Andy Warhol believed that, “In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.”
If you’ve not had your 15 minutes, now’s the time to take it…and run. And even, if you’ve had your 15, keep going.
There are methods to maintain momentum and standout from the mêlée of paper and personal websites, and believe it or not, have fun while you’re doing it.
Short of carrying out anything illegal, such as stalking a CEO or badgering your neighbors who have managed to keep their jobs, step outside of the archetypical you and be unafraid to exceed your own expectations. Be assertive and be creative.
A New York Man, who was a non-practicing investment banker, and had been out of work for six months, even went so far as to wear a billboard around his chest and hand his resume out to passersby in Midtown Manhattan during the lunch hour.
Another woman placed her husband’s resume on people’s cars and got the attention of an executive at a company.
Be as focused and determined as a presidential candidate, campaigning to all kinds of constituents.
However, if you’re uncomfortable with being in the spotlight, there are other approaches that will make you stand out.
Start by joining social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twittering and writing blogs that will promote your expertise and uniqueness, introducing yourself and building dialogues with people at companies that interest you.
Beyond surfing the net, sending out 50 resumes a day, and campaigning virtually, start accepting all invitations and attending as many live events as you can. People always talk about how they’re never in the right place at the right time and how unlucky they are. The real key to getting noticed and known is to be in as many places as you can.
You can’t be in the right place if you don’t go to the event. As Fashion Designer, Diana Vreeland said, “Luck is infatuated with the efficient.” In other words, you create your own luck.
Furthermore, shaking all these hands, actual or virtual, will lead you to other resources, such as hiring managers, staffing agencies that permanently place workers, information about virtual job fairs, Internet sites you may not be familiar with and inventive ways to research companies for their available jobs.
If you have the knowledge and skill to build a following through a blog then do so. If you’re able to be witty on cue, then Twitter, if not, then develop a following, a cheering section, who will absentee network for you. Build collaborators by attending events, job clubs, meetings with friends and coworkers from past employment.
Call in subject-matter experts, friends and professionals, who can help with career direction, job search, interview skills, cover letter and resume writing.
Consider volunteering at an organization or a company where you interact with the public or that will allow you to build new job skills.
As one of my coworker’s likes to say, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”
So squeak loud and squeak proud!
In the end: you won’t feel so alone in your job search.
Job Clubs and websites that have helped others include:
https://virtual-jobfair.workforcepartnership.com
www.careerpointcenter.com
www.mediabistro.com
http://sacredheartjobclub.ning.com
www.kchasjobs.com
http://www.jobs.net/Missouri-KansasCity.htm
http://www.catholicfamilyservices.org/employment.php
https://www.kansasworks.com/ada/
http://www.usa.gov/
www.nashrg.com
www.kcchamber.com
and many others…
**If you have career related questions, email CPCKCblog@careerpointcenterkc.com; they’ll be responded to either individually or in the careerpointcenterkc.com Blog
