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Real
wisdom is timeless.
Whether it's "Love thy neighbor as thyself," from
the Bible, or "You can observe a lot by watching,"
from Yogi Berra, wise words have a habit of sticking
around.
The same goes for your job search. Some of the best
employment advice you can get is as true today as it
was back in your grandfather's day.
To prove this -- and to share some old-time job
search wisdom with you -- here are three ways to
find a job faster, taken from two books published
more than 65 years ago ...
It's The Interview, Stupid
Heinz
Norden wrote a booklet called, "How to Get a Job"
way back in 1929. And much of it is still relevant
today. For example, you'll find this advice on page
9: "Let us say right here and now that the one
important preliminary aim ... is to get an interview
with the right individual."
Now, more than ever, it's easy to get caught up in
researching prospective employers, writing and
sending resumes, trolling the Internet for job
postings, etc. So much so, that you can lose sight
of the ultimate goal of your efforts, which is a
face-to-face meeting with someone who can hire you.
Take a moment to answer this question: How much of
what you've been doing in your search has lead to
job interviews with the right individual? Do more of
that. Then, adjust or stop doing everything else.
The 10-Second Rule
In 1937,
Elmer Wheeler published the advertising classic,
"Tested Sentences That Sell." He wrote it after
testing 105,000 word combinations on 19 million
people over 10 years, to find the phrases and
communications techniques that sold the most goods
and services.
Wheeler included a chapter on tested ways to get
hired, and here's his #1 rule for getting a job:
"Watch your ten-second approach. Our case histories
showed that many employers judge the applicant
during the first ten seconds. He catches a flash of
the man's appearance, his personality, and is or is
not impressed by his first ten words. Snap judgments
still rule the world, unfortunately!"
True in 1937 and still true in 2007, I'd say.
Now. You can bemoan the fact that employers may use
logic later to justify the snap, emotional judgments
they make about you in the first ten seconds. Or,
you can use this timeless truth to your advantage.
Wheeler explains how: "The successful job-hunter
will watch his opening statements ... [because] your
first ten words are more important than your next
ten thousand."
What's your opening statement? How much thought have
you put into the first ten seconds of your next job
interview and the first ten words you'll say?
Anything that doesn't help you get hired in the
first ten seconds will hurt you. So, pay extra
attention to your first impression and first words
in every interview.
Plan Your Campaign
Back to
Norden's "How to Get a Job" from 1929 for more
advice that you should have heard before:
"Plan your campaign! This principle cannot be
overemphasized. Don't go about it hit-or-miss
fashion. That method will force you to the wall and
you will have to take the first thing that comes
along. Know what you want! Make up your mind what
industry, what position you like best. Set yourself
a minimum salary and stick to it."
Wait a minute. If you've heard this before, why am I
including it here? Because you're probably not doing
it, that's why.
Do you have a written plan for your job search? Do
you know exactly what job you want? The industry?
The salary? All in specific detail? If not, you'll
likely "take the first thing that comes along." This
is a sure road to career unhappiness. Avoid it by
planning your job-search campaign on paper.
Here's one bit of final, timeless wisdom from the
great Yogi to help your job search: "Have a vision,
a goal of what you want to do. Unless you're sure of
where you want to go, you'll never get there."
Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes
and creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has
provided job search assistance to more than 10,000
people. Author of "51 Ways to Find a Job Fast --
Guaranteed," Kevin has been interviewed by USA
Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and
others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search
System, is available at
www.gresumes.com/instant.
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