Let People Know You Are Looking 

You know it when you are out of work, yet few others do. That is why no one is banging on your door, asking to hire you. You need a straightforward way to let people know without putting pressure on them. 

One of the easiest ways is using an ‘Elevator Pitch.’ The elevator pitch is easy to do and has a return on investment. The best part is that you can do this without an elevator. Your Pitch is the time it takes an elevator to go up or down a couple of floors.  

You should have some business cards made. The card should have your name, contact information (phone #, email address, and, if you want, your address. Show your current job on the card as Job Seeker. It is just something so that a potential employer can reach you. You can make them on your computer and print them on business cardstock. 

The speech goes like this: 

Hi, I am __ (Your Name) __ and I work with (tell them your job or what you did.) I am presently looking for work and wonder if you may know someone who could use a person with my skills. 

Give the person your card and ask them to please pass it on if they find someone who might need a good worker like you. 

Here is the surprising part. Within about two weeks, the person runs across someone looking for a worker with your skills. Not always, yet more often than you would imagine.  

Do not stop other work to find a job. Work with everyone and every agency you can. The Pitch is just one more way to get your word out. Use it whenever you have a good feeling about someone or are talking to someone in a business that uses people with your talents. 

Tomorrow we will talk about job fairs. 

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Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.

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