Our friend Nicholas is back from the holidays.  He was determined to restart his job search with vigor and focus. But as so often before, this feeling of resolve and optimism has dissolved into sporadic activity and apathy.  So, what should Nicholas do to get his job search off to a great start for the new year?

If Nicholas follows the principles below and reminds himself of them each day, he will remain on target for reaching his goal:  Finding a great, new job.

I call it the SALT and PEPPER plan.

SALT refers to the four fundamentals of a successful job search strategy:

Self-knowledge – Nicholas must take the time to really understand: the kind of role and environment in which he will flourish; his preferred strengths and best skills; what really matters to him, and what he is willing to sacrifice in a trade-off.  Without this deep, inner core of self-knowledge, he may find himself chasing after shiny opportunities that tarnish all too easily.

Analysis  of the marketplace – He must be very clear about his field’s current hiring trends, which includes knowing if he has the right skill set to make a simple transition.  Reading, talking to people and making lateral connections are all ways of extracting information about job opportunities.  Job search boards are particularly rich sources of hiring trends and needs – even if the single opportunity he seeks needs further digging to be uncovered.

Learning – The job search is a learning journey.  Everything that happens can teach him something – about jobs, people, how to behave, how not to behave and the way the world works.  If he treats it as an adventure, it will feel less of a chore and lessons learned will probably hold him in good stead in the future.

Targeting – He needs to learn the art of targeting a small number of realistic possibilities at any one time so his job search is focused and productive.  He should focus efforts only on positions for which he knows he is well suited and not spend time chasing unrealistic dreams.

PEPPER is the mnemonic Nicholas can use to guide his networking strategy since there is an 80% probability that networking is the way his next opportunity will surface.  All of his networking efforts should be:

Persistent – He needs to be relentless in getting in touch with old contacts, forming new contacts, telling his story and asking for leads, advice or other contacts.  He should set a target for “touching” a certain number of people each week, and then make sure he meets it.

Effective – Nicholas must carry out the above with charm, grace and friendliness and not behave like an intense monomaniac.  He needs people to want to help him, therefore, his likeability factor must remain high.

Productive – He must also learn how to evaluate and increase the yield of his networking efforts.  The more specific he is, the more productive his networking conversations will be.  Saying, “I’m looking for work, do you know anyone who can help me?” is far less productive than asking, “Do you happen to know any social media experts/health care development officers to whom I might be able to speak?” His networking productivity will also increase if he is a little selective in the leads he follows.  By indiscriminately chasing every idea, he may wind up going down some rabbit holes and wasting precious time.

Participative – Often, action is more powerful than words.  By actually doing things with others, such as volunteering and/or participating in committees or community events, he demonstrates his capabilities while expanding his network.  And, when he attends formal networking events, he must actively engage in conversations that go beyond the formal business card exchange.

Enjoyable – Networking should not feel like having an elective root canal.  If it isn’t enjoyable at some level – talking to people about a subject that interests him – then he will need to change his tactics.

Relationship-building – He will have to remember the process is not only about him and his needs.  Networking is a way of learning about others and offering them help, too.

The start of the year is a good time to spice up your job search – don’t forget the SALT and PEPPER!

Fredia Woolf , founder of Woolf Consulting, helps people to manage change and achieve positive results for their careers, teams and organizations.  As an organizational consultant and leadership coach, she works with clients to increase their effectiveness and impact, to manage transitions successfully, and to define and create a leadership legacy. She can be reached at fwoolf@woolfconsulting.com.

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Last updated on March 30th, 2010 at 06:02 pm