Now that you know all the steps to jumpstart your career, let’s step back and plan how you will put it into action. You’re ready. You have your resume and cover letter. You have your job portfolio. You’re ready to interview with confidence. So, let’s get to work. If you want to get from where you are today to a new position in 60 days, take steps to make it happen

Work the 60-Day Plan

Here’s how you can work the 60-day plan.

In days 1 through 3,

•  Compose, polish, and proofread your resume and cover letter.
• Have an excellent and trusted speller review both documents.

In days 2 through 5,

• Finish your writing and information gathering for your portfolio, and assemble it in a dynamic presentation format.
• Have an excellent and trusted speller review your portfolio.
• Attend an interview skills seminar.
• Review your affirmation and goals.
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job.

On day 6:

• Research companies in your target market and job area.
• Create a list of 25 target companies.

On days 7 through 8:

• Start your active networking, using every resource at your disposal.
• Cold call and book informational interviews at 25 companies, as well as act on any, leads that they give you.
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

On day 9:

• Relax.
• Repeat your affirmations. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your work hard and dedication.

On days 10 through 14:

• Attend informational interviews; send thank-you notes to everyone you meet.
• Keep networking. As your contacts grow, increase your list of companies, and reach out to them as well.
• Cold call and set up meetings with new companies.
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

On day 15:

• Investigate obvious job market opportunities (advertised jobs).
• Keep networking and explore hidden opportunities.
• Attend interviews.
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

On day 16,

• Relax.
• Review your resume, portfolio, and interview questions and make any changes needed,
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

On days 17 through 25,

• Celebrate your success to date – you are working hard!
• Continue to attend informational interviews and send thank-you notes to everyone you meet.
• Continue to network; as your contacts grow, add to your list of companies, and contact them as well.
• Continue to cold call and set up meetings with new companies.
• Reinforce your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

On days 26 through 35

• If you are not getting the response that you expected from your inquiries and job search, enlist the help of a professional career counsellor or coach.
• Review your processes.
• Review the readability and success of your portfolio.
• Review the labour market again.
• Look back at companies you already targeted. Consider contacting them again and following up.
• Check your notes for any companies that you were going to call back, but may have missed

On days 36 through 60, continue,

• Scheduling informational interviews. Send thank-you notes to everyone you meet.
• Keep networking. As your contacts grow, grow your list of companies, and contact them as well.
• Cold call and set up meetings with new companies.
• Repeat your affirmations every day. Imagine yourself happy and confident in a new job because of your hard work and dedication.

This 60-day plan is an effective, active, and driven way to get what you want from your job search. It requires a great level of commitment and dedication from you, but that is as it should be since you are the one that will reap the rewards of your efforts.

Remember that:

• Your cover letter and resume introduce you to the company.
• Your performance during the interview(s) and any testing, as well as the quality of the competition, affects your ability to get the job.

Unless you are in a period of serious economic recession or in an area that has been affected by some form of disaster, this approach should result in employment. Even in times of recession and disaster, this level of commitment will uncover any opportunities in your area.

Be open to happenstance: the idea that you can try things that are new or different. If your ideal job (one for which you are qualified, and that exists in your area) eludes you, consider other options. Sometimes the best jobs we ever do are the ones we never expected, or that give us the opportunity to try something we never thought that we would do.

Take a minute to think about your biggest personal barriers to job search success. Do you have a fear of cold calling or of messing up in an interview? Do you stutter? Do you have a checkered job history?

Write down your biggest personal barriers to job search success.

What are you going to do in the next seven days to overcome or work around those barriers? Could you practice with friends or a colleague? Could you practice before you call the company you truly want to work for the first time? Can you take an interview workshop? Can you get help from a coach or career counsellor?

Write down your plan to overcome your barriers.

When you are ready, move on to the next unit, Congratulations. You got the job!