Remember that your sudden joblessness may give you the opportunity to get into an industry that you’ve always wanted to be in.  Now, though, you have the requisite experience within one of the departments common to every company, that makes you a much more attractive candidate for that position. 

Now, you just have to be able to seize an opportunity, once you’ve identified it.  And that brings us to the third "P" - Pounce.

Pounce on That Possibility

Too many job seekers begin their search in an all-out desperation mode - thinking they have to find a job as soon as possible.  Even if that’s true in your case, if you’re not prepared to make the most out of every job-seeking situation you enter, you may end up blowing the best chance - at the best job - that you’ll ever see. 

So, take a page from the Boy Scouts: Be prepared - to pounce.  That is, prepare for the best possible scenario, as if you’re going to hit the job-seeking jackpot.  For example, what happens if the first company you contact asks you to send your resume and references right away, so the chief executive and the head of HR can look them over this morning and then have you in that afternoon? If you aren’t prepared, you can’t pounce on the prospects that may come your way.

Well, if your answer to that request is "I can e-mail whatever you’d like right now.  What time this afternoon would you like to meet?" you’re on your way.  But if the last time you looked at your resume was six years ago, during your last job search, or you last spoke to your best prospective reference three years ago (and don’t even know where they’re working today), chances are you’ll still be job hunting long after someone else is happily seated (and working) behind the desk that should have been yours.

So even before making that first call or typing in that first word for an online search, make sure that you have the following information updated, available, and ready to be sent at the drop of a hat:

1. Resume:  More than just having it updated, make sure that you know it backwards and forewords.  Be able to explain gaps in your employment history, or why you’ve recently jumped from job to job.  The best plan: Have a general template that you can individualize or customize in order to pounce on a specific job opening.  
2. Cover Letter:  In many cases, the cover letter is just as important as your resume.  It should be your Sports Center highlight reel, but it should also be concise. Like you have with your resume, prepare a cover letter template, so that you can customize information for different openings, catering your comments to specific requirements or requests.
3. References:  At a minimum, you should have the names and contact information (phone and e-mail) for three business and personal references.  For businesspeople, include their titles and company names. 
4. Samples of work:  For positions in such "creative" fields as copywriting, graphic arts, architecture, or industrial design, to name a few, you’ll be asked to submit samples of your work.  Make hardcopies and electronic files of whatever you can, so that you can submit them in multiple formats.  Never give away originals, thinking that they’ll be returned - chances are, you’ll never see them again.

In addition to having the documents and materials above ready to go with a moment’s notice, you should also have the following information and materials readily available:

1. Your schedule for the week:  If you’re asked when you’re free later in the week, you need to be able to answer that question immediately.  The worst thing you can do tell someone that you’re meeting with at that moment, or that you’re talking with on the phone, that you’ll get back to them with that information.  You may not be able to connect later, for a variety of reasons.  Then when you do re-connect, you window of opportunity may have closed. 
2. Clothes for an interview:  Some laugh at this suggestion as oh-so-obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times people will tell us that they were called in for an interview - only to realize that their best suit was still rumpled from their last interview, three weeks ago. You don’t have to go out and purchase a new suit for every interview opportunity, but if you’re asked to come in to talk that day, and you don’t have time to wash, iron or otherwise clean appropriate clothing, you run the risk of making a bad impression - and losing the job.

Don’t Give Up

It goes without saying that this is one of the toughest and most-challenging periods U.S. job seekers have faced. But it also goes without saying that you can’t give up. That’s why the fourth of our four insights - the "Four P’s" is perseverance. Hope for the best, but don’t be discouraged if no job offer is immediately forthcoming. Prepare for the long haul by following the game plan we’ve identified, and use that as a survival kit that will get you through to the long run, where those who persevere usually win.

(By Wayne Eillis)