2009 was a very difficult year for many of our families, friends and loved ones. Being caught on the wrong side of the economic downturn, they were faced with the prospect of being on the job market for the first time in a long time, trying to figure out how to navigate though some very murky and treacherous waters. And while the majority approached their new job search with the same zeal, gusto, vigor and oomph that we were accustomed to, the realities of the past year continue to deeply impact their success and therefore their determination. For those still out in the job market or even those who have recently begun their search, here are some thoughts to help you along the way.

Pillow Talk
As strange at it may sound, one of the most important things that you can do when beginning a new search or even while you are in the process of one is to make sure that you are well rested. Being fresh, alert and on-the-ball will allow you to be more concise, engaged and aware of what is happening around you. Many will balk at this and say that you should jump right into your search.  However, if you are like me, the past 12 months have been very stressful on you from both professional and personal perspective. Whether you have worked late hours, taken on additional assignments or just tried to plan ahead at home, I would bet that you have lost sleep. Take a couple of days to recharge your batteries, rest and relax. The next couple of weeks will take a huge toll on you and trust me you’ll thank me that you took that nap in the afternoon.

Who am I and What do I Want?
Now that you’re refreshed and so full of energy that you make the Tasmanian Devil look like he is standing still, it’s time to go out and tackle that job market right?… Nope sorry, but the next step really is to sit down and figure out who you are and what it is that you really want. Throughout 2009 all I kept hearing from corporations was that it was important not to waste a good recession. In essence, the recession gave corporations the excuse to trim the fat off their rosters, to take those that they no longer valued and remove them from their ranks. While this is a terrible way to treat your most valuable resource, the reality is that it happened. Yet, why can’t you the job seeker treat the recession from the same perspective?  Understanding who you are, what you enjoy and what you truly want will allow you to focus your job search. It will allow you to understand the types of companies and the type of positions you want to target – making you a more effective and efficient job seeker.

Marketing Brand You
You’re rested, you have a sense of direction and purpose so now it it’s finally time to dust the old resume off and get to work. While not the only one, your resume is easily the single most important tool in your job hunting repertoire and yet it is often the most neglected and dullest tool in the shed. Marketing Brand You is all about demonstrating the value that your experience and knowledge will bring to prospective employers. It is about understanding what differentiates you from your peers and colleagues and presenting it in a meaningful and impactful way. It’s all about taking down the barriers and swinging the career door wide open so that prospective employers have no choice but to call and talk to you. I like to think of resumes as the commercials to your career. If you consider the purpose of a commercial, how it is structured and the messages that it conveys, Marketing Brand You will easily become your most trustworthy tool.

Intellectual Horsepower 
In a piece my friend Jeff Lipschultz (@JLipschultz) wrote called “Can You Go the Distance”  he defines the value and importance of having endurance and its implications as a differentiator to you as a candidate. I wholeheartedly agree with his perspective and think the ability to demonstrate endurance, or what I label as “intellectual horsepower” will set you apart from the crowd. And while intellectual horsepower is a vital attribute, its value should not be underrated as it relates to the job hunting process. Many will venture down the path of looking for a new job or career and many will fail. They won’t fail because they lack the talent or the knowledge to be successful, but rather because they lack the intellectual horsepower to push through those most difficult of times. They will fail because in the face of rejection they will lack the intellectual horsepower to persevere, to forge ahead, to seek and own their next opportunity. Yet endurance and intellectual horsepower cannot be achieved without dedication, sacrifice and a commitment to the end goal. A clear goal and path to success needs to be mapped out, its boundaries pushed, its individual parts practiced over and over again in order to achieve endurance. Then and only then will the daunting climb up the gauntlet seem like a walk in the park.

Happy Career Hunting!

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