Most of my clients secure offers and jobs pretty fast…but some job searches take longer. One of my executive clients had a variety of interviews and it took him a year to change industries and secure a pay increase. But he did it… to the tune of a $50,000 salary increase and the opportunity to partner with an exceptional company in a wonderful position. He just started his new position and he is walking on air!

I asked him to reflect on this last year and offer me some gems of advice to pass on. Here is what he told me:

…After he had his resume professionally designed:

1. He surrounded himself with supportive and positive people

2. He reached out for advice and didn’t try to do everything himself

3. He didn’t succumb to negative self talk when his job search seemed to be going too slow…

4. He stuck to the strategies I had taught him and didn’t shift to something new just because things weren’t happening as fast as he would have liked

5. He took time to be with his family and he took “extra” time off to balance out his job search and the extra stress that naturally creates

6. He let me coach him through his interviews and offer negotiations and used the strategies I suggested

7. He didn’t spend a lot of time listening to depressing statistics on the news about how tough it was to get a job. He just stuck with the program and did all he could to stay positive

8. He went direct and used strategies to tap the hidden job market

…I couldn’t have added anything to this list!