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Part 5 of 5
Managing Your Job Hunt Like a Pro
FINDING A JOB
The Best Ways to Hunt For Your
Dream Job in the New Economy

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A recap of the series so far
• In Part 1, we discussed resumes
• In Part 2, we discussed a range of opportunities
• Part 3, we covered: Online job hunting,
volunteering, and social networking
• In Part 4, we discussed assessing your careers,
setting goals, and seeking available work that
matches your goals
• In this part, we are going to discuss how to
manage your time effectively and maintain
discipline to run your job hunt like a pro
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Manage your time so it does not get eaten
up with unproductive hunting or aimless
reading.
Time Management Skills are Key
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Unemployment-One of the Busiest
Times of Your Life! 1
• Filing for unemployment
• Filling out all the paperwork
• Consulting with a lawyer over your job loss
(optional)
• Applying for COBRA
• Updating your resume
• Re-writing it several times for different kinds of
jobs
• Writing cover letters for each kind of job
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Unemployment-One of the Busiest Times
of Your Life! 2
• Looking for jobs in the ads online
• Looking for jobs in the ads in the local papers
• Re-writing your draft cover letters for every job
you apply for
• Networking to find a job in person
• Networking to find a job online
• Research on companies and careers
• Registering for job boards
• Posting resumes on job boards
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Unemployment-One of the Busiest Times
of Your Life! 3
• Following up on all leads
• Adding to your work related skills
• Improving your skills
• Doing all your regular chores
• Family life/catching up on all the things you
never get a chance to do because you have
been working so hard
• Trying to relax and not stress over your job hunt
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Unemployment-One of the Busiest
Times of Your Life! 4
• Preparing for interviews
• Going on interviews
• Writing thank-you letters after the interviews
• Continuing to apply for jobs while you go on
interviews and wait for next steps
• Negotiate for salary and so on if you do get an
offer
• Follow up steps with references, exams you
might have to take, and so on
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Unemployment-One of the Busiest Times
of Your Life! 5
• Managing your finances, especially if you are
out of work for a while
• Managing your finances in order to try to
maintain or improve your credit score, because
a bad score can damage your chances of
getting certain jobs
• Branding yourself as an expert in your field
• Marketing yourself online
• Running your own small business or money-
making concerns
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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It will be nice not to have to work 9 to 5 all the time,
so do allow yourself a bit of freedom, but do not
overdo it. Actively search for a new job, or continue
to do the things you like most about your career until
a new opportunity presents itself.
Take Advantage of Some Time Off9
The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line
between work and play.
-Arnold Toynbee
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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Create a Timetable
• It is great to enjoy a little time off, but in a
competitive job market, there is no time to waste.
• The higher your salary when you lost your job, the
longer it will take to find a new one in many cases
• In some professions, it can take a minimum of 3
months to land a similar post
• BUT, if you are good at what you do and have a
network, you might get an offer sooner than you
think
• Plan a 9 to 5 working day for your job hunt, to be
prepared no matter what happens
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Make your time off count by getting training, gaining
knowledge and developing new work skills.
 Strengthen your typing/keyboarding skills.
 Take a class to fill in gaps in your field.
Seek out any other training or education you
need:
 Skills to help you make money online, eg, affiliate
marketing
 Skills to help you run your own business online,
eg, setting up a blog or membership site
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
Make the Most of Your Now-Flexible
Schedule11

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Keep a calendar
• Use a paper calendar and a digital calendar to
remind yourself of all your important dates and
to keep track of the time passing
• Have it handy if you are called by anyone asking
for you to come to interview, to avoid scheduling
conflicts
• When you do have to leave the house for
appointments, try to make the most of the day
by networking, going to places that can help you
in your job hunt, and so on, especially if you
have to commute a significant distance
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Keep a to-do list
The dullest pencil can be better than the sharpest
mind. Write down all of your most important tasks
each day or for the week on a to do list.
• A small notebook that can easily fit into pocket
or purse is ideal
• Do the items and cross them off. If the items
carry over into the next day, type them up on
your computer and use the strikethrough to
cross them off one by one
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Keep a log of your activities
• Log all the jobs you apply for
• Log all your major accomplishments for the day
• You can use your to do list as your log as well if
you add the dates the items were accomplished
• Note down any new initiatives you start as well,
and expected completion dates. For example, if
you start a new 10-week course in advanced
Excel, note down your start day and projected
finish date
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Time is money
Use your time off to expand your professional
horizons.
 Sharpen job skills, take a class or get more
education and training.
 When that next job opportunity comes along,
you'll be ready.
 Get started with each of the money making
opportunities you think are right for you. Try to
make each stream of income as automated as
possible, such as coaching and consulting
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Say No to Time-Wasters and Time-Eaters
• Your time is NOT free-do not do favors for people
• Insist on getting paid fairly for any freelance work
you do
• Decide on your per hour value and stick to it-if you
are not earning at least minimum wage from
everything you do, you are short-changing yourself
and your financial future
• Time is money-start your own business rather than
fritter away time playing video games or engaging in
activities that do not earn money, or even cause you
to spend what you don’t have
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Use Your Spare Time Wisely
• If you not have a fully funded emergency fund for your
household to cover expenses such as rent and utilities
for the next 3 to 6 months, take steps to start earning
more right away
• Starting your own small business can help you earn
extra income now and in the future
• Even when you get a full time job again, the
automated streams of revenue you set up can keep on
earning for you, even when you are at work, or asleep
• Use your small business to meet your professional
and financial goals for the future
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Organization and follow up are key so you
do not miss out on any golden
opportuniities.
Follow Up in an Organized Way18
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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• Perform some type of follow-up after making
contacts in your job search. Follow-up via
telephone call, written letter or email.
When employers remember you favorably, they
are much more likely to recall you when they need
to hire new employees.
• When you consistently provide follow-up
communications, people will definitely remember
your good manners and stellar work ethic.
• Don’t forget the thank-you email or letter after an
interview-it can help you cinch the deal.
Follow Up is Key at Every Step of the Job
Seeking Process
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http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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The Thank You Letter/Email
• Thank them for their time
• Mention a couple of aspects of the interview that
went well and show you would be a good match,
if you want the job
• If you do want the job, say you look forward to
any next steps in the process
• If you do not want the job after all after
interviewing, thank them for their time anyway-
never burn any bridges in your industry
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Following Up in Other Areas
• Stay on top of your unemployment benefit tasks
• Attend any interviews or meetings you may be
requested to attend
• Attend any free seminars or workshops
available
• Attend any free classes, such as computer
classes, being given
• Use the free resources available, such as a
library, database and so on
• Attend any small business seminars-it is one of
the ways they get people off the unemployed list
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http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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These things take time
• Sometimes you will not hear anything because
of internal issues in the company, not you
• Sometimes you will be invited back for another
interview, or test of your skills
• Sometimes you will be invited back because a
new situation has arisen with regard to staffing,
or a new post has opened up that you might be
considered better suited to
• Sometimes you will be invited to work on a
project right away, with a view to offering you a
permanent position if you do well
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http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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Make the most of every chance
Some opportunities may not seem ideal, but could
lead to better things.
• You might get a chance to work in a top
company, which can really add to your resume
• You might be eager to switch careers, in which
case, take whatever is offered to get a foot in
the door and real experience
• If you are really good at what you do, you can
afford to be choosy-take the position best suited
to your career goals, even if if might mean less
money in the short term
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Evaluate your progress
honestly
• Debrief after each interview
• Add any tricky questions to your interview preparation
list
• Re-evaluate the kinds of jobs you are applying for or
sources of those ads if you are not getting interviews,
or interviews but no job
• Are you asking the right questions on your interviews?
• Are you presenting yourself in a polished manner?
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions can help with
these issues
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Adults are always asking little kids what
they want to be when they grow up because
they're looking for ideas.
-Paula Poundstone
Your Career, Your Way25
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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YOU are in Charge of Your Actions
• It is easy to feel powerless when you lose your
job, but taking action to position yourself
correctly for your job hunt is one of the best
ways to land the job of your dreams
• Continue on your current career path, or take a
new fork in the road, it is up to you
• Market yourself like a pro online and offline and
see what new opportunities arise
• Gain the kinds of skills and knowledge you need
to become your own boss
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Set Goals, and Milestones
• In part 4, we talked about setting career goals
• When you set your career goals, also set
milestones to measure your progress
• Track your progress each month to make sure
you are on track to meet your goals, or need to
set new ones
• When you have achieved a goal, mark it as
done, and set a new one
• Repeat your tracking until you achieve all your
goals
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http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions

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The Best is Yet to Come
• Although looking for a job when you don’t already
have one is stressful and scary, keep in mind that
it could also be the opportunity of a lifetime.
• Use these tips to help you create your own
opportunities and you could end up happier and
better-paid than ever.
• Maintain a positive attitude-see challenges, not
problems.
• Manage your stress-eat and sleep well, exercise,
and use stress relievers like meditation, yoga, etc.
• Good luck in your job search!
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Credits
Thank you to Evelyn Trimborn and Carolyn
Stone for the content and Joan Mullally for
producing this deck and the entire series
and set of worksheets.
If you have not seen all 5 parts of the series,
go to
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/presentation
to view all 5 slideshows.
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
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Further Reading
Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Job
Interview http://EternalSpiralBooks.com/questions
And our article on Legitimate Money-Making Ideas
http://eternalspiralbooks.com/money-making/
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