Finding that First Job … It’s the PROCESS stupid! Or at least it should be ….

All the standard stuff applies – you’ve got to know your stuff, present yourself well, and a stellar GPA never hurts (although there are ways to neutralize a less than stellar one).  But let’s say, for the time being, that you’ve got all that under control. You need opportunities or, in baseball parlance, at-bats.  You’ll never hit a home run, or even a single, if you don’t get to take any swings.

I see lots of books, articles, and videos on “acing the interview”, but I don’t see so much on getting the interview.   The interview is what you’re after, but the interview is an outcome, an event.   There are two ways desired events happen:  luck and – drum roll — process.  

Now, I’m all for luck and I’ll take it whenever I can get it, but I know, through much practical experience, that if you want to increase your chances of getting “lucky”, work an efficient and effective process consistently.      

What exactly is a process?  A quick Google search defines process as “a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end”. Not bad, as far as it goes but I suggest we take it a bit further ….

There are many incredibly dry and painfully boring books out there on the topic of process management, but it would be a willful act of torture on my part to force that on you at this early stage.   So, let’s just cut to the chase and boil this down to the points that matter to you in your quest to find that first good job:

1. Achieve a specific End Result – For this article (and the series) it means getting “at-bats”, opportunities to land that first great job.  The key word here is specific.  Be as specific as you possibly can, knowing that you also need to maintain an open mind and be flexible. 
2. Deliberate actions and steps – The end result is the destination, specific steps and actions represent the road to get there.  They represent inputs to your process.   Here is a gem from process management that most books take hundreds of pages to get to, if they ever do.   The output (end result) achieved by a process is a function of the inputs to the process.  Consistently execute and control the inputs, and you control the output.  Think about that … more to come.
3. Consistent and disciplined.  We don’t throw things against the wall to see what sticks.   Nope, we wake up every day and work our process.  This is where you will get your EDGE ….
4. Measured.   Remember … control the inputs and you control the output?   Be smart … measure how the steps in your process are working objectively.  If they are not delivering results, change them.  There is no such thing as a perfect process … yours will constantly evolve.
5. Bonus – Write it down, don’t just wing it.  I’ll be talking more about this in future articles so stay tuned.   Trust me … it matters and is a game changer.

OK, all we’ve done here is set a foundation for process, but it’s a damned important foundation.   Here is what I know ….  Luck favors the prepared … always … and you will get far “luckier” in finding good opportunities and landing interviews if you have a good process … I guarantee it.

So, what does a first job hunting process look like …. where can you get yours?  You’re not going to like this, but here is no out-of-the-box process … you have to define your own. 

I can hear the grumbles now but knock it off …. this is a good thing!  If there was a canned process and it was easy, everyone would be doing it and it would offer you no edge …you’d just be part of the herd.  The good news is that most entry level job hunters don’t have a process at all and if you do ….. well then, your chances of getting “lucky” and outpacing the herd just went up 100-fold in my estimation.

Don’t worry … I’m not going to leave you hanging.   I will give you a process that you can make yours.   Stay tuned ….