Tomorrow Is Today a behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook to manage the job search process. The complete guide for getting and keeping your next job.

By Lawrence Alter

THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO FIND A JOB
The author, Lawrence Alter, outlines the entire job search process
And the proactive way it should be done

FINDING A JOB IS HARD WORK. It has been estimated that as many as one out of every three workers attempts to change jobs annually in the United States. Out of a labor force of 153 million, that represents almost 50,000,000 job seekers who are seeking new employment each year. As a result, the job search process is highly competitive at all levels. It can be lengthy, frustrating, prejudicial, and unfair. Older, more traditional job finding techniques have become less productive. The traditional resume no longer has the same impact in generating the all important and often elusive interview. Both the Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY have highlighted the fact that only about 15% of all professionals find a new position through responding to published advertisements or online postings, another 10% through placement agencies or search firms, and only 5% through unsolicited direct mail. Why then, would anyone focus 90% of their time and effort in areas that represent only about 30% of all potential opportunities? It is not uncommon for 200-300 people to respond to help wanted advertisements. Yet seldom do more than 6 to 10 people achieve interviews, and after an often lengthy process, only one person gets the job. Everyone else starts the whole process again. Older Americans, women, and minorities can often face an even more difficult road due to unspoken, but ever-present biases. There is a better way.

TOMORROW IS TODAY dispels the myth that the most qualified candidate always gets the job. It points out that the person who is hired is usually the one who is liked the best. This book can be a major factor in how you differentiate yourself from other candidates when the hiring decision is almost always based upon subjective factors such as the individual’s personality style, body language, and manner of being interviewed. It is an invaluable resource in helping you to achieve your next position with added features that assist in effectively managing both career growth and family issues.

THE AUTHOR, LAWRENCE D. ALTER, is a nationally recognized career management expert whose advice and counsel has helped literally thousands of professionals to achieve vital career and compensation goals. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of L.D.A. Enterprises, Ltd., an outplacement and career management practice focusing on career development issues for professionals in transition, reference investigation services, and resume/motivational letter composition. Mr. Alter is an acclaimed industry expert whose advice has been quoted in numerous publications including: Fortune Magazine, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, the Houston Chronicle, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Tampa Florida Tribune. His column "The EmploymentClinic," appeared for several years in the CareerBuilder section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

He demonstrates the new paradigm of self-marketing using personal branding and product management techniques similar to the way most companies sell their products or services - through direct personal contact, not by sending brochures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lawrence Alter
• Release date: Aug 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9780615184371

Lawrence Alter

Lawrence AlterA biographical sketchMr. Alter is a veteran sales/marketing executive and an established leader in the outplacement and career management industry. He has over 40 years of experience successfully guiding thousands of professionals in achieving both their career and compensation goals. His marketing methods have proven valuable in assisting people at all levels generate new and meaningful employment, start a consulting practice or business enterprise, better manage an existing employment situation, or deal with the politics related to internal career growth. He has been equally effective in helping new college graduates launch their careers, mid-level managers on the way up, senior executives striving for greater challenge, professionals in the non-profit world, and those in their 50’s or 60’s who may be in the twilight of their career. His clients have included a wide variety of business professionals, retired military officers, educators and educational administrators, and executives in the non-profit community. Additionally he is a veteran mediator at facilitating negotiated solutions to workplace conflict, an expert adviser and tactician in the negotiation of compensation packages and developing performance review strategy, and highly skilled as an adviser to aspiring entrepreneurs.He has successfully developed and managed the efforts of three major Midwest based career management firms, and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of L.D.A. Enterprises, an Outplacement and career management group focusing on career development, reference verification, and resume/motivational letter services for professionals in transition. His website and description of company services may be accessed at www.EmploymentClinic.com.Mr. Alter is an acclaimed industry expert whose advice has been quoted in numerous publications including: Fortune Magazine, Minneapolis StarTribune, Chicago Sun Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tampa Florida Tribune, Houston Chronicle, and a wide variety of online periodicals. His own column the “EmploymentClinic,” appeared for several years in the CareerBuilder section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota’s second largest newspaper publication. Additionally he has authored a 240-page career management workbook entitled “Tomorrow Is Today, the complete guide for getting and keeping your next job.” Previously, he served as both Regional and National Sales Manager for several consumer products manufacturing companies. His website is located at: https://www.employmentclinic.com/

Book preview

Tomorrow Is Today, A behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook to manage the job search process

book_contentsLawrence AlterLarry Alter352017-04-08T12:46:00Z2021-04-18T23:26:00Z2021-06-09T12:28:00Z25088628505181Aspose4209118559262416.0000

FEATURING, INSIDE THIS BOOK:

A comprehensive career assessment profile

Managing your reference contacts

Resume and cover letter construction with guidelines and examples

Effectively penetrating the hidden job market

Modern Networking techniques to open doors and generate interviews

How to work with executive search firms and recruiters

Using the telephone as an aggressive marketing and follow-up tool

A complete interviewing guide to ensure the strongest self-presentation including a pre-interview preparation template, a post-interview assessment tool, and instructions for follow up procedures

Answers to 25 of the most frequently asked interviewing questions, guides to behavioral interviewing, and mastering the meal interview

Analyzing the offer and negotiating your best package

The Portfolio – an album of you and all you have done

How to gain value from career fairs

Performance reviews – a door to opportunity

A chapter on what to do if you’ve lost your job + COBRA law information

A chapter on managing career growth after accepting the job

Professional women and minorities – the specific issues they face

Dealing with the challenges of workplace harassment

Over age 50 is not over the hill – concerns of the older job hunter

A guide to assist parents in balancing work and family issues

Special guides on diversity, mentoring, starting a Job Club program, how to resign, the dilemma of relocation, and starting your own business

Administrative form templates to assist in managing the search process

Pre and post interview form templates, and a COBRA LAW information

___________________________________________________

TOMORROW IS TODAY

A behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook

To manage the job search process.

The complete guide for getting and keeping your next job – The 2021 Edition

This workbook is a practical, effective, no-nonsense self-marketing instrument to facilitate and manage the entire job search campaign.  It features a time-tested and proactive process of assisting professionals from new college graduates to senior executives in achieving career and occupational objectives.  It contains all the tools and information necessary to help you win your next position as well as guidelines to impact future career growth.

By:  Lawrence D. Alter

Published by LDA Enterprises, LTD.

Weaver Lake Business Center

7512 Shadyview Lane North

Maple Grove, MN 55311

Web address: www.EmploymentClinic.com

Email: [e-mail]

Phone: [phone]

Copyright© by Lawrence D. Alter, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021.    All rights reserved.  No part of this publication, with the exception of noted quotations, may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author, Lawrence D. Alter, or the publisher, LDA Enterprises, LTD.

ISBN 978-0-615-18437-1  Paperback

Library of Congress Control Number 2008900416

Printed in the United States of America

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Alter is a veteran sales/marketing executive and an established leader in the outplacement and career management industry.  He has over 40 years of experience successfully guiding thousands of professionals in achieving both their career and compensation goals.  His marketing methods have proven valuable in assisting people at all levels generate new and meaningful employment, start a consulting practice or business enterprise, better manage an existing employment situation, or deal with the politics related to internal career growth.  He has been equally effective in helping new college graduates launch their careers, mid-level managers on the way up, senior executives striving for greater challenge, professionals in the non-profit world, and those in their 50’s or 60’s who may be in the twilight of their career.  His clients have included a wide variety of business professionals, retired military officers, educators and educational administrators, and executives in the non-profit community.  Additionally he is a veteran mediator at facilitating negotiated solutions to workplace conflict, an expert adviser and tactician in the negotiation of compensation packages and developing performance review strategy, and highly skilled as an adviser to aspiring entrepreneurs.

He has successfully developed and managed the efforts of three major Midwest based career management firms, and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LDA Enterprises, an Outplacement and career management group focusing on career development, reference verification, and resume/motivational letter services for professionals in transition.  His website and description of company services may be accessed at www.EmploymentClinic.com.  Mr. Alter is an acclaimed industry expert whose advice has been quoted in numerous publications including: Fortune Magazine, Minneapolis StarTribune, Chicago Sun Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tampa Florida Tribune, Houston Chronicle, and a wide variety of online periodicals.  His own column the EmploymentClinic, appeared for several years in the CareerBuilder section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota’s second largest newspaper publication.  Additionally he has authored a 240-page career management workbook entitled Tomorrow Is Today, the complete guide for getting and keeping your next job. Previously, he served as both Regional and National Sales Manager for several consumer products manufacturing companies.  His website is located at: https://www.employmentclinic.com/

CONTENTS

Preface................................................................................................…. viii-xii

You’ve lost your job……………………………………………………..1-4

References……………………………………………………………….5-9

A Daily Prayer..........................................................................................10

Job Search Preparation Activities......................................................…..11-12

Career/Personal Assessment Profile........................................................13-37

Personal Information / Education / Employment History /

Self Concept-Relations With Others / Career Achievements /

Career Goals

The Resume - Your Salesperson on Paper............................................…38-59

Overview / Motivational Words / Transferable Skills / Content /

Resume Examples

Cover Letters.............................................................................................60-65

The Employment Application..............................................................…...66-68

Published Advertisements..........................................................................69-73

General guidelines / Phone Conversation Examples / 60 Second

Commercial / Blind Advertisements

Highlighting Your Telephone Approach..............................................…...74-77

Overview with Switchboard, Secretary, Executive or Manager /

The Buddy System / General Guidelines

Understanding the Hidden Job Market.......................................................78-79

Networking for Success.......................................................................…….80-89

Overview / Personal and Common Bond Networking /

Networking Flow Chart / Basic Telephone and In-Person

Guidelines / Reasons for Failure / Cold Call Networking / Use

of the Internet / Telephone Script / An Alternative - the Letter

Approach

Third Party Organizations (The Intermediaries).................................……90-92

Search Firms and Employment Agencies / Consulting firms /

Accounting firms

Interviewing: In Search of Interviewing Excellence.............................…...93-124

Proper Attire / Your Ally / Focus on Accomplishments / Honesty

What Will You Give / Stress Interviews / What You Should Do /

What You Should Not Do / The Objective of the Interview /

Negotiating / Why Interviews Go Wrong / Critique Yourself -

The Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions / Questions to

Ask the Interviewer / Personal Chemistry - Body Language / The

Most Frequent Reasons People Are Not Hired / Behavioral Interviews/A Synopsis For a

Successful Interview / An Interview Question and Answer Supplement

After Interview Follow-up Activity......................................................……125-126

Standard Letters..................................................................................…….127-134

Standardized Letters For Search/Recruiting Firms, Accounting

Firms, Law Firms, Banks, Interview Follow-up, Networking

Thank You, Networking Bridge

Adversity and Inspirational Thoughts................................................……...135-141

For the Entrepreneur………………………………………………………142-147

A basic business plan

The Portfolio……………………………………………………………….148-151

The Career Fair…………………………………………………………….152-156

The Search is Over..............................................................................……..157-160

Eight Critical Rules…………………………………………………….......161-165

The Professional Woman...............................................................................166-172

Balancing Work and Family………………………………………………..173-175

Over 50 is Not Over the Hill………………………………………………..176-178

Diversity in the Workplace………………………………………………….179-185

The Performance Review……………………………………………….......186-188

Resigning for Dummies……………………………………………………..189-192

The Graduate.................................................................................................193-197

Mentors – Their Importance to Your Future………………………………..198-200

Job Clubs – A structured approach to job search…………………………..201-204

Embracing Change………………………………………………………….205-207

Small Companies vs. Large Employers……………………………………..208-210

The Dilemma of Relocation…………………………………………………211-213

Workplace Harassment……………………………………………………...214-217

APPENDIX.....................................................................................….............218-234

Administrative Form Templates……………………………219-229

(Including a pre interview preparation tool & post Interview Review Form)

COBRA Law Fact Sheet……………………………………230-232

           Research and Resources…………………………………… 233-234

CORPORATE MISSION STATEMENT

LDA Enterprises has an unwavering commitment to provide the highest quality of service in our industry.  Our purpose is to help each client reach both life and career objectives through innovative and caring programs.  Our guiding principles are: a pledge of corporate integrity, maintaining the highest ethical standards in the conduct of business, a dedication to professionalism in every aspect of our services, and a responsibility to ensure genuine value to those individuals who have invested in our programs.

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the first woman in my life, my mother Tillie, may she rest in peace.  She was always there to support me with the caring only a mother could provide; the understanding of an angel; the wisdom, perseverance, and love to raise two sons under very difficult circumstances; and the patience to teach me those most important moral and ethical values that have helped to shape my life.  She gave me the strength to face all of life’s challenges with confidence; compassion to treat others as I would want to be treated; and a belief that I could achieve all that was important through persistence, hard work, confidence in myself, and the knowledge that God is ever-present in my life.

INSPIRATION

When President Richard Nixon resigned from the Presidency on August 8, 1974, it was in humiliating disgrace.  Rather then quitting and retreating into obscurity, he took a page out of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If, and rebuilt with worn-out tools, his broken reputation.  When President Nixon passed away on April 22, 1994, he had achieved the respect of politicians, adversaries, and the rest of the world as well.  His philosophy, and the inspiration for writing this book, was eloquently stated in his farewell address delivered on August 9, 1974 to the White House staff.  Here is an excerpt from his address.

We think that when someone dear to us dies, we think that when we lose an election, we think that when we suffer defeat, that all is ended.  Not true. It is only a beginning always. The young must know it; the old must know it. It must always sustain us because the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be at the highest mountain.  And so I say to you on this occasion, as we leave, we leave proud of the people who have stood by us and worked for us and served this country. We want you to be proud of what you have done. We want you to continue to serve in Government if that is your wish. Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.

What an inspiring message.  President Nixon is telling us to persevere, to maintain your resolve. Never admit defeat and never give up.  When you are looking for a job, persistence and attitude is paramount.

PREFACE

The Miracle of Work

Sophocles said, "Without labor nothing prospers."  Voltaire said, "Work is often the father of pleasure."  Work is essential to our well-being.  It impacts all that we do, our interaction with others, our sense of self-worth, our self-perception, and our attitudes about life.  The way in which we treat others, our family included, is typically influenced by the pressures and frustrations we experience on the job and the way we are treated by our co-workers.  Our physical, mental, and emotional well-being is directly affected by our working environment.  The way in which others perceive us is typically based upon what we do for a living.  In other words work and enjoyment of what we do at work is vital to our health and contentment.  It then stands to reason that when we are unemployed or unhappy within our working environment, there is a substantial impact on how we feel, our relationships with others, and every other aspect of our life.  To quote Henry Ford "The object of living is work, experience, happiness.  There is joy in work.  All that money can do is buy us someone else’s work in exchange for our own.  There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something."

We are not created equal

All men and women are not created equal - at least not in the job market.  As each of us must discover on our own, the job search is usually lengthy and frustrating, prejudicial and unfair, and always an emotional roller coaster ride.  It is also disturbing to learn that the most qualified applicants seldom get the offer, but rather the person who is perceived to be the most qualified is the one who gets hired.  Those who are most likely to get the best jobs are those individuals who understand that job searching is a skill and become adept at practicing that skill.  Job seekers often wonder why they have to work so hard to find a job, why the job search takes so long, and why they so often wind up settling for a position that compromises their talents and goals.

There are ten great myths regarding the job market

They are: 1.) If you can’t find the right job, it just doesn’t exist.  2.) Most people know how to job hunt. 3.) Employment agencies and search firms have lots of jobs and are the best source of help. 4.) The want ads and job postings are the place to look for a job. 5.) Employers have all the power. 6.) The best qualified people always get the best jobs.  7.) Mass mailings to potential employers will usually result in a good job.  8.)  My resume is the best tool for getting interviews. 9.) I will not be able to change industries. 10.) It is tough to get a job from home or when the economy is poor.  The process outlined in this workbook should dispel all of these myths, reduce the time of your job search, and help lead you to a financially comfortable, more satisfying career opportunity.

How economic changes have impacted the job market

A short historical perspective may help you to better understand our current job market and clarify the reasons for some of your frustrations.  Since the 1960’s, there has been a substantial transition in both the economic and industrial conditions in this country that have indelibly impacted the current job market.  Corporate downsizing and restructuring has continued to occur at an alarming rate and it appears that many traditional, old line-manufacturing industries will never reach their former levels of productivity.  Many firms have trimmed middle management ranks and have no intention of restoring them to former levels.  High labor costs and taxes have caused many businesses to relocate.  College graduates are pouring into the job market at an ever-increasing rate and while entry level jobs are increasing to meet the demand, the job market is becoming even more competitive for mid-level managers and senior level professionals.  Many businesses, such as steel, heavy equipment, farming, farm machinery, and the automotive industry with very strong roots in the Midwest have declined, and many of them will never recover to former levels. 

Much industry that was formerly a bastion of strength for the United States now has its roots elsewhere.  Asian and European automobile manufacturers have captured a major portion of the US market.  In fact, according to Ward’s Automotive Reports by the US Dep’t of Commerce the Big Three US auto manufacturers’ share of the US market slipped from 73.3% % in 1986 to a low of 45% in 2010, and our research shows that figure remained relatively the same in 2019.  Consumer electronics, previously dominated by domestic manufacturers, are now dominated by China, Japan, and other Asian countries.  New computer and software products, emerging technology companies, the Internet, combined with continuing advances in communication tools and new more sophisticated consumer electronics, are major growth factors.  Changes in healthcare and healthcare provider organizations, the ever-changing banking community, and the ever-evolving world economy have also had a major impact on the job market.  In the broadest sense, these factors add up to a transition from an industrial dominated economy to an information and communication dominated economy.

We have now entered a new age of economic uncertainty.  In 1989 we saw the creation of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), a temporary federal agency responsible for liquidating assets of the insolvent Savings and Loan (S&Ls) declared insolvent by the Office of Thrift Supervision.  Eventually the RTC closed or resolved over 750 financial institutions with assets close to $400 billion.  Now we are slowly emerging from a new financial debacle, certainly the greatest financial disaster since the Great Depression of 1929.  Many time-honored financial institutions including large banks and investment banking houses have gone through a major period of crisis, consolidation, and collapses; and required federal bailout money due to the mortgage industry meltdown.  The unregulated REPO market (Renew Sale and Repurchase market for collateralized securities), unsound investment practices, the corporate gangsters who have been stealing us blind, the European recession, and the teetering finances of many European countries have also had a huge impact on our economy.  This resulted in the federal government’s need to intervene with a trillion dollar investment in order to help stabilize the U.S. financial community. 

The outcome of that investment is yet to be determined.  Lack of government oversight in an unregulated mortgage banking system, the unparalleled crisis in the U.S. automobile industry, (which resulted in a major restructuring and downsizing including a $3 billion "cash for clunkers program), widespread corporate greed, Madoffism" and other types of criminal conduct; together have had an impact on many segments of our society. When you include the great recession of 2007-2008 and the Corona Virus Pandemic of 2020, the impact on our national debt has been staggering. The culmination of all of these factors has mushroomed our national debt in 2020 to over $27 trillion.

The Pandemic crisis, referred to above, has had a huge impact on all daily life, been responsible for a staggering number of deaths in this country and worldwide, and had a substantial impact on how people find new employment or change their current jobs.  As a result of this Pandemic, the unemployment rate reached heights not seen since the great depression, and although there has been some improvement, as of November 2020, is still over 10%. When you add to that number those who have fallen off of the unemployment rolls, those who have become discouraged and stopped looking for a job, and the people who are under-employed, the unemployment rate soars considerably. Additionally, the 2020 Presidential and congressional elections are very recent and the effects on the job market are not yet known.

All of this has had, and will continue to have, a profound impact the employment market.  Continuing change in the economic community, dealing with the repercussions of the Corona Virus Pandemic, our ever-burgeoning national debt, companies that continue to outsource jobs to other countries, the unemployed now having to conduct a job search from home, and other factors necessitate that we learn to adapt to these new realities and be receptive to transformation.

Change is the only constant

To fight change is not realistic, to respond to change by adapting our perceptions to fit current realities, and then changing our approaches and methods to deal with these new realities is essential to our life and well being.  Unfortunately, most people still search for a job as their parents would have done many years ago.  They have not changed their methods to fit the current realities.  Responding to job postings is still the primary vehicle used by 95% of all job seekers.  Yet help wanted advertisements, whether in the newspaper or the Internet job boards and company websites, represent less than 15% of the available jobs.  Is it any wonder then, that when people get no response they become frustrated, bewildered, and often angry and depressed? 

Both the unemployed and the underemployed (those whose career advancement has slowed down or reversed itself), and individuals who are ready to expand their capacities and increase their incomes are all faced with the same problem - how to succeed in today’s job market which often means learning to conduct the search from their homes.  In a June 13, 2007 speech by U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, she indicated that out of a labor force of approximately 153 million people, about one-third (53 million), will leave their jobs every year (that is in a normal economy and not during the current Pandemic.)  According to Ms. Chao, by the time the average American worker is 40 years old, he or she will have had an average of 10 jobs. 

Women have also had an ever-increasing role to play in the job market  In 2019 women comprised 47% of the American workforce, more than double the percent employed during the 1950s. The job market is highly competitive and since there are far fewer opportunities as you approach the top of the job market pyramid, as well as for the older job-seeker, the competition becomes even more challenging. 

In the following material I have attempted to lay the foundation for a highly proactive job search program.  The process focuses on an entirely new concept – to market yourself as a company would market its products or services.  Peter Montoya, in his book "The Personal Branding Phenomenon" advances the innovative and creative theory of branding; the public projection of your personality and abilities.  As he characterizes branding, it means you have control over how you are perceived by others.  Our process plays on that same idea by asking each client to view themselves as a marketable product or brand, and then emphasizes personal contact methodology as being the primary tool for marketing your product (yourself) to achieve your career objectives.  It recognizes that many of the established job search methods that have been used for decades are antiquated.  It also marks a considerable departure from time worn career counseling advice that relies on the job boards/advertised openings, direct/mass mailings, employment agencies and search firms, and informational interviews to produce new employment.  It emphasizes a new paradigm that the job seeker is a marketable product or brand, and as such, should use a corporate marketing approach to generating new employment.

How to use this guide and workbook

This workbook is both an indispensable guide and a working tool to assist you in the successful completion of your job search.  Its methods have been tested and proven through many years of actual outplacement experience.  There are six major areas of focus: a self-assessment and identification of your talents, capabilities, and transferable skills; formulating your direction and goals; development of the necessary tools and methods of generating meetings and conducting your search; effective self-presentation techniques enhancing your ability to generate offers; negotiating the best package to help you achieve fair value for the skills and talents you are offering an employer; and a quality control process to help you monitor your success and review areas for improvement.  Additionally, this workbook will allow you to implement a new job search at any time without starting from scratch.  Included in its pages are assessment materials, administrative and success measuring tools, forms for responding to advertisements and tracking networking pathways, and other valuable self-help and career development tools. 

Please read this workbook completely before implementing the process.  This initial overview will familiarize you with the basic recommended concepts, lay the foundation for a more productive job search campaign, and provide valuable input in helping you to maintain and grow in your new situation.  You will note that we have provided copies of a number of forms for your use.  Please use these as templates and make copies as necessary. We also suggest use of a buddy system when using the telephone to set up advice or job interviews as described later in this guide.  The buddy system concept has been advocated by Nathan H. Azrin Ph.D., and Victoria A. Besalel, Ph.D., in their Job Club Counselor’s Manual, "A Behavioral Approach to Vocational Counseling;" and by Robert A. Philip, in his guide, "Take Charge of Your Future."  Dr. Azrin, along with Robert A. Philip developed and tested a process that became known as the Original Job Club program.  The buddy system was a key factor in the implementation of that program.  For more information on job club programs, see pages 201-204 in this workbook.

No workbook, guide, or suggested methodology is a guarantee of success.  However, the information contained in this workbook, correctly implemented, will certainly increase your chances of finding the right opportunity and meeting both your financial and career objectives in far less time than through more traditionally accepted job search methods.  Remember always, tomorrow’s success story depends upon today’s actions.

Attitude

The job search is fraught with frustration and opportunities that keep slip-sliding away.  Maintaining a positive mental attitude and an unwavering belief that you will succeed is crucial to your success.  Dr. Wayne Dyer in his presentation on The Power of Intention tells the following story which is a timeless example of the importance of your mindset.

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.  Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.  After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.  As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. I love it, she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.  Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait. That doesn't have anything to do with it, she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's how I arrange my mind.  I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or