Randy’s story: “I have truly been blessed to the job search efforts pay off so handsomely during: one of the longest recessions on record, the Holiday Season, the end of a lame-duck presidency, and a career change. On top of financial stability, I am able to spend more time with my family in my new career… life is good! I am grateful for your service – thank you for helping me land a great gig during the holidays!”

Randy got this gig for lots of reasons:

1. Took the initiative and made the investment to get branded, get a solid career focus, and a professional resume and cover letter written by a career pro (that’s me).
2. Networked: Randy networked with everyone – and did so the right way.
3. Took action: Randy not only networked, but when cool opportunities arose – even over the holidays – he took action and got his resume to the decision-maker FAST.
4. Polished interviewing skills: Randy cranked up his interview with stories – stories about how his skills were directly transferable to this new industry, how he contributed to his previous employer’s bottom-line, and how he could make an immediate, and positive contribution to this new industry and organization.
5. Negotiated successfully: Randy negotiated a great salary by capitalizing on how he could help that company get a return on their investment in him. In fact, despite a dramatic career change (from pilot to project manager) he got a salary increase!

Most importantly, Randy had the right attitude throughout the process. He stayed positive, never gave up, and took action on what he learned.

If you want to get hired in this economy, learn from Randy!

Amy did. She’s got an interview this week. She learned about a gig through her network, updated her resume, and directly referenced the networking connection in her cover letter, and got it to the decision maker within two days. She landed an interview with “the big cheese.”

Challenge: What action can you take this week to land your next big gig?