JOB SEARCH STRATEGY
Use this approach and I promise you will be richer for it.
MAIN TOPIC: How I Got a Job in California
Imagine this scenario; El Carino and I are newly married and he has just been accepted into a prestigious and expensive doctoral program…….. across the country in CALIFORNIA. We had some savings, but, living in California is about 50-75% more expensive than in the Midwest.
I was going to be the primary breadwinner for 4 years, and I had NO JOB.
I was so stressed that I remember looking at the grocery clerk in awe and thinking, “Even she has a job!”
At the time, I had a newly minted Master of Science degree in Counseling and an internship in a Career Counseling Center from Miami University under my belt.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Test Out My Career Counseling Skills on Myself
Before we left for California, I relentlessly practiced the time tested strategy of informational interviewing made popular by Richard Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute. I wrote scores of letters to potential employers, searched related job sites, and continued to follow up with each contact requesting a few minutes of their time to discuss their organization, the job market in San Diego, and to request advice and feedback.
I didn’t let a no response stop me. After all, I wasn’t asking for a “job”, all I wanted was some information about the job market and the company. And all I was requesting was 15 minutes of their time.
I HAVE A SECRET
People love to help others. Especially whey they are just starting out! That’s the key to informational interviewing.
I kept informational interviewing until we left for the long drive across the country. Of course, I also applied to published job listings. And followed up every week or two checking on the status of the applications.
While in Needles, California I made a follow up call to my top choice: San Diego State University Career Counseling Center. They wanted to interview me by phone the next day!
Long story short, I beat out 58 other candidates for that position!
Was I the best qualified candidate? I don’t know. What I know for certain is that I was relentless in my follow up. I believe that tenacity propelled me to the top of the applicant pool.
ACTION STEP:
Get a notebook and label it: “(your name) Personal Finance” and keep it by the computer. Use it to keep all of your personal finance goals, thoughts, activities, and plans.
- Identify something you want, a job, a raise, etc.
- Write in your schedule every few days the steps you will take to attain your goal.
image credit: MichaelKPhoto
