DALE: I’ve been writing about careers for over a decade now, and, in that time, the best summary of a job search came from Mike of Colorado.

JT: When Dale showed me this one, I knew we had to pass it along because Mike conducted the perfect job search – he laid out just what he wanted and how to get it, and then worked his plan.

DALE: We particularly want you to notice what he says in reflecting back on his search: “Toward the end I was actually enjoying meeting all the contacts. That was a surprise to me since I am not normally an outgoing personality.” Thanks to the perfect search – he didn’t just find a job, he created a better life.

He’s how Mike summed up his search, in his own words…

“In June I walked off a perfectly good, high paying job in Denver because I wanted a simpler life in a small mountain town near Vail, Colo. Since I am 50 years old and did not know anyone in the town I moved to, I knew the search would be a full time job and difficult in spite of my 25 years of experience and MBA. I read your column every week and tried to follow your instructions. Specifically:

• I moved to the town I wanted to live in. I thought employers would take me seriously if I first showed the commitment to the community.

• I contacted my network of business associates in Denver to get names of people in the mountains to talk to. I then used those contacts as a starting point in the mountains.

• Much of the summer was spent taking a series of Continuing Ed. Classes and re-activating my CPA license. I hoped this would provide evidence of commitment to continuous learning.

• Through meetings with local bankers I determined there were five broad industries that provided possible matches for my talents. Now I knew where to focus my search. Since I did not have extensive or recent experience in any of these, I was prepared for an entry level position.

• I answered a few newspaper ads when I thought they were a good match. This resulted in three in-person interviews for jobs that would have been okay, but not a great match. Two of the interviews provided more networking contacts.

• Cold calling got me in for one interview just because my timing coincided with one of their employees resigning.

• Early networking and interviews helped me to refine my 30 second intro and narrow my focus on what I wanted in my next job. With practice I was able to clearly and confidently tell people what I was looking for.

• Networking got me to one job a little late. They filled the position just as I was starting the process. But they liked me enough to refer me to another job opening at a different company.

• At the same time, another networking contact referred me to the same company. Now I had two network contacts into the same company. This would result in a job offer that I just accepted. The position pays more than most jobs in the community and puts me in a position where I will learn a lot about the industry very quickly. It is just about the best job I could have hoped for.

• While I was working that job possibility, I kept up the search, which resulted in an interview opportunity with a different company. I remembered to “not stop the search until you have the job offer in writing”. I was actually disappointed to call them and tell them I already had a job offer.

In five months of effort, I tracked every contact, meeting, e-mail, ad answered, etc… The number was a surprisingly small: 168. I decided quality was better than quantity. When I first started the process I told myself I would not get discouraged until the number hit at least 350. I didn’t even get close. Toward the end I was actually enjoying meeting all the contacts. That was a surprise to me since I am not normally an outgoing personality.

Just wanted you to know that somebody out there is listening to your advice - and that it works.”

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM MIKE?

JT: Here’s someone who really understands what it takes to start afresh in a new community. When you can call 168 contacts “surprisingly small,” then you know you have someone who was committed to a full search.

DALE: And notice how he tried everything, worked every angle. Even when he’d found a job, he kept going, knowing that many job offers never materialize, and that once you have an offer, that can start a bidding war for your services.

We’d love to hear you success story – please visit www.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, www.jtodonnell.com.

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 www.dauten.com.