Boston Career Counselor Blog

While it’s important to set up longer term goals in your job search, sometimes it’s even more critical to set up a list of things you can act on right now today! If anyone has ever read Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week, this is like step one in the dreamline. The best way to accomplish any goal is to figure what you can do today and tomorrow. So here are today’s recommendations for job seekers:

10 things you can do TODAY to advance your job search:

1. Invite an old coworker or contact for coffee and reconnect.

2. Search linkedin for someone in a company or job you’re interested in and get introduced to them through your connections. Request an informational interview.

3. Read your resume and see how it sounds. If you find it boring and uninspiring, imagine how someone else would feel. Do you highlight the things that make you qualified for the job you’re seeking?

4. If you don’t already have them, get business cards printed. Networking is much harder if you can’t easily hand out your contact information.

5. Sign up for a networking event. Try using meetup.com. If you’re in Boston, go to http://www.meetup.com/Effortless-Networking-for-Job-Seekers/.

6. Do something fun today that has nothing to do with job search. Come on, you’re still a person. Meet a friend for dinner, go to a movie or spend the night relaxing on the couch.

7. Find two new companies where you’d like to work and follow them on twitter or facebook. Or search for them on linkedin and try to set up an informational meeting over coffee with an employee.

8. Develop and practice your elevator speech. Better yet, try to find an excuse to use it in the next 3 days (at a networking event, social event, party, on line at the coffee shop…).

9. Improve your linkedin profile by asking someone for a recommendation, and making sure your profile includes keywords specific to your industry.

10. Contact a fabulous career counselor for help! Oh come on, job searching is all about self-promotion. I’m practicing what I preach!

1. Describe briefly what your job is.

I am a regional staffing planner. I write associate schedules for several stores, based on company guidelines, promotional calendar and sales trends.

2. What do you like most about it?

I like analyzing sales and volume trends. I also like to interact with the regional staffing manager and assist them in personnel planning to ensure store profitability.

3. What do you do in a typical day?

I update the list of associates with jobs that have turned for each store, work on schedules, talk to the regional staffing manager about sales trends and work with stores to execute schedules.

4. What made you decide on this career in the first place?

To learn other aspects of the retail industry. I’ve worked in a buying office, and as an area sales manager. I also wanted to learn the operations side of the industry. It is a rewarding experience in that I know I’m able to assist in improving the company’s bottom line.

5. What kind of education or experience is necessary for this job?

A bachelors degree and managerial store experience.

6. What makes you good at this job (personality traits, strengths, skills, etc.)?

Analytical skills, people skills, organizational skills, close attention to details.

7. Who would be perfect in this job?

Someone interested in the operations and supply chain aspect of the retail industry.

8. Tell me something people would be surprised about regarding this job.

I will have an opportunity to travel to stores this spring and meet with various management teams.

9. Do you have any advice for someone wanting to enter this field?

Anyone interested in the fashion or retail industry should know there is more to this industry than just fashion or retail. Knowledge of organizational structures, operations, and supply chain management is essential in order to be successful. If you come prepared and you possess that right skill set then the possibilities are endless.