Jobseeker Checklist

Are your ready to make a move?
To be successful in your next move you should work through and refer back to this five part checklist. Bookmark or print out this page.

* Know your goals
o Know the top ten things that are important to you.
o Appreciate the beliefs that empower and limit you.
o Have clearly written long and short term goals.
o Keep up to date on all aspects of e-business as it progresses.
* Make a plan of attack, research and find opportunities
o Be aware that what you see as opportunity and exciting many are threatened and resistant to.
o Check out the company web site and forums, see where they are now with e-business.
o Check out the company's competitors. What are they up against, would you prefer to work for them? If so why?
o Establish the culture of an organisation. Have they the ability to adapt to the e-business change or will it be like turning a supertanker around.
o Make a clear list of what you are looking for and resolve not to be swayed from it by anything or anybody.
o How much of a priority is e-business to them? Are they naive?
o What sort of people are the top management team? Are they looking at future opportunities or living off past successes.
o When picking an agent, ask if they are professional enough to represent me? Do they understand what I am truly looking for? Do they understand e-business and can offer me worthwhile advice and guidance.
o Are there exciting opportunities coming up in my present firm?
o Ask yourself who exactly would you work for if anything was possible?
* Excel at Interview
o Make sure you are going to the right interviews.
o Appreciate that it is the candidate that presents himself or herself across as best that usually gets the offer.
o Realise that people buy people first and whatever else second.
o The man with real passion for the job will typically beat the man with better paper skills.
o Understand and apply the concept of 'mirroring' to establish rapport.
o Prepare your key questions beforehand so that you can concentrate on their verbal (and non-verbal responses).
o Think of the dozen questions the interviewer is most likely to ask and consider you replies.
o If you really want the job, tell them.
o Ask at the end of an interview if there is anything about yourself that gives them any doubt for the position?
o Ascertain their decision making process and style.
o Find out what they really want, and the offer it, only if it fits in with your plan. Otherwise do not be swayed.
o Ask directly if anyone else will be involved in the decision.
o Try to do a great deal more listening than talking. Respond and influence with your body language.
o Remember that promises not in writing are unlikely to ever happen.
* Get the Offer
o Don't wait to hear, take action. If you want the job ring them up and ask for it. Showing this level of keenness will never work against you. If you are hesitant the next guy wont be.
o If you are working through an agent tell them that you will accept an offer. Agents make money when candidates accept offers. This makes you their top candidate to promote.
o Be persistent and determined to get the offer no matter what obstacles are put up.
o Keep looking and doing interviews until you have a firm acceptable offer in writing.
o When receiving a written offer, compare it to your original criteria.
o If there is anything you are not happy with, get it sorted in writing.
o If it is second best, reject it unless you really don't expect to ever get another offer. Be wary of keen agents.
o In a leader role in e-business you are going to have to make risky decisions, so make sure that the contract makes it difficult and expensive for them to get rid of you.
* Starting your new position
o Before you start learn as much as you can about the company with reference to your new position. Surf the web on your competitors and industries that you consider innovative.
o You are a leader, lead. Be inspirational, confident and determined.
o Figure out who is against you real fast.
o Pick and recruit your own team if applicable real fast.
o Find out the values, motivations and career goals of your key staff members. Do whatever it takes to retain and develop them, if they are e-business savvy they are rare, highly sought after, and will be called by headhunters.
o Don't wait for pioneers to lead the way. In e-business you come first or last.
o Carefully set yourself and your team targets.
o Do everything you can to alleviate the insecurities of people whose skills are old model, and train them in new model, by developing a learning organisation.