The Job Search Process
Eight steps to reach the top. The purpose of each is to get you to the next one, as they say, step by step.
A sales trainer asks a trainee, “So, what’s the sales process's purpose and goal?” The newbie says, “Well, to close the deal…” The trainer replies, “Nope, the goal is to move to the next step. You will miss a step if you focus on the close (the end goal), and if you skip a step, your chances of success will drop dramatically. Occasionally, customers will close themselves by offering to buy along the way, which is great, but you must not expect it. You will find that 90% of your success comes from mastering and following the process, step by step.”
The same goes for searching for a job, which, of course, involves selling. You are a Seller of Service looking for a customer, your eventual employer. There are exceptions to every rule, but for most job seekers, especially those with background challenges, following the steps in a job search process leads to success.
All this is good, but here’s the rub: most people, left to their own devices, will plunge ahead without a plan or consideration for the process, “What steps? No way, I need to get moving now!” Or panic, “Oh no, steps, process…what do I do, where to go next, OMG?!?!”
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The Process
Typically, the job search process consists of 7 to 10 steps, such as a plan, an objective, a determination of where NOT to look, a resume, a cover letter template, interview prep, post-interview follow-up, and tracking. Here, eight steps, a simple process, repeated over and over.
The game plan is to move each opportunity forward, step by step, following the process roadmap. Job opportunities are considered and selected based on their match to your Job Search Objective. If there’s a match, good; move ahead. If not, stop. The result is that very few job openings will meet your criteria compared to the thousands of job postings. This is fine because anything other than those matching your Objective wastes time and must be ignored.
Back to the sales trainer. She will check in with the trainee by asking, “So where are we with this customer? What’s the next step for them? And what about that one? What step are they on?” If the aspiring salesperson is on the ball, bing, bing, they will know exactly where they are at with each. If not, they may be on the way out the door.
And so it goes with the challenged job seeker. Success comes from knowing where they are at with each opportunity, step two for one, step six for another. No plunge ahead, no panic. It's a step-by-step progression, with care given to doing it right at each step.
That’s the process, and it’s what I teach and promote. It works and leads to good things for reentering job seekers—and everyone else.
So here’s to “process,” I’m all in!
Onward!