NAVIGATING YOUR JOB SEARCH

By MATT DURFEE

I’m convinced that many in today’s unemployed workforce don’t understand that a successful job search requires a lot of time, effort and the acquisition of new skills.

A recent incident confirmed this when the spouse of my wife’s friend lost his job and asked me to assist him with his job search.  At no cost, I provided him with access to the Navigator Institute’s comprehensive online job search skills program and later offered to review his resume upon completion.

A few weeks later I received a draft of his resume and was surprised to see that many of the key recommendations outlined in the Institute’s module on resume-writing were conspicuously missing.

When he didn’t respond to my inquiry as to why, I could only conclude that the reason had to be attributed to some of the common potholes that routinely trip up many job seekers:  1) Ignorance of the multi-faceted process of the job search; 2) Complacency; 3) Giving up; and 4) Laziness.

My observations were confirmed by Vic Benoit, a highly-talented executive career transition coach in the Greater New York area and the former head of staffing for such corporate giants as Pepsi and Heineken. Vic said he frequently witnesses the same behaviors and offered a succinct analogy:  “You can hire a personal fitness trainer to help you get into shape, but there’s no escaping the fact that ultimately you must be the one lifting the weights.”

His point is on the mark. If you want to land a job in today’s tight labor market, you must make the commitment to learn the essential skills and be prepared to do some heavy lifting.

Getting your body in shape takes time, commitment and effort – as does finding a job!

Matt Durfee is author of “Job Search Secrets from the Reluctant Expert” and CEO of Orlando-based Navigator Institute (www.navinstitute.com), an online job search skills program. Contact him at mdurfee@navexec.com.