You are in a contest. The rules for your contest are exactly the same as for those of the gladiators in the days of the Roman Empire. The last person standing wins! Your competitors’ main objective and yours are exactly the same. You must avoid being eliminated. They don’t hire two people for the same job.

     Every action you take, or fail to take, will either keep you in the running or eliminate you from consideration. Actually, there may be better candidates than you in the contest. However, if they eliminate themselves because they didn’t follow the rules in this book, then you win.

     Therefore, the main purpose of this book is threefold. First, we will show you how to keep from being eliminated. Second, we will describe techniques you can employ to speed your search. Third, we will illustrate techniques you will use in your interview and negotiation sessions that will cause you to come away with a better package than you hoped for.

     The following exercises and supporting narrative will help you understand:

• How committed you really are to this search.
• How long it should take you to complete your search.
• An approximate estimate of your financial readiness for the search.
• What specific tasks must be done daily and weekly.
• The amount of time to be allocated to each required task.

The Real Job Search Puzzle

• What supplies are needed to complete the search.
• How to avoid common search effort mistakes.

     First, I want you to understand that no one is too good, makes too much money, or is too exalted to participate fully in these exercises. If they seem silly, or beneath you, don’t be fooled. All of my clients, including those exceeding $300,000 salaries, do them.

     These exercises will bring focus to your job search. Focus facilitates action and meaningful action will cut your search time by up to 40%. Last, let’s not forget the increased financial rewards attached to a successful search effort.