M – Money – When do you ask about the $$? The earlier in negotiations the better, if you wait until the end of an interview you might find it’s not suitable remuneration and you may have waited too late. If you ask at Interview you may jeopardize the situation, so be careful and get this question out of the way early. That way you know, they know you agree to it and it makes the whole process less stressful.
image: Deep Impact
We all have heard the saying … “never assume because you make an ass out of you and me”.. easier said than done.
L – Location - It’s important in real estate and the same in a job. If you have the skills of a Surgeon, you would probably do well to be close to a hospital, If you can skipper a ship then be close to the sea. While your old job may have been right here at your doorstep you may have to relocate to be able to keep a similar job. Be flexible and do more research to find out what’s about and consider what you need to do to be closer to that opportunity.
K – Keep on keeping on - Often success is just around the corner, yet people seem to give up just before it comes to reality. It’s about the determination and persistence required to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Some say it’s not about how many times you fall over, but the amount of times you get up and keep on going even in the face of adversity.
J – Join – Groups and professional associations can assist you. Some get inside information on what’s happening in your industry. Many of these groups and associations are on the web and often have pages in social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. You might find you can build your profile and be seen by more of the right people in the right places by using suitable comments to issues and discussions in their forums online.
I – Innovate – This business buzz word can be useful for job searching too. It’s all about finding creative methods, different possibilities and exploring the options and opportunities in your search. For some this might mean looking at business opportunities, while others may consider meditation to calm and clarify their stresses and tensions.
If you have a Volkswagen, you might want to check closely when it was made as the car company wants to perform checks on multiple models for safety related issues.
H – HELP! – When do you need help? When you are in difficulty, drowning is one of them… I prefer to think of help as getting assistance. If someone assists me to do something they are giving me a hand, because I asked for it, I wanted it. Either way you look at it this is all about getting more of the right people to support you in your quest to solve a challenge.
G – Goals - Short and long term goals, write them out, (this clears your mind to do other tasks). I can sense some of you being cynical and writing “Goal 1 – get a job!” I had to expect that. But note how general that goal is. Get specific about the sort of job you want, where it might be, the research you might need to do, the people you might need to contact and the changes you might have to make.
F – Facts - There are those who decide to stretch the truth on their resume and covering letters. They do so at their own peril, and although you may find people who have succeeded by doing so, ask yourself can you live with knowing you did so? I know I can’t. Your resume should be a clear statement of historical data (job history – qualifications and the like) as well as a list of achievements, and or a a statement of the skills and abilities you have.