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opportunity that made the difference. I cannot overemphasize the importance of getting out there, letting people know what you are looking for, and being persistent. Sitting in a room all day combing Web sites is insufficient to finding your next opportunity. Get out there, stay involved and never lose your determination. There are many things in life that we cannot control. Sometimes we need to maintain our vision and our faith, in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Sandra (“Candy”) Robinson is a software Engineer for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, in Fort Worth, Texas, providing ground support for testing the F/A-22 fighter jet. She is Women in Engineering Coordinator for Region 5, incoming 2006 South Area Chair for Region 5. And she is also vice chair of Fort Worth IEEE Section’s Computer Society, and a senior member of the IEEE Dallas Section. Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org. 36 ieee-usa eBooks
Six Ways to Maximize Job Search Success by Debra Feldman Job hunting has striking similarities to a marketing project. The operative “P” words for a successful campaign are positioning, process and persistence; followed closely by performance, personality and pricing. The product is the candidate. For a candidate to have the opportunity to sell their value to the targeted buyer/employer, the strategy driving the search has to be effective, which means choosing the correct focus and developing the right approach. Your job search project may be one of the most demanding — and rewarding — campaigns you will ever manage. Let’s look at ways you can improve the odds in your favor through savvy job hunting and best practices job search implementation skills: Positioning The first step to launching a successful job search campaign and propelling it forward is to identify what makes you a unique candidate. With such stiff competition, it is imperative that you distinguish yourself by creating a message or an identity that is remarkable and memorable — one that will separate you from the pack of resumés hitting recruiters’ desks. You may want to seek advice and counsel to establish your value objectively. What is it that you do better than others? What is it about you that enables you to succeed where others don’t? Is there something in your background that others easily remember? This bit of specialized, personal data is your tagline. If you get the positioning targeted correctly, your campaign will be focused on the right employer market with a message that the buyer will value, generating more employer interest. Once you have captured an employer’s attention, you have created a chance to demonstrate your abilities, which may eventually produce a job offer — and that, after all, is the goal of your job search campaign project. Process The swiftest route to a new opportunity is to identify your target employers and then assess their needs in terms of how you can fulfill them better than anyone else. Don’t wait around for a company to advertise for a job that is perfect for you. Instead, go out there and seek out a company where you are confident you can make a positive impact, especially one measurable in dollars saved or made. Double back to ensure that your positioning with respect to your target employers is consistent with your most outstanding ability or characteristic — things that an employer will value instantly. In other words, the better the match, the greater the likelihood for capturing the employer’s interest. If you understand the dynamic between meeting employers’ needs first and then promoting your skills against these requirements, your chances of making a connection are much greater than if you concentrate only on your achievements and accomplishments without customizing them for an individual company in a way that unmistakably proves your value. Cite ways you can save money, save time, retain customers, reduce costs, increase sales or profits — ways that will offset the expenses stemming from adding you to the headcount. The Best of Today’s Engineer: On Career Survival 37
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