Editor’s note: Mike Huang is a Chaska technology professional. He was unemployed for two months, and has recently started a new job. In a series of columns, Huang is sharing his story and lessons he’s learned along the way, in the hopes that it will help and inspire others. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Great Job Hunt: Column 2

By Mike Huang

In the last column, we took the first steps to finding a new job: getting prepared for the ride; tightening the belt; identifying our health care strategy; signing up for unemployment; and of course, contacting the local Minnesota WorkForce Center.

Welcome to your new job.

Tip No. 1: Job hunting is a JOB.

You’re the president, CEO, and chief marketing officer of You, Inc.

When I got started in my search, I spent from 7:30 in the morning until 10 at night scouring the Internet for opportunities, writing letters, updating my résumé, and fostering contacts. The amount of time invested is very much related to your success and how quickly you’ll find a job.

And this is the toughest job for most people – selling. And you’re selling something very personal. You.

If you’re making a change, it may be that much harder to do, as you’ll be competing against a lot of people who have already done that job.First thing you need to do – broadcast to your friends, family and former co-workers that you’re available. E-mail is a great tool. Of course, make calls, and spread the word (casually) as you run into people. While it can be humbling (or embarrassing to some) to have been laid off, people who care about you can only help you if they know your situation!And starting an exciting new job is always a good way to feel better!

Update the résumé

If you haven’t already, start updating your résumé. I started with a version of my résumé that was a few years old, and added to it. While that works out well for some, others may need to start from scratch, or significantly revamp a résumé.

When doing this, be sure to have other sets of eyes take a look at it. Ask friends and relatives who you trust or those who may be in hiring/staffing positions (e.g. hiring managers, HR people, recruiters) whether they are in your field or not. They will be a good starting point for feedback.

Most importantly, don’t get paralyzed updating your résumé. It is important to do a good job and have a solid résumé. At the very least, use good grammar, check spelling, and be honest and clear about what you did and accomplished.But a résumé sitting unsubmitted your kitchen table means there’s absolutely no chance of it helping you to get a new job. Analysis paralysis can lead to a chronic unemployment condition.

Join a job transition group

The bad news is that there are 140,456 other people looking for a job right along with you here in the Twin Cities.

The good news is that some of them can be a good resource to help you find your next job. Don’t believe me? Try going to a job transition group.

According to various surveys, 60 to 80 percent of jobs are obtained through a reference, rather than a cold application online. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up applying online, but it does change the strategy a bit.

Joining a job transition group will help by providing access to local resources such as free seminars and workshops on résumé writing or even spiritual support groups. For others, most job transition groups have networking sessions to share success stories, so job hunters can learn what worked as well as helping those in need get in contact with contacts within companies.

I’ve been to a few job transition groups in the Southwest Metro.

Wooddale in Eden Prairie (www.jobtransition.net) has a very large group that meets at 7:15 on Monday mornings. They also have breakout groups for areas such as IT and sales. St. Andrews, also in Eden Prairie, has a large group that meets on Wednesdays at 11, facilitated by Pastor Rob (the IT group meets before).

And Westwood in Chanhassen has a good group that meets on the first and third Mondays of each month.

All of these groups are free, and open to anyone of any background. Of course, all of these groups encourage you to join other groups as well – they’re here to help you find a job, but they are not exclusive of one another.If you’re still interested in other groups, the MN DEED has a great list of job transition groups throughout the metro on their Web site: http://www.mnwfc.org/hennepinsouth/jobsupportgroups.htm.

Keep a log of your contacts

After starting your search like I did, I will almost guarantee you that your résumé will change, and you may even go through multiple versions of your résumé like I did. Keeping a log of which jobs you applied for, and whom you contacted at each company, is critical!You will get probably get that phone call out of the blue. The person blurts out their name, and starts asking you questions off of your résumé. Know which position they’re talking about, and which résumé you used will help you engage more quickly and come across as more organized. Depending on how things are going, you may be bouncing between multiple opportunities at various stages, so it is important to be organized!

Set routine and goals

Just like when you’re working, have a routine time to get up. Set goals for yourself each day. Set goals for each week. They should be aggressive, but realistic. For example, plan to have face-to-face meetings three days a week or, every day if you can. Have two interviews scheduled each week.

Having some structure will help you maintain your sanity and focus. For me, having my wife’s support of wrangling our 5-year-old, so she wasn’t constantly distracting me while I was on the phone with recruiters and hiring managers was invaluable!

Find a job search buddy

Having a friend or neighbor who is in the same situation can be a great asset. They can be a sounding board for ideas (“Hey, why don’t I try that”), as well as keeping an ear out for you if you’re going to different job clubs. And the moral support is always appreciated. For those of us who are competitive, that can be a good motivator to do more aggressive searching!

Don’t be afraid to try new things

I got in a rut after my first month. I was finding my response rate for résumés wasn’t what I was expecting. And I realized that people needed to look at it a while – more than the typical 5 to 15 seconds commonly stated – that most résumés get viewed.

Upon the advice of one recruiter, I rewrote my primary résumé into a format used by my competition. I re-launched my résumé with every recruiter I knew. And from there, my response rate went up.Of course, I can say this because, I had kept track of how many résumés I sent out, and who had responded!

So, don’t be afraid to take advice of a trusted source. It may just be the shot you need.

Next time, we’ll talk about networking… .