I don't know about you, but sometimes acronyms and word associations make it easier for me to stay focused on a difficult task or keep pressing when the end seems out of sight.
I think the same approach can be used with your job search - if you talk to 20 different people, they will each give you a unique formula for success that kept them going until they landed a job.
I would like to offer you a quick formula that came into my head yesterday ( if you are following me on Twitter, I gave you a sneak peek yesterday) that may work for you:
1) Every job search needs direction
A frenzy of job search activities that takes up a lot of your time is not the same as having targeted job search campaign. Before you attend any networking events, seek out referrals and blast out any resumes, you need to a clear direction about the type of positions that meet your job search / career goals.
2) Every job search requires diversification
While you have to be focused and targeted in your job search goals, you cannot be limited in your job search strategies and tactics. You will consistently hear that the best method is networking, but you also have to diversify your efforts with direct mail campaign, social media marketing, informational interviews and more.
3) Every job search takes diligence
We are in a tough recession - that is no secret and you can be consistent in your efforts and still net zero results. That is where the mindset of diligence and commitment to see it through the end has to come in.
Join forces with a job search support group, partner with another motivated job seeker or establish your own support team or board of advisors to give you that extra push when you want to give up.
4) Every job search needs determination
We have all been there when getting "no's" and running into closed doors seem to be more than we can take - being determined to stay the course and keep trying is the attitude you need to embrace every single day.
Your ultimate goal, of course, is to land a new job, but don't forget to establish realistic milestones and smaller goals in between to remind you that you are on the right track.
5) Every job search has its own duration
Being in it for the long haul - I have successfully worked with clients who have secured new jobs anywhere for one week to one year. Not due to a lack of qualifications or preparedness or hard work, simply because of market conditions. There are job openings which are subject to a flood of applicants and there are job opportunities, unmet company needs that have not been advertised.
The duration of your job search depends on the hiring conditions of your target industry, how well your qualifications match the company's needs, how your qualifications and value proposition stack up against the other candidates (your competition) and much more.
Focus on your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health to sustain you during the duration.
