101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times Quotes

“To drive the point home, here’s one more story. And, as a matter of fact, this person’s story is legendary. He wanted a job, and that job was to become president of the United States. His business failed in 1831. He was defeated in his run for the Illinois State Legislature in 1832. His second business failed in 1833. He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836. He was defeated in his run for Illinois House Speaker in 1838, and for his run for Congress in 1843. He was elected to Congress in 1846, but lost renomination in 1848. He lost his bid to the U.S. Senate in 1854, for vice president in 1856, and again for the U.S. Senate in 1858. Finally, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“When I was terminated in 1992, I had no money, no savings, and no idea what I wanted to do for a living. But I had studied too many people who went from poverty to millionaire and billionaire, including Oprah, Sylvester Stallone, JC Penney, Colonel (Harland) Sanders, Henry Ford, and Ray Kroc, the man who transformed McDonald’s into an international household word. Now that I had an exciting goal to become a marketing consultant for people, I knew that my success depended less on what resources I had than how resourceful I could be.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Values come from the heart and are immutable at the moment. Yes, they may change tomorrow, a month from now, or a year from now. But at this moment, your signature values are something you feel so strongly about; they can’t be changed or compromised. In fact, they determine how happy you are at any moment in your life. And the word signature means that you have a hierarchy (a prioritized list) of values that are yours and yours alone. The only way you can find joy in life and in your career is to know what your signature values are and then to work hard living harmoniously with them. For instance, if you value health and are not healthy physically or emotionally, you can’t be happy. If you value financial independence and are broke, you can’t be happy. If you value a loving relationship and you are in a toxic and unhealthy one, you can’t be happy. If you value peace of mind but experience constant stress, you can’t be happy.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Finally, I learned that I had to enjoy the journey in pursuit of the destination. I have to admit, to this day, this remains one of my toughest challenges. But my teachers taught me that I have to be happy with what I have in pursuit of what I want. And yes, I discovered that true joy comes from living in the moment, enjoying the journey to the top. I discovered that every moment is a precious gift, because future moments are, in no way, guaranteed. The same is true for you!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“I learned that if I didn’t plant in the spring, I’d have to beg in the fall. I learned that with everything in life, including my career, I had to plant the seed of achievement so I could reap the rewards. I learned that I had to plant seeds of new ideas, new beliefs, and new commitments every day in order to find happiness and meaning in a new career and in my life. The same philosophy is true for you!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“I learned that I am what I think; I am my thoughts. I was taught to be the master of my own thoughts, because if I think I can do something, I will. And if I doubt I can do something, I won’t. I learned that my thoughts are the blueprints for my future. The same is true for you!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“I learned not to wish that things were easier; rather, that I was better. I discovered that life is not about easy; it’s about purpose, meaning, passion, love, contribution, sacrifice, and hard work. I discovered that life is about creating all that I can create in the short time that I’m on this planet. The same holds true for you!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“I learned that it’s not the wind that blows that really matters; rather, it’s the set of the sail that makes all the difference. I was taught that I can’t control forces that I can’t control. I can’t control getting a lousy boss or getting fired. These things, my teachers taught me, are called the wind. But what I can control is the set of the sail, how I respond and react to the wind. When I realized that I alone control how I think and feel, no matter what the situation, I was able to achieve whatever I set my mind on achieving. The same holds true for you!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“AUTHOR’S FINAL COMMENT When I was fired by my one of my best friends back in 1992, there were five concepts my coaches taught me that made the most difference in helping me deal with, and overcome, my pain and disappointment. These concepts helped me identify a meaningful and exciting career when, at the time, I hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do for a living at age 39. I would go so far as to say that these five ideas changed and actually saved my life. So I’ll conclude by sharing with you these five concepts, knowing that if you embrace these messages, they will serve you as well as they have served me.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“4. Be ready to handle the subject of salary. If the subject of salary comes up during the interview, the general rule is to try and avoid it until an offer has been made. This is because the greatest leverage you have is after the job offer but before acceptance. However, you may have no choice but to discuss salary when asked about your salary requirements or salary history. You must know, in advance, the salary range for the job you are seeking and then provide a realistic range; “I would expect the job to pay between $30,000 and $40,000, and I believe, based on my value to your company, we can agree to an amicable number.” Or “Over the past five years, my salary has been between $80,000 and $93,000. I plan to make a significant contribution to your sales efforts, so my starting salary is less important than the ability to demonstrate to you that I can produce results. And I am sure when you see the results I can produce, my salary will reflect those contributions.” Once again, I emphasize that if you know your value and how you can contribute in a notable way, you’ll feel in control when negotiating a win-win compensation arrangement.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Be prepared to ask good questions. Hiring professionals are placing more and more weight on the quality of the questions you ask them in interviews. Prepare four or five intelligent, provocative, and sensible questions that will indicate you take the interview as seriously as they do.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“One of the habits that Dr. Stephen Covey discusses in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY: BEST WAYS 71–80 71. When it comes to ensuring your family’s financial well-being, and securing a meaningful and rewarding job, you need to create a written action plan or a MAP (Meticulous Action Plan). 72. When you create a MAP, you are actually programming your own “employment GPS” so you can go from where you are to where you want to be. 73. When you’re done developing your action plan, you’ll have a highly structured schedule of activities for each day of the week. This includes your job transition campaign as well as your personal, social, and fitness activities. 74. If you are unemployed, you should invest 50, 60, or 70 hours a week on your job campaign. If you have a full-time job, you need to set aside a defined number of hours every week as your investment in your future. 75. Whether you are employed and looking for a better job or out of work seeking a new one, you must hold yourself fully accountable for putting in as many hours as possible and getting the most out of every hour you put in. 76. The first question you will need to address is, how many hours a week will you commit to your job transition campaign? Then, based on the number of weekly hours you’ll invest in getting a new job, your next step is to break weekly hours down into daily hours. 77. There are 13 primary job transition strategies for landing a job in troubled economic times. Your job is to determine which 4 to 6 strategies will be most effective for you. a. Networking and contact development b. Target marketing (identifying companies you want to work for) c. Internet searches and postings d. Federal jobs e. Search firms and employment agencies f. Blogs with job listings g. Classified advertisements in newspapers and trade journals h. Job fairs i. College placement departments and alumni associations j. Workforce System and One-Stops k. Volunteer work l. Job transition strategists m. Creative self-marketing 78. Once you have identified which job transition strategies will work best for your campaign, determine when, during the week, you will work on each. You want to create a structured weekly schedule. When you create a structured weekly schedule, you will have a detailed plan with specific daily tasks both for your job campaign and for personal and social activities. 79. Once you have a structured weekly schedule, you must set goals that you want to achieve from your weekly activities. A MAP without specific goals is not an effective plan. You will want to set specific goals for each strategy so you can track your success or modify the MAP if you are not achieving your weekly goals. 80. Prepare for the worst-case scenario. It is vitally important to remain in a positive, optimistic, and enthusiastic state of mind. But sometimes your plan won’t come to fruition as quickly as you’d like. So expect the best, but plan for the worst. This would include looking at your long- and short-term finances and health and other issues that need to be addressed to free you up to concentrate on getting your next job.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Search firms and employment agencies • Executive search firms and employment agencies get paid to place candidates in jobs. Normally, search firms place candidates in higher-level jobs, and employment agencies place candidates in low- to mid-range jobs, both permanent and temporary placements. The good news is that job candidates don’t pay any fees. The not-so-good news is that search and employment firms, as a rule, do not actively seek to place candidates; rather, they actively seek to fill client openings. A common misconception is that recruiters and employment agencies are the personal placement agents for job candidates. They are not. They receive job vacancies from client companies and seek appropriate candidates to fill those slots—thus the term headhunter. Some agencies specialize in specific occupations, while others are more general. The best strategy regarding search firms and employment agencies is to use them for potential job openings and for information gathering, but don’t count on them to be your savior!”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Celebrate. When you achieve goals, celebrate! You work hard to achieve your goals, so when you achieve your weekly objectives, celebrate. If your goal is to send out 50 résumés a week and you meet that goal, celebrate even though you haven’t landed a job yet. You are celebrating the achievement of sending out 50 résumés. When you celebrate, you appreciate and honor your own efforts. And when you begin to fully appreciate your own efforts, you will begin to achieve the goals to which you aspire.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Don’t substitute. Carroll O’Connor, the late actor who played the role of Archie Bunker in the sitcom All in the Family, said that the problem for most people is that when they meet resistance in pursuit of their goals, they substitute easier goals rather than create better plans. When you meet resistance in pursuit of your goals (and you will), do not substitute easier goals; rather, create a more refined plan or work harder at the one you have.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Don’t cave in. It’s easy to get distracted. It’s easy to let influences pull you away from your structured weekly schedule in pursuit of your goals. Discipline and resolve will lead to your next job. Don’t cave in on the high expectations you establish for yourself when you set the bar high (above in Principle #1).”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Be realistic. You want to set the bar high but not so high that your goals are merely impossible dreams. Don’t ever settle for less, but be realistic when setting the bar high, especially when it comes to timelines and deadlines. In most cases, there are no such things as unrealistic goals, just unrealistic timetables for their achievement.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Set the bar high. Resist the easy button. Choose “mastery” over “easy” and know that great accomplishments don’t come from low expectations.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Jim Cathcart, award-winning motivational speaker, said, “Most people aim at nothing in life and hit it with amazing accuracy.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Once you have identified and confirmed that four to six people agree to endorse you, I advise you to write the reference statements yourself! Athletes and celebrities do not write the advertisements for the products and services they endorse. And your “endorsers” should not write the advertisements for you, either! I suggest you write the testimonial and then send it to your references so they can review the statement and make whatever edits they may want to make.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Dear Mrs. Wellington: I am interested in applying for the position with Beachwear International as Purchasing Manager and have enclosed my résumé for your review. I am certain that I can be a valuable asset to your team and meet and exceed the goals and objectives for this position. I respect your time and feel confident that my value, past achievements, and ability to contribute are well outlined in my résumé. If you feel, as I do, that I would be a significant member of your professional staff, I would welcome an interview at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing back from you.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Here are eight tips for writing effective cover letters.   Address the cover letter to a specific person, ensuring the correct name, title, company, and address. This shows respect for the person you are sending the résumé to. “To Whom It May Concern” salutations should be used only if you can’t determine the name of the hiring person or the company (for instance, when responding to a blind ad). If you were referred by someone, be sure this is included in the first sentence of the cover letter: “Jennifer Wells suggested I contact you in regard to an accounts receivable position you have open …” It’s an attention grabber. If asked to include salary history or requirements, you must address this or risk being disqualified. Provide a healthy range, such as “Over the past five years I have earned between $35,000 and $48,000. However, I am open to any reasonable offer consistent with my ability to produce results and meet your performance expectations.” If asked for salary requirements, use the same strategy: “I am aware that the salary range for a loss prevention manager in the Houston area averages between $75,000 and $110,000. Given my experience and, most importantly, my ability to make significant contributions to your company, I would hope to be on the upper end of this scale.” If you are sending the résumé out electronically, the cover letter can be inserted as the e-mail itself; just attach your résumé. If you prefer that your cover letter is the first page of the attachment, that’s fine. But the general guideline is not to attach multiple files. Make it easy on the hiring manager and send only one attachment or file to open (unless you have a good reason to do otherwise). Do not rehash what is on the résumé. This is disrespectful of the reader’s time. If you have done a good job with your résumé, you want the cover letter to quickly entice the hiring manager to read your résumé. Cover letters should not be preachy. Sales managers know that sales are the heartbeat of any company; you don’t have to lecture them on this. Nurse supervisors know the importance of compassionate patient care; you don’t have to tell them what they already know. Keep the letter short and concise. The cover letter is not the place to preach or teach. It’s the place to invite recipients to read your résumé! Finally, the four most important words on the cover letter are “I respect your time.” The following cover letter is a sample template to use in these challenging and troubled times. Notice the first four words of the second paragraph.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“COVER LETTERS Most people today, including hiring authorities, are living a high-stress life. They are being bombarded by e-mail, voice mail, U.S. mail, and junk mail. They take calls from cell phones, business phones, and home phones, not to mention the demands for attention from many other voices. Most HR managers, executive recruiters, and hiring managers are placing less and less importance on cover letters. Yes, they are still a part of the process, but they play a less significant role.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“DON’T CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW IN THE RÉSUMÉ Here’s a good analogy. Your résumé is like a book report. You don’t tell the whole story in a book report; you simply provide a synopsis of the key highlights that STAND OUT as the most important information taken from the book. The same is true when writing a résumé. Your résumé must dangle the carrot, but not tell the whole story. Your résumé must communicate your value and enthusiastically engage the reader, not provide a long-winded, never-ending biography of your professional life. Your résumé must provide highlights of your professional experience that STAND OUT as the most important information that prospective employers would find valuable. Do not tell the whole story; don’t conduct the interview in the résumé.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“When you work on the employment section, you’ll want to address two distinct components for each job or position that will appear on the résumé: 1) your detailed job responsibilities or job description and 2) your achievements and contributions, the results you produced. How you accomplish this is up to you.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Once you have developed a powerful showcase, you are ready to answer the fourth question that your résumé must address: can you provide specific results (achievements) that you produced in the past that would indicate that you can produce them in the future? In most cases, the employment section will answer this final question. However, if you are a graduating student or one who has little or no direct work experience, your internships, academic highlights, and extracurricular activities, including volunteer work and community service, will be emphasized.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“When you review the sample résumés on the following pages, you’ll notice that the three messages, the Ultimate Results, Core Strengths, and Value-Added messages, make up most of the showcase. Remember that your résumé must answer three questions in 15 to 20 seconds: 1) What position(s) are you seeking or what are you qualified to do that would be of value to our company or organization? 2) What results and contributions make you better than other qualified candidates? and 3) What skills, qualifications, and assets do you bring to the job that would lead us to believe you can produce the results you say you can produce? Your showcase is designed to answer those three questions in that time frame.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“For example, suppose you are seeking a job as a retail manager. You might bring added value by being fluent in English, Spanish, and French. Being trilingual may not be part of the job description but can be a valuable asset when working with diverse employees and customers who speak Spanish and French. This Value-Added message may tip the scale in your favor. Possibly you are seeking a job as a fifth grade teacher. If you are an expert in computers and computer programming, these skills may not be part of the job description but might be perceived as having high value to an academic institution. If you are an expert electrician, but you are also highly skilled in sales, this added value of contributing to new business development efforts might be the differentiator, the added skill that will help you land a job quickly in tough markets.”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times

“Value-Added message: Have built and managed two million-dollar companies (Able to build a third one)”
― Jay A. Block, 101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times