(This is the final part of a five-part series about The Sher Way to “Simplifying Your Job Search through TRUST” which is an acronym for Take Inventory, Resume, Understanding Social Media, STARS, Trust the Process)
Readers in Philadelphia have heard the words “TRUST the Process” before. For several years, the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team “tanked” their season. They had the worst record in the league and got the top choice in the college draft to, presumably, take the best player. After several years, the idea was that they would have a team of top draft choices and be able to compete for a championship. The approach worked and, for the past couple of years, the 76ers are in the conversation about who the best team in the league is and they are considered a good choice to win a championship in the future.
It wasn’t an easy time for the team or it’s fans. There would be glimmers of hope that they were ready to compete and then letdown. There would be belief that they had the plan in place to be successful and then a lack of faith. There would be the thought that things were changing for the better only to get the same negative results.
Sounds like a job search, doesn’t it?
Certainly, you haven’t “tanked” your career or purposely put yourself in a position to have to find a new job. But it happened and you need to develop a plan and “TRUST the Process” to stay focused and determined to achieve your goal by finding your next opportunity.
If you’re out of work, you want to find your next job NOW. You don’t want to go too long and get to the point where additional concerns and doubts creep into your consciousness. This is natural and understandable, but you need to “keep calm and carry on”.
You need to have a job-search plan
This starts with developing a “Personal Brand” and identifying target industries and companies to focus on. Next, it is essential to have a resume and LinkedIn® profile that delivers your brand message, beats the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and attracts recruiters. Today, it’s a must to have, or develop, a strong network of people that can help you get to where you want to be. Finally, it’s important to practice and hone your interviewing skills and knowing what your bottom-line is for negotiating your job offers.
It seems pretty straight-forward, but each step requires time, introspection, revisions and, in most cases, outside help to gain different perspectives and direction on how to develop all aspects of the search.
It’s easy to be on the outside looking in and to say, “Be patient, don’t panic, and stay the course”; but it takes discipline, belief in yourself and determination to TRUST the Process. If you’re looking for long-term success, you should take your time and go through the steps of the TRUST model to make sure you accurately identify the direction you want to take your career, that you develop a plan to get you there, and that you execute effectively at each stage of your search.
This is, no doubt, one of the most challenging times of your life. Believe in yourself, develop a plan and TRUST the Process to get you back on the career track you deserve.
If you want help identifying the steps of the process to help you plan for winning your next job opportunity, click here to receive a short guide entitled “The Sher Process to Your Next Job”.
