Simply outlining the basics of networking and delving into the myriad details of the job hunt will not aid you without your unqualified effort. If you hustle, you will notice how you are building a circuit of contacts that take on a life; you are planting a crop that will eventually yield a harvest. In the end, this is not only about getting your first job, but subscribing to the idea that your self-development and your professional development go together. We are all interconnected and interdependent, not unlike the law. The concept of hustling involves the self-awareness that your future is always being planned for you, unconsciously or consciously, by your daily effort and by the interconnectedness of your daily professional life.
" HlT THE STREETS
" USE EVERY MOVE
" STAY COOL
" TELL EVERYBODY
" LET THINGS BE
" EXPECT GOOD NEWS
H Is for ''Hit the Streets"
The truly competitive person is out there shaking hands, having lunch, and meeting people. You will be sitting down and discussing your profession with people from whom you can learn. These people will constitute your network. Those who try to hunt for a job solely by responding to ads are not hitting the streets. Go out on every interview you get; the experience of interviewing is invaluable, and it is difficult to fabricate. Any interview, even a bad one, can be useful experience.
U Is for "Use Every Move"
I am not speaking of moves that are outside ethical and professional standards. We should use all the legitimate methods that work in the job hunting process. Some people use only half the methods available to them because they are lazy or reluctant or disbelieving. Those who hustle are headed for their goal; for example, the idea of writing a thank you note is not that hard to do because their focus is on the big picture.
S Is for "Stay Cool"
Anyone who is an entrepreneur or salesman can tell you that you cannot permit yourself to look hungry. Perceived hunger has a way of driving people away. As you proceed with your job hunt, look the part, feel the part, dress the part, and act the part of a professional paralegal.
(Remember, you are in the self-promotion business at this point.) You always want to communicate the message and exude the confidence of someone who will "be a catch" If you do not stay cool, your energy and hustle will work against you.
T Is for "Tell Everybody"
The hunt for your first job is actually even more than a job. It is an occupation, even a preoccupation. Though you should stay cool, your agenda should be jammed with one message: "I must tell everyone who cares about me what I am doing? This time might be a time to lose some false pride, because one thing this quest will show you is that you do not know where your fortune will come from. When something starts to work, you may be amazed at its originating point.
L Is for "Let Things Be"
Waiting is a hard game, and it may go against your natural drive to "do something" but remember the analogy of the crop coming in. You cannot coax a seed to sprout, nor yell at a plant to make it flower. The whole process requires time and waiting and patience; you'll make good moves, then wait. Like an echo, your job search efforts have a response time. Some may be one week, others two days, still others may take three months. How do you stay cool? By knowing there is a process going on. This is one of the reasons you should undertake a great deal and work hard on several projects. The crop sometimes comes in all at once. Sometimes nothing happens for weeks, and then by some eerie synchronicity, everyone seems to be interested at once. But remember, do not become a pure nuisance by calling back too much on a lead. After you have done what you can, let things be.
E Is for "Expect Good News"
The job hunt is emotionally arduous because you must be at your best when you often feel your worst. Undertake this process with the most optimistic outlook you can muster. Why? Because it affects your daily performance, your interviewing, your writing, your personal networking, your sense of worth, and your professionalism. All these things are buoyed by your optimism. The true hustler can see the results of worthwhile activity, just as the farmer sees the crop coming in when he is plowing, digging and dunging, and watching it rain. Some of the worst interviews occur because the interviewee is exhausted emotionally and fighting self-doubt and discouragement. One of your chief strategies and opening moves is to begin with (and stay in) a state of hopeful and optimistic expectation.
Once you are prepared to undertake this task with the proper opening strategies and first moves, then you can employ your resume, interviewing skills and written presentations with persuasion and effectiveness.
All the effort, education, handshaking telephoning, letter writing, hand-wringing and stamp-licking come together in one moment: Your interview.
See the following articles for more information:
- 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
- The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
- How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
- How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
- How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question
