How to Take Advantage of Time
Time refers to the total period that you spend on your campaign, from initial planning to accepting a superior job offer. This book outlines a ten-week campaign. During this period, if you are unemployed, you can concentrate all your efforts on your campaign. You have at least eight hours a day that a significant number of your competitors do not have. This time will be of tremendous help to you. Without difficulty, you can devote a minimum of 45 hours per week to your campaign.
In contrast, if you are employed, you will have to divide your attention between your campaign and your job. It will be extremely difficult, both practically and psychologically, to work as hard as your unemployed competitors. In fact, it is unlikely that you will do so. In order to put in 45 hours a week on your campaign, you would have to work from six to eleven every night plus 20 hours every weekend.
Thus time is a tremendous ally if you are unemployed. You have it. Your unemployed competitor does not.
The Importance of Freedom of Action
If you are currently employed, your freedom of action is limited by the responsibilities of your job. You will have difficulty scheduling interviews and talking on the phone with PEs during working hours. Furthermore, a PE may ask you if your employer knows that you are seeking a new job. Such a question is difficult to answer. A "no" implies disloyalty, while a "yes" indicates that your employer intends to let you go soon anyway. Or the PE may ask if you are taking company time for the interview. To win with this question, if you aren't interviewing after hours, on weekends, or on a holiday, you had better be on vacation.
If you are unemployed, you are in no way committed to other responsibilities. You can interview any time you please, with complete freedom of action. You are free to allocate your time however you wish to support your job campaign. You are also spared the psychological strain of having to keep your actions secret from those around you.
The Importance of a Lack of Conflict of Interest
Your best chances in job hunting are with a direct competitor. That is, it will be easiest for you to find a job in a similar function, in the same industry, at the same or a slightly higher level, and in a similar-size company. But even though a competitor may be the best source for a superior job, the potential conflict of interest is obvious. If your present employer finds out that you have approached a competitor, your career may come to an abrupt halt if the potential job falls through. In discussing your background and performance with a PE, you must guard against disclosing competitive information. Your PE will also be extremely cautious. How much can he afford to tell an executive of a competing company? And if you get an offer, are you wanted for your ability or for your immediate knowledge of the PE's competition?
The same is true to some extent if you are unemployed, but the danger is reduced. Even if you've been out of work a week, your old company has had the opportunity to take internal action to guard against your going with the competition. You are no longer privy to inside knowledge and decisions at your company. The competition knows this. If you are unemployed, you are "fair game" to rival firms. Your actions in conducting your job campaign cannot in any way be construed as disloyal or as a conflict of interest.
The Importance of Determination and a Sense of Urgency
In job hunting determination and a sense of urgency are more important than you might think. This doesn't mean that you need a "killer instinct" or cutthroat aggressiveness to find a superior job. It does mean that you must maintain pressures on yourself and your PEs throughout your campaign. Many executives find it difficult to do this when they are comfortably employed on a salary. How often have you heard unhappy executives complain for years about their present job and talk about leaving without ever taking action? The term "wage slave" describes it pretty well.
When you are unemployed, you know that you must get a job and you are determined. You have a sense of urgency because you know that you have no alternative except to find a new position. These two qualities, coupled with a positive mental attitude, will assist you in finding a superior job in the shortest possible time.
The Critical Thing You Must Do If You Are Unemployed
One critical thing you must do if you are unemployed is to decide, with your former employer, on a mutually acceptable reason for your leaving. You must discuss this with your old employer, and the reason must be specific and acceptable to a PE. "It just wasn't working out" is neither specific nor acceptable. "It wasn't working out because there was more travel associated with the job than I expected" is good as long as you don't intend to look for a job that requires a lot of travel. A personality conflict with your immediate supervisor is all right, but a little dangerous. If you go this route, you should line up other supervisors who are ready to volunteer that you are easy to get along with.
Be truthful but creative. Make certain that you have your old employer's complete agreement on the reason you give. And remember, you needn't volunteer this information to a PE. But you should have it ready in case you are asked, and the reason should check out easily.
I have stressed allowing for your competition in finding a superior job, because in the real world of the job market that is how it is. If you are unemployed, the advantages of time, freedom of action, lack of conflict of interest, and determination and sense of urgency are yours. If you capitalize on them and use the techniques discussed in this book, you will be able to find your superior job in ten weeks.
