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Shary Raske

Success Metrics -
Does Your Plan Add Up?

February 2009

Professionals looking for work need four tools:  A plan, accountability, a focus, and action. We're going to focus on accountability. If you have the wrong plan, or the wrong focus, or the wrong action, who is going to tell you?  That’s where accountability comes in.  Success metrics  evaluate results; yet, how you get to those results is either measured by time or units of activity. 

If you’re reading this and saying to yourself I’m not that organized, chances are units of activity metrics will work well for you.  This might mean you are willing to do three units of activity a day, no matter what.  One unit might only take 5 minutes, another 5 hours.  Units aren’t tied into time, they are tied into amount.  For some working more than 10 hours a day, maybe one unit a day is all that can be attained. 

Once you start a daily routine, don’t stop.  Don’t ask me why, but it’s been my experience that if you shut your search down a week, it takes three weeks to build momentum back up again.

If you do view yourself as an organized person, then using time as an accountability system might work well for you.  Decide how much time you can spend on your career transition project and plug it into your calendar. If you work more than 10 hours a day, then 4 to 6 hours a week is manageable.  If you are unemployed, 25 hours a week works well.  25 hours a week will FEEL like 40 hours a week, so don’t think you are being a slacker if you can’t manage 40.  However, if you are filling your day with activity that isn’t getting you any where; don’t call yourself a slacker either.  Seek out an outside expert who can help re-direct your efforts.

This is where accountability partner, like as a career strategist, can keep you on track. If you aren’t finding work when you thought you would, perhaps a Career Planning Readiness meeting would help.  We would take a thorough look at what’s working, what needs attention and recommended next steps to make sure your career transition plan is both thorough and on target.


Free Special Training shows how 2009 – with all its challenges – will most likely be the absolute best year of your life!

I’ve developed a unique partnership with Lucrative Careers, Inc. to offer you amazing free trainings.  My favorite is More Done, More Fun!  Your cost is about two hours of your time and a telephone.  Sign up ASAP for the Wednesday morning program on February 11.  Check out the other programs that include topics like salary negotiation. Pre-registration is required.

Go to www.lucrativecareersinc.com  and learn about all four webinar / teleconferences offered in February. The quality is outstanding.  Experience why it’s called:  best-in-class.  Jack Chapman and I are passionate about helping professionals get to where they want to be, and a big component of that is creating time for it.

Want to Network Better and Gain Greater Visibility? 
The first thing you want to do is make sure the person you are calling is alive!  Nothing is more embarrassing than calling a dead person for a networking meeting from an out-of-date database. When I conducted a long distance job search over 20 years ago, that’s exactly what happened to me.

The best way to get in front of a decision maker is through an introduction.  If after 60 days, you still haven’t found someone to introduce you, then approaching someone without an introduction is in order.  That said, always call first to make sure the executive is still there.  It’s an extra step, but worth it.  Here’s what might happen if you don’t:

You:  Hi, is Charlene Patel there? 
Operator: No
You: When might she be available?
Operator: Never
You:  Oh, I see.  Is Charlene no longer with the company?
Operator:  You might say that.  Charlene died nine months ago.

Ouch.  Talk about a cold call!   If you make this kind of mistake, it’s hard to recover and get the information you need.  Remember, as soon as any database is published it’s already out of date. Now imagine using this approach:

You:  Hi, I was given Charlene Patel’s name as the Operations Manager               at Frogmix Industries.  Is this information accurate?
Operator:  No, Charlene died nine months ago.
You:  Oh, I’m so sorry.  I’m so glad I asked.  Tell me, who is your current Operations Manager?
Operator: That would be Richard Rodriquez, I’ll put you through .                                              
Now obviously, it’s not that easy.  Chances are the operator will ask you what this is in regard to. If you don’t have a good answer, you might be blocked.  For more information contact Shary Raske at (314) 560-1088 or email her at shary@courageouschange.net

One Secret for a Successful Career Transition
One of the secrets of a successful career transition is to be clear about what you want to accomplish and be able to articulate that to others in less than 30 seconds.  Sometimes you only have 15 seconds.  What would you say to get their immediate and positive attention?  If you are part of a group that would like me to come in to talk about how to build a compelling 30-second elevator speech, let me know.  I’ve presented to Toastmasters Groups, Job Search Support Groups, Re-entering Homemakers, and Leadership Councils.  You can’t influence if you aren’t succinct.

Do you know someone whose career needs CPR?  
I work with career changers who want to get to where they want to be faster and more effectively!  If you know someone who is unhappy or stuck in a rut, perhaps a Career Planning Readiness meeting may be just the catalyst to move forward. 

Find out how Shary Raske, Career Strategist, can help. Available nationally through tele-coaching or one-on-one in the St. Louis region.  Call today for details (314) 560-1088.

Next issue:  Humorous Job Search Disasters, and How to Recover

Shary Raske, Career Strategist,
Courage to Change Enterprises
shary@courageouschange.net
(314) 560-1088

We offer career transition coaching, designed to get smarter, more effective results. Enjoy reading, and feel free to forward this to others, particularly those who are job searching.  If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to others.  Together we can wipe out ineffective career searches.

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