Help for job seekers in a rut

Today’s post is one of many responses to the question, “What advice do you have to help job seekers transition and make the most of the new year?” from members of the Career Collective community I co-coordinate with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter. I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which are linked at the end of my post! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

There is a church down the road from my house with a marquee. It says, “Don’t count the new year. Make the new year count!” That message really rings true for me. So, how to make the most of the new year? Count on yourself!

Stop trying to follow everyone’s rules. Think bigger – what have you NOT been doing that you can engage in during the weeks and months ahead?

It would be a stretch for me to say there are no rules for job seekers. There are some: have error-free materials, targeted to your employer of interest. Know what it is you have to offer (your pitch). Follow up (always). Have plans and execute them. Stay organized. I’d be willing to say that these are “rules” of job search. Follow them.

Think about it – when is the last time you tried something new? Extended your comfort zone when it came to job seeking? For me, the obvious go-to “extensions” are social media avenues. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. There are people who will suggest “rules” to use these tools. For example, they will try to detail how many tweets you should send daily on Twitter, how much time to spend there and dictate how many of those tweets should be personal or professional. The problem with these “rules” is an underlying truth (maybe this is actually a firm rule I believe is true): THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY for all job seekers!

You are unique and different from every other person. Taking advice for the masses is not likely to help you very much.

The media enjoys sharing stories of job seekers who engage in creative tactics. A sandwich board wearing job seeker. Someone who hands out resumes at the grocery store. Job seekers who advertise on Facebook. Or Jamie Varon, whose campaign to get a job with Twitter garnered tons of attention, a lunch meeting with Twitter execs and a job somewhere else. (Jamie now reportedly lives in Italy and is working for herself.) While I am not a big fan of measures that make job seekers appear desperate (a la the sandwich board), that does not mean that it is impossible to be successful with unusual tactics.

When is the last time you brainstormed atypical job search methods? For that matter, have you taken advantage of methods I’ve  shared in previous post? Use LinkedIn to your advantage. Generate a professional Twitter profile. Engage in creative uses for Facebook. Activate your in-person network. Before you go off the deep end (again, a la sandwich board), make sure you are covering your bases.

I wish I could tell you just what to do en masse. However, that would be contradictory to the main message here. YOU need to take the wheel. YOU are responsible for figuring out what you are missing. Can I help you, one-on-one? Of course! Thousands at one time? With guidelines and suggestions, yes. With detailed advice specific to you? Probably not.

Think: Whom have you NOT met in person that you might LOVE to meet? When’s the last time you spoke to someone you did NOT think could help you? (You may be surprised.) How can you make it happen? (You CAN make it happen – just use some creative thinking and engage with the tools at your disposal.) Get out of your rut by doing something new. Make a plan. Make it happen. You can do it!

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Read my colleagues’ replies to this question:

@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, The Art of Being Gracious: Much Needed in Today’s Job Search

@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes,  Career Trends and Transition 2010

@heathermundell, life@work, Kaizen and the Art of Your Job Search

@barbarasafani, Career Solvers, Looking Into the 2010 Careers Crystal Ball

@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, The Resume and Your Social Media Job Search Campaign

@kat_hansen, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, New Year: Time to Assess Yourself and Your Career

@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, Help for job seekers in a rut

@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, Job seekers: 5 tips for making the most of 2010

@DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Ya, but

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Professional Resume Services, Advice to Job Seekers in 2010–learn Yoga?

@Chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, Starfish, JobAngels, and Making a Difference

@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, Is Your Job Search Strategy a Snore?

@debrawheatman, Resumes Done Write, Making the most of a new year

@walterakana, Threshold Consulting, Starting anew – tips for truly managing your career

@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, The Year of the Tiger

@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithIllness.com, Dogs Can Do It, Can You?

@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, Lifelong Learning for Career Security

@AndyInNaples, Career Success, What Are You Getting Better At? Make This the Year You Become the Best You Can Be!

@GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, A Flash of the Blindly Obvious

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Don’t forget that clear, concise, optimized job search materials AND a strong, well executed plan are key for job search success! I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by Montu

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