The direct relationship between hard work and being lucky
➔ We had a football coach in high school who used to say, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” That certainly could apply to today’s job search.
Don’t lament that colleague or acquaintance who landed a job through luck. True, some people do fall backwards into special circumstances, usually though, what you’re calling luck, is actually the result of a lot of preparation.
Sound familiar?
More than once (or even twice) we’ve stressed the importance of preparing for a job interview. That hasn’t changed. But why not apply that same kind of preparation to everything you do in your job search?
Rather than banging out a resume, search for resume tips and templates that may, with possibly only a few modifications, make your bland resume into one that gets noticed. The same holds true for cover letters. The same holds true for your LinkedIn profile. Do a little bit of research to see what people who are successful through LinkedIn are doing.
It should not come as a shock that networking is a critical component of any job search. How do you prepare for a networking event? How about starting with determining who will be attending? Are these your kind of people? That is, are the attendees at this event people who can help you in your search?
In addition to knowing who those people are, have you determined up front what you want to get out of this event. “Well, duh! I want a job.” OK, but how are the people at this event going to help you to get one? Are they from your industry? If you’re changing careers, can they provide an entree for you?
Can they themselves do the hiring? Do they know people who can help you get a foot in the door? Do they know people who know people?
It’s all part of the preparation and due diligence.