JT: Today’s success story comes from Jim Heggie, who’s from northern Washington state. Here’s what he was up against, in his own words:

After 33 years in finance in government and non-profit settings, my organization downsized and I found myself 57 and looking for a job. I had taken early retirement from local government, but had a young family and still wanted to be doing something productive. So, I saw myself as having a double challenge:

1) How to show potential employers that at 57, I was still interested in contributing for another 8-10 years and wasn’t just looking for someplace to supplement my income for a few years and then quit, and

2) With a master’s degree and 33 years experience, how to convince them that I was available for a wide range of types of work and wasn’t seeking to jump right back into middle management.

DALE: Jim describes his as a “traditional approach” to a search, with the typical sources. Because he felt that networking was his weakest area, he concentrated on research. HE had the advantage of his retirement income, so he was able to search full-time. He also told us this: “I am a religious person and I devoted a regular time of prayer to the search.”

He also told us:

I took advantage of web and print columns such as this one to stay abreast of current job hunting wisdom, get encouragement and to stay fresh in my presentation. One of JT’s comments caught my eye and I took advantage of the offer to email her with questions. Her reply not only covered the question, but added some “out of the box” thinking that added a significant insight to my search. The result was following up on a lead I would otherwise probably have missed and which led to an interview and a job in very non-traditional field for me.

JT: The comment that Jim found useful pertained to some suggestions I gave him on how to use various components of his past work experiences to pursue new career avenues. It’s often hard for us to analyze our transferable skills, yet, it’s one of the most valuable things we can do to broaden the scope of job opportunities that would suit our needs.

I’m delighted it was of use to him.

And when I asked Jim what he had learned from his job search, he gave me this list:

First is that perception often trumps reality. One interviewer confided in me that she thought that I would be overqualified and unhappy with a position that I actually thought was very much in line with what I wanted to do.

Next, if I didn’t structure my days for the specific activities of research, calls, filling out applications and related reading, a whole day could go by with nothing getting done.

Finally, I learned to stay connected with my primary support group; family, friends and mentors and not to become isolated. Tell them what’s going on, even when it’s discouraging to tell them for the umpteenth time that I still don’t have a job and no interviews lined up.

What can we learn from Jim?

DALE: First, Jim had the luxury of his retirement income while he searched. While most people don’t have such a cash flow, a lot of successful searches include part-time jobs, consulting work, temp jobs and the like. This may slow down the search by being a distraction, but, on the other hand, if you can buy time for searching, then you can do it right, look at more jobs and not jump at the first offer.

JT: Notice what Jim said about structure. He’s right – if you don’t have set goals for each day, the days tend to slip away and nothing gets done.

DALE: And that structure also solves the problem of telling your friend and family “I still don’t have a job.” You can keep score. (For a great example of this, read the success story we call “A+ - The Perfect Job Search.”) That solves the problem of having every day without a job being another day of failure. If you can say, “This week I identified another 30 jobs that might suit me, and I talked to twelve people and had two interviews,” that’s a great week. Structure your day around progress and you’ll know that every day you’re getting closer to a terrific job.

We’d love to hear you success story – please visit jtanddale.com and learn how you can help and inspire those looking for a great new job.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm, jtodonnell.com, and author of, CAREEREALISM: The Smart Approach to A Satisfying Career.

Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(GREAT) EMPLOYEES ONLY: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success.” He can be found at dauten.com.

2008 by JT O’Donnell and Dale Dauten