Looking for work make a list of who deserves you? Now that you have a list learn everything you can about the company, their employees and their mission and make sure you still believe they would make a mistake not hiring you. Once you have determined they do deserve you it is time to go after what you want.

Start with your family, friends and contact list including recruiters to see who may have a connection within the corporation your seeking employment and start campaigning. Once you have exhausted those efforts it doesn’t hurt to start cold calling. Make sure that your name is on the short list and in front of them at decision time. Don’t ease up on your efforts even if you have to take something else short-term to meet your immediate needs.

Be persistent without being a nuisance. This is best done by strategizing ahead of time. Develop a plan, talk it over with your mentor, coach or recruiter and stick with it until you have proven that your target companies deserve you and you will make a positive difference to their bottom line. Build a business plan for this dream job and even a job description if it doesn’t exist, don’t give away your entire hand but intrigue them enough to call you in to talk more about the ideas you sent over.

I often say that one of the most important persons in a company is the one answering the phone. In recent years the automated phone answering has driven people nuts. In fact there are websites that give phone numbers and extensions to help you get to a real person. The practicality of this may have been necessary but the impersonalness of it has been irritating. Getting a real person on the phone when you call a company, one who is friendly and helpful and knows exactly where to direct the call and is able to answer your questions is a missing element that has added to the disconnect in this digital society. We need to start connecting again.

So, when your answering your own phone answer it well and professionally at all times. If someone is irritating you with a solicitation say thank you, but no thank you – it just might be a bait to see how you act on the phone.

This is a numbers game so make sure you have some options. The more options you have (that you can manage) the better your chances. What is your conversion rate on interviews? Most my clients have a 100% conversion rate. If they land an interview they get hired. What is it that gives them the edge over others? Preparation, practice and confidence. They know before they go into the interview that the company they want to work for deserves them and they can easily convey that message because of the preparation work they have done. These well prepared clients captivate when they get in front of the goal and their confidence and homework empowers and imresses their audience and they score.

Now make a list, write the detailed description of your dream job and know you will land it!