In this lecture Paul Sloane wraps up the 11‑step job‑search framework by detailing steps 10 and 11. Step 10 stresses the importance of staying focused and persistent when faced with repeated rejections: keep a weekly application target, continuously improve LinkedIn and CV, and maintain a positive mindset that the right job exists but hasn’t been found yet. Step 11 introduces the concept of a realistic Plan B – an alternative career route if the primary job search stalls. He suggests exploring consulting, volunteering, part‑time work, teaching, or starting a business, especially for older job‑seekers or those whose market signals indicate a mismatch. Sloane then recaps the full 11‑step checklist, covering identification of transferable skills, crafting a concise “TEAM‑A” pitch, setting measurable objectives, optimizing CV/LinkedIn for SEO, aggressive networking, mass applications, thorough interview preparation, and finally, balancing persistence on Plan A with readiness to pivot to Plan B. The lecture ends with encouragement to use the provided worksheets and slides to systematically work through each step.
Chapters
So, we've now completed 9 of the 11 steps. You've been to interview, you went through all of that pain, and maybe you didn't get the job. Maybe they gave it to somebody else. So, let's look at step 10 in the 11-step plan, and this is an important step. Stay focused. It's a long and difficult journey, and many people become downhearted when they get rejected. But rejection comes with the territory. It's quite normal that you're going to find that you won't be accepted. And in fact, very often you will apply and you won't hear anything. And some people get very upset and feel insulted about this. But trust me, it's quite normal. So the message here is don't let rejection get you down. You've just got to bounce back. It's tough. I know it's tough, but you've got to keep your nose to the grindstone, keep your hands pushing the wheel, You've got to be persistent, and this is a real test of your character and your inner strength, really, because you want to get back into work, you want to get a job, and you're not getting any kind of response. So, keep working your plan. Plan your work and work your plan. So, you've got objectives, you've got a number of applications to make every week, you've got research to do, you've got LinkedIn to work on, you want to improve your profiles, you want to get more recommendations, all of these things. Keep working on those tasks. And tell yourself this: there's a great job out there for me. I just haven't found it yet. And that is the key in step 10. Stay focused. Stay with the program. Keep pushing down that path. Because often it takes longer than you might think. And I've worked with people, it's taken them 6 months, 9 months longer But eventually, they've landed a very good job. And it's been, it's been a tough journey, but it's worth being persistent. So don't give up. So that's the 10th stage of the 11-stage plan. And the 11th step, you might think, is a bit odd because in some senses it contradicts what I've just said. But step 11 is this. Sometimes you need to have a Plan B. If you've been trying to— if you've been applying for positions as a brain surgeon for the last 6 months and you're getting nowhere, maybe it's because you're not cut out to be a brain surgeon. Maybe you don't have the qualifications. Maybe it's just not right. So, you should push and push and push and stay focused, but eventually, you need to develop an alternative, a Plan B. Perhaps you should be applying for a different kind of position in a different kind of industry. A different kind of sector. But very many people, especially people, older people, people north of 50, use the opportunity when they've been made redundant to start out as a consultant. It's effectively what I did. Or they do some volunteering or a mix of consultancy and volunteering. They might work part-time doing something entirely different. A friend of mine worked as an HR director for a big brewery for many years. He got fed up of all the politics, and he went away and started his own bed and breakfast, a little like an Airbnb, but providing breakfast down in the southwest of England. He and his wife loved it. It was a complete change of pace and change of work for them. Starting your own business. Many people start their own business following a redundancy. If you've got particular skills, particular experiences, It can be a great opportunity. It's very hard starting your own business. Very often new businesses fail, but you meet people who've said, the best thing that ever happened to me was when I was laid off from my job at that telecoms company. I started my own job doing my own consulting and working with my own products and colleagues, and it's the best thing that happened to me. So consider other options, especially if the market's telling you, that you're not being successful in Plan A. So focus on Plan A, push on very hard on Plan A, work it, work it, work it, but be prepared to consider Plan B. And that's really important, and think about it. Maybe in a completely different field. Maybe you've thought about teaching before, now you want to become a teacher because you can teach maths, or you can teach English, or you can teach Spanish, something different which appeals to you and which uses some of your skills in a completely different field. So, here's the 11 steps checklist, just briefly to summarize and to end this. First of all, identify your transferable skills. What are the things that you're good at which are going to be useful to employers? Not experiences, not attributes, not motherhood, but specific, transferable skills. Write out and practice saying your TEAM-A. You'll find there's lots of opportunities to use it. The more you've practiced it, the better you get, and it's very, very useful. It just focuses you on the key points of what's special about you and what your achievements are. Set yourself objectives: applications, networking, connections, recommendations, research, learning, all sorts of different things, but set your own objectives and monitor your progress against those and hold yourself to account. Sharpen your CV. Make sure it's got the keywords for search engine optimization that people are going to search for high up in your profile on your CV or your resume, high up on your LinkedIn profile as well. Network like crazy. Connect with all the people you've ever known. Meet the key people, connect with lots of people, let them know what you're looking for. Master LinkedIn, become an expert at LinkedIn, spend a lot of time on it, work on your profile, keep refreshing your profile every week, change it, that helps it move up in the searches apparently if you just change one word. Work on connections, work on recommendations, work on using it to research targets, companies that you'd like to work for, people you'd like to connect with. And apply, apply, apply. Make lots of applications, even for things that aren't ideal for you. And the process itself is good. A lot of applications will go nowhere. You'll get a lot of rejections, but the more applications you make, the more you increase your chance of being called for interview. When you are called for interview, prepare very carefully. Invest time researching the company, researching the sector. What's happening in that sector at the moment? What's happening with the company? Have they taken somebody else over? Is there a new CEO? Is there a new direction? The more that you know about the company and the sector, the more intelligent and informed you will appear at interview. But research the interviewer as well. And sparkle at interview. Come across as somebody positive and enthusiastic who wants the job, who's interested, who's intelligent, who's a problem solver. You're in there to solve their problems. You understand their problems, and you display that by asking intelligent questions. And stay focused. Don't let rejections get you down. Everyone gets rejected. You have to keep plugging away. Keep focused on Plan A. Keep working it. If things aren't working, ask yourself why. Maybe you need to refine your CV. Maybe you need to focus in a slightly different area, but keep working at it. And finally, have a Plan B in your back pocket if necessary, and as time goes on, maybe you should develop more in that Plan B. Speak to people about what's involved in starting your own business. Doing your own consulting or whatever else. So all of this is in the worksheet, the activity sheet, which is a part of this particular lecture. All of the slides are there for you to download, to make notes on, and to revise. You've got a lot of work to do. I would recommend that you start on that. You work through the plan one step at a time. You revisit this You go back through the steps, and I'm confident that if you work this plan very diligently and carefully from day to day, it will significantly increase your chances of landing a great, great job. And I think you can do that. You've shown that you've got the aptitude to work your way through this course, so there's no reason why you shouldn't get a job. So I'd like to wish you good luck and great success. in your hunt for a job.
