Thinking outside your job search box

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I was attending a retail sales seminar and the presenter asked, "Does anyone know the definition of 'insanity'?" Although the man sitting next to me muttered, "Me, being at this seminar." the answer was:"Insanity is when you keep doing things the same way yet you expect different results."Since I've been in sales my entire life, I've heard that adage many times, and since job searching is selling, it definitely applies to you. "Think outside the box!" the seminar leader says. I say, "Do what others fail to do." It can be said in many ways, but if what you are doing isn't working, you must make changes. It doesn't help to blame non-action or the economy or the unemployment rate. Do what you have to do, and don't skip steps. Dear Mr. Walberg:I've been on several interviews and am always told that I'm being considered, but I never get called back for second interviews. I hesitate to keep calling a company back for fear of being a nuisance. I know everyone's busy. If I'm always "being considered", how come I get no offers? -- E-mail from K.M., Birmingham, Ala. Dear K.M.:You don't call back because you don't want to be a nuisance? Do you hear tiny violins playing in the background? Be a nuisance if you're good at what you do. Send a thank you note the same day of the interview, and then call back about four days later. Make your pitch, and then close your sale. You're not being a nuisance; you're being a person who can get a project completed. You're being a sales person! There's a difference between being obnoxious and being assertive. If you believe in your ability to get a job done, be assertive. You're doing the recruiter a favor by selling yourself -- then, both of you can move on to more productive activities, like making a livingWhen the things you keep doing don't work, get out of the box and do what others fail to do. It's insanity to keep on keeping on and expect things to change. Sure, you might get lucky, but luck usually changes as a result of hard work and persistence. Think about it.(Marvin Walberg is a job search consultant based in Birmingham, Ala. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 43056, Birmingham, AL, 35243. E-mail him at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net.)