Thursday, December 07, 2006

One Man's Job Hunting Journey

At my Toastmaster's club meeting today Steve Crisler delivered a great talk spelling out his "Seven Tips For Finding A Job". Steve had been an engineering manager with T-Mobile until earlier this year when they moved the office where he worked from Austin to Dallas. Steve and his family wanted to stay in the beautiful city of Austin, and for the first time in his life he found himself without employment.

Steve's speech shared the useful tips below:

1. Organize you job search as a project. Have action items and faithfully stay focused on completing the tasks.

2. Clarify your objectives. Know what you want and do not want in a new job.

3. Research your opportunities. There are many resources both online and offline to help you.

4. Prepare your documents and your stories. Your resume, reference list, and personal marketing plan must all be ready. Additionally, know in advance how you will answer common interview questions.

5. Network, network, network!!! This is the most important step. Over 65% of all jobs are filled through networking.

6. Interview smart. The hiring manager has a set of needs, sell yourself to fill those needs.

7. Chose the right offer. Evaluate your opportunities in regards to the objectives in step #2.

Steve followed these tips and undertook his job search with gusto. His quest lead him to a new position with Nokia as a solutions consultant. He also knows that he can never stop networking.

Have a great day.

thom

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