What A Good Day In Your Job Search Looks Like...Part Two.

New Light Through Old Windows, a photo by _basquiat_ on Flickr.

Last week you read about five examples of what a good day looks like when you're job hunting, if you applied a few important tools to your arsenal.  Here are five more that ensure success:

You gave yourself an attitude adjustment.  You finally got into the mindset that an employer isn’t going to offer you an interview, job offer or even a conversation if it’s all about what you need. You realized they want to talk to you only when you demonstrate how you can solve their problem. You laughed at how pivotal this simple attitude shift was in your approach. Now you understand that every conversation, email or comment you have with influencers needs to prove how you can add value to their organization. Now you carefully gear every communication to show how hiring you will add to their company’s productivity, their bottom line, or will save them money--and not focus on what a job offer can do for you.

You recognized good feedback when you heard it.  After you had a great conversation with a hiring manager, you felt a real connection. Your answers to his questions seemed to resonate. So you boldly asked why he felt you’d be an asset to his company. He mentioned the points you made that were memorable. He even suggested other points he wanted to hear more about. As you ponder next steps with this manager, you think about his feedback and remember to apply what he said to future influencers you network with.

Your timing was right.   After a great career conversation with a company leader, you realize that your timing was perfect. You know it wasn’t because the stars were aligned or because your moon was rising in Aquarius—it was because you wrote on your calendar three months ago when this manager was going to reassess his hiring needs, and today was the perfect day to follow up. And it paid off.

You found two entirely new industries where your skill set and personality could add value.  You’ve been a public relations genius in the pharmaceutical industry for years but you’ve always had a deep interest in changing lives. So today you decided to consider a stretch position for yourself—where you can bring needed skills to solve a new company’s problem but you get to learn new competencies that interest you, too. You consider doing PR for a large hospital or an international non-profit. You already started making lists of companies and leaders where you may have a common connection, and you’ve started to reach out to them.

You helped someone in their job search and didn’t expect anything in return.  You remembered that the true meaning of networking is staying in touch with your circle because you’re contributing to a greater community. Yes, some day you might reach out to these folks for help in your job search. But today someone reached out to you and asked for help, and you offered them a contact name and an introduction. You knew that networking isn’t about working a room and collecting leads and business cards from everyone just for your own benefit—you knew it’s about the give and take, the sharing of information.

 And today you remembered that.