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 Career FITness: Level I   

      A little extra exercise may boost your spirits... But becoming more physically fit during active jobsearch, while learning how to succeed in career transition is an achievable goal that will serve you for the rest of your life.

By meeting and beating both professional and personal goals during career transition you will be propelling future successes and the resultant rewards. Having a productive and efficient action plan, your Personal Market Plan during career transition, will serve to focus your efforts, reaping the rewards of patience and persistence in your implementation.  Success in career project management confers rewards not unlike those in the workplace:

     A well conceived Personal Market Plan will help you to manage your time to get the best results for your efforts. This is the first 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

Companies spend millions of dollars creating and communicating just the right message to ensure that customers will recall, respond favorably to, and buy their products. Your message, continuously delivered to contacts and hiring managers, can be broken down into two parts:

First, a statement of your functional identity (I am a corporate trainer…), followed by several marketable core competencies that you are "selling" (…with substantial experience in leadership development, performance management and team building.) This is referred to as POSITIONING. It comes directly from…

1. Assessment and Research… A Candidate who is truly managing their own career is constantly aware of their own best "next steps." They research the marketplace, target appropriate opportunity, network effectively to both create personal "visibility" and create avenues to those opportunities that are right for them. Take the time necessary to determine your next right work.

2. Setting Your Career Objectives… Knowledge of the process and self-awareness allow you to effectively set your career transition objectives. In order to implement an effective Personal Market Plan,  your objectives must be defined by positioning (functional and personal strengths) and targeting (informed industry and geographic goals) your candidacy.  Of course the best "FIT" occurs when your objectives are aligned with the needs of the marketplace.

Pre-determination of offer criteria and career objectives are essential cornerstones to the development of a high quality resume, part of the written collaterals of your Personal Market Plan. As your highly personalized, marketing collateral, your resume positions you in the marketplace… qualifies you with your experience, knowledge, skills and credentials… and can target your efforts with appropriate word selection relative to your industries of choice. Take the time necessary to determine your career objectives, and how they best FIT what the market has offer you.

Executing your Personal Market Plan requires special attention to positioning, targeting… and YOU. Let’s start with you and your general physical fitness…

Level 1: LITE refers to both your exercise habits and your favored beer… Haven’t exercised regularly for years… have some health issues… walking to and from the car is the most exercise a normal day includes…

WALK YOUR DOG A MILE A DAY… whether you have a dog or not!  After checking with your physician to determine your physical limitations, simply starting a regular routine of early morning (good to get your energy up for the day) or early evening (good to "walk off" that heavy supper you just ate) walking will get you started in the right direction.

FUEL your Market Plan implementation by 1) reading a section of your job search workbook, or reviewing your notes from a recent session with your Consultant. Then 2) considering how you are willing to commit to putting the information into productive practice during your walk. You will come back from each such walk refreshed and 3) ready to succeed in your next campaign efforts.

Take your exercise to the next level by rolling in some easy-to-do routines, exercises that don’t require any special equipment or time consuming preparation. Search out a fun, doable sport that you can do with a friend or colleague… biking, swimming, golf or tennis come right to mind (remember to check with your physician as to what is right for you).

Learning Points…

FUEL your Market Plan implementation…

Integrate your physical fitness with your career FITness by using your IMAGINATION…

Time is your partner.

"If you practice the way you play, there shouldn't be any difference. That's why I practiced so hard. I wanted to be prepared for the game."

Michael Jordan (1963- )
American basketball player & business person
regarded by many as the greatest basketball player who ever played the game

A famous Notre Dame football coach was once quoted as saying that, "Practice makes perfect."

Mr. Rockne was a bit misguided in his thinking...

You see, he drilled the IRISH to focus on the result of WINNING.  An even MORE famous coach, of Green Bay Packer fame, spoke more frankly when he said, "Perfect practice makes perfect."  Mr. Lombardi's intent was very different.  He wanted his players to concentrate on PRACTICE, drilling on the "little things", the basics, so that they became instinct during the heat of real life. Such is productive mindset during any career transition...

  1. Practice your two minute drill every chance you get.... its the fundamental building material of your communication strategy--your verbal collaterals!

  2. Practice your exit statement... most all potential employers and networking contacts will want to know your current situation and why you are available.

  3. Practice answering both common and tough questions... including pre-offer negotiation tactics.

Now, GO PRACTICE !

COMING NEXT:  This is the second in a series of articles regarding the integration of your physical fitness with your CAREER FITness.  Next, we will be looking at Career FITness for those in the NORMAL level of current physical fitness

CareerFIT  Overview 

Career FITness: LEVEL I | LEVEL II | LEVEL III 

          >> Home Fitness       >> TOP TEN: Basic Fitness Tips         >> Get FIT

Bob Maher, CMF... The Careerpilot

Bob created his online presence, www.careerpilot.com, in 1994.  He has over twenty years of successful experience in Corporate Recruitment, performance management and Career Management Services.  He is an entrepreneur and innovator in the use of information technology in the recruitment and employment process.  On the Founder's Council of the Association of Career Professionals - International and quite active in their Professional Development, Technology and Chapter Growth initiatives--a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars.  Has deliver career oriented services in all 48 continental states in the USA.  Awarded the Association's prestigious "LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD" in 2006.