Eva's Job Hunting Plan

Eva has not worked a full time regular position since 2002. She has worked seasonal retail and part time accounting and administrative jobs to keep her going.  She realized that it was time for her to fully re-enter the work force after a family tragedy. When she started the process, she realized that looking for a job is a full time job in and of itself. She needed to plan out her strategy.

Eva sat down and started working with Cindy Fassler of TSS Total Staffing Solutions on her plan of attack.

It all starts with…..

1) Review your skills and assess your core strengths. Compile your core strengths list

2) Write at least 3 compelling resumes with 3 separate career objectives.

3) Set up your Job Hunting Journal.

4) Create your Job Seeking Plan

For Eva, she wanted to work in hospitality. She was doing her job search mostly at home on the internet. Eva would have multiple distractions with her kids calling and coming home while she was searching and responding to job postings.

To help her in her search, Cindy suggested that Eva set up the following 4 day a week job seeking plan. 

First thing every day of the plan is to eat a healthy breakfast and to get dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a shirt and to put on makeup. Don’t start your search in your sweats or jeans. You need to feel good about yourself.

Monday

- From home, research the companies that you are interested in working for. Go directly to their website to see if they have any openings.

- Check the posting boards.

- Go to the nearest library or coffee shop and write your cover letter, tailored to the posting you are responding too.

- Select 2 to 3 of the companies that you have researched that have openings on their Web site.

- Set up your drop offs geographically for your Tuesday morning personal resume drop offs.

- Finish your computer work; responding to online postings, printing any ads you responded to place in your journal.

- Prepare yourself for your personal resume drop offs.

Once that is done, head home and enjoys time with your family.

Tuesday

-Dress in interview attire

-Prepare for your personal resume drop off by putting your personal cover sheet and resume into an envelope arranged geographically

-Conduct your drop off between 9:30 and 11:00

- Head to the library and research new companies that you may not have thought of within your target industry.

- Follow up with a phone call or email on the resumes that you sent out last week.

Wednesday is just like Monday. Follow the same plan of attack only with new target companies.

Thursday:

-Dress in interview attire

-Prepare for your personal resume drop off by putting your personal cover sheet and resume into an envelope arranged geographically.

- Send personal notes regarding the resumes that were dropped off on Tuesday.

- Respond to any new job postings via email.

The goal here is to get out from behind the computer, by mixing up your job search with personal drop offs you stay engaged in your search.

You’re meeting new people

Remember to record all jobs you have responded to as well as personally dropped off your resume into your “Job Hunting Journal”. Also, note down the specific postings sites that you found the job listing on.

Once you’re invited in for an interview, be sure you do thorough research on the company and prepare your list of interviewing questions to bring with you to the physical interview. Be sure that you dress appropriately according to the industry. Print out and bring multiple copies of your resume. Make sure that they are not folded and on nice paper.