One of the most important aspects of conducting a job search is diligent perseverance. In today’s world where manufacturing jobs are primarily outsourced overseas, where paper pushing and shuffling jobs are being eliminated by computers, where sales, marketing and retail positions are competing with the ever present Internet, and where jobs in general seem to be disappearing through some sort of consolidation technique, perseverance is the characteristic that can separate you from the pack.
Whereas you can’t argue the importance of a great resume, maximum exposure and killer interviewing skills, you also can’t argue with perseverance. Basically, if you are doing everything properly (applying for positions that match your qualifications, telling as many people as possible that you are involved in a job search and honing up on your phone screen/live interviewing skills), then your job search can be classified as a numbers game. The more resumes that you send to prospective employers represent better odds of getting a job.
Perseverance means consistently doing what it takes, everyday. If you only send one resume a day (that is, to a job for which you are qualified) and you do it EVERYDAY for two months, you will have a minimum of 60 resumes on the street and keep yourself fresh and actively involved on your search, even as the days start to accumulate.
Another benefit of perseverance is keeping you on the front lines in your search. Many people start their job search with a bang. They send out 15-20 resumes in a day or two and then sit back and wait for the calls to come. The “sitting back and waiting” automatically puts them behind the person who is still actively engaged in the process.
Speaking of processes, getting a job is a process. There are several steps.
1) You find a posting or hear of a job and you send you resume.
2) The company receives your resume and the recruiter reads it (this is the first crucial test in the process – getting your resume read).
3) If you are chosen as a person of interest, you usually get a phone screen.
4) If you pass the phone screen, you are invited for a face to face interview.
5) If you made the “short list” of eligible candidates, you will usually come in for a second phase interview. Some companies actually have several phases.
6) The company selects you and makes you an offer.
7) You accept the position, or perhaps negotiate. But then you accept the position.
This process can take weeks, sometimes months. Rule of thumb: the higher the salary level, usually the more time the process takes. Perseverance, keeping the goal of a job in sight and working it every day, will give you the inside track.
Galatians 6:9
