It is a procedure that’s been tweaked to near-perfection over the past five years but will undoubtedly be tweaked many more times whenever improvements are discovered, tested, and evaluated.
To do this, your CEO business brain must think in four dimensions, i.e., remember that each component (networking, CEO mind-set, value proposition, and methodology) becomes supercharged when combined with the other three but has ample horsepower to stand on its own when the situation calls for it.
This will be challenging work and at times you may become frustrated. But the payoff is substantial: You will cut yourself free from the grip of The Black Hole. Instead of being dependent on people who don’t know you to advance your career goals, you will learn to network your way to an interview, job or contract by leveraging the power of advocates — people who not only know you, but like you, trust you and will gladly help you to “connect the dots.”
Decision Time: Do It Right or Don’t Do It at All
The 7-Step Job Search Methodology comes with a few caveats. Please make sure you understand them because each has a critical purpose. The omission of any one of them may nullify your best efforts.
· This is a 7-Step Methodology. Not four. Not six. Seven. You must execute all seven steps for the methodology to work. If you skip a step, the methodology will not work. If you forget a step, same result.
· Think of the methodology as a giant loop: When you reach Step 7, you must go back and start the process all over. Do not expect to achieve success by stepping yourself through the procedure a few times, getting discouraged, then abandoning the effort. Keep working the process. There is momentum and magic in the repetition.
· You need to make a genuine effort to understand each step. You must say to yourself, “What’s going on here? What is Rod really asking me to do?” You can take your chances on following the steps blindly, but if you’re not sure why you’re doing them, what good can they serve?
· The “7 Steps” are listed in sequence. Do Number 1 first. Do Number 3 third, and so on. Arbitrarily changing the sequence renders the methodology useless.
· You cannot afford to be indecisive. At various points in the methodology, you’ll need to make tough decisions. Make them! You’re the CEO of a business!
· The “7-Steps” provides strong probability — but no guarantees. There is a far greater chance of finding a job with this system than through The Black Hole.
· Thoroughly familiarize yourself with the use of LinkedIn. It is an integral part of the procedure. If you think you’ll need assistance with LinkedIn, please find a good reference or browse through some online bookstores.
Seven Steps: High Level Overview
Step 1
First, you will determine what your core skills are. Everyone is good at something; so what are your skills, talents, and abilities? What would be a suitable title for someone who does your kind of work?
Step 2
You call your work by a particular name; now it’s time to find out what the marketplace calls it. Are you a Java Developer? A Financial Analyst? You’ll make good use of a web site called Indeed.com to perform this task. You’ll also get a first look at opportunities that may be a good fit for you. The importance of this step is that it helps you determine the market demand for your skills (i.e., the spot market; a snapshot of what the prevailing market conditions look like).
Step 3
Now, using LinkedIn and your networking skills, try to identify advocates; these are people either in your network or in the networks of friends, business contacts, etc… who can “connect the dots” for you within a targeted company to get your name circulated among key decision-makers. At this step, you are performing “networking research”, that is, you are not actually reaching out to these advocates yet, just identifying who they are.
Step 4
You will then develop your value proposition consisting of: 1) a targeted resume; 2) a cover letter (or T-Letter), and 3) the job description itself. In this step you are building your case for the job. Since these documents will either make or break you, you will want to have them as close to perfection as possible.
Note: Although the value proposition consists of 1) the job description, 2) the targeted resume, and 3) the T-Letter, you will only actually submit the resume and cover letter. Decision-makers don’t need to see the job description. We include it as part of the value proposition to make sure that we keep ourselves properly tracked with its requirements while engaging advocates.
Step 5
Once you’re SURE you understand the position for which you’ve identified suitable advocates, prepare to connect with them. For advocates who are in a decision-making role, you'll place a call to them and sell, i.e., your “Sales & Marketing Team” swings into gear. With advocates who are friends, or friends of friends, you'll network to establish a communications chain to the decision makers (your “Research & Development Team” manages this). In all cases, you will document all contact with advocates to ensure timely and appropriate follow-up.
Step 6
After that, you will submit your value proposition as instructed and set up a specific follow-up schedule. You will track your contact with all advocates to ensure that no follow-up calls or e-mails are forgotten.
Step 7
Finally, you will repeat the process. As the CEO of a business, you never settle for having just one client. When you’re in transition and actively looking for work, your goal should be to find at least one new client a day.
Contact me for further details on how these seven steps will change the CEO of ME, Inc in you.
Best wishes and keep networking alive,
Rod Colón, Career Coach / Professional Speaker / Author
CEO
Empowering Today’s Professionals Network
Running the Business of "ME"
www.ETPNetwork.com
rod@etpnetwork.com
732.367.5580
Win The Race For 21st Century Jobs Video
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