Between the internet, friends and family you may be getting lots of advice on how to handle your job search. Information may start to directly contradict each other; provide alternative paths, or just be plain confusing.

1. Only seek advice from people whose opinion you value and who has expertise related to your job search. This could be industry or function expertise, or a strong knowledge of the job search process.

2. Thank those that provide unsolicited advice but don’t incorporate their suggestions unless you have gotten a second opinion and feel confident the information is correct.

3. Recognize that the human relations area and job search specifically is part art and part science (mostly art). In some situations there is no right or wrong way to do or say something – it has to be aligned with your beliefs and skills.

4. Don’t feel you have to defend what actions you have or have not taken to-date. The way you handle your job search is unique to your personality, and your time table.

On the flip side, there are valuable resources that can benefit you in your job search. Don’t try to do it alone. Take the time to review each step in the process and optimize all the tools at your disposal. Try not to devote too much time to web resources. You can trick yourself into believing you are spending a lot of time on your job search but never get to implementing the actions that will benefit you the most.

Steve and I recently spoke at a college senior business class. During a breakout session we asked a group of students what they had done to start their job search. Granted, this was a small group of maybe 15 students, but they had done nothing!

Students were concentrating on their studies and end of the year exams and events. Some were reacting to the constant bad news regarding the lack of entry level jobs. They wanted to wait out the recession. You’ve been in school just about your entire life and yes, you will be working far into the future. But a good start allows you more career options. There will still be time for long vacations, sabbaticals, time off between jobs and other time off opportunities.

Since it is May, and graduation season is now upon us remember;

• Even if you start your job search now, it takes time to get hired. The interview process may consist of two or three in-person or phone interviews. Because of scheduling issues (including summer vacations) these interviews may be spread over a week or two.

• Part of the offer/acceptance discussion is setting a starting date. You can probably get up to four weeks off before starting the position, if that is important to you.

• There are a significant percentage of new grads “taking the summer” off. This means less competition for you now!

• Getting a stream of income sooner rather than later allows you to start paying off student loans and saving to move out on your own. For each month you are unemployed you are loosing at approximately $2,500.

Remember the old saying “The early bird catches the worm?” I am not sure how they came to this definition but the phrase has been defined as “Success comes to those who prepare well and put in effort.” I would probably say “get out there first and beat your competition”. It really is important to start your job search sooner rather than later.

Whether you are a junior, senior or a recent graduate, its time for your 2010 goal planning.  If you’ve never made set New Year Goals try to make it an annual ritual. Your life goals should be balanced. Even though your focus is on starting your career, your happiness and success won’t be maximized if your life is out of balance.

Typically annual goals should be split into categories. Zig Ziglar’s “Wheel of Life” uses mental, personal, physical, family, personal and career.  Remember when you are meeting new people and interviewing your appearance, attitude and even health are just as important as your skills and experience.

In terms of career or job search goals you may want to review the JobTutors contract which includes;

• Maintain a positive and can do attitude during this entire process
• Surround myself with positive people who want to help me achieve my goals
• Commit to working a minimum of 2 hours each day on my job search;
  • Checking for new openings
  • Following-up on old openings
  • Making at least 5 new networking calls per day
  • Sending out at least 5 resumes per day
  • Reviewing alerts daily from target companies
  • Targeting a minimum of 2 informational or networking meetings per week
  • Reading industry magazines and newsletters

Once you have completed your goals for 2010, don’t forget to review the goals and your progress monthly and make adjustments. This puts you in more control of your life during a period of uncertainty of not knowing how your immediate future will unfold.

Here’s a link to a good article from the National Career Development Association,

http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/24868/_PARENT/layout_details/false

It’s time for winter break. This might be your last winter break before graduating. You are probably tempted to say “since I’ll probably never again have a month off, I’m going to relax and enjoy the downtime.”  Well, you can still slow your pace and get some much needed sleep while;

• Starting to strategize your job search plan. Put a timeline together from January to May. What do you to have done by when?
• If you didn’t set up an internship, consider job shadowing or conducting informational interviews. The sole purpose is to better understand what a particular job/field will entail. Was your impression of the job field realistic?
• Play job search games. There are many books on the subject.

Two of my favorite job search games are;

Write a short story about your “perfect” day of work.   What time would you go into work, where would you go, where do you live, and what does your day look like?

Another is to go through actual job ads or postings. Which ones grab your attention and why? If you are looking at postings go to indeed.com or simplyhired.com and use a few broad search terms just to see what is out there.

There are obviously many other tasks you can work on during this time. But if you continue to make progress on each step in the job search process, it won’t become overwhelming and you will build your self-confidence and your personal brand.

I was excited, nervous, anxious, scared, any word you could think of going into the meeting with Stephen and Susan.  It was bitter sweet walking into the meeting; on one hand I was so excited because I knew that these two individuals were going to help me to kick off a career that I was so passionate about, but on the other hand I wanted to go back to my freshman year of college and relive every memory over again.  Time was flying by way too fast and in only a few short months I knew I was going to graduate.

Walking into the meeting with Stephen and Susan, I was instantly greeted with warm smiles and bigheartedness.  They were just as excited to start this venture as was I.  There dedication and devotion to the program was displayed in the first meeting and in the outline of what they expect from the individuals they work with, and it made you want to strive to greatness.

During the meeting it was just a conversation between three individuals; there was no stress involved, but it was the most important conversation I have had in a long time.  This conversation discussed my future-a conversation that is rarely brought up in any of my college courses.  They were interested in knowing about me.  Who is LM?  Where did she come from and how did she morph into the person sitting in front of them today?  Stephen and Susan are not just a business transaction for you where you will pay them and they will find you a job; you start out building a relationship with the two of them, confide in them, and hopefully sustain a lifelong friendship with the two of them.

Walking away from my first day with Stephen and Susan I was still a little nervous but more excited.  I did receive some “homework” as they called it, but it was nothing like homework that you would receive in school, it pertained to your future.  Some of the things I had to do for my homework assignment was compiling letters of recommendations from employers and professors, bringing in a copy of my resume, have business cards printed up, bring in a sample cover letter to show them, make sure my phone message is polite and professional, join LinkedIn, Twitter, and so on and so forth.

The best part about my first meeting and the meetings to follow with Stephen and Susan was no sooner did I get to my next destination whether it was school, home, or work, I had a new email from them thanking them for my visit to their office and a recap of the session we just had.  It was wonderful!  The service they provide is like no other.

Remember When…

You were a junior or senior in high school and you were selecting which colleges to apply to and then going through the process? You had;

• A general idea of what you wanted to do
• Preferences on type of college (location, size, reputation, etc.)
• Knowledge of what was needed to apply
• Understanding of what was needed to get accepted
• Back up plans
• Support and Resources;
  • Guidance Counselor
  • SAT Tutor
  • College planner
  • Parents and friends

Well, your entry level job search is no different. You may or may not have a handle on what industry and job function you are targeting. You may want to live in a big city or stay in your hometown. You may have a definite preference on the size of the company you would like to join.

Gaining an understanding of the job search process and what is needed to get hired can get trickier. If you thought getting accepted at one college and then rejected at another was confusing there are a lot more personalities and departments involved in a hiring decision. Take advantage of all the support and resources you can find. For the job search process this involves professors, career centers, parents, strong networks and professional consultants.

Back up plans may involve living home while conducting your search. It also includes untraditional jobs; internships, freelancing, contracting and any other means of increasing your skill set and experience while finding that full time permanent position.