The 7-Steps to Career Empowerment

Happy New Year! I wish you all the best in 2012 and that you resolve to take control over your career and become the CEO of ME, Inc. Enterprises – managing your career as a business. You can do it!

Second, incorporate my 7-Step Job Search Methodology into your core competencies in 2012. It can be used for internal or external positions and by students and professionals. It doesn’t matter if you live in New York City or Beijing. It works! The process is tweaked to near-perfection over the past seven years but will undoubtedly be tweaked many more times whenever improvements are discovered, tested, and evaluated.

7-Step Job Search Methodology
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.

Here are a few questions to determine your current work satisfaction:

1. How satisfied are you with your current work?
2. To what degree do you have the skills necessary to flourish? What skills are needed?
3. How long do you believe to stay in your current line of work?
4. How do you define “success”? To what extent are you achieving your version of success?
5. What is the biggest problem you have in your career?
6. What are you doing about question #5?
7. What decision are you trying to make about your career?

Make it happen … I know you can!

I will see you on the radio this Sunday, January 8th at 8am (EST) with Networking Expert, Boxer and Author, Michael Goldberg on “Knock-Out Networking” on Your Career Is Calling on 107.7 FM and online on www.1077TheBronc.com. I look forward to taking your calls at 877.900.1077.

Best wishes and keep networking alive,

Coach Rod