The background: Matt is a senior level executive able to command a considerable salary in the tech field. He has a rolodex as big as many New York City kitchens. Most importantly, Matt’s found every job through his network and knew that this time would be no different.

So what does an outplacement firm suggest? Get this. The outplacement firm suggested Matt create a one-page marketing sheet, listing the jobs he wanted and the companies he’d like to connect with.  For those of you unfamiliar with this tool, the logic is that by handing someone a list, she will more quickly and easily think of you when an opportunity comes along.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I’ve heard about this strategy before, and never suggest it to my clients. On the surface it seems harmless enough, but it backfires.

One Page Marketing Sheets Fail Because:

• It’s All About You.
  
• You Appear Lazy. Use LinkedIn to find out who is in your extended network. Use networking to determine the needs of the person, company, industry; and build relationships. If you need to show someone what you can do, send a professionally created resume – that’s what it’s for! A marketing sheet as hand-out comes across as though you expect someone else to do your homework for you.
• It’s Impersonal. Make yourself memorable by being personal. A straightforward e-mail and solid resume do more to communicate who you are than a list.

How do you tell good advice from bad? What’s the worst career advice you’ve heard?

Myths
I enjoy debunking myths. In fact, I make a living doing just that.
Two career myths needing to be tossed are:
1.    “I need to follow my passion” and
2.    “I have to find the right job”
To those of you who have uttered those thoughts, say it with me now, “What a bunch of crap!” How the heck are you supposed to follow your passion or find the right job if you have no idea what that is? Talk about making you crazy. I exchanged ideas about this with Mike Rowe at the EG, whose show “Dirtiest Jobs” is about passionate people doing unexpected jobs.

Try on these truths instead:
•    You bring your energy and smarts to a position, not the other way around
•    You will never know what you like to do unless you start doing something
•    Whatever job you do matters less than paying attention to what you enjoy and dislike while in that job

Have you always known what you wanted to do? You are the exception, and may have it toughest in the current economy. Be persistent and patient.  If your clear goal is elusive, locate a related position for now.

Consider the Unexpected
Everyone looking for a job, especially experienced hires, is forced to be flexible. This marks a change from life moving in a predictable linear direction (high school, college, find a job) and is a painful adjustment. As a career coach, my clients who are finding jobs (yes, in this environment) are those who quickly let go of preconceived ideas, and engage their network. Practically, this means seeking jobs overseas, in a new city, focusing on growth industries such as energy and technology, working as a form of service – in the government or as a teacher – and seeing the relationships between their experience and a different field.

Four Steps to Overcome Job Search Paralysis
If you have no idea what you might enjoy, here’s how to begin:
1.    Determine what you value in work – it’s as simple as asking yourself what you liked and disliked working in the past. Make lists of each. Even what most people think of as great jobs can include things you may find boring (doctors do a lot of paperwork); the unexpected job may excite you more.
2.    My favorite assessment tool right now is Kolbe’s A Index with Career MO+, which lists specific careers that match your learning, communication and interaction styles. It takes 10 minutes. Note: Kolbe Index is different than Myers-Briggs, and the writer is not associated with either.
3.    Based on this, pick three fields you would like to explore and target small to medium-sized organizations and opportunities overseas
4.    Start talking to people about your ideas

Decision-making is never made with complete information. If you experience a sense of fear because you are concerned you won’t be able to predict how much you’ll enjoy a position, don’t fret. Humans are notoriously bad at predicting what makes us happy. Make a decision. That’s the surest way to learn if you’ll like a position.

Approximately 2000 people attended, up from 1200 last year (65% increase). Of the attendees my guess is that 75% were either class of 2009 or within 7 years of graduation. About 85% of participants were female. The organizations represented a wide variety of career choices and industries. Who had the longest lines of prospectives with resume at the ready? The US Department of State (think Homeland Security) and the US Department of Justice.  Other non-profits included the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA),  Common Cents and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

So why did I bother to attend a career fair? First of all, some of clients decided to check it out and I wanted to offer my morale support while they did the work of moving elbow-to-elbow with other well-educated, eager searchers. Second, I knew I would learn a great deal.

Before you shrug off a career fair, here’s how to use it to your advantage:

1. Presence and Pitch. Be aware of how you approach the table and be mindful that these folks are working as hard as you are. A smile, strong handshake and positive demeanor go a long way. I overheard a seeker harass a rep about their internship requirements. What did the person behind the table do? She stood up, stated curtly that she had given all the information she could, and moved on to the next person.  By pitch I mean practice using different one-sentence introductions. You will quickly find which one(s) roll off your tongue.
2. Get the Title and Free Advice. Ask what the most appropriate position for you is in their organization. Literally. This verbage may be, “Hi, I’m Grace. I’m an expert grant-writer and researcher (fill in your skills). What position in your organization do you think best matches my strengths?” Notice you are NOT asking which OPEN position best matches. The answers may be something like, “Policy Analyst” or “Development”. Now you have the information to locate positions on the organizations web site that best match your skills (no more searching blindly).  You also have a strong foothold to ask more questions, such as, “Do you know who is the best person for me to talk to in that division?” and “How does my resume look to you?” The people I saw were eager and happy to help. You’re creating the possibility to continue the dialogue.
3. Interview Practice and Resume Review. If you have not interviewed in the past few weeks, get thee to a career fair and practice. The more you tell your story, the easier and more natural it sounds.
4. Not Alone. Recognize that as of right now, and increasingly so over the next year, you are one of many overqualified people looking for a job. You are not alone. Employers know this and, my personal belief is that they will become more comfortable hiring the overqualified. Attending a career fair is a great way to see that you are in good company and that nothing is wrong with you.

If you attend a career fair, your goal is to leave with a better understanding of which organizations you would enjoy working for, contacts at those organizations, and with the ability and knowledge to present yourself as a stronger candidate. Try to attend one that is smaller and not open to the general public, such as one sponsored by your alma mater or professional society. Hint: these ‘closed’ career fairs often ask for a school ID or to see your resume in order to verify your alma mater.

I had. I was scanning the gray and brown toned jungle floor around me. I heard something. I ran up the trail, crunching leaf-litter under my thick boots to catch up with him. When I’m in the jungle in Laos,  or anywhere, I listen to the guide. That’s why I’ve hired him.

“Why?”

“Snakes.”

Snakes, cobras specifically, are a good reason to keep moving. Cobras use vibrations to locate friend, foe and prey. What my guide was conveying with those two words was that cobras use their bodies to determine how near or far a creature is by the strength and frequency of the vibrations it feels through the ground. The cobra would know when I stopped and be able to pinpoint my location.

“Don’t worry. You are faster.”

Really? OK. Good. That’s very good! Humans can outrun a cobra strike because we are about 4x faster. It’s the shock that slows us down. The shock of seeing a large cobra raise its body and look right at you. Um yes. I’d say that’s shocking!

I’m working with many clients who have lost their jobs and are shocked. Shocked by the lay-off, shocked by the loss of colleagues, shocked by the job market. Who wouldn’t be? I’ll tell you though, those who are getting the interview and the new job are the ones who get moving.  They get a plan. Like cobras, they use vibrations to create a picture of what they want. In a nod to one of my influences, Law of Attraction (LOA), it’s worth saying that the first to determine how they want to feel during their job search and new job, are the first to feel it, create the vibration, and achieve success.