Effective Career Guidance - Career Guide

returning a prospective employer’s phone call by the end of the workday. By giving each of
these tasks a priority level—low to high—you begin, you can make sure you use your time
wisely. The priority level of these goals will change daily, and the smart job seeker learns to
roll with the punches in order to complete high-priority tasks.
Plan to Work Regular Hours at Your Job Search
Just as hunting mastodons required prehunting rituals for tracking and catching the beasts,
you need to work regular and steady hours when you hunt for work. This doesn’t mean that
you have to sit hunched over your computer for a full eight hours, but you should be doing
things that will move your job hunt forward.
Sample tasks might include phone calls to get the proper spelling of the names of hiring
managers; drafting a cover letter; researching a company; networking with a neighbor over
coffee; and training yourself on a computer program that will make you more hirable.
When you do these things doesn’t really matter, but make sure at least some of your work-
ing hours fall during the business hours of the companies you’re contacting.
Make Sure You Have What You Need
If you were out hunting for food, you’d need certain equipment to be successful. You’d have
your spear (more effective than bare hands), comfortable moccasins (to protect your feet
from thorns), and furry loincloth (because it looks good). Searching for a job is no different.
Set your desk up with office supplies, folders for tracking information, and anything else you
might need to work comfortably. If you don’t have these things on hand when you begin,
you’ll spend a lot of time running to the copy shop and office supply store when you should
be looking for a job.
Don’t Work Yourself into the Ground
Unless your job is working on sleep-deprivation studies, you want to be fresh when you’re in-
terviewing and when you start work. If you toil 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at your job search,
you’re going to burn out. The last thing you want to do is to work so hard trying to get interviews
that when you finally enter one, you’re only able to communicate through grunts and whistles.
Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and stay healthy so you don’t start your brand-new
job on sick leave. This includes making sure you don’t get stressed out. Looking for work
can be tough, but if you do what you need to do to keep your spirits up, you should be
fine.
Get Your Friends and Family to Help
The people you’re close to can do more in your job search than bring you pizza and listen to you com-
plain about looking for a job. Depending on their temperaments, your friends and family can help
you research companies, conduct mock interviews, and proofread your résumé and cover letters.
They are also a great source for networking. And chances are they’ll be more than willing to
help as long as you’re appreciative. Just as a prehistoric hunter would bring meat back to