Dec
28

13 comments

7 Reasons To Press “Re-Start” On Your Job Search

So we are just a few days from the beginning of a new year. A new decade no less.

In anticipation of this, I began to wonder today about what this might mean for many of you. For me. And for this blog.

Many of you have been knee-deep in your search for a good chunk of 2009. And that deep involvement often brings a lack of perspective. Days turn into weeks. Weeks into months. And sometimes this involves doing the same things over and over with results that do not satisfy.

And if this sounds like you. If you feel like your efforts are not delivering the right results. Maybe it is time for a re-start.

But let’s be clear. A re-start in this case doesn’t mean that you’ve wasted the time so far. It means you’d like to take the effort and results to date and re-purpose them. Refresh them into new objectives or expose your personal brand to more people.

I was inspired to write this post by my 10 year old son. You see, he let the holidays get to him. He and I had a little father and son tussle. And if you have kids, you know that they like to test the boundaries and see what they can get away with. This is the same son that many of you may remember from the post describing the feeling that job search may never end.

Our fight was a brief one. And the make-up was even briefer. All captured within a few minutes via text messaging. Before he lost his new cell phone. Here it was:

Son: “I hate you”

Son: “Can we start over?”

Son: “Fine”

Now if this looks like a one way conversation. It was. He initiated the make-up communication (i hate you), offered a solution (can we start over) and resolved the conflict (fine) all on his own. I simply walked up to his room, gave him a hug and said “OK”.

But starting fresh isn’t always this simple. First you have to determine if a new start is for you. If you are willing to take the step. Often someone needs to convince you of the need. Especially if you have a few lingering leads simmering still from before the holidays. And you are feeling optimistic that baby new year has it’s eye on you.

For those of you who still need some convincing, here are 7 reasons to press “re-start” on your job search.

1. You find yourself networking with the same people every week.

2. You feel like your resume and cover letter are tired and uninspiring.

3. You never really bought into social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).

4. You are still using the same vague job search objectives (“looking for a stable company”).

5. Your confidence was draining prior to the holidays and now, well . . .

6. You haven’t had an interview (phone or otherwise) in weeks.

7. You struggle to answer the question “How’s your search coming along?”

Regardless of why, you should be open to a “re-start”. A chance to decide: how do I look for a job during the holidays?. But, more important, to pick a few areas (or the whole lot) to refresh for 2010.

And, as I wrote this post today. I realized that to finish here would be to leave you hanging. Without some ideas as to what aspects of your search you should consider refreshing and how. So I’ll write that one too here in a few minutes and post it later this week (10 buttons to push to re-start your job search). OK?

If YOU have a few minutes, I’d love to get your list of reasons (one is OK too) of why a refresh makes sense. What have you got?

Or you can tell me about one single area in your job search that needs help. I’m listening.

Comments

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1014962028 December 28, 2009 @ 5:26 pm

Tim,
We can learn a lot from ten year old boys. I think another way to restart a search is to reach out to old friends, colleagues, and clients…social media is a great way to do just this.
Nice post and happy holidays to you and your family!
Jamie Favreau December 29, 2009 @ 1:06 am

I think fresh starts are great and I am looking forward to 2010. I am looking for something full time but I also may have the opportunity to actually have a few clients of my own which are long term. I think I can learn from both instances and if I learn to like what I am doing on my own I might just stick with it. I know I am going to learn a lot in the next few weeks about what exactly I know and how to package it as well. If I don’t get one client I will be upset because it is what I am passionate about.
I want to work for someone because of the hours and the benefits. I also think if I can pull off with a few long term clients I could be happy too. So it should be an interesting new year.
Elayne December 29, 2009 @ 8:24 am

GREAT “…A re-start doesn’t mean that you’ve wasted the time so far. It means you’d like to take the effort and results to date and re-purpose them. Refresh them into new objectives or expose your personal brand to more people.”
Join one new networking group where you do not know anyone.
Volunteer to do something with the networking groups you do already belong to.
Give some quiet time every day to decide what you will do towards your search today.
Become a Non-profit volunteer with a can-help attitude.
Suzy Ubry December 29, 2009 @ 8:53 pm

Hi Tim,
Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
I’m personally looking forward to 2010 as a re-start to re-inventing myself both personally and professionally. As I reflected on 2009 this past month, I was encouraged in my spirit to reconsider the plates I’ve should be spinning and what I consider to be the big rocks in my life.
Not sure of what this re-inventing will look like just yet, but am confident that when it comes time to reflect on 2010, I will see it as a very good year.
Chris Pierdominici December 30, 2009 @ 4:25 am

Tim,
Good column! As a job seeker I’ve found it prudent to periodically re-evaluate my job search for success/failure, just as I do as a marketer with my campaigns.
The beginning of the new year is a great time to do both. But, as a job seeker, it’s all that much more important to make sure that you’re doing the utmost to be successful in your search.
Good luck to everyone in their search in 2010!
Chris Pierdominici
Tim Tyrell-Smith December 30, 2009 @ 7:24 am

Hi everyone – thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback here!
@Barbara – Yes, reaching out to that broadest network is really important. And these are the folks who are highly interested in your finding success, right? Thanks and have a great new year!
@Jamie – So thankful to have your continued comments here – I look forward to hearing about all of your new clients!
@Elayne – Glad you liked that part! I love the four examples you provided. Easy and practical!
@Suzy – Welcome back, Suzy! KNowing you, your re-inventing will be done with a passion. But don’t reinvent too much – you have a great Spirit around you!!
@Chris – Appreciate that feedback! That constant evaluation is really important. And, yes, you can be very methodical about it as in business. Thanks for joining the Spin Strategy LinkedIn group – great intro!
Tracy Ruberg December 30, 2009 @ 12:03 pm

First – I decided it was ok to actually take some time away from the job search and enjoy my family. My restart includes re-evaluating the individual goals I had set for myself. These included a minimum of X face-to-face networking meetings per week and they had to be new people or people I haven’t talked with in more than 4 months, re-reading my resume (is it tired and uninspiring – hope not but…), evaluating my strengths again – do I still agree? I’m excited and thrilled to see what the New Year brings and view every day as being one closer to that AWESOME place for me.
Tim Tyrell-Smith December 30, 2009 @ 3:39 pm

Hi Tracy – You made a good decision to take time to be with your family. Job search provides a unique opportunity to re-connect with people you love. Great to hear you setting those objectives – very important! You will get there!
James D. Pagliaro January 6, 2010 @ 5:41 pm

Tim;
I am seeing the same advise everywhere I turn regarding the fresh start. As frustrating as this process of the “job search” is, it is truely a learning experience. I would not want to go through it again, but these times have taught me a lot. Thanks to your effort, it makes it all go down better knowing that we are not alone out here. The resume/cover letter thing is all fine and good, but actually talking with people seems to build confidence. When there is no feedback, the tendency is to slide into frustration. I have started calling staffing agencies and their response has been encouraging. Why didn’t I do this sooner?
Tim Tyrell-Smith January 8, 2010 @ 9:26 pm

Jim – You are absolutely right. As I’ve written before, for me the worst days during job search are when nothing happens. No calls, no e-mail, no feedback. The more you can get out of the house and stay busy . . . the better. Thanks for your feedback!
Gloria Holcomb January 20, 2010 @ 12:32 pm

Hi Tim: It’s funny I just ran across your article today. I just went through the “fresh start” exercise this last week. It’s tough out there. I’ve recently relocated to Cincinnati from the Seattle are to be near my children and have been searching for a year now. Seems like my resumes go into a big black hole. My background and experience is exceptional, but I don’t seem to get many bites.

So, it appears I’ve already taken many of the steps you cover. I’m new to the LinkedIn Networking group and I hope my “fanny pack” is not showing too much! Some of the “refresh” steps I’ve taken are (of course) 1. revamping the resume, 2. set up a dedicated e-mail account with an appropriate address, 3. went through the job sites and edited all my profiles (removing job titles and flooding them with attributes). Someone finally convinced me that titles are next to worthless in profiles, if you list attributes and accomplishments rather than titles, your resume will surface more frequently in the keyword searches.

Thank you for your interesting article, and it came at a very opportune time!
Tim January 21, 2010 @ 7:27 am

Hi Gloria – Thanks for your note. The move to Cincinnati is a big step. Glad to hear you are revamping and refreshing. That process can be a good momentum builder – so keep going! One thing I didn’t hear you say was how aggressively you were working to network in your new city. That is absolutely crucial in this economy and job market. If you need help there, let me know!
Meg Guiseppi January 29, 2010 @ 9:30 pm

RT @TimsStrategy 7 Reasons To Press Re-Start On Your Job Search – http://shar.es/aP251

7 Reasons To Press “Re-Start” On Your Job Search

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