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It
may have, if you agree with this definition of insanity: doing the
same
thing over and over, but expecting a different result.
Many
otherwise-intelligent people find themselves without work for 6, 12,
18 months or longer. Yet they continue to do the same things -- network
the
same way, send out the same resume, search the same Web sites for
openings
-- long after they should have changed their approach.
It’s time to stop the job search insanity.
Here's
how you can do it, by asking yourself three “magic” questions
once a
week …
Question #1: What's working?
Ask yourself this every Sunday evening or Monday morning, before you
plan
your job search activities for the week.
If
you're like most folks, you spend most of your time networking, applying
for advertised jobs, posting your resume on Web sites, doing volunteer
projects and/or going to informational interviews.
Now,
what's working? Which of your job-search methods produced the most
interviews or callbacks from employers last week? Do more of that
this week!
Believe
it or not, this is a radical concept for some job seekers. They
often to react to each day's events without having a written plan
of
attack. But not you. Find out what’s working -- and do more of
it.
Question #2: What's not working?
If you honestly ask this question, the answer may upset you. But the
outcome will ultimately help you get hired faster.
Example:
if you've sent out the same resume to apply for 77 jobs you were
perfect for, and didn't get called for interviews, guess what? That
resume
is not working. Or the way you sent it out -- email, fax and/or mail
-- is
not working.
It’s time to change your approach.
Don't
be like the laid-off manager profiled in a March 2003 issue of The
Wall Street Journal. He sent out 700 resumes and got only two interviews.
But instead of changing his resume or the way he distributed it, he
resorted to holding up a sign along a Boston road that said, "I
NEED A JOB."
What’s
not working in your job search? Change it. Or stop doing it! (That
man with the sign did get hired, by the way, but only after his plight
became national news. Don't depend on that happening to you.)
Question #3: What's next?
It's not enough to know what’s working and what's not in your
job hunt. You
have to plan effectively for the week ahead. To do that, ask yourself,
"What's next in my search?"
Because
... you get just 24 hours each day. After eating, sleeping, etc.,
you have about 14 hours to spend looking for work. You'll never get
those
hours back. Make the most of them!
It's
been said that every hour of planning saves five hours of doing. So
start spending an hour every week scheduling what’s next in your
job search.
When
you do, you'll work smarter, not harder. You'll find yourself doing
more of what works, less of what doesn't and what's next? How about
a new job?!
++++
Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Donlin
Kevin Donlin is Managing Editor of 1 Day Resumes. The 1DR writers provide same-day, one-on-one resume writing assistance. He is also author of "Resume and Cover Letter Secrets Revealed," a do-it-yourself manual that will help you find a job in 30 days ... or your money back. For more information, please visit Resume and Cover Letter Secrets
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