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1.: "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." - Will Rogers From: Gary Wright - Wright Associates

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1.: "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." - Will Rogers

Posted by: "Gary Wright - Wright Associates" gary_wright@verizon.net wrightassociates

Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:05 am (PST)

4 Classic Quotes about Your Job Search

What can Leonardo da Vinci and Will Rogers tell you about finding a job?

Plenty, it turns out.

Read on for some new twists on timeless advice that might help you get hired
faster …

1.. "Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most
active." - Leonardo da Vinci

Does this mean sloth-like behavior can make you a productive job hunter?

Not quite.

In fact, much work is done by your subconscious mind while the rest of your
brain and body are doing other things, like sleeping, eating an apple, or
shampooing your hair.

Example: remembering seeing the name of your target employer on the Facebook
profile of a guy you sat next to in 10th grade history.

Inspiration can strike any time, anywhere, so be ready to capture ideas
"from the blue" that can change your job search rapidly. Two ways to do it:
a portable voice recorder (there's probably one in your cell phone) or a
portable notebook.

Sure, most may ultimately fail, but you could be just one good idea away
from a new job. You'll never know unless you test them out.

2.. "You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things,
so that all the small things go in the right direction." - Alvin Toffler

The average job search takes 29.1 weeks -- 203 days -- according to Dec.
2009 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

That means the #1 Big Thing in your life must be finding a job. And every
small thing you do each day must point in the direction of employment.

Any time you're not sure whether you should be doing something, ask
yourself: Is this moving me closer to a new job? If not, stop doing it.

Examples of small things to analyze with your employment goal in mind:

a.. Email. Do you really need to check it every hour? Are employers
contacting you that often? Would two or three email checks per day suffice
instead?

a.. Errands. Yes, it's good to get out of the house, but couldn't you do
your banking or shopping after first having a networking lunch or coffee
with a person in your target industry?

a.. News from TV, print, or online. Do you really need to sit through
30-60 minutes of bad news on TV each morning and night? How will it make you
more employable?

3.. "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." - Will Rogers

If you've been taking the same actions for months and not getting job
offers, stop.

Examples of tasks that may not be working:

a.. Applying only for advertised jobs … instead of having business
discussions with decision makers who can create positions for you or
introduce you to other hiring managers.

a.. Networking with a stale "elevator pitch" … instead of offering to be
useful to others -- busy people won't take calls from desperate job seekers,
but they will take calls from folks who are helpful.

a.. Sending cover letters that read like IRS tax forms … instead of
sending sales letters that sell employers on the specific benefits they will
enjoy by hiring you.

Still stumped on what to do? Ask five people who have great jobs what they
did to find their last three positions. Not only will you get 15 potentially
useful ideas, you'll be networking with five successful people -- not a bad
use of your time.

4.. "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting
started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable
tasks, and then starting on the first one." - Mark Twain

it comes to writing a cover letter or a networking message to friends, few
things are more daunting than a blank computer screen.

Yet, to get ahead -- and get hired -- you have to get through some grunt
work. If you can break complex undertakings into smaller ones, you can get
started -- and get done -- faster.

Example: Cover letters. They can be a royal pain to write.

But what if you start with a simple task first? Ask yourself: "If I were on
the phone with this employer, what would I say?"

Write down your answer, no matter how illiterate it may appear. Do not edit.
Simply write.

This "dictated" cover letter may run for one sentence ... or three pages.
But somewhere in it is a main idea -- the key reason you deserve the job.
Find it.

Then, build the rest of your cover letter around that main idea, like a
sculptor adding pieces of clay to a wire frame, until a recognizable form
appears.

- Kevin Donlin

Kevin Donlin is contributing co-author of "Guerrilla Marketing for Job
Hunters 2.0." Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than
20,000 people. For a free glimpse, visit Guerrilla Job Search System DVD.

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The New England Networking Group is Moderated by:

Gary L. Wright - President/Principal - Wright Associates

Wright Associates specializes in High Technology Recruiting Services for the New England Market Place.

Phone: 508-761-6354
Email: mailto:garywright@prodigy.net
Website: www.WrightAssociates.org

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