Snowflakes That Stay On My Nose and Eye Lashes

Well, the title tells it all.  The forecast for Tulsa was snow, snow, and more snow!  We are sitting here with 14 inches of snow. I know that does not impress my sister-in-law in Chicago, but it is a lot here.  Tulsa is shut down with forecasts calling for at least two more rounds of flurries before the week is up.

This is a good time to have a cuppa Java and blog about Job Talk. 

Obviously, weather like this puts activity outside of your home out of the question.  However, downtime is good time; time to spend catching up on records, updating contact information, and sending out thank-you notes and resumes.  This also is a good time for some planning, so that when the weather clears and you can get active, you can use the time to your greatest advantage.  Remember, a job search is a full time job, and you need to treat it that way.  Just pretend you work from your home.

Speaking of records-well I was- you really need to have a good set.  First, you need to have a record of every application and resume sent out and whom you sent it to.  You never know when one of those babies will pop up with a response and depending on memory alone can leave you in an embarrassing position.  So, if you have not started keeping records, now is a good time to set some up.

Depending on how tech savvy you are your records can take many forms.  The simplest form would be a set of 3" X 5" index cards with names and contact information on the front, and notes of contacts/applications you have sent out on the back.  Stepping up from the cards you can use a ledger book, or blank journal to keep your records.  You can automate your system by using spreadsheet software like Excel to record your contacts and activities.  Finally, there are products like Outlook, and Lotus Notes to manage contacts, appointments, etc. 

Whatever approach you choose to take to records keeping, be sure to keep your records up to date.  You should schedule time every week to work on records keeping.  You can use time like the current weather shutdown to do major maintenance.  At the end of your job search, do not forget to review your contact records and send letters to every person you were in touch with during the search to let them know when and where you have "landed."  More about landing letters in another update.

A closing note -- This Saturday is the first Saturday of February, and time for a Java and Job Talk-Live session.  We will be at Panera Bread so long as weather and road conditions permit.  Watch this site for updates in case we have to cancel or postpone.