Monday, April 12, 2010

5 Job Search Lessons From The Easter Bunny

While often considered just a childrens' fable, the Easter Bunny has decided to broaden his appeal to adults. After passing a rigorous exam and gaining certification, the Easter Bunny opened up a brand new Career Coaching practice.

The grass is always greener in someone elses basket: Career changers who are having a rough time, especially those who are unemployed, think that their function or industry is more difficult and has fewer jobs than any other.

  1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket: This is not a job market of low hanging fruit, like those of the past. To be successful in your search, don't depend on any one opportunity, no matter how good the fit seems and no matter how well you thought the interview went. Chances are, your target company has many well qualified candidates to choose from. Instead, structure your job search so you are in consideration for many jobs ... then it's just a matter of playing the odds. Today's job market will require 3 times the number of opportunities than your past searches (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/02/are-you-planning-to-fail-in-your-job.html).

  2. Everyone needs a friend who is all ears: Use information interviews to get the other person talking about their problems. The more you can get your contacts, especially contacts within a target company to talk about their problems, the more you will learn. A nice side benefit of listening is that the other person often feels indebted to help you for being such a good listener about their problems, that they will often ask you what they can do to help you. Many candidates fall into the easy trap of spending informational interviews talking about themselves, their job search, what they are looking for, blah, blah, blah, at the end asking their poor bored contact to refer them to a decision maker. Let more you listen, the less you talk, the more effective your informational interviews will be (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-candidates-should-avoid-ambush.html).

  3. Every year, he's there clucking in those Cadbury egg commercials: The Easter Bunny is clearly a career changer, who is making great strides in rebranding himself as a chicken subject matter expert. Lucky you - you don't have to invest TV commercials each year to reinvent yourself (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/12/career-change-advice-be-subject-matter.html).

  4. Take time to smell the flowers: Job search is hard work, frustrating, and stressful. Whether you are still employed or if you are between jobs, make sure you take time out for yourself so that you'll stay motivated (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/02/10-ways-to-stay-motivated-during-your.html).

What can you learn from the Easter Bunny?

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