Adopting an agile mindset and engineering approach to your job search enables you to be flexible and effective in achieving results. Use an iterative process to design, build, test, evaluate, and improve your job search effectiveness.

• Create and execute your job search strategy using a well-defined roadmap and detailed playbook.
• Test and measure the effectiveness of your job search activities.
• Revise and refine your job search activities, depending on what works best.

 
Apply the 5 Steps of the Iterative Process Model to Your Job Search

1. Planning & Requirements: Start with career clarity. What type of job are you seeking? By when? How will you measure success?
   
   
2. Analysis and Design: Envision your end goal. Set parameters. I want to land the position of __ with a __ company by __ date. On a scale of 1 to 5 how strongly are you dedicated to landing a new job? Brainstorm with your support team. Enlist the help of a friend or career coach to serve as an accountability partner. How are you going to achieve your goal? What steps are you going to take to get there?
   
   
3. Implementation: Conduct industry, company, and position research. Create your career marketing collateral (résumé, LinkedIn profile, executive bio, and cover letters). Create a job search action plan. How much time each week are you going to devote to your job search? Block out time on your calendar. What activities are you going to commit to doing? How much time are you going to allocate to various job search activities? 
   
   
4. Testing: An iterative process will bring you closer to your end goal of landing a better job—ideally, a job aligns with your core strengths and values. 
   
   It always amazes me that people rely on one method, applying online, when they could change their job search activities to focus on building professional relationships through networking, which yields far better results.
   
   According to a research study conducted by JobVite, approximately 73% of people found their last job through networking and a little more than 20% of those people had jobs created for them based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
   ​
5. Evaluation and Review: A basic principle of management is that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Track your job search activities daily with a simple scorecard. Review your job search activities weekly. Which activities are generating the best responses?
   
   It’s helpful to have a career coach to provide feedback and encourage you to make incremental changes to accelerate your job search process, help you determine what’s not working, and help you find solutions to overcome obstacles.
   
   ​Are you conducting thorough research? Job seekers need to understand their target audience (recruiters and hiring teams). What is it that employers want to know about you? Are you getting interviews but not offers? Maybe you need more interview preparation and practice. Determine what needs to change and take actions that support your goal of landing the right job with a great company within a specified timeframe.

 
Realize that some aspects of your job search are out of your control such as how long it takes the company to go from recruiting to interviewing to extending an offer, but there are best practices for follow-up communications in each of these situations.
 
Please remember how important collaboration is to your job search success. Surround yourself with a small support team. Do you have a trusted friend who is a great networker, a person who has interviewed and hired people in your industry, or a person who is an expert negotiator?
 
Hiring a career coach to guide you through analyzing your strengths, gaining career clarity, providing you with appropriate resources, and helping you implement new ideas, test the results, and reduce risks can save you time and effort in your job search. If you are unemployed or underemployed, assessing and adapting your job search activities is especially important, because each week that you are out of work, or working for less than you are worth, costs you money.
 
As your career coach, I’d be delighted to help you achieve your goal of landing a great job fast. Schedule a free 20-minute discovery call today.

Have you ever been so nervous that you bombed an interview? I have, and it felt awful! My rambling responses were obvious indicators that I blew my chance to land a job at an amazing company.
 
That’s why I want to save you from making the same interview blunders and thinking, I should have been better prepared. I should have said this rather than that.
 
You won’t be rehashing those shoulda, coulda, woulda moments when you have a proven method for interview preparation that helps you perfect your interview answers.
 
Feel more relaxed and confident in your in-person or virtual interviews. The WinTheView™ platform enables you to record multiple career success stories to demonstrate your unique strengths and skills.
 
As your certified WinTheView Career Consultant, I’ll guide you through creating compelling content to entice recruiters and hiring managers to offer you an interview. I’ll show you how to follow up after interviews to convince your prospective employer that you are the right person to hire by using the WTV platform.
 
My client, a customer success executive, received two strong job offers in 45 days. We worked together in career coaching sessions to dive into company research, ​capture his STAR stories, develop custom interview presentations for his target companies, and conduct mock interviews. ​His dilemma was deciding which six-figure job offer to accept. It was a nice problem to have, don't you think?
 
Click here to schedule a virtual coffee chat to learn how WinTheView™ can help you ace your interviews and win lucrative job offers.
 
Cheers to your interview success!
Sharla

LEADx is a learning and coaching app for executives that includes the Top 5 CliftonStrengths assessment, Coach Amanda (an AI-powered leadership coach), and 200+ micro-learning courses on developing your executive presence and senior leadership skills.

You can download the free app from Google Play or Apple apps. It also has the DISC profile and other assessments. Make the most of your screen time by developing your soft skills instead of scrolling through endless posts on social media!

Written by a Pro offers great resources for executives and mid-career professionals. Did you know that when you purchase a gold-level resume package, you'll gain access to the Gold Club, a members-only page with a listing of 150+ resources and tools to help you in your job search journey?

If you'd like more information on the Gold Club members-only resources schedule your free, 20-minute consultation with me.

All the best,
​Sharla

Cheers to your career advancement in 2022!

A proactive and productive job search begins with setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, actionable, and timebound goals).

New Year's resolutions without systems and strategies in place for you to take actions that produce positive results will cause you to fall short of achieving your goals. Don't sabotage your job search by not having a strategic job search plan in place. 

I would be delighted to help you gain career clarity, develop your career marketing documents (resume, cover letters, LinkedIn profile, professional bio, interview presentations, etc.), and work with you in career coaching sessions to develop your job search strategy and action plans. 

Schedule your appointment for a free 20-minute consultation using this link:
​https://www.calendly.com/writtenbyapro.

Remember, ​set SMART goals, track your progress, and celebrate small wins each day that move you closer to goal achievement.

Studies show that if you are not in an active job search, you are less likely to engage people in your professional network. That’s a huge mistake. Staying top-of-mind with your professional network is super important, especially when you are not actively seeking employment. Let me explain.
 
A popular movie trivia party game of the 1990s was based on the premise that any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. The actor’s “Bacon Number” showed the number of degrees of separation between the actor and Kevin Bacon.
 
The party game demonstrated the idea that any person on Earth could meet anyone in the world with six or fewer steps between them and another person. The social science behind six degrees of separation dates back to the 1960s. The idea that a friend-of-a-friend, six-link chain could connect any two people on the planet is intriguing.
 
LinkedIn is built on the idea of person-to-person connectivity to help people find employment. But, if you are like me, you have numerous connections on LinkedIn that you don’t know personally.
 
How do you filter out your close connections from the massive number of LinkedIn connections to the people you actually know, like, and trust? Do you have a plan to reach out to these close contacts on a regular basis to build strong business relationships?”
 
As a certified career coach and networking strategist, I can help you build, optimize, and manage your professional network. By proactively messaging close contacts regularly, you will not fall prey to the pandemonium associated with job loss in this crazy economy. If the unexpected layoff does happen, you will have numerous people who are happy to serve as your champions and introduce you to a friend-of-a-friend who may know of a job opportunity that is perfectly suited for you.
 
We hope you will join us for a casual conversation about all aspects of job search including building connections on LinkedIn and maintaining your professional relationships every Monday at 1:00 pm Eastern on Clubhouse sponsored by Career Thought Leaders and hosted under the Thought Leadership Branding Club. We have a great team of career industry authorities on the panel to answer your job search questions. ​If you are not on the Clubhouse app and need information, please send me a message to info@writtenbyapro.com. If you are already on Clubhouse, follow me on Clubhouse @sharlataylor to be notified when the job seeker's room opens each week.

You have the opportunity to ask me anything during the Clubhouse meeting. To submit your questions in advance, look for the paper airplane icon on the bottom right corner to access the backchannel and send me your question for that day's Clubhouse meeting. 





​​

Hannah Morgan will be our guest speaker on June 7th! You won't want to miss a moment of the conversation of how to know when it is time to leave a job you hate.

Tom Powner will be speaking about LinkedIn on 6/14. Get the 411 on best practices for building connections and business relationships on LinkedIn.

Mark Anthony Dyson will be presenting on 6/14 on the topic of why you should always be prepared for a job search. You never know when a lucrative opportunity might pop up.

On 6/28 CTL members will be available to review your resume and LinkedIn profile for free!

Follow me @SharlaTaylor on Clubhouse to be notified when the meeting starts. If you are not on Clubhouse and would like to join, send me a message on LinkedIn.

Are you finding it difficult to block out time to search for a new job?​ 

Today, I listened to a fabulous Clubhouse meeting with Marie Zimenoff, CEO of Career Thought Leaders, and Emily Allen, international bestselling author and productivity coach.
 
The takeaways from today’s session can easily apply to your job search.

• Prioritize tasks to align with your energy levels during the day.
  
  
• Block out time to achieve your goals. For me this translates into “Do the worst first.” If I tackle the tedious administrative tasks that I dislike in the morning, I get them done so that I can have more time for the creative aspects of my job that I love.
  
  If you are employed fulltime and conducting a confidential job search, that might translate into finding time on weeknights or weekends to research companies, network with people on LinkedIn, and customize your résumé for each job opportunity.
  
  
• Avoid procrastination. Personally, I’m easily distracted by the “but first” trap of convincing myself I’ll get around to it “but first I need to do this or that.” I’ll admit, I am an inventive procrastinator!
  
  
• Block out time for social media interaction. Your goal is to be the candidate who is referred into the organization where the competition is lower and access to the hiring manager is easier.

 

• Avoid the shiny object syndrome. I’m attracted to new technologies that I purchase and don’t get around to implementing, although I know the benefits of having systems and processes in place. The same is true for a job search. There are many tools that are available online, and a career coach can advise you which programs and resources are based on proven job search strategies that get results.

 
A career coach can help job seekers put systems and processes in place to help people focus their job search efforts on actions that will yield a higher ROI.
 
People who have some type of job search support, whether it is individual or group coaching sessions, land their next role up to 20% faster than people who try to go it alone. The investment you make in yourself could save you thousands of dollars by landing your next professional role faster.
 
Time management is crucial to your job search success. Make every minute count!

Without a doubt, the workplace has changed in the past few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses and employees are striving to keep up with supersonic change due to the economic challenges of the public health crisis.

LinkedIn reports that there are *four key themes* shaping the future of work:

• Emerging Technologies
• New Career Pathways
• Entrepreneurship
• Global Economic Opportunity

If you've lost your job during the pandemic, stay hopeful.  

“Just because the past didn’t turn out like you wanted it to doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you imagined.” - Ziad K. Abdelnour

There are huge opportunities ahead if you understand the dynamics and trends of the emerging job market. 

Working with a certified professional career coach will help you shape your career to meet the demand for what's new and what's next in the future of work.

This week I am attending Career Thought Leaders Career Jam 2020 where industry experts will be sharing information on:

• Emerging Technology in Jobs and Career Coaching
• Remote Work: Implications for Career Advancement
• Virtual Job Search: Connecting with the Right People to Land Your Next Job
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workforce
• Older Workers and How to Thrive in a Multi-Generational Workforce
• Mental Health: Dealing with a Period of Unsettlement in Your Life

I can't wait to share new and emerging job search and career management trends in our upcoming group coaching program Mission Possible: Jumpstart Your Job Search! The pilot of the course launches January 4, 2021. Click here to register now at a huge discount!

*Source: https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/the-future-of-work

Studies show that if you are not in an active job search, you are less likely to engage people in your professional network. That’s a huge mistake. Staying top-of-mind with people in your professional network is super important, especially when you are not actively seeking employment. Let me explain.
 
A popular movie trivia party game of the 1990s was based on the premise that any actor could be linked to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. The actor’s “Bacon Number” showed the number of degrees of separation between the actor and Kevin Bacon.
 
The party game demonstrated the idea that any person on Earth could meet anyone in the world with six steps (or less) between them and the other person. The social science behind six degrees of separation dates back to the 1920s. The idea that “a friend-of-a-friend, 6-link chain” could connect any two people on the planet is intriguing.
 
LinkedIn is built on the idea of person-to-person connectivity to help people find employment. But, if you are like me, you have numerous connections on LinkedIn that you don’t know personally.
 
The question is, “How do you filter out your close connections from the massive number of LinkedIn connections to the people you actually know, like, and trust? Do you have a plan to reach out to these close contacts on a regular basis to build strong business relationships?”
 
As a Phello Career Networking Expert, I can help you build, optimize, and manage your contacts using SaaS technology. By proactively messaging close contacts regularly, you will not fall prey to the pandemonium associated with job loss in this crazy economy. If the unexpected layoff does happen, you will have numerous people who are happy to serve as your champions and introduce you to a friend-of-a-friend who may know of a job opportunity that is perfectly suited for you.
 
Differentiate yourself from the sea of candidates flooding the job market due to layoffs. Click below to find out how you can work with Sharla Taylor to harness the power of Phello networking services.