All Steps 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
Step 4 – Setting up Your Office
| Objective: | To give you an “office” to go to. Establish a place of focus where you cannot be distracted with all the “chores” you may want or may be asked to do.
Getting your next job… is a job! To have a place with all the necessary tools for you to use from now on. This may not be your last career transition! The days of working for the same employer until retirement are over. You can and will create your next possibility. You are your own CEO now and having a home office to work from is essential. It is the perfect time to do exactly what you want to do, in line with your values and your expertise and natural behavioral tendencies. There will be many distractions for you to manage. You will need to dedicate a space in your home for managing your career campaign. Trying to use your child’s computer or one centrally located family computer will not work. It is time to have a dedicated internet connected computer, printer, files, desk, room, phone, and supplies. |
| Time: | Unknown. This will depend upon your individual situation. Recommended time is to have a work space within 2 weeks. |
| Instructions: | Read the suggested guide below and work with your family to create a private space for you work from. If you need to invest in a computer and printer, by all means, this is the time! |
| Finish: | You should be dedicating no more than 4 hours a day to internet job searching, but this should be your sanctuary for business, today and in the future. |
| Next Step: | Once you complete your office set up, you will be ready to continue on to Step 5, 6, 7 and 8.
The next activities are critical to preparing your resume, interview skills, networking, cover letters and positioning you in the market place. This is how we begin the resume development process. You will be watching a short explanatory video for each section moving forward. |
Below is a quick office set-up guide:
| • | Professional voice mail | |
| • | Computer | |
| * | Office suite software (word processor, spreadsheet, …; e.g. MS Office, OpenOffice (free), Google Docs (free), Apple iWork ) |
|
| • | Printer (there are nice multi-function printers that print, scan, and fax at decent costs nowadays) |
|
| * | Internet connection, fast | |
| >> More on information technology, from our Technology Services division | ||
| • | Private area with ample working space | |
| • | Pens, writing paper, pencils, stamples, paper clips | |
| • | 3-ring binder and hole puncher | |
| • | Stamps | |
| • | Quality resume paper and envelopes | |
| • | Copy paper for printing drafts etc | |
| • | Filing system established | |
| • | Appointment calendar or iPod | |
| • | Book for collecting business cards, or a scanner so you can keep them electronically. |