Job Search Wisdom to Get You Unstuck

Why Don't They Call Me?

You may have already read several worthy books about job hunting, or visited numerous websites.

But no matter what you do…nothing seems to work.

Somehow, Murphy showed up at your door, plunked himself down in your favorite easy chair, grabbed the remote control, and just won't leave.

For the next few days, I want you to set all that aside—except for Murphy. It's time to get rid of him once and for all!

You are about to embark upon an enlightening course of action designed to lift your spirits, restore your hope, and maximize your chances of landing a job.

In short, I’m going to share with you a step-by-step process that is the fastest way to find a job.

After all, you've endured this trial long enough…right?

If you are one of these 5 struggling job seekers this book will be a game-changer for you:

1. People unemployed six months—or longer—who get very few job interviews
2. People unemployed six months—or longer—who rarely, if ever, get a job offer
3. People late in their career who suspect that age discrimination is the main reason they aren’t being invited in for job interviews, let alone getting job offers
4. People who have been fired or laid off who now struggle with guilt, depression, marital stress, low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, or simply lack motivation
5. People who have lost their job after a long career with one company, and now find themselves out-of-step and out-of-date with the job search process

Regardless of your job search dilemma, you undoubtedly are going through a very discouraging time. You may even be downright depressed about it.

What's worse, all areas of your life may seem out of balance and unfulfilled right now.

And that may be putting it mildly.

Looking for a job is a gut-wrenching, emotional experience. Our feelings can either motivate us to take massive action, or paralyze us into avoiding what we know must be done.

This book is a culmination of over twenty years of direct hiring experience as an executive recruiter and a regional sales director for a Fortune 500 company. It contains cutting edge ideas and actions steps that will work for you on both an intellectual and emotional level. You need equilibrium on both levels to enhance your job search prospects.

You'll get the most out of my job search strategy if you stick to the plan and follow my step by step process. Avoid skipping ahead or only reading those sections of greatest interest to you. Above all, do the action steps, even if they are uncomfortable for you. The idea is for you to get outside your comfort zones.

You may come to a section where you say to yourself, “I already tried that and it didn’t work for me.” Give it another chance, as I could share some critical information with you that will result in a completely different outcome.

Let me be your guide and walk beside you.

We're starting with a clean sheet of paper. Every detail of the job search process will be examined to make sure you're in the right place, at the right time, with your best game face on.

10 nagging problems that sabotage every job search:

1. The fear, anxiety—or shear panic—of not knowing what more you can possibly do to find a job...especially after you’ve made a valiant effort to find one
2. The inability to shrug off the pain of rejection and indifference
3. Putting up with a lack of common courtesy from hiring authorities, gate keepers, past associates, and "friends"
4. Enduring unrealistic expectations of spouse, family members, and extended family
5. Coping with the negative influence of the news media and other macro-trends
6. Letting go of the past, embracing change, and developing optimism for the future
7. Lacking time management discipline since no one is holding you accountable anymore
8. Trouble breaking the chains of inaction and bad habits
9. Worrying about things you have no control over
10. Struggling with procrastination and risk avoidance

Ever witness a great baseball player in a batting slump?

Batting slumps are extremely frustrating and humbling for a world-class athlete. Almost every ball player goes through a slump at some point during their career.

A player often tries to pull himself out of his slump by swinging the bat harder, going after inside pitches, changing his stance in the batter's box, choking up on the bat, or numerous other adjustments...usually to no avail.

The harder he tries to turn things around, the worst the batting slump gets. He keeps looking for that one thing that will make it all work for him again.

This is why professional baseball teams have batting coaches on their staff. Batting coaches observe the ball player in an analytical, unemotional way, and bring into equilibrium all the little things a batter must do to hit the ball—and most importantly—control where it goes.

I pledge to you my best work in helping you get your career back on track…really fast.

OK...let's go...batter up!

Mike Petras
March 2011

Table of Contents: Why Don't They Call Me?

Introduction vii

Chapter 1: How to Sooth the Pain of Losing Your Job 1

• The 8 stages of grief
• How I survived the shock and embarrassment of getting fired
• My feelings of guilt soon flipped to anger and resentment
• Isn't it amazing how much we define ourselves by how we earn our daily bread?
• 7 months of job hunting with no success…or so I thought
• Where is your job loss pointing you?

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Job Search Base Camp 9

• Small home or apartment with no private study or second bedroom
• Thriving in a chaotic or depressing home environment
• True story: Job seeker does phone interview from her closet!
• The best way to stay organized so nothing slips through the cracks
• JibberJobber: A tool to organize your job search and manage your career

Chapter 3: Ten Simple Habits of Highly Successful Job Seekers 23

1. Early to rise…your first private victory of the day
2. Dress for success
3. You are what you eat
4. The news isn’t the news…it’s the bad news
5. Read something positive, inspiring, uplifting
6. Slow down…be a tortoise
7. Escape to your special private place when you're discouraged or unmotivated
8. Do not spend every waking hour job hunting and obsessing about your job search
9. Follow promptings…even illogical ones
10. Involve your soul mate and children in your job search

Chapter 4: How to Make a Lasting First Impression in 30 Seconds 45

• True story: Laura’s self-esteem soars after learning about her ancestors
• Checklist of 108 skills and character traits
• I am…I have…I can
• Discovering your greatest strengths and character traits in 7 steps
• True story: I’m not that person anymore
• Tell me about yourself: 3 impressive example answers
1. Me in 30 Seconds: Manager
2. Me in 30 Seconds: Homemaker returning to career
3. Me in 30 Seconds: Hourly Worker

Chapter 5: The Power of a Well Written Resume 57

• Best outline of an attention-grabbing resume
• Best outline of an attention-grabbing resume with detailed commentary
• 7 simple resume dos and don'ts

Chapter 6: Fourteen Potent Truths and Myths about Popular Job Search Methods 71

• Short Quiz to Test Your Job Search Savvy
• Answers to the job search quiz, and best strategies to win interviews

Chapter 7: Social Networking: The New Way Companies Look for Job Candidates 87

• LinkedIn: Your online professional profile
• Facebook: The best place to make friends with your business connections
• Twitter: Your very own radio station on the Internet
• True story: I bumped into a CEO on Twitter and received a surprise call

Chapter 8: The Art of Networking by Making Warm Calls 107

• How to build a huge network of contacts
• True story: It’s easy to misjudge others
• How to approach people without annoying them to get what you need
• True story: Good networking technique disarms age discrimination
• True story: Lousy location leads to early promotion and job security
• Good follow- up habits often lead to bonus referrals and new information

Chapter 9: The Art of Networking by Making Cold Calls 119

• 6 benefits of cold calling and why it’s worth doing
• True story: Unconventional job search approach wins job offer
• Why strangers won’t give you a hard time when you call them
• Why building a call list gives you courage, confidence, and momentum
• The fastest way to figure out who to call: ReferenceUSA
• This cold calling script works like crazy to get through gate keepers

Chapter 10: You’re Getting Job Interviews…Now What? 135

• Paperback version direct from the publisher ($9.95), Click Here
• Paperback version from Amazon ($9.95), Click Here
• Kindle version from Amazon ($4.95), Click Here




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