Never never never give in: persistence in your job search

This article comes from: http://reCareered.blogspot.com


"It disturbs me when I see comments from candidates who have given up.

As the recession has dragged on, I sense that more people are starting to give up their job search. A number of mainstream news articles seem to confirm this when they discuss that unemployment numbers are understated, due (in part) to people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and have given up.

Persistence is the ability to maintain action regardless of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting. Persistence is the #1 determinant of success in any difficult task. However, if your persistence isn't leading to progress in your search, candidates can get demotivated. I see that happening more often with candidates - I suspect it's due to a misdirection of efforts, combined with today's tough job market.

In a good market, candidates can make mistakes and still land jobs, because in good job market there's a shortage of candidates. That's not the case today - candidates who are finding jobs are both persistent and are executing their search effectively. It's seldom the case of a candidate getting lucky, but more often the successful candidate engineering their luck ( http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/02/5-ways-to-get-lucky-in-your-job-search.html ).

When I talk to unsuccessful frustrated candidates, the consistent story line is one of persistence in tactics. These candidates don't recognize an important difference - the difference between persistence and stubbornness. These candidates are using the same tactics over and over and are frustrated that they aren't seeing a different outcome ( http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/05/definition-of-insanity.html ).

However, one consistent trait among successful candidates is the willingness to try new tactics, rather than giving up when frustrated.

Seth Godin, the guru of modern marketing writes, "Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. That's just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over." (Source: http://sethgodin.typepad.com ). As Seth points out, the key is persistence in towards goals, and using a new tactics to drive us towards that goal when the old tactics don't work. Most candidates I speak to who are frustrated in their search continue to use the same tactics

There's a great story about differentiating between goals and tactics from a little company called Traf-O-Data started by two young entrepreneurs ... "

( Continued ... at http://reCareered.blogspot.com )

To learn more about the difference between persistence in goals vs persistence in tactics, read: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

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Related Articles:
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone - Why are job seekers are afraid to change?: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/11/step-out-of-your-comfort-zone.html
Safe Is The Risky Path For Candidates: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/safe-is-risky-path-for-candidates.html

Email your request to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

A job search site to check daily

Kathy, thanks for pointing out this job search site; members, check it often for new leads.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/subindex/job_shop

6 Reasons Why LinkedIn Is So Critical In A Job Search

Here's another excellent article shared with us by Marsi:

6 Reasons Why LinkedIn Is So Critical In A Job Search

"A candidate recently asked me, 'How do I find a hiring manager in a large company like Microsoft?' There are a lot of ways to do this but one of the easiest and best is using LinkedIn. When I recommended this to the candidate he completely agreed, however, the problem was he only had about 60 connections. Too few to be effective.

So often I speak with candidates that just don’t understand the value of LinkedIn as a job search tool. We constantly are sent invitations to join someone’s network only to find after months of searching they are just now starting build a LinkedIn network. You should consider building your LinkedIn networking all the time. NOT JUST WHEN IN A JOB SEARCH.

Some benefits to a large LinkedIn database of contacts:

People can find you. The more people at the second and third degrees of separation the more times you will show up in a search. For example, I have around 500 contacts. However, I am linked to over 5 million people on LinkedIn. When I search for a candidate that is a huge database.

LinkedIn will eliminate the need for resume databases on Ladders, Monster, Careerbuilder and other job boards. This is because it costs on average between 5,000and 10,000 dollars to have access to these resume databases. LinkedIn is free. Why would a recruiter or any company pay that when we can use LinkedIn for free.

Resume databases by the job boards are not picked up by Google or any search engine. These are the ones you want to make sure you show up on. LinkedIn is and you can even improve your search results for as little as $25 a month. (See prior blog article SEO Your Search On Google)

It helps you find the people you want an introduction to. This is very powerful. I have helped numerous people with introductions as a result of LinkedIn. On a weekly basis I receive requests indicating they found a person in my connections and would I make an introduction. I always agree.

Even when working this is a great tool for resources, customer contacts and introductions, references, service providers and even potential hires for you or your company.

On a personal basis it is a great way to stay in-touch with friends, colleagues, prior employees and networking contacts. When you update your profile they will get a notice and likewise when they update theirs.

Work hard at building your connections. Make every effort to reach that magic 500+. If you use Outlook download the LinkedIn tool bar, it makes inviting people very easy.

There are many more positives to building your LinkedIn network than there are negatives. Many have resisted. I believe this recession has proven to be good thing for everyone’s network.

A good way to start is building a network is making sure your profile is complete. If it isn’t start there and then begin expanding your contacts. Don’t miss the opportunity to get a high ranking on Google."

Source: C3G Networking Group - Atlanta Group Members