Resolutions for the 2010 Job Hunt

Kevin Mergens was a product manager for ADP Dealer Services. His job was eliminated in June 2009. Previously, Mr. Mergens, 40, was a marketing manager at Littlelfuse. He earned an M.B.A. from Michigan State University ’s Broad School of Management in 1993. Mr. Mergens lives with his wife and three children in Niles, Ill.

I have been out since the first of June and unlike some folks did not take any time off before I began my hunt. As we all know the market continues to be very tough. I have done a lot of work in the search, have had some good feelers but have only had onsite meetings with three companies. The good news is that all three resulted in second interviews. The bad news is that none of the three have resulted in an offer. With the kids home for two weeks, I will still do some searching, but will spend most of my time with the family enjoying the holiday season. I am using this time to reflect on what I have done, what I need to do, and what I have learned about myself. Here are some of my action items for the search in 2010:

Dedicate one day each week to the job boards: I have now reset my search filters to only get email once each week. If I am a fit, getting the resume submitted the first day the role is posted vs. a week later should not make a difference. We all know how slowly companies are moving in the process.

Take advantage of job fairs: Job fairs will never be considered the best use of a job seeker’s time, but I still think they are worthwhile. At worst, I will get some networking done with other job seekers.

Attend at least one networking event each week: Focus not only on events for those out of work but, more importantly, find local business events where I can mingle.

Target specific companies: If I have a networking fit, great. If not, it’s cold calling and trying to set up an info-meeting.

Stay positive: It is easy to get down, especially when all of the interviews have not panned out. To me the trick is to work the plan. Finding a job is my current job, so I will try to attack it with a good attitude. Rejection is part of this game so the more work I do, the more rejections I may get but that simply means the closer I will be to landing a new position.

Happy New Year to all — and good riddance to 2009!

By Kevin Mergens