One common mistake made by those in career transition, especially first-timers, is to underestimate the difficulty of a job search. A second common mistake is not to treat a job search as a full-time job. If you question how I would know that, let me share my credentials with you. Today, I spend a lot of time helping others to conduct successful job-search campaigns, but for much of my career, I was a player in Corporate America; my game was Training & Development in all its many, derivative forms, from leadership development to organizational development and everything in between. When you are the highest-ranking individual responsible for providing training and development opportunities within an organization, it means you are the most highly compensated “corporate trainer.” It also means that when there is a need to trim corporate expense and a reduction in force is under consideration, you carry a large-dollar target on your back. Translation – my corporate career endured five instances when my position was eliminated. Being a cost center, rather than a profit center made that somewhat inevitable in a volatile economy, as companies merged, struggled to survive, or reorganized. So what’s my point? The point is I’ve walked in your shoes. I’ve been a client to each of three major players in the career services industry. I’ve experienced it all – résumés, cover letters, networking, business cards, interviews, follow-ups. You name it and I did it. Now, I help others do it. Career transition and conducting a job search isn’t easy. It requires dedication, persistence, and attention to many details. If your search is not being...
