How to get a job and progress your career. No CV required.

As I said earlier...there are more opportunities than what you know about. This is your opportunity to look outside the box.

Get your form and 'brain dump' ANY jobs that you would do. DON'T BE FUSSY! Writing down anything gets you started and we need some ideas for for the bottom of the list when we prioritise these.

Get the form - and start filling in job possibilities for you!

I moved town once and had no existing networks and no job, so I got out the yellow pages and just flicked through from the start writing down anything that took my interest. After about a week of calling people out of the yellow pages I had nothing. But 2 weeks later somebody called me back, and they hired me, and even better they hired both me and my mate so we got to work together.

Go through anything that will prod your brain. TradeMe, eBay, Seek, whatever! It doesn't even have to be from your country - it's not about who is hiring! It's about what you might just enjoy! Keep going until you have 30+ ideas.

**Post up in the comments section any of the places you found useful to help you think outside the box!

So, you have used your brain to do this, but don't leave it there, your view of yourself is limited. Just like you can't see the back of your head, you can't see what other things you might like or be good at so it's time for some research!

Go talk to your brother, sister, mother, uncle, old boss - anyone that you trust to give you some feedback and ask them:

• What do you think I'd enjoy doing?
• What do you think I am good at?
• What do you think I should avoid?!

Add these to your list!

I've noticed that some people are quite 'blind' to themselves and don't really know what bring's them to life. Learning about yourself in this way might require a professional to help you - I am one of those and very good at that so feel free to contact me if you want a hand.

Just for fun - and to inspire yourself and others - comment in the discussions about the crazyiest, or coolest job you have ever come across!

A few brain barriers that can stop us getting the jobs we are good enough for!

No point chasing all of these, let's get the best job possible.

Put them in order. 1-30.

Don't be too fussy about how your prioritise, just trust the process and pick a top 10. Consider balancing speed versus ideals. If you are in a hurry to get work, perhaps pick the ones you think you will get the quickest. If you are in no hurry, put you fav's first!

As always - update your form!

Companies hate to, and should avoid, hiring off of CV's and interviews. They will get a better cultural fit if they hire from networking as anyone recommended to them will have been done because a person intuitively thinks they will fit in! This course is about positioning yourself to be that person who get's recommended for a position.

I'm sure you have a presentable CV and have applied for jobs already, and if not, I would say don't even bother until you have tried these steps. I have had about 8 different jobs and have hardly needed a CV. Sure I have one, and it's up to date and tidy but that's it.

Hiring is EXPENSIVE for companies. They want to get it right. They don't want to spend hours interviewing people who tell them a bunch of BS after having read their BS CV. They want to hire people they like that will fit well into their organisation.

You are one step closer to being that person!

Time to write a list of your job hunting assets :)

First, look at your top ten jobs, and with those in mind start looking through your 'people' and writing down names in your form.

You might think "I don't know many people." but this isn't true. Consider all these networks that you have....

• phone contacts
• email contacts
• facebook
• linkedin
• family and their connections
• friends and their connections
• partners and their connections
• your cats friends and the other cats they fight with at night when you are trying to sleep

Good job - so list them all in the form, with their phone numbers.

It's time to let the dust settle, and wait for some of these seeds to grow. But, it's not time to give up. You still have the rest of your list of ideals and more contacts. I'd recommend now working through your second tier of options. Be a bit less fussy, and try some more far-fetched ideas and opportunities. You never know! Some of the best jobs and contracts I have picked up have been from things I have followed up that I didn't think I would ever get!

Let me be clear. Don't just wait. Be patient but don't do nothing. I remember watching somebody who was trying to get a job, and they would apply for one job by CV, wait to hear back, and then apply for another. It took them YEARS to get a job. Don't do that. Keep networking - if you are currently between jobs, then your job is to network. You don't have to do it 8 hours a day but I recommend doing it from 8-12 every weekday! Then spend the rest of your day learning, or doing things that stimulate your brain, body, and soul! I have done some of my best networking on surf trips :)

Now try for your second tier!

Time to get some coffee, well it doesn't have to be coffee but it's time for some conversations that may or may not turn into anything. It's important that you take this attitude with it. These are not interviews. They are not applications. They are simply a coffee with an agenda, and the agenda is to see what opportunity might eventuate.

So get your list of people and prioritise them - pick the top 10 - then PHONE them. Don't just text or email. Pick up the phone! If they don't answer leave a message/and or text/email but make an effort - show them it's important by making the call.

Remember here that you are not putting them out or asking a favour - you might be just the right person for a job and really help them out, or they might end up recommending your for a position and their boss might really appreciate that. Or, if nothing else, people like to help people and you are offering them an opportunity to enrich your life, and while that might sound a bit cheesy, if you make that clear to them, they will get a buzz from it. (time I called compitition from school)

When you are calling you are only asking for a catch up over coffee - perhaps just 15min to see if they have some ideas or connections to help you with some career questions you have.

Then, go have some 'coffees'. Be sure to go in armed with some direct questions to get what you need out of the time. Personally I write my questions down before hand otherwise I forget. Try some of these depending on the context of the conversation:

1. Do you know of anyone offering something like...?
2. What's the job like?
3. Would I suit it?
4. How could I fit in?
5. Do you know anyone else that might know?
6. What's the best way I contact them?
7. How do you get into a job like this...?

High chance that by now you might have got a job by now, or at least planted the seeds that will get you employed. It might not be your ideal job, but you are one step closer. I don't pretend this is a silver bullet guaranteed to get you a job, but I believe it will help!

It's time to be grateful. Two reasons. Reason one, it's scientifically proven to be good for your brain and make you happier, which will not only make you happier, but will also make you interview better. Reason two, showing your gratitude to those that helped you network will make them feel good, and remind them of you and your need for a job :-)

So, take the time every day to note 3 things you are grateful for, and write a note/email/text to everybody that helped you along the way! You can check this off in your form!

If you have found this course helpful you are also welcome to thank me, and rate this course so others know about it's value.

Thanks, and all the best in your career!