The MicroTrain Blog

I recently started running again after months of not running. I don’t actually particularly like running but it’s relatively inexpensive, helps me stay fit, and my dog enjoys it. The most difficult part of starting again I found was just doing it: getting out of bed, putting on my shoes, leashing up the dog and going. Sometimes I dawdle a little getting my arm band to hold my mp3 player, filling my water bottle and stretching. Once I get out of the house and have a little momentum I feel healthy, productive, proud of myself, and generally happier. If I stop thinking and just move, I am amazed at how the whole day seems to go smoother.

The physics Law of Inertia says, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon; and a body in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon.” In the world of job searching this means if you don’t take any positive action to propel your search forward; if you stay in bed and don’t put on your job seeking shoes, you’ll stay there. So, put your body in motion.

Positive actions in a job search fall into several categories: staying healthy, networking, keeping your skills sharp, and actually applying for jobs. Staying healthy means keeping a positive attitude exercise and eat right. Employers want to hire healthy happy people and taking care of yourself will help you stay marketable. Networking is now the way to get a job so its not just going to a Rotary meeting any more. Networking positively means connecting with friends and colleagues on social media like LinkedIn, writing thoughtful endorsements of them, adding them to projects, and seeking out groups to add to your network. Don’t just connect with them and hope they read your posts; pick up the phone, put your shoes on and meet up with these people in person. The point of meeting up with people and networking positively is to find out how you can become valuable to people. What are your strengths that you can use to help others? Who do you know that you can introduce a new acquaintance to? Ask not what you can do…you know the rest. Keeping your skills sharp can mean taking a class, it can mean joining an online forum to talk to other colleagues about your profession, it can mean volunteering your time using your expertise, it can mean producing helpful tutorials you post for others. Applying for jobs, of course, involves job searching, customizing your resume, and applying. But it also means doing your research on companies. Really find out what they do and think about why you would want to work there. Find out if anyone in your network has worked there and ask if you can ask them questions. Every little thing you can do to keep moving forward is a positive action.

All of these things take time and energy, but so does getting up in the morning and going for a run. What they do is create inertia to keep you moving forward in a positive way. They not only help paint you as a desirable person to hire; they build pro-active energy toward feeling like you are achieving something and that builds your self esteem allowing you to do more positive activities making you more desirable. Do something every day that is a positive move toward success in your job search and inertia will do the rest.  

The ultimate judge of how effective your job search has been comes when a new offer is on the table.  That being said, it's important to take a hard look at the steps leading up to that moment with a keen eye to whether your efforts are truly effective.  As you take care of the day-to-day tasks of your job search, ask yourself if you're doing them in the best way possible to achieve the best results.  When you click "Send" on your next job application, ask yourself the question: 

"Have I done everything I can to make myself the best candidate for this position?"

Answering that question with a resounding "YES!" means having a plan.  And the first step in having a plan is setting goals...

Take our job search assessment to find out what is needed for you to be successful in your search.  Located in your Critical Path, the assessment focuses on:

• What goals and expectations you have for your future job
• What job search tactics you've employed so far 
• Any potential roadblocks to you job search success 
• Our recommendations for you job search in 2012 

This assessment will help your Career Services Manager get a clear picture of what you're looking for in a job, as well as how we can best assist you in your efforts.

One of the biggest barriers job seekers face while looking for work is lack of focus in their job search.  Take this assessment today and start targeting you search!