Job Search Like It’s 2013!!

Shouldn’t Prince write a song about that!??

No, not really, but I’ll write a blog post about it.

It’s here folks.  No more “it’s holiday season, I can’t job search right now” stuff.

It’s time.  January 2013.  It’s a new year.  You think you’ll have a new career.

If you are already happy in your job, take note of this blog post and reference it later if/when you lose your job (or choose to leave and look for greener pastures).  Here are my tips for job the current job seeker:

1. Get your marketing docs done right, and out of the way. Back in the olden days (7 yrs ago when I was in transition) I probably wasted a solid month looking for and then recreating my (poor) resume.  The resume I created kept me out of interviews, even though my family and friends said it was awesome.  Stop joking around and get a resume professionally written.  (I know, I know, some of you want to DIY, and you’ll learn so much from doing it yourself.  Fine… go through the exercise of doing it yourself.  That will be beneficial. But then have a resume writer critique it)
2. Network. No, not (a) the networking you think you are good at, or (b) the networking you think you hate.  I learned what networking really was when I read Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. I’m talking about developing real, potentially long-term relationships with the right people.  Not everybody, and not anybody, but the right people.  Not exchange business cards or do lunch once, but long-term professional relationships.  This will be for immediate job search benefit as well as long-term career management.  And maybe even for your personal fulfillment.
3. Use technology in ways you haven’t before. Job boards are lame, right? Actually, you can get a lot of value out of job boards (just don’t play the game that gets you to curse the phrase “resume black hole”). As a job seeker (or career manager) you should become proficient with tools like job boards (competitive intelligence research), LinkedIn (finding and being found), JibberJobber (managing professional relationships and organizing a job search), and other tools (many of which I’ve blogged about).  These aren’t just passive “only when I need them” tools – they should become a part of your system/process/life.  Whether it is proactively look for someone and reach out to them, or passively (or methodically and more slowly) build your personal brand, technology is a key part of what you do from now on.
4. Get on the phone and face-to-face. Tech is cool, but it’s also so easy that it replaces voice and face-to-face.  Don’t hide from hard stuff (picking up the phone, going to network meetings) by doing posts and updates online.  There’s more to your career management than what tech will give you.

You have probably heard this stuff before.  So what’s new in 2013?  Everything, and nothing.

It still comes down to how you communicate, where you communicate, what others know/think/say about you, how proactive you are, etc.

Your body language, choice of dress, choice of words, passion, etc.

Using tools, resources, coaches, thought leaders, mentors, etc.

It’s all the same as before.

But for you, you need to do it better than ever before.

Are you up for it?