Where are all the Jobs?: Ask, Listen and Act!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Ask, Listen and Act! | Career Rocketeer

Link to Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 03:55 AM PDT

With the current average job search lasting somewhere around 36 weeks many people ask me what they can do to speed up the process. My advice to them is this: Ask, Listen and Act!
What does this mean and why will it speed up a job search?
Well from my vantage point as a resume writer and career coach and from what I have confirmed from my peers in the field, the majority of job seekers at all levels, from new graduate to CEO, do not seek professional advice at the onset of their job search; most usually wait 4-to 10 weeks before they look for professional help.
Some follow the old conventional methods that worked for them in the past but no longer yield results. Some read blogs and articles and books and follow every other free means of impersonal one-way communication, while the vast majority conduct their job search based on friendly advice from people they know who offer more conjecture than factual knowledge or just conduct their job search through the process of trial and error, which in most cases yields more error than success,
So if you would like to shorten the length of your job search here is what you need to do.
ASK: The first step is to seek out a professional who knows what he or she is talking about from day one and not a month or more into the process. Find someone with good references who you can ask questions to and who will offer you solid advice on your marketing documents, on networking, how YOU should be conducting a job search.
LISTEN: Then listen to what they have to say and don't try and teach them what you know. You may ask them questions about what you perceive to be right, and you should ask them to defend their point of view if you feel it sounds wrong to you, and if after this conversation you are still not comfortable with what they have to say find someone else; but by no means should you go shopping to find someone who will agree with you. Once you find the right career services professional listen attentively to what they have to say and soak up as much information as you can.
ACT: As the old adage goes "actions speak louder than words". Well this is 100% true in a job search. You have asked the vital questions and listened to what a professional in the know has to say. Now you need to be proactive and act on their advice. Don't procrastinate, don't put in to little time and effort and expect results.
Create a game plan and follow it to the tee.
If you start doing things right on day one and put in the effort from the onset I believe you will cut your time of being unemployed to lower than the national average.

Author:
Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.