| If you're in job search mode, you should create a | | | | binders. Buy a 3-hole punch, and multiple sets of |
| binder - your very own Career Transition Binder. | | | | divider tabs. The following list provides the |
| I've found that there are two types of job | | | | suggested sections for organizing your Career |
| seekers: those who create a binder to keep track | | | | Transition Binder. Adapt it as you see fit: |
| of all their networking, interviewing, career | | | | * Accomplishment Stories |
| documents, lists, and contacts in one place - and | | | | * Positioning/Departure Statements |
| those who don't. | | | | * Professional Biography |
| Guess which group tends to make more | | | | * Target Companies |
| progress, get more interviews, land great jobs | | | | * Contact List |
| more quickly, and negotiate better deals? Yup - | | | | * Networking Contacts |
| the binder people! | | | | * Professional Reference List |
| Think you can track and manage all this | | | | * Letters of Reference |
| information "electronically" - on your Smart Phone, | | | | * Resume |
| PDA or Netbook? Think again! I've had plenty of | | | | * Self Assessments |
| technology-savvy clients try to do this, but it | | | | * Networking Agenda/Script |
| never works. They ALWAYS wind-up using a | | | | * Networking Records and Notes |
| paper-based organization system, in the form of | | | | * Follow-up Tracking System |
| their own Career Transition Binder. | | | | * Copies of Written and E-mail Correspondence |
| Your Career Transition Binder will help keep you | | | | * Master List of All Jobs You're Actively Pursuing |
| organized and allow you to know where | | | | * Interview Notes |
| everything is. Think of it as "Command Central" | | | | * Articles and Research |
| for your entire career transition campaign. After | | | | * Job Postings |
| all, you need to take your career transition as | | | | * Recruiters |
| seriously as any REAL job you're ever going to | | | | * Ideas/Notes |
| have. Treat it like a work project! | | | | * Inactive Section (Don't throw anything away!) |
| People who create and use their Career Transition | | | | Once you've built your Career Transition Binder, |
| Binder find themselves taking it everywhere they | | | | keep re-organizing and re-prioritizing the |
| go - to the library, to coffee shops, to networking | | | | documents as you make progress and as new |
| meetings. Sometimes, they even take it on | | | | opportunities arise. This will serve as your |
| interviews. | | | | portable, 3-dimensional "database" and job search |
| It's wise to set-up this system early - before you | | | | pipeline, so you'll always know where you stand |
| need it. Before you're drowning in handwritten | | | | and what's next with any prospective opportunity. |
| scraps of paper, notes to yourself on the backs | | | | In the job search, it seems that half the battle is |
| of envelopes, loose business cards of people | | | | getting - and staying - "super organized." Your |
| you've met, and stray Post-It® Notes. | | | | Career Transition Binder is still the best, most |
| Go to your favorite office supply store and get a | | | | effective tool for doing this! |
| few 2-inch, heavy-duty, "D-ring" professional | | | | |