Tom and I met during my transition and he shared this list to help me along.  I thought it was great, so I asked him if I could publish, thankfully for all of us, Tom agreed.

Copyright 2009 – Tom Kulikowski.  Reproduced on the “Candidate’s Chair” with Tom’s permission.

1.       You have total control of the two most important elements of your career search – EFFORT and ATTITUDE. You will distinguish yourself by the EFFORT you put forth and the ATTITUDE you convey.

2.       Set goals and record accomplishments – creates a purpose for what you do, guides your activities, and satisfies the need to measure and recognize progress.

3.       Organize ruthlessly and frequently – you can never be too organized. Develop a schedule and write it down, a routine that works for you – random motion rarely gets you where you want to go.

4.       Reconnect and give back – reconnect with your family in meaningful ways, with friends, classmates, business associates, and neighbors whose company you enjoy. Give back to those who can benefit from the talents and treasure with which you’ve been blessed. You have the time.

5.        Uncover your strengths – once discovered learn how to productively use and develop them. The book, Strengths Finders 2.0 is a terrific resource for identifying and capitalizing on your 5 greatest strengths.

6.       Learn what it takes to build and sustain high performance teams and be viewed as a leader – many of us will be part of matrixed organizations with a defined span of control but superior results will come from influencing others over whom we don’t have direct control, the ability to influence without authority. Many models out there.

7.        You are not going to find your dream job or even your next position by trolling the internet. Sitting at a desk surfing the net is alluring but the probabilities are low, about like playing the lottery. Just like most of us don’t bank on hitting the lottery to fund our retirement, don’t bank on scouring the internet for the job for which you are the ideal candidate. I don’t know of anyone who has landed a prime position this way. Post your resume with national recruiters and select job boards.

8.       Don’t fall in love – with any one opportunity to the exclusion of all else. Don’t allow yourself to be seduced or become infatuated and forget about nurturing all the other seeds you have  planted and continue to plant those you have yet to sow.

9.       Get out of the house (with a purpose) – connect with as many recruiters and networking contacts as possible, but don’t expect immediate gratification.

10.    Create a lasting memory – for yourself and for your contacts. Make this one of the best, most rewarding times of your life – indulge your interests and uncover your passions.

a.       Do something memorable that you and those that accompany you will remember fondly and talk about for years – a special vacation, a getaway, indulgent weekend, a charitable activity

b.      Leave the impression that you want with contacts, something that they can latch onto that is distinctive and follow up with them to express appreciation.

Final thought: You are one day further from your past and one day closer to your future. As  when driving, focus most of your attention on the road ahead and only check the road behind on occasion to maintain perspective.

Copyright © 2009 Thomas J. Kulikowski