away with "I'm job hunting, do you know of jobs that I can apply for?"…..this will have your contact tune you out for the rest of the time and ready to leave as soon as possible. Instead, engage them. Ask them about what they do, how they got to that position, their best advice for up-and-comers, etc. People LOVE to be asked about themselves….you know its true. Use this! Engage them into conversation to build a repertoire. After you've engaged them, they'll be more apt to start asking about YOU. This is where you can start your "pitch". You'll get more info at this point and probably (hopefully) the request that you schedule to come in for an interview with them or to meet their boss.
Scenario 2:
You're beat. You've revised the resume, networked your butt off, and now…well now you just want to rest and have time to gather your thoughts and take a breather. What I say to this…eh. You've done all this hard work to just give up now? WHY???? Get off your butt and don't start to get lazy now. BUT…do take a deep breath. Relax. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed because that will just make you more anxious. I've been here, done that, gotten through it and had some regrets. I'm not telling you this because I read it somewhere…I'm telling you this because I've been there personally. It's hard, the job search. You've done it all, now you're doing it again and you're just constantly thinking…"what will make this time different?".
Well, its the way you go about the entire situation that will make this time different. Don't get worked up, enjoy the search. Research different companies, find the career that you actually want, and apply to a place that can give you both. This is your time to make the change. I fell into this scenario after I was laid off in June 2011 and here I am now. I took the time after I revised and networked to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. I always had a notion of the field I wanted to get into, but never thought out specifics. Taking the time to do this helped me realize what I wanted to do. I went back to school full-time to finish my last few hours towards my Marketing degree.
So…..
Things happen differently in this step for a lot of people, like I said. You never know how the final step will go for you. You could land a job/any job right away, you could realize a speciality that you want to focus in on, or your plans could change entirely. The final step is where you're able to find yourself. Realize which way you want your path to go. Don't be scared to take this step either…there are TONS of possibilities.
I'm 28, a full-time student at UTD, and I've decided to start my own consulting business (on top of a Mary Kay business too….yup, just loading it all on bc I like challenges). I NEVER thought I'd be here, blogging or even consulting with individuals/businesses but it's where I landed and I've got to say….being thrown into the job search bc of a layoff has been one of the BEST things that has happened to me and it can only get better!!!!!! Happy Job Hunting!!!
