With your strategy plan ready to go, you can now move on to conducting your search! What an exciting step!
Reinvention is a process with a beginning, middle, and an end—if you nail the early and middle parts, the end comes quickly! What this means is that if you focus on doing the early and middle parts well (getting clear on your goals, mapping out your strategy, and taking effective action in your search ), the result (a new job) will take care of itself.
When starting your search it’s best to use a targeted approach, identifying companies that fit the profile for the jobs that you brainstormed earlier in the course. In evaluating what you bring to the table, you’ll now be able to approach individuals that would be good targets to gain access to these companies.
The old method of sending out hundreds of resumes to every opening you come across during your online search doesn’t cut it anymore. Having very clear targets for companies and networking opportunities will allow you to more clearly demonstrate your value to a specific contact or company. Seeing how you will positively impact their operations, your chances of getting a response to your targeted search increase exponentially!
Here are some tips for conducting an effective search:
- Conduct a multi-platform campaign: This means conducting your search in all available channels, i.e. not just looking at online job boards or solely talking to contacts.
- Do a targeted search: Don’t just send out hundreds of emails, letters, or make random phone calls— create a select list of interesting companies and pursue them.
- Identify what the industry needs: You must understand the needs of your industry so that you know how you can help them achieve their goals. The best way to learn this is by networking with people in the industry and researching the industry’s current trends, opportunities, and challenges.
*Important: The most basic need a company has is to create and serve the customers who keep them in business. Your goal is to figure out how you can help them with this mission!
But let’s not forget about networking, or more accurately — relationship building. Investing in relationships is an important step in your reinvention journey.
Building relationships requires a long-term approach that isn’t strictly transactional. You’re investing in these relationships and providing value because you know that down the road, these are the people who are going to be surrounding you and helping you succeed and thrive in your new industry.
Be sure to take some time to reflect on the needs of your target industry and to identify what you have to offer. Think about the relationships that you’re investing in — are you looking at them with a long-term approach? Complete the accompanying exercises to work through your ideas.
