Job Search Goal Setting & Project Management

I’ve been working on a goal-setting presentation geared to job seekers for the last couple of weeks. Midway through my preparations, I realized that if someone were to approach a job search as a project in need of management, rather than just applying for as many jobs as possible in an ad hoc manner, they would be far more successful. In other words, the job seeker needs to approach their job search as a Project Manager would approach a critical project.

I stopped and thought “Wow, a stalled job search has all the issues and problems of a project that is behind schedule and in danger of failure.” The elements of any project are:

• Mission statement, with goals and objectives
• Clearly defined requirements
• Selecting people for the project team
• A breakdown of work
• Schedule with milestones and realistic deadline
• Listed risks and opportunities
• A written plan with mitigations for risks
• Accountability or status meetings
• Cost control and resource management

No wonder so many job seekers drown in all the work to be done. It’s daunting, especially if you see yourself alone, with no one to share the burden of job hunting. But you’re not alone, there are people, resources, groups and organizations there to support you in your job search.

Some people hire a coach to help them better manage their job search. Others have outplacement resources and others utilize job clubs, accountability groups and support ministries to reach their goal.

So the quick lessons are: a good Project Manager would not take over a critical project with a helter skelter attitude and expect to be successful. And no Project Manager would attempt to accomplish a project all by themselves. You should have a plan and shouldn’t think that you have to find your next job all by yourself either.

You interview for your job every day...

   Read How to Win Friends and Influence People. Why? Well it’s the most read book in the world next to the Bible. Also, it is loaded with wisdom about how to present yourself in almost every situation. Dale Carnegie wrote it in 1936 and it’s quoted more today than when it was first written. Finally, if you understand how to connect with people and focus on these rules you’ll not shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to moving forward in your career.


   If you don’t have a job that pays you a living wage, every moment is an opportunity to impress a potential boss. I’m often amazed how job seekers show up for different networking events and am especially blown away when I see how they dress for training, workshops and presentations. From a presenter’s  perspective, you never know who is going to be in the audience. So I dress for success. I present myself in the most positive, professional attitude possible. But when I look out into the audience, I see people who have shown up in shorts and tee shirts. 


   Career consultants and job transition counselors tell our clients that the best predictor of future behavior is past performance... guess what, if you have a job you’re being evaluated. Every day is a chance to win or lose. If you’re in transition it’s important to remember that everyday people are looking at you and judging. You never know who you’ll meet during a day of networking or whatever.


   Be positive and professional in your attitude. If you’re on the job, everyone is going to relate to you better if you have a winning attitude. Nobody wants to work with Debbie Downer. Have a friendly word to say and keep a smile on your face. What’s a smile worth? To quote the April 2007 issue of AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH:

Smiling is a significant nonverbal signal in a sales encounter between sales clerk and consumer. A sales clerk’s smile should result in more positive impressions of the clerk and his/her sales pitch, and influence the consumer’s purchasing behavior.

   Getting a job offer and/or a promotion is a result of a sales process where you are the product. Smiling isn’t the only thing necessary but all things being equal regarding capability, the person that makes the most favorable impression will most likely be the winner. 


   Also remember everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM (What’s in it for me.) If your focus is on the people in your life and not yourself... this will be noticed and valued. If you’re the go to person in a certain area it’s because you are approachable and competent at what someone needs done. And why do people hire people? To solve problems. If you can solve problems and you’re a pain in the butt or you send off a “negative” vibe, people will avoid you and you’ll miss out on the promotion or the job opportunity. 


   Another idea: You interview for a promotion by doing the job before you have it. If you’re doing the job with a positive attitude and being successful at it, then it’s self evident. I cannot think of a better way to show folks that you are the one for the job. Before you interview for a new job be indispensable in your current role and the new role. It shows initiative, hard work, and a willingness to put others first. Don’t forget to ask for the promotion though.

What's in a Name

How important is your identity to you? What we call ourselves is very much part of who we are. What others call us conveys a lot of meaning. Imagine the confusion that you would create if you stopped using the commonly accepted names for thing you encounter during a day. You might say things like:

• At the dinner table... "Please pass me the elephant." When you want the salt.
• Driving... "Vote left at the next light." When you're giving directions to the driver.
• During a bank robbery... "Give me all your apples and no one will get hurt."

This is a little silly, but it points out the connection the words we use and the names we call things have in communicating. So listen to other peoples names. Our names are important to us. If someone tells you their name, listen carefully and repeat it back to them. You can say, "Hello, Syed, it's very nice to meet you." This will aid in your remembering.

Now some people are very good remembering names, and some are not. I am a face person so I have to work at remembering names. Often I'll forget the person's name two minutes into the conversation. In those events I ask the person to remind me of their name before we part. "It was a pleasure meeting you, could you remind me, what was your name again?" And almost always this brings a smile to their face as they tell me, "Bob Stevens or Wia Capstone or Barak Obama." It's flattering that you want to remember their name.

Finally, listen to how they say their name. For example, if they say their name is Phillip, Patricia, Jorge or Kathryn; don't call them Phil, Pat, George or Kathy. You can even ask, "Well hello Phillip, do you prefer Phillip?" This is a great way to write their name into your memory. In a former career when I was purchasing key items for my company, I was surprised how many sales people would call me Tom, ten seconds after I introduced myself as Thomas. I didn't take offence but I did take note of their attention to the details.

So the next time you're at a networking event try this out. Listen to people's names and see how well they listen to yours. 

13 things that you can do when you're feeling powerless over the world

Brian Ramaker was a guest speaker at a Transition Support Group I facilitate at St. Barnabas Church here in Chicago’s Western suburbs. Brian is a financial planner for Edward Jones and came to offer some insight to our folks in transition as well as some encouragement. Beyond that Brian shared a little of his faith walk with God. It was powerful as it was genuine and simple. He also shared an article he had read in MSN Money, A survival guide for the unemployed, by Liz Pulliam Weston.  Here are some of the highlights of the article:

1. Get your head on straight. Keeping your spirits up
2. Schedule your job search. Get up early, take a shower, put on nice clothes and schedule what you'll do for the day
3. Let people know how to find you. Your business and professional contacts may have only your work e-mail address and telephone number
4. Stay covered. With health insurance
5. Apply for unemployment benefits.
6. Track your spending. You no longer have the luxury of not knowing where your money is going
7. Get your priorities straight. List your bills and other spending in order of importance
8. Conserve your cash. When you've lost your job cash becomes king
9. Don't tap your retirement funds if you can avoid it.
10. Use your home equity with caution.
11. Raise cash. Organize a garage sale or sell items on Craigslist or eBay
12. Identify emergency sources of aid.
13. Consider volunteering. It’s not a waste of time doing unpaid work? It gets you out there doing something positive

If you're in job transition, read the whole article, it's important. Again, I want to thank Brian for his wisdom and kindness. He spent 90 minutes with my group and gave away a priceless gift... himself.  Have a great week and do something nice for the world, little or big it doesn’t matter.