TIMELINE FOR JOB TRANSITION (continued)
Week 3 - Expanding your net
- Follow up with networking contacts with whom you have not met yet.
- Follow up with company contacts who received targeted mailing in Week 2.
- Conduct informational interviews with networking contacts you have identified in your target companies. These need not be decision makers, but are people who know the culture, competitive challenges, and what can help you get in the door.
- Expand your network by contacting referrals from initial set of networking meetings.
- Continue attending networking groups to uncover "hidden" jobs.
- Get support from a friend or coach who can be impartial and help you in sticking to the job search structure.
Week 4 - Staying focused and upbeat
- Do something that makes you happy and keeps you motivated.
- Revisit your Marketing Strategy, in light of information gained from networking contacts and your research.
- Assess how you are doing in your search - What's easy? What's hard? What kind of help do you need? If you had that help, would it facilitate your career search? If so, how can you get the help you need?
- If you are not already going on actual job interviews, set a realistic goal of getting at least 2 job interviews in the next 2 weeks. Do not stop with informational interviews, but try to move towards real opportunities at this point.
- Lay out some options for the long term: If there are no job prospects after a period of time, what are the options: Short-term consulting projects for example, or a personal loan/line of credit to get you through any financial challenges.
- Keep at it, the standard rule of thumb is one month for every $10,000 in salary.
These steps can set your program on the right course, whether you're just beginning your job search or recommitting to the process.
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