Tim's Career Tips ... Running the Job Search Marathon

Job Searching is a competitive sport that's not unlike running a marathon. Maybe that sounds like an odd comparison but it's true. When you go after a particular job you're likely to be competing with potentially hundreds of others ... and only one is going to cross the finish line first; that is, win the job.

If you're going to race in the Job Search Marathon, you have to make some choices about what kind of "runner" you want to be – are you just going to run in the pack and hope that you do well, or are you determined to win it all? Are you prepared to go the distance even when you come to Heartbreak Hill? Do you have the champion motivation to keep pushing over the long haul?

Clearly your answer is going to be "Yes!", especially in this race where it's really first place or nothing; but do you have a "championship training program" to make it happen? It takes more than motivation to win; every winning marathoner is dedicated to a training program – a daily regimen of education, exercises, stretches, jogs, sprints and distance training. Constancy and repetition are what enable a great runner to perform at the "top of his game" on race day; and it's constancy and repetition that will enable your top performance on interview day.

Here are 6 "Marathoner" Strategies for your personal Job Search Training Program:

• EXERCISE - it's proven that a daily regimen of physical exercise "gets the juices flowing" – it sharpens the mind, improves your mental outlook, and will give you the physical stamina you need.
• LEARN - learn something new every day. Read a book or article on job search strategies, interviewing, or networking (There are hundreds of great job search blogs and articles on the Internet). Ask someone for advice. 
• PRACTICE - conduct mock interviews or networking interactions with family members or friends to get their feedback on how you did and what you could do better. 
• NETWORK - find at least one or two people each day to network with – or reconnect with someone you have not talked to in awhile. Find opportunities to meet new people or make new connections.
• SEARCH & APPLY - find one or two new jobs to apply to every day (even if they don't look like perfect fits). Do more than just browse one of the job search engines for job openings – look for companies you would like to work for and visit their websites (a good source for unpublished job openings). If you use LinkedIn, learn to use their job search tools.
• STRETCH YOURSELF - be determined to run faster each day – to do more today than you did yesterday. Exercise more, learn more, network more, search more, and run faster than your competitors! 

No one can say the job search marathon isn't tough because it is; but one thing we know for sure is that the winners will be those who were the best conditioned, the best prepared, and ran the fastest.

-- Tim