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Career Management
One of my most successful job hunting clients explained his success this way: "I create relationships...the relationships create the jobs." 

The hardest job search is the one that begins with no network or no personal good will. Job hunters who've neglected or damaged their personal relationships tend to stay unemployed longer.

How can you develop a strong support network? Congratulate friends in writing when they accomplish something noteworthy, take new jobs, or appear in the media. They'll appreciate and remember you for it.

When you see an article by or about someone you know, clip the item and send it to them along with a note of congratulations. Even if they've saved it themselves, they'll appreciate the extra copy to share.

From time to time, send small gifts to friends, recruiters, and business acquaintances to remind them you're still around. Inexpensive books work nicely. A newspaper, magazine, or journal article counts as a gift, and unexpected gifts are especially welcome. A warm letter sets the tone.

If you write or publish something, if you're featured in a news article, if you present a professional program or appear in the media, copy the articles and programs and mail them to your network, along with a note, "Thinking of you."

In marketing personal services (job-hunting), relationships are everything. Seek opportunities to build good will for yourself in the community. You'll never be sorry.

Build Good Business Relationships
icon Begin or Expand Your LinkedIn Network
icon Congratulate Associate On New Job #1
icon Congratulate Associate On New Job #2
icon Congratulate Friend On Media Appearance
icon Newsletter To Strengthen Your Network
icon Note To Congratulate Friend On New Job #1
icon Note To Congratulate Friend On New Job #2
icon Say Thank You For Business Favor
icon Say Thank You For Calendar
icon Say Thank You For Charity Donation
icon Say Thank You For Committee Service
icon Say Thank You For Gift
icon Say Thank You For Journal Article
icon Send Gift
icon Send News Items About Yourself
icon Stay In Touch With Your Network
icon Turn Down Committee Assignment
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William S. Frank, M.A., President/CEO
25 Reasons I love consulting.
by William S. Frank
  1. Brand. You are your own brand, and you can define it any way you want. For many years, I provided outplacement to the ex-employees of Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield service corporation. When departing employees left the company, they didn't request outplacement in their severance package. They said, "I want Bill Frank."
  2. Demand. The world will always be full of terrible problems that need solving.
  3. White Hat. I can be a helper and get paid for it.
  4. Pay. I can be paid to do things I'd gladly do for nothing.
  5. Variety. Every day is different.
  6. Happiness. At this stage of my career, I only work for people I respect and care about. If a client micromanages me or is otherwise no fun, I complete the assignment and replace them.
  7. Talent. I'm using 110% of my talents and stretching myself to the max.
  8. Change. I can change my focus any day I want. If you're a McDonald's franchisee, you don't say, "Hey, I've got this great idea for a meatball sandwich—let's try it out today." In consulting you can adjust your focus hour-by-hour, as long as your clients still understand and appreciate what you do.
  9. Income. No one else would pay me as much as I pay myself.
  10. FUN. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.
  11. Retirement. I can write and consult as long as I am physically and mentally capable. Peter Drucker worked into his 90s, and when asked which book was his best, he said: "My next one."
  12. Job Security. Although clients come and go, no one can come into my office and say, "Pack up your stuff . . . You don't work here anymore." In 29 years, I've only had one employer: ME.
  13. Travel. I don't have to travel unless I decide to. I travel if it's both FUN and profitable—or at least FUN.
  14. Commute. I live five minutes from my office, a corner office in an upscale six-story tower. In winter, I leave a heated garage at home and drive to an underground heated garage at work. There's seldom time to hear even one song on the radio.
  15. Vacation. Consulting is more fun than vacation (except on Wailea Beach in Maui).
  16. Friends. I have developed hundreds of close acquaintances and several lifetime friends.
  17. Time. I can work as much or as little as I like: four-hour days or 18-hour days. (Of course, my income will reflect that.)
  18. Employees. I can work with employees, subcontractors, partners, or alone—I've done it all.
  19. Passive Income. I've developed several products that provide "mailbox money." I earn while I'm sleeping.
  20. Ethics. I've never had to violate my values or personal code of ethics. I've never had to lie, purposely deceive or harm others, or promise things I can't deliver. I go to bed with a clear conscience. That doesn't mean there's never any conflict. But the conflict is conducted according to generally accepted business practices.
  21. Virtual. My career is fairly portable. With the Internet, e-mail, cell phone, and FedEx, I can work nationally, even internationally from my office—or anywhere in the world.
  22. Purpose. I make a difference in peoples' lives every day. I see it in their faces, hear it in their voices, and read it in their thank-yous.
  23. Experience. Every painful or joyful life experience makes me a better consultant. So does every person I meet or book I read. Grey hair can be good in consulting.
  24. Structure. I have to work very hard, and the clients expect superb results—but I get to structure my days, weeks, months, and years.
  25. Boss. Most of the time, I love my boss.
As I was posting these letters online, I realized I want to communicate my love for consulting. It's just a great business. The single letters, taken together, may create a picture of enjoyment, but in a burst of creativity I listed some of the reasons consulting is such a good fit for me—and perhaps for you, too. They are not prioritized; this is just how they came out.