20 August 2008
The Olympics and the Job Search
Posted by Nina under: Job Search .
By Erin Kennedy, CPRW
I was reading this morning through the blog of Adam Kreek, a member of the Canadian Olympic Row team, when I read about the training that he puts in to get to where he is today. Here is an excerpt from his blog:
“The pain experienced while rowing is similar to middle distance running, biking really hard or speed skating. Your legs burn and scream for oxygen, while your lungs wheeze with your heart struggling to transport renewed blood to the complaining body parts. Suffering is the best word to describe how I feel in a race. The after-effects of competition are exhausting. My body aches and I have depressed energy and drive for weeks after the event.”
Or, the US Boxing Team who leave the comforts of home for 10 months to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in intense preparation for China.
What does this have to do with job search?
Training is a full time job. Job search is a full time job. Similar to Olympic training, it has to be your number one focus. A person can’t expect to land a dream job after posting his/her resume on 5 job sites. It has to be worked on daily. The good thing is, there are lots of job search activities you can do without leaving your house, and will keep you busy for hours.
When you get up in the morning, what do you do? Consider putting on nice clothes, not just your sweats. This makes you feel productive and gets you into the job search groove. Check your emails and respond to offers (with monster.com you will get hundreds of those that should end up your junk mail). Let all old acquaintances, family and friends know that you are job searching.
Go to companies you’ve thought you’d like to work for and research them online. Most companies offer hoards of company information, press releases, employment opportunities, etc. Get to know the companies well. Create a folder with information on the companies you like and organize it alphabetically, by industry, or however you like. When the time comes that you get invited for an interview, you will be armed with an arsenal of information that will impress even the most straight-faced hiring person. Know your stuff.
Join online networking groups like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. It is a great opportunity to network with old co-workers, friends and strike up conversations with people from companies you would like to work for. The possibilities on these sites are endless.
And, as always, getting out and going to local business mixers and job fairs are excellent ways of getting your name out there. Be prepared and have your resume, references and any other documentation ready to hand out.
Job search isn’t something you do once a day for a half hour or hour. It’s a full time job. Not only will it keep away the anxiety of not having a job, it will keep you feeling productive while getting your name out there for potential employers to see.
Keep at it, stay the course, be positive, and watch great opportunities come your way!
About the Author
Erin Kennedy is a Certified Professional Resume Writer & Career Consultant, and President of Professional Resume Services. She is a Nationally Published Writer & Contributor in 8 best selling career books. Erin has achieved the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award nomination in 2007 and 2008. To get more career-related information and resume writing tips, visit Professional Resume Services at http://www.proreswriters.com. Creative. Powerful. Proven.
Erin is a member of: Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW), Career Directors International (CDI), Association of Online Resume and Career Professionals (AORCP), Career Professionals Group, and Women for Hire
Check out her BLOG at http://wwwproreswriters.blogspot.com/
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