Creating an action  plan, your Personal Market Plan, during career transition, will reap rewards during your implementation campaign.  Success in career management  confers rewards not unlike those in the workplace:

This is the third of a series that will explore how to efficiently employ all five methods of seeking your next right work.  In the marketing metaphor, these five methods would be your "distribution channels."  The alternative of using a "shotgun approach," or papering the world with your resume will simply scatter your time and energy.  Rather, learn to focus your networking efforts to increase your productivity... take the randomness out of the equation by:

1. Networking through personal contacts

2. Conducting face-to-face informational meetings

3. Creatively contacting companies directly

4. The Internet, representing published openings

5. Third-party recruitment firms and individuals

If your goal is to find a new position, then you should prepare your search as a "business model", manage it accordingly, be flexible, and be ready for the unexpected. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Have a "business-as-usual" attitude... Manage your search as you would your business or job and you will earn success faster.

2. Have reasonable expectations... List your abilities, marketability, compensation, work environment and relocation, then validate these expectations with peers, other job hunters, and/or recruiters.  This can be accomplished during your initial PERSONAL CONTACT NETWORKING.  "Getting the word out" is a much more productive first step in developing your network.

3. Determine your career objective… Know what your next right work is.  This will help focus your actual search. With clarity in your positioning goals, you can write a great resume to convey your story. 

4. "WORDCRAFT" your resume... Create a forward looking "story" of what YOU CAN DO. Target your accomplishments, such as increased sales and profits, reductions in costs, etc. Focus on achievements that support your qualifications for your job goal.  >> MORE << from a key P.R.O.

5. Have a Personal Market Plan... including identification of key Professional Resources Online. Look for specific titles, target industries and companies. This focus will expand your possibilities, not limit them. 

Remember, while rejection is part of the active job search process, you'll want to avoid pre-mature rejection of your interest... CREATE VISIBILITY first.  The merging of your target organization networking and the development of your personal contact network is an effective way to identify the appropriate job leads and secure necessary interviews.

6. Develop confidence in your ability to answer anticipated questions throughout the process…. Prepare as you would for a business presentation; don't try to wing it. If there are any "issues" in your career history, develop a positive spin before you are asked about it. Prepare for basic questions and tough issues in advance and study them.

7. Modify and improve your Personal Market Plan’s implementation model as needed... "Listen" to the marketplace, learning from it and adjusting your Personal Market Plan accordingly.  As you move through your search, make adjustments as you would a business model. Ask for input from people you respect.