I GOT HIRED : THE BOXSET – THE PERFECT JOB HUNT FROM START TO FINISH: Professional Preparation - Great Resume Writing, Killer Interview Skills & Answers - Professional Negotiation Skills

By Simon Ward and David Fletcher

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED WORD DOCUMENT

• Language: English
• Publisher: RadCon Group
• Release date: Jan 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781912022687

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Rights And Disclaimer

The information contained in I Got Hired™ – Joined Up Job Hunting, and its several complementary guides, is meant to serve as a comprehensive collection of time-tested and proven strategies that the authors of this eBook have applied, or seen applied, to or by many candidates to secure new employment. Summaries, strategies, tips and tricks are only recommendations by the authors, and reading this eBook does not guarantee that one’s results will exactly mirror our own results, or the results of these candidates.

The authors of I Got Hired™ – Joined Up Job Hunting have made all reasonable efforts to provide current and accurate information for the readers of this eBook. The authors will not be held liable for any unintentional errors or omissions that may be found.

The material in I Got Hired™ – Joined Up Job Hunting may include information, products, or services by third parties. Third Party materials comprise the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, the authors of this guide do not assume responsibility or liability for any Third Party materials or opinions.

The publication of such Third Party materials does not constitute the authors’ guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or service contained within the Third Party materials. Use of recommended Third Party materials does not guarantee that your results, will mirror our own. Publication of such Third Party materials is simply a recommendation and expression of the authors’ own opinion of those materials.

Whether because of the general evolution of the Internet, or the unforeseen changes in company policy and editorial submission guidelines, what is stated as fact at the time of this writing may become outdated or simply inapplicable at a later date. This may apply to the I Got Hired™ – Joined Up Job Hunting website platform (www.igothired.net) as well as the various similar companies that we have referenced in this eBook and our several complementary guides. Great effort has been exerted to safeguard the accuracy of this writing. Opinions regarding similar website platforms have been formulated as a result of both personal experience as well as the carefully documented experiences of others.

No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted or resold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the authors. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in I Got Hired™ – Joined Up Job Hunting are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright: TRCC

Published: 2015

Publisher: The Recruitment Coaching Company

The right of TRCC to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher.

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The Complete I Got Hired™ Series

Contents at a Glance

Prepare For Success

How To Use The I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

Introducing ‘Prepare For Success’

Introducing The 12 Habits Of Success

Habit One – Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail

Habit Two – It’s Professional To Be Professional

Habit Three – Get Organized, Stay Organized

Habit Four – Hard Work Never Killed Anyone

Habit Five – Collaborate To Accumulate

Habit Six – Positive Mental Attitude – Not Just A Cliché

Habit Seven – You Won’t See Success Without Focus

Habit Eight – Face Up To Realit

Habit Nine – A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing

Habit Ten – Perception Is Everything

Habit Eleven - Courage and Convictions

Habit Twelve – Honesty Is The only Polic

Concluding The 12 Habits Of Success

Planning Your Job Hunt

Define Your Campaign Plan

Evaluating Your Circumstances

Concluding Prepare For Success

Your Sales Toolkit

How to Use the I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

Introducing ‘Your Sales Toolkit’

The Contents Of Your Toolkit

Your Resume Toolkit - The Heart Of Your Job Search

4 Golden Rules Of Resume Writing

The 10 Golden ‘Do Not’s Of Resume Writing

The Key Guiding Principles Of Resume Writing

Your Resume – The Nuts And Bolts

The Right Resume At The Right Place At The Right Time

Optimizing Your Resume

Tailoring Your Resume – It’s Like A Made-To-Measure Suit

Spelling And Grammar - It’s All In The Small Print

Cover Letters And Emails - Your First Line Of Attack

Your Golden Bullet - The Cover Letter

The Simple Guide To Writing The Perfect Cover Letter

The Email Minefield - The 6 Golden Rules Of Emails

Your Elevator Pitch

Creating Your Testimonials Pack

Creating Your ‘Proof Of Identity’ Pack

Creating Your I Got Hired™ Application Jigsaw

Creating Your Sales Call Scripts

Managing Your Toolkit

IGH Pro™ - Managing Your Toolkit On The Go

Social Media - Your Personal Brand In The Shop Window

Defining Your Personal Brand

The 5 Stages Of Personal Brand Management

Your Personal Brand & Risk Management

Polishing Your Personal Brand - The Devil’s In The Detail

Aligning Your Online Profile With Your Resume

Concluding ‘Your Sales Toolkit’

The Jobs Jungle

How to Use the I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

Introducing The Jobs Jungle

The I Got Hired™ Sales Funnel Principle

Defining Your Channel Strategy

Introducing The ‘Secret Jobs Jungle’

All Channels Lead To........ Your Target Employers

Employer Websites - Your Window Into Their World

Job Boards - Ignore Them At Your Peril

Recruitment Agencies - Friend Or Foe?

Social Media - Top Dog Of All Your Channels

The Main Players in Social Media

Real World Networking

Other Real World Channels To Market

And Finally The Secret Jobs Jungle

The Leads To Prospects Validation Process

To Apply Or Not Apply – That Is The Question

Conclusion To The Jobs Jungle

The Perfect Interview

How to Use the I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

Introduction To The Perfect Interview

The World Of Assessment

The Interview – The Beast Of All Assessments

Interview Preparation Part One - Prepare To Arrive

Interview Preparation Part Two - Prepare To Perform

Preparing For The Right Type Of Interview

Pursuing The Perfect Performance

Following Up Your Interview

Testing – The True Test Of Knowledge Or Nerve?

Assessment Centers – Where It All Happens At Once

Assessment Centre Preparation Part One - Prepare To Arrive

Assessment Centre Preparation Part Two - Prepare To Perform

Conclusion To The Perfect Interview

Closing the Deal

How to Use the I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

Introduction To: Closing The Deal

The Art of Negotiating Your Job Offer

Pre-Employment Screening and References

Time To Say Goodbye

Time To Say Hello

The 100-Day Plan – A Foundation For Success

The Concept of ‘The Employee Brand’

Conclusion To ‘Closing the Deal’

CONTENTS

How To Use The I Got Hired™ Modules

Introducing I Got Hired™

First Things First – How I Got Hired™ Will Help

I Got Hired™ – Our Credentials

Who I Got Hired™ Will Help

The I Got Hired™ Sales Philosophy

Underpinning The Sales Philosophy - The I Got Hired Sales Funnel

The Thin Line Between A ‘Sales Funnel’ And A ‘Sales Plughole’

Keep It Simple, Stupid – The KISS Principle

Getting The Best From Your I Got Hired™ Experience

Introducing ‘Prepare For Success’

Introducing The 12 Habits Of Success

Habit One – Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail

Why Is Preparation So Important?

The ‘Preparing For Your Job Search’ Checklist

An Overview Of Key Events In Your Job Search For Which You Will Need To Be Prepared

Preparing For Face-To-Face Interviews

Preparing For Telephone Interviews

Preparing For Follow-Up Calls And Contract Negotiations

Prepare Your Social Network Presence As Employers Expect To See It

Prepare For Work

Habit Two – It’s Professional To Be Professional

Behave Like A Professional – Every Day, In Every Wa

Being Professional – The I Got Hired™ Top 20 Tips

Habit Three – Get Organized, Stay Organized

Using IGH Pro™ To Get Organized

Process Management

Campaign Planning

Diary Management

Performance Management

Document Management

Contact Management

Habit Four – Hard Work Never Killed Anyone

But Don’t Just Work Hard – Work SMART

The Power Of Setting SMART Targets

Habit Five – Collaborate To Accumulate

Using Social Media To Collaborate

Other Social Networks

Five Golden Rules For The Social Media Part

1) Listen

2) Mix In The Right Circles

3) Don’t Be A Bore

4) Appearances Matter

5) Mind Your P’s and Q’s

Back To The Real World – Support Networks

How Much Time Should You Devote To Collaboration?

Habit Six – Positive Mental Attitude – Not Just A Cliché

Set Your Goals and Your Expectations

Be Action-Focused And Positive About Dealing With Debts

Loss Of Independence, Learning To Lean On Your Partner

Old Colleagues And Friends Can Be Avenues To New Work.

Don’t Lose Status Or Identity, Develop New Skills And Your Personal Brand.

Dealing With Rejection – The Power Of No

Loss Of Structure? Be Your Own Boss And Be A Hard Taskmaster

Getting To The Power Of Positive Thinking

Positive And Negative Thinking Are Contagious

Practical Instructions For Positive Thinking

Habit Seven – You Won’t See Success Without Focus

Define Your Goals.

Planning For Setbacks And Failures

Focusing On A Specific Task

Measure, Measure, Measure

Exercises To Increase Concentration And Focus

Sleep Well, Perform Well

How To Get Focused In Six Easy Steps

1) Get Rid Of Obvious Distractions

2) Anticipate Your Physical Needs

3) Choose An Appropriate Time

4) Answer Your Internal Questions

5) Get Physical

6) Get Rid Of The Negativity

Habit Eight – Face Up To Realit

Career/Job Placement Goal

Activity Target

Habit Nine – A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing

Habit Ten – Perception Is Everything

Other Ways To Develop Self-Awareness

High Level Career Interest Testing

Personality Profiling

What Is Your Team Role?

Aptitude Tests

Your Personal SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

HABIT ELEVEN - Courage AND Convictions

‘I Learned That Courage Was Not The Absence Of Fear, But The Triumph Over It’

Take The Example Of Cold Calling…

Research The Market And Research Your Target Employers

Group Interviews And Assessment Centres – Safety In Numbers

Habit Twelve – Honesty Is The ONLY Polic

Face Up To Accepting Your Shortcomings

How To Be Honest About Failings In Your Resume…

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Concluding The 12 Habits Of Success

Planning Your Job Hunt

Set Up Your IGH Pro™ Calendar

Document Management

Contact Management

Performance Management

Define Your Campaign Plan

Setting Your Targets

Set Your Working Rules

Communicating Your Working Rules

Establishing A Working Space

Setting Up Your Technology

Organizing Your Work Environment

Evaluating Your Circumstances

Assessing Your Situation

Assessing Your Finances

Assessing Your Wants And Needs

Assessing Your Last Role

Defining The Optimal Employer

Concluding Prepare For Success

The Complete I Got Hired™ Series

How To Use The I Got Hired™ Modules

The five I Got Hired™ modules, or workbooks, have been developed to make sure that you get exactly what you need, when you need it, and with the minimum amount of trouble finding it. The modules are easy to use because they all fit into the same logical structure – something we call, IGH Octagon™.

IGH Octagon™ is the job seeking process built on eight types of activity that equip you to find your ideal job. Each of the eight activities (we call them ‘….ations") is an essential element of the job seeking process:

Education – the necessary knowledge, skills and qualities

Preparation – essential planning

Evaluation – assessment and research

Documentation – the must-have paperwork

Collaboration – building those important relationships

Application – applying for positions

Communication – dealing with people

Negotiation – getting the offer you want

Each of the five modules reflects a different stage of the job search and each module gives you the relevant information from IGH Octagon™ for that stage.

As you go through the different modules, you’ll find a series of cartoons and callouts. Their job is to help you home in on the really essential points and activities that you need to remember, consider and/or act upon.

Each different cartoon prompts you in a different way:

You can drop in and drop out for whatever you need, whenever you need it just by using the detailed content information at the front of each module. Or, of course, you can read the whole set of five, cover to cover – whatever works for you.

Just remember that the modules are not your only source of critical information and help. The nature of a job search in today’s fast-moving world or employment is that guidance and advice must change and evolve (especially the material relating to social media!). The I Got Hired™ toolkit contains all the checklists, templates, and additional information you need and, being online, it’s kept right up to date with the very latest job search thinking. Find it all at www.igothired.net

Introducing I Got Hired™

Thank you.

Thank you for buying and placing your trust in I Got Hired™ - the ultimate Job Seeker Program - and Toolkit.

And thank you for making the personal commitment that will ensure that you secure your next exciting, fulfilling and lucrative role (hopefully, the job of your dreams!) so much more quickly than you thought you could.

There’s no doubt about it, the jobs market has changed in the last few years. Advances in technology have resulted in the job seeking process becoming very complex. It’s evolved in the direction of social media, collaborative recruitment, and self-promotion. Agencies are no longer the main source of employment opportunity - with organizations opting for more direct hiring methods, job seekers must take greater responsibility for finding those elusive roles and managing their end of the process. What’s more, thanks to the recession, we’ve all been through there’s a feeling of scarcity and caution in the air like never before.

If that sounds off-putting, it shouldn’t. It’s a new and complex environment, but for those who understand the jobs market (or ‘jobs jungle’!), this is the perfect time to find the perfect job. And don’t forget, you’ve already taken that all- important first step to give yourself a real and significant competitive advantage over everyone else who is after the job you want: the job that your skills, experience and commitment deserve. You’ve got I Got Hired™!

After all, that’s what I Got Hired™ is here for. To guide you through the process of understanding and mastering the often complicated process of landing your ideal job.

Now that’s said, let’s also be clear on what I Got Hired™ is NOT. I Got Hired™ is not a career counseling service. It’s not our specialist niche and we don’t want to do a half-hearted job, so we don’t focus on talking you through a career change, instead we’re the one-stop shop for getting your next job.

IGH Aspire™ is a good starting point if you are thinking about a change, or just want to understand what you are looking for in a role or an employer in your current career. Coupled with a number of the tools and checklists you will find at www.igothired.net

, IGH Aspire™ will make sure you ask the right questions and start your journey of career change in the right direction. IGH Aspire™ does not try, or pretend, to give you all the answers. Career counseling is a deep and serious area that should be conducted by highly experienced professionals and is available through many channels. What we do promise is that, once you know the career you are best suited for, I Got Hired™ is the best there is to help you get that perfect role – quickly!

I Got Hired™ helps you focus on being smarter, tougher, quicker, better presented, more organized and more professional, than the 10, 50 or maybe even 100 people who have targeted the same job as you. I Got Hired™ will not only take you step-by-step through the detailed and proven I Got Hired™ process, but it also gives you all the innovative web tools, templates and checklists you could possibly need to keep you one step ahead in the competitive race for THAT job.

As with I Got Hired™, at the heart of IGH Pro™ is IGH Octagon™, the eight step process that guarantees an accelerated and successful job hunt. Everything has been meticulously planned and is very simple to follow as IGH Pro™ takes you through the eight steps.

Clearly, these are not ‘one-at-a- time’ steps. At first glance, it may seem sensible that preparation comes before negotiation but the whole job hunting process is filled with preparation, and there are many dealings along the way that require a little negotiation before you start talking contracts. That said, unsurprisingly, this first module – Prepare for Success – is mainly focused on the preparation you need to do before you enter the jungle.

We’ve all heard the cliché, ‘Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail’ but it’s a cliché for a reason – and the reason is that it’s true. When it comes to job hunting, preparation makes the difference between success and failure – it’s as simple as that.

First Things First – How I Got Hired™ Will Help

Your first step is to analyze exactly what your skills, aspirations, motivations and needs are with IGH Aspire™, the detailed evaluation tool that creates personalised graphical reports and outputs that can later be used to evaluate the appropriateness of roles and employers making sure you target your activity in the best way possible.

IGH Money™ is the simplest tool around to help you assess and plan your finances. No accountancy jargon or experience required - just simple straight forward language, easy data input and clear graphical reports.

As if this were not enough, you also get IGH Pro™, the world’s only specially developed Application Management System for job seekers. IGH Pro™ helps you design and plan your job hunt, set personal activity targets and then measure your performance against them to keep your campaign on track. IGH Pro™ supports all your job seeker activity and ensures that you don’t miss a step, a call or a trick as you pursue that perfect role.

IGH Pro™ is a particularly useful tool for contractors and temps who ‘dip in and out’ of the employment market. They will particularly benefit from IGH Pro’s™ ability to retain their records, contacts and documents so they don’t have to set up their job hunt every time they return to the job market.

With I Got Hired™ you are not alone in your job search. As a member of the international I Got Hired™ job seeker community you have exclusive access to IGH Xchange™, a forum, blog and chat room for job seekers all wrapped into one. IGH Xchange™ offers support, advice and opportunities from people who share your situation - it’s always good to know that you are not alone.

After landing the ideal job, it doesn’t stop there. I Got Hired™ will not only ensure that you prepare for your new role and make your first day in the new job a real success, it will also go on to help you plan the next 100 days and help you make the most of the brilliant new opportunity you have earned for yourself.

I Got Hired™ – Our Credentials

I Got Hired™ has been researched, written and developed by professional recruiters and HR experts from around the world who have over 200 years’ combined experience in getting real jobs for real people – not in theory, not in textbooks, not in classrooms, but in the real world.

Real people, real jobs, real results.

The I Got Hired™ team understands what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t. We know how recruiters work and how HR departments think. Most important of all, we really know the secrets of the recruitment industry.

We know what it takes to get your resume noticed, get invited to interview and land the job. There’s no magic wand, but I Got Hired™ is as close as you can get!

The team have all been successful job seekers at one time or another and so speak from experience. They understand the frustrations and fears when that perfect role doesn’t come along as quickly as you had hoped or the irritation of dealing with an unreliable recruiter or a slow- moving employer. But they also know how to deal with it too!

You’ll find short biographies of the key members of the team on the I Got Hired™ website.

Who I Got Hired™ Will Help

Whether you are looking for a new job due to a change in your circumstances or you are thinking about a complete career change, I Got Hired™ is here to help you by providing all the tools and guidance that you will need along your job seeking journey.

In short, if any of the following scenarios apply to you, I Got Hired™ will help you find, secure and be successful in your dream job:

I am looking for a new job following redundancy

I have been out of work for some time and need to try a new approach

I am considering a job in a different sector

I want to climb the ladder in my chosen career

I am thinking about a complete career change

I am returning to work following a career break

It really doesn’t matter what you do, or what you want to do for a living – I Got Hired™ is designed to help EVERY job seeker no matter what sector, location, level of seniority or skillset. The age-old rules of successful recruitment apply equally across the board to everyone.

I Got Hired™ will help:

Permanent job applicants

Full-time workers

Part-time workers

Temps

Contractors & Contingent Workers

School leavers & graduate

Interims, interns & locums

Ex-military personnel

The I Got Hired™ Sales Philosophy

There is a fundamental philosophy that is ingrained throughout I Got Hired™ that sets it apart from traditional thinking.

No doubt you have heard the phrase ‘selling yourself’ many, many times and now this is where it really comes into its own! Throughout the process you will come across references such as ‘Personal Sales Program’, ‘Your Sales Plan’ and ‘Your Sales Campaign’.

I Got Hired™ believes that the process to get a new job is the same as the process used by the world’s leading sales people to sell multi- million dollar products or services to the globe’s finest companies, organizations and institutions. It is known in the business world as

‘Solution Selling’ – providing the solution to an organization’s problems. The only difference is that in this scenario YOU are both the sales person and the solution. You, your skills and your experience are the solution to the organization’s hiring challenges.

But what sets the really great solution sales people apart from the also-rans? It’s really quite simple and it’s always the same:

They have a great work ethic

They are courageous and determined

They are highly organized and structured

They are great at setting out a plan and following it

They have brilliant attention to detail and accuracy

They never drop a ball, never fail to follow up and never fail to do exactly what they said they were going to do, when they said they were going to do it

They really understand what ‘competitive advantage’ is

And finally …

They have outstanding product knowledge – and let’s face it, who could possibly know more about you than … well … you!

Underpinning The Sales Philosophy - The I Got Hired™ Sales Funnel

Behind every good sales person and every good sales campaign is a carefully structured and measured Sales Funnel. This is a simple tool that helps you keep track of, and measure, just how active and successful your sales campaign is. By identifying the number of leads, prospects, suspects, opportunities and offers you have in your pipeline you can see where and why things are moving forward and the points in your sales process that are weak or may need a bit more focus.

The Thin Line Between A ‘Sales Funnel’ And A ‘Sales Plughole’

If you look at a funnel from above, or from a particular angle, it can look remarkably like a plughole! Your job is to make sure that your sales funnel never looks, or behaves, like a plughole – from any angle!

To stop your sales campaign going down the drain there are some simple rules to managing a sales funnel that are worth their weight in gold when it comes to getting real value from all your hard work;

Using a Sales Funnel can sound a little confusing, if not daunting, but it really isn’t. In the I Got Hired™ Toolkit you can find the I Got Hired™ Guide to Establishing and Managing a Sales Funnel which will make it all seem as simple as it really is. The guide includes details of the rules, defines all the stages of the funnel, the activities that take place during each stage and the milestones you should use to move the progress of each opportunity from one stage to the next.

Remember, as with all things in I Got Hired™, all tools and ideas (in this case the Sales Funnel) are there to help, motivate and support you. If you find that the funnel is taking over your life, simplify it, it’s as simple as that. The funnel’s job is to inform and structure your campaign, not dominate it, so don’t let it take over. Although IGH Pro™ does the job of managing and reporting on your funnel really well, don’t forget you could run it on the back of an envelope if you are more comfortable that way!

Keep It Simple, Stupid – The KISS Principle

The ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’ or KISS Principle is a globally- renowned philosophy for sales and operational management and is enthusiastically adopted by I Got Hired™.

Everything is laid out simply and logically; everything is easy to use and understand, and the process is ‘simplicity personified’.

Getting The Best From Your I Got Hired™ Experience

I Got Hired™ constantly promotes the following key habits. To get the best from the program you need to be disciplined, trust the system, commit to it and organize yourself around it.

Treat I Got Hired™ as if it is the best buffet lunch in the world! You may not need or want everything that is laid out neatly in front of you; but everything you DO need or want is here. Dip in and dip out as you need to, take what you want and leave the rest. Every job seeker is different, with varying experiences and knowledge; each job seeker needs different levels of support and help – so don’t be afraid to define the needs of your own job search and use I Got Hired™ to give you the exact support YOU need.

Start off by assessing your circumstances, your aspirations and finances with IGH Aspire™ and IGH Money™ to create the perfect foundation to your job hunt.

IGH Pro’s™ campaign planning and performance management reporting capability helps define your job hunt, set personal targets and measure your progress.

The tools and templates will support you every step of the way ensuring that you never miss a call, an email or a step in the process. Make sure you use the checklists. We are all human, and missing a vital piece of the jigsaw isn’t beyond any of us – it might just be the one piece that makes all the difference.

Take pride in being an active member of the I Got Hired™ community by joining discussions in IGH Xchange™ and contributing your own ideas through the suggestion box system to ensure the continual development of the program.

Most of all, enjoy the experience of job seeking, surround yourself with positive, enthusiastic people and trusted advisors who know things that you don’t, and have experienced things that you haven’t. Listen a lot, talk a little and make every day worthwhile.

Introducing ‘Prepare For Success’

Having outlined the I Got Hired™ philosophy in some detail, let’s just take a moment to look at what you can expect from this first module, ‘Prepare for Success’…

The first thing that should be clear by now is that preparation is absolutely critical to your job search. If you’re more of an ‘action’ type of person then this may not be the best news but stick with it! I Got Hired™ makes proper preparation easy to do. When you’re properly prepared, you’ll find that when you do take preparatory action it is far more likely to result in success.

Many of the tools, checklists and templates you can find in the I Got Hired™ toolkit are geared towards making your preparation simple, and so is much of the content of this first module.

As a foundation to everything you do in your job search, we outline the 12 Habits of Success – these are the behaviors displayed by the best and most successful job seekers. They’re also the traits you’d expect to find in a good salesperson because with I Got Hired™ that’s what you are, and the product you’re selling is YOU! (But more on that soon…)

Having established the right attitudes and qualities needed for your job search, the next step is to start mapping out your campaign, with a proper plan, and clear and measurable targets. What’s more, you’ll need some structure to keep you on track during the search and a base of operations from which you can direct your efforts – that’s where IGH Pro™ comes into its own.

After you’ve taken care of the practical and physical arrangements, it’s time to take a good long look at yourself and what you really want from your ideal job. Some of this involves an objective assessment of your current circumstances, including your finances. It’s entirely possible that elements of this process may be uncomfortable. We make no apology for that. Honesty with yourself is your best way forward and ensures that your job search is built on a solid foundation – ultimately leading to a job which will give you the lifestyle you want.

In other words, this module contains a wealth of helpful detail and guidance about setting yourself up with the best possible chance for success.

So, what are you waiting for? Start preparing for that success…

Introducing The 12 Habits Of Success

Ever known somebody who always seems to be in the right place at the right time? Good things just seem to fall into their lap? The best jobs, the best seats at the theatre or football, the best exam results or the best bargains when shopping online?

Annoying isn’t it?

And wouldn’t it just be great to have that kind of luck?

Well, it isn’t luck. Of course, happy accidents do occur but more often than not, somebody else’s ‘good fortune’ is underpinned by the ‘good Habit’ they adopt in everything they do.

I Got Hired™ will take you through all the detailed and essential steps you need to take to sell yourself (as a product) to prospective employers and find the job of your dreams. But the first step is checking your own attitudes and Habits to ensure that they’re fit for purpose – in this case, the purpose being job seeking.

Get The Habits Of Success

The good news is that these Habits of Success are easily learned and replicated and when you apply them to your job search, opportunities will begin to ‘fall into your lap’ too. As with all things worth having it may take some thought and hard work but, if you begin to apply the following 12 Habits to your job search (and even your life) you will experience real and positive change, including becoming ‘luckier’!

So, in no particular order (because they are all essential), the 12 Habits of Success in job seeking are…

Habit One – Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail

We know that the saying ‘Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail’ is a cliché and has forever been trotted out by every teacher, boss and parent – but that is only because it is so true. Preparation should be at the heart of everything you do in your job-hunt – It’s as simple as that.

Why Is Preparation So Important?

As a rule good things just don’t happen by accident, and if you are going to wait for Lady Luck to bring you everything you want in your life, you are probably going to be waiting for a very, very long time. Good things, crucial things, the things that really shape our life, like finding and securing the right job, need planning: they need you to prepare.

As the jobs market gets tougher you are going to need to be better – more prepared – than the next guy or girl. Preparation is a competitive skill and it will pay dividends many times over.

You will be facing the toughest competition at every stage of the process, be that short-listing, interviewing or conducting interview assessments. You must perform at your highest level if you are to get ahead of your peers and get the job you really want. The best way to ensure that you deliver your best performance is by preparation.

But preparation isn’t just about preparing for each individual event or action in your job-hunt, it’s about setting up an environment and systems that are going to work successfully for you too.

Get A Diary And Use It Every Day

(IGH Pro™ Is Perfect By The Way!)

So, where does preparation start in a job-hunt? It starts with getting hold of a diary. It doesn’t matter if it is paper or electronic, although by using IGH Pro™ you can integrate your diary with every document, task, event, target and report throughout your job-hunt.

If you have doubts about using a designated diary system or think that it is ‘overkill’ for a simple job-hunt, don’t fall for the easy option of ‘I can keep a track of all my events and tasks in my head.’ That’s a great attitude if your favourite pastime is crossing a busy road or highway blindfolded – you only have to get it wrong once for it to be fatal!!

You only have to forget one call, turn up one hour late for one interview, to blow the greatest opportunity you may have ever had, and all that hard work has gone down the tubes and your job-hunt is dead in the water.

Of course if you CAN track all the elements of your personal marketing and sales campaign in your head, if you know exactly where, when and who you are interviewing with, if you can remember every single follow up call you have to make, the details of every job, the content of your bespoke resumes, then why are you looking for a job – you clearly have a very lucrative career in the theatre ahead of you as ‘Memero – The Incredible Memory Wo/Man’!!

Or, maybe you simply are not being industrious enough!

A fully geared up, and committed job seeker should have a diary so full of activities, events, tasks, appointments, interviews etc. that it should be almost impossible to track them all without the help of a calendar or diary.

You should see your job-hunt as a race to beat the other competitor candidates to the job and you must move fast if you are to win and secure that perfect job.

It is vital that you have your diary on hand at all times so you record future events, tasks and appoinTMents as they come up – and to make sure you avoid scheduling conflicts. This will help you to be prepared and stay on top of your engagements. However good you are (and don’t forget you ARE brilliant) you really will not be able to attend two interviews at the same time!

The ‘Preparing For Your Job Search’ Checklist

Get a diary, use it, and keep it with you at all times. (IGH Pro™ is perfect by the way!)

Create a job seeking environment that works for you.

Define and map out your job seeking week.

Plan on a daily basis to keep up with the constantly changing details of your search.

Choose and set up your job search tools – Internet access, computer, smartphone, printer, etc.

Preparing Your Job Hunting Environment

Your job-hunt is a job in itself. We’ve talked about the checklists and tools that are in the I Got Hired™ Toolkit to help prepare you to take on this job but creating the right environment is just as important.

‘The right environment’ is a very personal thing but its purpose is very simple. ‘The right environment’ is the ‘best environment possible to ensure that you make the most of your job- hunt’. It is where you are most comfortable, most organized and most productive.

Plan And Prepare Your Working Week – It’s All About Time Management Now

To begin with, define your ‘job-hunt week.’

Whether your job-hunt is your ‘full time job’ at the moment, or if you are currently working and fitting your job hunt in around the rest of your work life, set yourself some parameters and targets.

Set times of the day and days of the week when you intend to focus on your job-hunt. Whether it’s a couple of hours two evenings a week plus a couple of lunch hours, or maybe two three-hour sessions three days a week, set your targets for the number of hours every week that you are going to commit to your job-hunt. Once you have set them, put them into IGH Pro™, or your other diary, and STICK TO THEM!

It’s also important that people around you also know your working hours, your job-hunt hours, and that they don’t expect you to be around for a chat, go to the bar, watch the television or play any part in the 1,001 things that can get in the way of your professional search for a new job. You are better than that.

Once you have set your working hours, it’s time to plan your week.

At the start of your job-hunting working week, review your diary and remind yourself of any appointments, engagements, interviews, careers events, seminars, webinars and so on that you may have scheduled. (As we said earlier, if your diary is not full, then you need to be working harder and smarter).

With your diary commitments in mind, you should now schedule your time in line with your ‘working hours’ and get ready for the following activities (and many, many more):

Searching for jobs

Registering with job boards

Registering with appropriate agencies

Engaging in relevant discussions and debates on social networks, forums and blogs

Interview preparation time (if interviews are scheduled). This would include time to consider the following:

Likely interview questions and model answers

Questions that you would like to ask the employer

How to get to the employer’s office, preparing your interview suit, etc

Possible psychometric or assessment tests and how to perform well in them

You should allow about 4-8 hours to prepare in advance for an interview. If it does not take this long, then you are not preparing well enough

Employer research to support speculative applications

Preparing a tailored resume and cover letter and applying for jobs. (A quality application should take about an hour to prepare)

Rest (include morning, lunch and afternoon breaks). Build in at least an hour a day for breaks to ensure that you remain at optimum productivity levels

Allow time for interruptions and unexpected events or just working slower than expected. This will help to keep your schedules realistic. If you find you have more time than you thought, you can simply do more job-hunting work

Unavoidable engagements, e.g., dentist, school run, etc

Prepare For Every Job-Hunting Day

With the week planned, you can now prepare for your working day, what you should do each day.

As the week goes on, new appointments will be made and events will occur, which means that your weekly plan will be out of date.

First thing in the morning, every morning, review your weekly plan and prepare a fresh to- do list for that day. You will always build today’s To Do List by starting with the leftovers of yesterday’s, but then add today’s new tasks. This will lead to you adding more tasks, or delaying certain tasks, or increasing time, or reducing time to work on things. Each and every day, set up your daily tasks and give rough time estimates for how long you will spend on each assignment.

Make sure you review your task list at the end of every day and congratulate yourself on everything you have ticked off and then make a plan for how you are going to complete the outstanding tasks tomorrow.

Bad Workers Blame Their Tools

As well as a diary, you should ideally have home access to a computer, Internet and printer, if you possibly can. While library computers and facilities are sufficient for job-hunting, the opening times of libraries are now being reduced, so they are not as dependable as they previously were. So buy, beg or borrow (but don’t steal!) a computer if you possibly can. It doesn’t need to be top of the range – the work you will be using it for will be fairly basic in today’s computing terms – Internet access and writing Word and Excel documents will be your key activities.

There is no question that you will be more efficient on your own computer and having home Internet access will mean that you can spot and respond to opportunities at the earliest opportunity rather than frustratingly waiting for library opening hours to prepare your next application.

Don’t forget the capabilities of your smartphone either – after all they are just small computers nowadays that can make phone calls. We won’t go into detail on what you can do with your smartphone as there is such a broad range of operating systems apps and networks but take the time to investigate your phone’s capabilities. Remember; I Got Hired™ is all about joined up job- hunting and a phone can be the perfect glue, especially if you are running IGH Pro™ on it!

Although you may not regard it as ‘equipment’, preparing two sets of interview clothes is an essential. It is highly unlikely that you will get to an offer without attending two interviews, or assessment events and you won’t feel comfortable wearing the same clothes twice!

Events You Will Need To Be Prepared For – An Overview

Throughout the five modules of I Got Hired™ you will find advice, guidance and industry secrets, supported by the full range of I Got Hired™ tools, to make sure that you are fully prepared for every event, meeting, call or document you have to deal with in your job-hunt.

Here in overview, are just a few of the things that I Got Hired™ will help you to prepare for.

Preparing For Engagements

An effective job-hunting campaign will ultimately be characterized by a sequence of engagements which include: face-to-face and telephone interviews, follow up calls, contract negotiations, seminars, careers fairs, local business events, webinars, etc.

Your performance at these events should not be taken for granted and you should prepare meticulously for each event. Use the I Got Hired™ checklists and guidance notes to make sure you are thoroughly prepared.

Preparing For Face-To-Face Interviews

Interviews are obviously the most important meetings in your job-hunting campaign. Intensive interview preparation is the key to good performance at interview.

There is no substitute for hard work and preparation here. Prior to interview you should be carefully reviewing the job description and looking to anticipate the questions and tests you may face during interview. Once you know this, you should prepare for challenges by practicing mock interview questions and tests and preparing model answers. Practice will make perfect.

Preparing For Telephone Interviews

A telephone interview requires exactl the same preparation as a face-to-face interview.

In fact, in some ways it is harder as you must also find a quiet space which you know will be free of distractions for the intended time of interview. Always plan to be at home when having a telephone interview so you can take the call from a land line and easily write notes. Never, (unless completely unavoidable) conduct a telephone interview on a mobile phone as you cannot depend on line quality, signal strength or signal availability. You can easily end up holding a compromised interview which reduces your chance of getting selected for the job.

Module 4 of I Got Hired™ ‘The Perfect Interview’ is packed full of interview preparation and performance tips and skills audits.

And of course, you will find everything you thought you needed and so much more, on the I Got Hired™ website www.igothired.net

– checklists, guides and clever tools!

Preparing For Follow-Up Calls And Contract Negotiations

It is important to prepare for any follow up calls or contract discussions with your potential employers. In both situations you should prepare a script to ensure the call is efficient and effective.

You will find plenty of example scripts and templates for every possible type of call in the I Got Hired™ toolkit. It should be easy as you are just reconfirming your interest in the role, thanking them for their time and asking if they need any more information from you or if there is anything else at this stage that you could do to help them.

Contract talks require a lot of preparation and you would be ill-advised to enter talks about your terms and conditions of employment without detailed planning. This involves reviewing professional online salary surveys (multiple sources will have more credibility with the potential employer) and establishing a clear and reliable picture of the going rate for your role and your net worth as an employee. You can then present this information to your employer if you find you need to negotiate a higher salary.

In addition to salary you may need to prepare or negotiate other terms - if you need some form of flexible working for example. The offer stage is the time to try to negotiate these things because if you leave it until after you have signed the contract, you will effectively have accepted the employer’s terms and will be in a much weaker negotiating position. This is why it pays to prepare in advance for your contract negotiations so you can bring any issues to the table before you commit to the contract.

Module 5 of I Got Hired™, ‘Closing the Deal’, walks you through the follow up process and exactly how the best recruiters in the world are trained to manage offer negotiations.

Prepare Your Social Network Presence As Employers Expect To See It

The world is digital and the world of recruitment leads the way in the use of digital platforms, tactics and strategies. To be an effective job seeker you must understand how, why, when and where these new strategies will support and promote your job-hunt.

The main social network that you should focus on for your job-hunting activity is LinkedIn. It is without doubt the biggest phenomenon to hit the recruitment world since the Internet and job boards took hold. LinkedIn may play three key roles in your job-hunt:

For many roles, LinkedIn is now a very important source for job-hunters – both employers and agencies will advertise roles and promote them through discussions in relevant ‘LinkedIn Groups’, so you have to make sure you are part of the action.

Many agencies and employers pay LinkedIn huge sums of money for what LinkedIn calls ‘The Recruiter Seat’. This improved access to people’s LinkedIn Profiles gives them the ability to use LinkedIn as the biggest ‘candidate database’ in the world – not only do you have to be in the database, you have to be visible and attractive to recruiters and employers.

Employers and recruiters are increasingly using candidate’s LinkedIn profiles both as a point of reference to confirm details on a resume (so make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile match!) and to use as a reference or pre-employment screening source. This is where LinkedIn recommendations are key to giving you credibility and putting you ahead of the competition.

You can find everything you need to know about LinkedIn and everything you need to understand to set up a ‘state of the art’ LinkedIn profile in Module 3 of I Got Hired™ – My Sales Toolkit.

Even though you will most likely apply for jobs using a resume, employers are increasingly looking for candidate’s social network profiles to help decide if a candidate is worth inviting for interview.

But it is not just LinkedIn that prospective employers will be looking at, there is a whole digital world of joined-up sites, blogs and networks that you have to take control of and make the most of.

Some you will know; Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, YouTube, Bebo – some you may not have heard about yet; Doof, Ning, Plurk, Digg and TweekPeek – and many don’t exist today but will exist tomorrow. With the help of I Got Hired, you can, and must, become a digital and social media expert with control of your online presence, using it as a powerful tool in your job-hunt.

If you haven’t got one already, then the first thing to do is to create a LinkedIn account and fully complete your profile and then start on the rest.

It should take about half a day to complete the profile to a high standard. Follow all the guidance on LinkedIn and in the I Got Hired™ toolkit on how to complete your profile. Also, make sure that you take the time to invite recommendations. It can take a few weeks for referees to respond, so it is important to request recommendations right at the start of your job-hunting campaign so your recommendations will be visible to prospective employers who may be deciding whether to interview you……..or not!

Up until now Facebook has not been that important a tool for job-hunting or for business in general; it has been used more for personal entertainment and communication. This is changing now and you will fi that more and more forums are networks, giving you the ability to access and comment on discussions using your Facebook login and post this activity to your Facebook profi . This means that employers can now check your profi to see how knowledgeable you are about your profession and, importantly, to see how well you can engage in professional discussions.

Facebook can be a great tool for you to market yourself professionally, but be warned – an unprofessional, poorly managed Facebook presence can ruin a great opportunity for you and take away the job you really want.

Make sure you use the I Got Hired™ guides to creating and managing a Facebook profile that will support, not hinder, your job-hunt.

Preparing For Work

I Got Hired™ doesn’t just stop when you get hired!! I Got Hired™ stays with you after you accept the offer you were looking for and not only helps you prepare for your first day at work, but also the first 100 days in your new job.

The preparation checklists will make sure you tick every box but the key is the I Got Hired™ 100 Day Planner tool which will help you make the most of the opportunity you have worked so hard to get.

You will find much more about preparing for and planning your first 100 days in a new role in module 5 of I Got Hired™, Closing The Deal’.

Habit Two – It’s Professional To Be Professional

Behave Like A Professional – Every Day, In Every Way

There are some people who just impress. They exist in every walk of life, in every social, economic or industry sector. Sometimes they can impress before they even say anything at all, they have that magical thing – ‘presence’.

They tend to be people you feel you can instantaneously trust. There’s something about the way they present themselves, conduct themselves and express themselves; they are just professional. It’s incredible just how much influence being regarded as ‘professional’ can have on your job-hunt.

But what exactly does ‘being professional’ mean?

Although you always know when someone is ‘professional’, why you know that they are professional isn’t always the easiest of things to put your finger on.

However, if you think about a number of people who you regard as conducting themselves in ‘a professional manner’, you will begin to see consistent behaviors and characteristics that they all share. It is these behaviors and characteristics that you will need to develop to gain the immense benefits of being a ‘professional’ job-hunter. No two people will always agree exactly on all the behaviors or their order of importance but some core characteristics and behavioral traits will always be there.

The Five Stages Of The Professional Process

The I Got Hired™ concept is simple: it pitches you, the job seeker, as a product, and getting a job as a