Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod
Yesterday my good friend and He Said, She Said partner Todd Schnick wrote a fantastic blog post comparing training for a half-marathon to putting together a successful marketing plan.
I’ve been running on and off since 2000 and my favorite race distance is the half-marathon. My favorite race is the Atlanta Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving Day, sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. I’ve run it five times so far – and, honestly, there is just no better way to start Thanksgiving Day – so I’m incredibly happy for Todd that he will get to experience it next year!
After reading his post I started thinking about how the job search is a marathon – not a sprint – as so many people approach it.
So, I’ve taken the points that Todd made in his post and have applied them to the job search:
Set a goal: Obviously your goal is to get a job.
Duh.
But, be specific! I’ve always said that the kiss of death for a job-seeker is to say, “I’ll do anything!”
Help others help you.
Statistics show time and time again that 70% of jobs are found through networking, so help your network to help you.
What do you want to do? What is your ideal job?
When you look at your resume what is the next step in your career, strategically? Your answer? That is what you are aspiring to do next. Put it in writing and practice clearly articulating just exactly what it is that you’re looking for.
You need a plan and a timeline: How are you going to go about finding this job?
What is a realistic time frame for you to find this job and be back to work?
Plan it out on your calendar, and be realistic. Even once you start to interview this process takes time. Typically, a much longer time than any of us would like. Weeks, or even months in some cases. So, build that into your plan and timeline.
You need the right equipment: What resources will you utilize as a part of your job search?
If you were recently laid off, has your company provided you with outplacement services? If so, what do you need from them? Write it down. Talk to your outplacement counselor about what they can do to help you with these things.
Is your resume current? Is it the best representation of you and your career that it can be? If not, invest in professional help. This is an incredibly competitive job market. It’s critically important.
How will you use job boards, if at all?
What is your social media strategy?
How are you going to communicate with and utilize your network? How can they help you? Put some thought in to this. It’s critical.
Take in the right diet: It is your responsibility to continually educate yourself on interview techniques and strategies.
Find a friend and have them do some mock interviews with you.
Get in front of a mirror and do some mock interviews with yourself.
Utilize the millions of books and online resources to get creative and strategic with your job search and to be prepared for the interview process when the time comes.
Team up with a partner to motivate and guide you: Ask a close friend to help you be accountable in your job search. This is now your full-time job. You will need to work as hard, if not harder, at this than you did your last job.
You need accountability.
Put your plan in writing and share it with this person. Have a standing weekly call or meeting to review it and your progress against it. Talk about where you are doing well, and in what way you can improve. Make a checklist of goals for next week’s meeting and use it to meet your goals over the next week.
Having completed six half-marathons I can tell you that there is no better feeling than crossing that finish line…especially when you’ve trained and run the race so well that you can literally sprint the last mile!
My wish for you is that you can approach – and finish – your job search in the same way.
Happy running hunting! 
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