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Compiled is a checklist of 5 key activities that constitute a successful job search.

How many of them have you addressed?

Job search Checklist –

1) What are your motivated skills?

I am sure you have a long list of skills that you’re quite good at. However, when you think about continuing to use some of these skills in your next job and beyond, you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Sound familiar?

Only when you use the skills you love AND that you are good at (or at least have a reasonable competency in) will you be happy in the work you do. I want you to make two lists:

	A list of all the skills you have, and
	A list of the skills you want to use. (Even if you are not expert in every skill you want to use, do not despair.)

Because the skills you want to use are your motivated skills, you will often find a way to close the experience gap between what you know and what you need to know. An employer will hire an enthusiastic candidate, hungry to do the work, over an applicant who is competent but complacent. They might even provide the training to make up the difference.

If you want a terrific resource to help you develop your skills list, read Richard Bolles’ seminal What Color Is Your Parachute? This book, which is updated every year, provides extensive skill lists

2) What do you value?

What are values and how do they relate to your career?

Work values are the critical needs that must be fulfilled for you to function optimally in the workplace. Examples: morality and ethics, recognition, security, prestige, public contact, etc. to guide you.

Understanding your work values will help you select the job that’s best for you and determine what type of company and industry to pursue.

Here’s an exercise to help you define your values:

Think about 3 peak moments in your career. Write about them. What happened? What were you doing? What were others doing? What made these moments so important and memorable? How did you feel? What values were being honored that made you feel this way?

Take your time and re-live the moments. Don’t rush it; you may need several sittings. Come up with a list of the 5-10 values most important to you. When you do, you’ll be able to test a potential job/company/industry against your values to know if it’s a good fit.

EXAMPLE : Irene was a CPA and MBA who worked as a research analyst on Wall Street. She was miserable in her current position because of the political and anti-female environment of her company. Irene loved her profession but wanted to find a company and position that would be a better fit. She was unsure of her next move because she was afraid of jumping from one bad situation to another. After writing about her peak professional moments, Irene confirmed that she loved working with numbers. She realized that her most important value was to have challenging work that involved analyzing numbers. Her second most important value was being recognized by her superiors and financially acknowledged for her contributions. Both were sorely lacking in her current job. And third, she needed to work in a culture that had a track record of promoting and training women. One month later, she was interviewed by a prominent Wall Street firm. Because she had taken the time to understand her own values, Irene was able to test the company’s suitability before the interview. She spoke to both current and ex-employees. In doing so, she found out that the firm supported growth from within and had a history of including women in top positions. On her final interview, her potential new boss asked her what she valued! Irene confidently responded with the work values she’d clarified through her peak moments exercise. Result: Two days later, Irene received an offer from this firm. She felt secure in accepting the offer because she had been diligent in doing her homework before interviewing. More importantly, Irene was confident that this opportunity was a good fit because it satisfied her two top values (analyzing numbers and a culture that recognized and awarded contributions). Lastly, she was confident because she had chosen a firm that had a policy of including women in high-ranking position.

Getting clear on your values is the single most powerful way of insuring that your next job is a good choice for you.

3) Your Job Search Skills

Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a one-minute “commercial” that expresses what you do in a persuasive, compelling way (leaving the listener wanting more). An elevator speech will serve you well in every aspect of your job search. It will help you to be prepared when you go to a networking event. You will also need to know what to say when you have those unexpected encounters that could lead you to your next job.

Interviewing Preparedness

Interviewing well takes practice. To do your best on an interview, think about what questions you might be asked. Rehearse your answers, including how to react in stressful situations, and find and use language that best describes your abilities. Don’t ramble. Keep your answers brief; one to two minutes maximum. Ask for feedback about your style and responses from the interviewer after the interview so you can learn what to do better the next time.

In-person interviews aren’t the only type of interviews you may be asked to do. More and more companies are using a range of communication formats to help them eliminate job candidates. Here’s an example of recent interview questions that a client was asked to respond to by email prior to the actual interview:

	When deciding between job offers, what are your top 3 criteria?
	What experiences have prepared you for a role like this one?
	Of all your friends and acquaintances, who has the best job, and why?

The phone interview, in particular, is a crucial first step in the interview process.

Do Your Research

Second only to lacking the requisite skills, the main reason candidates don’t get to the next step—the face-to-face interview—is failure to properly research the company.

Undertaking in-depth research can be a tedious part of prepping for a phone interview. However, it is a key ingredient in getting you a ticket to the next round. In researching the company, there is no such thing as being too prepared. Your ability to cite facts and paraphrase from relevant business articles will impress the interviewer.

Before the interview, have these facts about the company at your fingertips:

	The company’s products and/or services
	The size of the company, number of employees, rank within its industry
	The company’s primary customers and competitors
	The location of the company’s offices, plants and facilities
	The company’s goals, philosophy and mission statement
	Names of the company’s key players (Chairman, CEO, President, etc.)
	The financial health of the company
	The company’s performance in the last year
	The career paths and training offered by the company
	Media exposure and/or major articles that have appeared about the company within the last 3-6 months

Make a winning impression through Networking

NETWORKING

You can develop valuable contacts without meeting in person. Many people believe that networking must be accomplished face-to-face. The telephone, however, has always been an effective tool when handled properly. Email via networking websites has also furthered many a career. Some jobseekers have successfully had friends forward their resumes to key hiring managers.

Network like a professional. Here are some guidelines for effective networking:

	Don't be a pest - if someone doesn't return phone calls or emails, move on to your next contact.
	Keep a record of what was discussed.
	Be a good contact yourself - return emails and phone calls promptly.
	Be positive - never gripe while networking.
	Be sensitive to confidentiality - never probe for personal or confidential company information.
	Volunteer - involvement in trade groups or other voluntary organizations pays off.

Your 30-Second Spot. If you had 30 seconds to tell someone about yourself, what would you say? Many networking experts advise jobseekers to practice just that. One such opener might be "Hi, my name is Mary Smith and I'm an experienced preschool teacher looking for a chance to make a difference in children's lives." Adapt your spiel to the situation. When cold-calling, for example, you can add "do you know of anyone who'd be interested in hiring an outstanding preschool teacher?"

The Informational Interview. This is a time-tested approach to meeting professionals in your target field. Through family, friends or by simply cold-calling, you contact someone who works in the profession of your choice. This is NOT a job interview, but an informal 15-minute session in which you pick the professional's brain for any advice or leads on how you might break into the field. Always ask for referrals and always send a thank-you note. Do not ask for a job.

Quality Questions. When conducting an informational interviews, it is vital that you ask top-notch questions. Here is a sampling: How did you get started in the business? What is your education in this field? Looking back, would you change how you prepared for the career - more education, more practical experience? Would you have started earlier or later in life? Studied different subjects? How much advanced education do you think is necessary to succeed in this field? What professional associations would you recommend joining? What's the hardest part of your job? What element of the work do you never get tired of? What personal qualities are essential to being good at this job? How do you see this business changing in the next five years? What's the best advice you can give to someone new to this field?

By Rich Heintz

MAKING THE MOST OF A JOB FAIR

Does the thought of going to a job fair bring butterflies to your stomach? You are not alone. Most people would rather go to the dentist than to a networking event. The idea of mingling with hundreds of other jobseekers trying to get noticed by employers can so daunting that many people give up before they begin.

That is a shame because job fairs can be a very effective way of gathering information. Here is your chance to check out employers without waiting to be contacted by them. David, a successful jobseeker, sees it as "the one place where the employers are waiting for you. Instead of contacting a nameless mailbox, you can meet with them face-to-face and it’s free."

Too Late, Too Little

David didn’t always feel this way. He used to hate going to job fairs. He didn’t like the crowds, the noise, or competing for the interviewers’ attention. Being introverted, an hour at a social function like this left him exhausted. Consequently, he avoided going to them until he was desperate.

His apprehension caused him to delay as long as possible, leaving him little time to prepare. Often on the day of the job fair, he would discover that his suit was soiled and his shirt needed ironing. He would leave without getting directions and arrive late. Upon arrival, he would hang back and envy the other applicants engaged in conversations.

Eventually, he would see the recruiters starting to pack up and realize that he had better get going. The recruiter that he was interested in might be busy and he wouldn’t get to the front of the table in time. His experience confirmed his belief that job fairs were not for people like him and he would vow to spend more time on the Internet.

Unlike David, John is energized by social contact. His tendency toward extroversion encourages him to seek out new people and new situations. He smiles easily and finds it easy to strike up a conversation. Often he comes home from an event feeling revved up and sometimes has a hard time relaxing.

However, John didn’t utilize his natural gifts to his advantage. John is so comfortable in crowds that he expected employers would be impressed by his spontaneity. On the day of the job fair, John relaxed around the house, answering his email, talking on the phone and playing with his children. Suddenly he realized that time had slipped away and he’d better get going.

Once at the event, he was easily distracted and found himself talking indiscriminately to any friendly face, even if it was for a job that didn’t interest him. His eagerness to connect often led him to talk too much or disclose a bit of information that he later regretted. At the end of the time, John had spoken to only a few recruiters, none of whom were with his first-choice companies.

Planning to Succeed

John and David are two very different people, but they both failed to take advantage of the opportunities provided by job fairs. They didn’t need to change who they are, they just needed to use their natural tendencies to their advantage. Here’s how early planning gave each of them an edge.

Since prolonged social interaction saps David’s energy, he developed a strategy to use his time more wisely. Before the job fair, he decided on his preferred companies and prepared questions to ask their representatives. John also prioritized his list to avoid being distracted. John’s approach allowed him to focus his charm and charisma where it would do him the most good. Advance preparation ensured that they maximized their “face time” with the top companies and displayed their best qualities.

Whether you are like David or John or a combination of the two, preparation pays off. Here are some general guidelines to get you started.

Before the Event

	Most job fairs have a list of the participating employers on their advertisement. If not, you can call the hosting agency. Then, get information about the organizations that most interest you.
	The Internet is a good place to start.
	Think about why you want to work for an organization. If you don’t know, they won’t either.
	Plan some questions to ask the representatives. This shows you are interested in finding a good match for both you and the employer. Practice out loud in front of the mirror.
	Be prepared for an on-the-spot interview and dress appropriately. At a recent campus job fair, most participants showed up in jeans and backpacks. The few people wearing nicer clothes got most of the attention.
	Try to identify specific experiences where you have demonstrated your skills and special qualities.
	Bring at least ten copies of your resume.

During the Job Fair

	Take a tip from an introvert like David and first browse the scene to plan and prioritize your visits. If one booth is crowded, you can come back later when it is not so busy and not waste your time waiting.
	When meeting with a representative, introduce yourself and make eye contact while giving a firm handshake. Look at their name tag and address the representative by name and title (Mr. or Ms.). Ask for a business card.
	Listen carefully to what the representative has to say and maintain friendly eye contact. Feel free to take notes. This is an opportunity to ask what the hiring procedure is.
	Plan some questions to ask the representatives. This shows you are interested in finding a good match for both you and the employer. Practice out loud in front of the mirror.
	Smile and be polite. Extroverts like John know that enthusiasm is noticed and appreciated. Show confidence in your voice by speaking clearly and with good volume. Preparing your questions and statements in advance can help you avoid filler words, such as “um,” “like” and “you know.”
	If you have time, speak with organizations that you had not considered before. Even if you find that you are not interested, it is good practice.

After the Event

	As soon as possible, send a thank-you note to ensure that your name is remembered. You can send an extra resume in your thank-you letter.
	You can also call to check on the hiring procedure or the status of your application but, before calling, plan what you are going to say.

By being prepared, you can be more confident and make best use of this opportunity to try a more sophisticated method of job exploration. Furthermore, knowing yourself as David and John learned to do, you can use your natural inclinations to your advantage. If you are unsure about your own style, a competent career counselor will be able to assist you.