1. Determine the career you want to have

• What are you passionate about?

• Who do you think has the perfect job and why?

• What parts of your present job or life activities do you really enjoy?

• What do you daydream about doing?

2. Determine your value

• What skills do you currently have?

• What skills do you still need to acquire?

• What can you bring to the table and how much is it worth?

3. Research and develop a list of 10 to 20 ideal employers

• These can be companies or specific people

• Rank them from first choice to last

• Who does what you want to do?

4. Create your 30-second commercial

• This answers, “Tell me about yourself.” The objective of your 30-second commercial is to have information that informs someone of following information:

  • Experience

  • Strengths

  • Accomplishments

  • What you are looking for in a career

5. Develop your personal marketing plan

• Find creative ways to market yourself, e.g., resume, references, cover letter, personal website, multimedia presentations, social networking

6. Find the contact person

• Use social networking to determine the decision-makers for each company

• Start with your first choice employer and work your way down

7. Contact potential employers in a creative way

• Do something to make yourself stand out (send your resume with a dozen bagels; send a CD instead a resume)

• 65% of all job openings are never advertised; your goal is to get an interview

8. Develop a strategy for your Interview

• What questions will they ask?

• What questions will you ask?

• How will you control the conversation?

• How will you close? 

9. Negotiate the best offer

• What are your financial needs?

• What are others in your field being paid?

• What value do you bring to the table?

• Are you willing to walk away if your demands are not met?