I hear a lot of excuses, justifications, and whining from people looking for a job. It’s always the same things:

-“I hate networking.”
-“I followed up on a bunch of leads and nothing!”
-“I’ve got my resume out there but don’t hear anything.”
-“I don’t know what to put on LinkedIn or how to use it.”
Come on now!

Face reality.

Jobs rarely find you. They don’t call it a “search” or “hunting” for nothing. The process requires research, exploration, and discovery. It means:

-crawling through a jungle of complex paths and unknown obstacles
-lifting up rocks and seeing what crawls out
-following leads and taking advice from people who know the drill
I can’t say this any more plainly: The job search is WORK!

When you’re looking for a job, you have a job: Project Manager! That means you need to use the right tools:

-An action plan with steps and deadlines you’ll complete each week
-A strong resume and cover letter
-Behavioral interviewing skills
-Contacts via social media, friends, community and professional groups
You don’t just whip this stuff up in a day. You have to invest serious thinking, a zillion drafts until your message is right, and a clear focus on what jobs you’re after.

You have to make big decisions like:

-Are you willing to move or drive a good distance from where you live?
-Will you re-credential yourself? If so, how?
-Are you willing to start over in an entry level job with an industry that you think will grow?
-Are you willing to work two part-time jobs or perhaps a lower paying job while starting your own business?
Today, you have lots of options. Sometimes being creative about the way you piece together your career outlets is the ace in the hole you need.

The way you job hunt brands you!

If you’re not aggressive about your own job hunt, why would an employer think you’d work hard for him/her? The stakes and rewards for you couldn’t be any higher. So why doesn’t everyone dig in and work at their search? Is it:

-Fear of rejection or laziness
-Some kind of weird denial
-Belief that the job-fairy is out there flying around looking for them
-A crippling lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, or naiveté
-Inability to try new approaches, solve problems, or manage time
-Procrastination, lack of discipline, or poor initiative
Would you hire someone with these attributes? If not, don’t adopt them yourself!

Suck it up!

Job hunting is a full time job when you’re out of work. That means you need to:

-Work on it 8 hours a day Monday through Friday; 4 hours on Saturday. (Yes, you need to work OT on your search.)
-Set up your day to include: networking appointments, follow up correspondence, materials preparation, researching opportunities, and reaching out
-Arrange information interviews, job interviews, and community/professional meetings weekly
-Stay current on business matters related to the jobs you’re seeking
-Expand your visibility (i.e., use LinkedIn, blog, and attend professional events)
-Follow up on leads, take creative steps to get in the door, and ask friends for referrals
Do not give yourself “time off” from this work unless you’ll definitely make up the hours. Remember: It could take you 6 months to get the job you want, so you’re in this for the long haul.

Make yourself proud.

Being out of work feels awful. We can either wallow or get over it.

I developed the business fitness model because we all need to be ready for a career curve ball. Sometimes we’re even thrown a sinker! Working hard on your job search empowers you. It gives you momentum and builds optimism. Get started and stay with it. That’s the measure of your heart! Believe in yourself, okay?