The #1 question, concern, and interest of most all of my clients is how to get hired, or promoted, in the Federal Government… and in private sector, too. 😉
About a week ago, I read a blog post from Seth Godin that immediately resonated with me…for good reason, but I’ll tell you why in a moment. First, here’s what he said:
The plan for day 100
“What do you want to be doing 100 days from now?
What change do you seek to be making? With which skills? Surrounded by which people?
For that to happen, day 99 will need to different from today.
And so will day 98.
In fact, so will tomorrow.
If we keep focusing on ‘what’s next’ we might never get around to doing the work we need to do to get us to day 100.”
When I read that I thought, WOW…because we tell our clients something very similar. For instance, we teach our clients to reverse engineer their resume and their job search because it takes out all the guess work and sets up the framework for success and motivation.
Where do you see your career in 100 days?
So, let me ask you:
What do YOU want to be doing 100 days from now? If you’re employed, do you want to STILL be in the position you are in now?
And if you’re unemployed, do you want to still be unemployed on day 100?
If not, what job would you like to be working in?
In addition, how much money do you want to be making—realistically?
Do you still want to be sitting at the computer applying to job after job after job, day after day, job searching the old-fashioned way…and waiting for someone to call you back?
On day 100, do you want to be wondering how to get hired with your dream agency, or company…and just getting started, instead of executing this advice to be 100 days ahead?
And, by day 80, do you want to be negotiating your salary and benefits for your new job and ready to hit the ground running on day 100?!
Would you like to be earning the paycheck that helps you create the life you want to live so that when you look at your bank account you have a feeling of relief about the new—or better—salary and benefits that you’re now able to provide for your family?
What changes are you willing to make for a better career?
What changes are you willing to make—personally and professionally? Seriously, pause… think deeply about this.
Are you happy with the people who surround you? Do they build you up and give you life to help you grow? Or do they bring you down?
Do you need a new community to help keep you motivated?
Are you willing to partner with experts and invest in what you do 40+ hours a week with an ROI that could be up to 10 times your investment?
Most of us spend more time at our jobs that we do anywhere else! If you’re not surrounded by people who are having a positive impact on your life, your well-being is going to suffer—if it isn’t already.
Are you ready to get hired or promoted faster?
Most importantly, if you’re ready to get hired or promoted faster and see the change as Seth mentioned… “for that to happen, day 99 will need to different from today.” And day 98. And TOMORROW… as well as every day in between.
If the most important subject on your mind right now is how to get hired, here are 3 IMPORTANT action steps for you to tackle this week.
Start knocking them out TODAY so you can make significant progress…and you’ll be in a different place in 100 days!
So here we go! How to get hired in 100 days…
1. Set up alerts to get notified of job openings.
You can save tons of time sitting in front of the computer, or scrolling on your phone, if you let the ‘computer’ do the work for you.
If you are a federal job seeker, set up Saved Searches on USAJOBS® to train the algorithm to send you job announcements based on the criteria you set.
Then, on LinkedIn®, under the Jobs tab, click Create Job Alert to get job postings coming into your Inbox that meet your criteria.
And, on Indeed®, set up Find Jobs to alert you as jobs you add that meet your criteria will be sent to your Inbox.
On ZipRecruiter®, search for a job, then click Create Alert to get notified of relevant jobs as they become open.
Lastly, you can also look on company websites under Site Map and see if they have a Job Alert feature in the Career’s section.
2. Research, network, and follow up.
Research the target agency, organization, and company websites where you want to work.
– What is the agency’s mission?
– What is its history?
– Does it align with your values and goals?
– Who are the hiring authorities?
– Who could connect you to someone in the organization?
– What is the culture?
– What do they value in employees?
Then, network with employees who can connect you to the decision makers. LinkedIn is a professional resource for researching and connecting with people working in agencies, organizations, and companies. Use LinkedIn to connect with us, employees, and decision makers. And, make sure to follow up with your contacts and leads.
3. Pre-qualify yourself for the job you want to be hired for.
Once you find your dream job announcement, or the stepping-stone job announcement to your dream job, wouldn’t it make sense to pre-qualify yourself before you spent 20-40 hours preparing your career documents?
Read through the job announcement thoroughly and you might want to even print it. Highlight the qualifications and ensure you meet every one of them.
If you want to know how you can save 20-40 hours preparing your résumé for a job where you won’t make the cut, eliminate frustration, and actually pre-qualify yourself at the highest level using our proprietary Qual-Fit Tool™, schedule a call. We’d love to tell you more.
This should keep you busy until next week…where we’ll reveal the next important action step to help you learn how to get hired in 100 days!
Once you’ve started, comment below and let us know how you’re doing and if you have any questions. Let’s do this!
For more than 25 years, I've been trusted by all levels of professionals to senior executives in the Federal Government to collaborate with them and strategize, coach, and write not only their single most important document—the resume—but all of their career marketing that propels them upward in the ranks of the Federal Government and private sector. And, I would love to meet you and help you with yours! Thank you for stopping by!
You can find out what's killing your chances of landing federal jobs here: Take the 1-minute quiz and get valuable insight to your situation.
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