Welcome back to another session of The Career Couch!
There's no other way to put it, looking for your next gig just plain sucks! Not only is it stressful, but looking for work truly is a lot of work. Plus, it always seems that the longer you're looking for work, the harder it becomes to find it. If a job search takes too long, you can tend to lose momentum, as focus and enthusiasm go out the window. UGH!
So, what can you do to combat all of this? How do you shorten your job search and get the fastest results for your efforts? Awesome questions!! Answer: The fastest and most successful job searches are organized and targeted endeavors. If you zero your efforts in on what you want, you are just that much more likely to hit the target faster and with greater accuracy. Great!! Sounds good, right? Here are some steps to take to help you get organized:
Focus On Your Target – So you know you're looking for a job, but what kind of job? Do you want to be full-time or contracted? If you're looking for full-time, would you consider a contracted position if it was a good opportunity. What's your salary range and what other types of benefits do you require? What studios/production houses/companies are on your target list? These are all things you should ask yourself before starting your job search. To find the answers, do some online research. Talk to former colleagues and friends in the industry. Ask yourself the questions above and then formulate a list of people and companies to focus on in your job search.
It's All In The Packaging – Give your resume a once over. Is it action/results oriented and does it showcase what you can give to an employer? If not, then give it a work over or hire a professional writing service, such as the one we offer on greenlightjobs. Have your bio (if needed), reference sheet, and business cards ready to go. These are your basic marketing tools, so have them ready to go!
"LoJack" Your Search – Track everything!! Keep a diary of the materials you send out and where you send them (including the person they were sent to). Then, be sure to make a notation in your calendar to follow up. Also, make notations of your follow up day and time, so you know when you last reached out to them. Remember that follow up can make or break a job search, so it's important to track everything and stay on top of all of the "moving parts" of your job search!
Talk To A Bartender – OK, so I'm not suggesting that you go out and get drunk, but if you need someone to talk with to keep you on track (and sort of act as your sounding board), enlist the help of a Career Counselor such as myself or one of my staff members. A counselor can give you advice and feedback and keep you on track during your job search. ;-)
Get Involved!! – One of the worst things you can do during your job search is sit at home all day watching tv or playing video games. Yes, I know it's tempting, but it's also not the most constructive avenue to take. Instead, keep your focus on staying active. The more active you are the more people you will see each day and the more you can network…Do you see where I'm going with that? ;-) So, volunteer and/or join some industry social groups. You'll be surprised how much it helps you to stay motivated and at how many people you will meet that can help you with job leads!
Plan Your Attack – You should begin each day with a plan of attack! So, before you go to bed the night before, or when drinking your first cup of joe in the morning, make a list of everything you have to accomplish in your job search today. Then, once you make the list, make up your mind that nothing will make you deviate from the list. It can be tough to be your own cheerleader day after day, and I completely get that. However, executing this step (and sticking to it), is crucial to bring any job search to a successful end! So PLAN…and ATTACK!
There, now that wasn't so hard, was it? ;-) The point is to get your act together and stay on top of your job search. An organized job search is a successful job search. So, get organized and you will be that much closer to finding your next gig!
Christine Kent, head of recruitment services for greenlightjobs offers you years of counseling, coaching and couching people in their careers for years specializing in media and entertainment professionals. A frequent guest speaker at Otis, Art Institute and industry networking groups, Christine offers her avid followers down to earth approach at crafting, drafting and branding their careers for maximum results.
