Stage 5 - Target the Best-Fit Opportunities and Companies

The secret here is to be 90% proactive and only 10% reactive. Spend your time proactively identifying the situation you want. Don't spend a lot of time reacting to listings on huge job boards.

Tips

• Target by Networking
• Get an Inside Coach
• Should You Become a Free Agent?

Success Stories

• Linda Gets an Inside Coach

Resources

• Internet Public Library
• American City Journals
• America's Service Locator

• Determine the ten 10 key criteria related to your ideal situation. If it's a more traditional employment role (full- or part-time), think about the size of the firm (number of employees, annual sales), public or privately held, geographical location.
• If it's starting your own business, are you to be the sole owner, is it brick-and-mortar or online, and how many employees do you want to manage? If it's volunteering or mentoring, what is the mission, how many people are involved, etc.?
• Now, identify at least 10 organizations or firms that meet your criteria, and focus on them. There are a number of tools to help you narrow your search, both online and off.
• If you head to your local library, stay focused and don't wing it: Ask the research librarian to show you all relevant publications and online resources of organizations and firms that fit your own criteria.
• Devote the time to do exhaustive research on each one of the 10 targets you select. Your goal is to learn so much about each target that you can begin to clearly understand who they are and where they are headed.

Then and only then, will you begin to get clear ideas as to how you and your brand will bring value to them.

What? You already gathered all the public information when you were selecting your targets? Well, remember all those people you contacted back in Stage 2? If you made your goodwill deposits in the connection bank, now's the time to make some information withdrawals.

Ask these folks for their take on your targets. Maybe they know the firm or at least know the industry well enough to help in your research efforts, or—worst case—point you in the right direction.

As for the reactive approach, go ahead and spend a little (no more than 10%) of your time with online job boards, one-stop career centers run by nonprofits and government, Chamber of Commerce networking groups, and the like.

You've probably heard the real-estate adage that the three most important things are "location, location, location." At this stage of your Career Change, the watchword is "focus, focus, focus."

---