Career
The Path Forward: Career Strategies
The Employment Lexicon: 30 Essential Keywords for Careers, Recruitment, and Professional Growth
The Pen-to-Paper Solution: A 3-Step Guide to Solving Job Search Problems and Getting Hired Faster
Why Writing Down Your Problems Changes Everything
Stuck in your executive job search? Perhaps you have few networking contacts, or you freeze during interview questions. You are not alone. Job search challenges are common.
But here is a simple question: Have you ever written your specific problem on a piece of paper? Most people have not.
Writing down a problem forces clarity. Every major invention, from the atomic bomb to the Xbox, began as scribbles on paper. Your employment breakthrough can start the same way. This guide gives you a practical, three-step method to turn confusion into action.
Step 1: Ask the Right Questions (Empowering, Not Depressing)
Most job seekers sabotage themselves with negative questions. Examples:
- “Why won’t anyone hire me?”
- “How can I network when I know nobody?”
These questions lead nowhere productive.
Instead, ask questions that motivate and put you in control.
Good examples:
- “How can I give people a reason to call me with job leads?”
- “How did my ten closest friends find their current jobs? What can I learn from them?”
- “What worked in my last two job searches? How can I repeat that success?”
Key tip:
Never rely on the government, your school, parents, or family to solve your problems. Once you give up responsibility, you become a prisoner of outside forces. You alone can drive your job search.
Action step right now:
Write down at least five empowering questions about your job search. Use a notebook or digital document. Be specific to your situation.
Step 2: Brainstorm 20 Possible Answers (No Shortcuts)
From your five questions, circle the most promising one. Write it at the top of a clean page.
Example question:
“How could I give people a reason to call me with job leads?”
Now, below it, write numbers 1 through 20. Next to each number, write a possible answer. Do not stop until you have 20 answers.
Why 20?
Your brain will try to quit after two minutes. It will suggest donuts, coffee, or checking email. Thinking is hard work, like bench pressing. But pushing to 20 forces creativity. Your best idea often appears after the tenth or fifteenth attempt, right after a seemingly silly one.
Examples of answers (for the question above):
1. Host a networking party with friends and family.
2. Send a weekly “job lead swap” email to ten former colleagues.
3. Offer to write a free industry article in exchange for an introduction.
4. Create a one-page “value statement” and mail it to 50 target companies.
5. Volunteer for a nonprofit board to meet influential people.
6. Record a short video about my expertise and share on LinkedIn.
7. Ask one former boss to introduce me to three people each week.
8. Join two new professional associations and attend every event.
9. Write a LinkedIn post offering to review résumés for free (in return for leads).
10. Set up coffee chats with five people who owe me favors.
11. Start a small “job search mastermind” group that meets weekly.
12. Offer to speak at a local industry meetup.
13. Send handwritten thank-you notes to anyone who helps me.
14. Create a simple website showcasing my past results.
15. Ask my barber or hair stylist – they hear everything about local companies.
16. List my skills on a freelance platform to build visibility.
17. Reach out to a recruiter I worked with five years ago.
18. Post a “looking for opportunities” update that focuses on what I can give.
19. Invite a former client to lunch and ask for introductions.
20. Write a short guide to solving a common business problem and give it away.
Tip: Do not judge your answers while writing. Let them flow. Even wild ideas can unlock practical ones.
Step 3: Take Action on One Solution Today
From your list of 20, pick the most actionable solution. Start working on it immediately. No excuses.
Example: Host a networking party
If that is your chosen solution, break it into sub-goals:
- Make guest list (10–15 friends, family, acquaintances)
- Choose date (two weeks out)
- Send digital invitations (free tools like Evite or Paperless Post)
- Buy light snacks and drinks
- Prepare a 2-minute “what I’m looking for” speech
- Follow up with each guest after the party
Check off each sub-goal as you complete it. Within days, your party becomes real.
Then repeat:
After finishing the first solution, move to the next most promising item on your list. Continue until you are hired.
Why This Method Works
Clear thinking + continuous action = results.
Writing forces clarity. Brainstorming 20 answers breaks mental logjams. Taking immediate action builds momentum. Many executives fail because they think about solving problems but never put pen to paper.
Final Tips for Success
- Keep a job search notebook. Write down every problem, question, and brainstorm session.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes when brainstorming 20 answers. Speed over perfection.
- Share your questions with a friend. Another perspective often sparks better answers.
- Celebrate small wins. Completing one sub-goal deserves recognition.
- If a solution fails, go back to your list. You still have 19 other ideas.
Example in Action: Sarah’s Story
Sarah, a mid-level marketing executive, had zero networking contacts after relocating. She wrote the question: “How could I meet three new professionals each week?” She brainstormed 20 answers. The winning idea? Volunteering to judge a local business plan competition. Within one month, she met 12 senior executives and received two job offers.
Now go out and make your own luck. Take out a piece of paper. Write down one problem. Ask one empowering question. List 20 answers. And take one small step today. Your next executive role is closer than you think.
3 Job Search Tips That Increase Your Success
Career: Are you in the job market for a career change? Finding a job can be a painful experience.
Here are three things that you can do to increase your chances of success.
1) Approach finding a job as if it were a full-time job, because it is. If you had a job, you would report to work at the same time each day (like 8 am), take an hour (or less) for lunch, and quit at the same time each day (like 5 pm). You would work five days every week.
And you would work hard to accomplish as much as you could because your career depended upon it. When you are searching for a job, you should follow the same type of schedule because your future depends upon it. Treating your job search like a part-time hobby guarantees that it will take longer. So, begin tomorrow by reporting to work and spending the day on tasks that lead to a job.
2) Approach finding a job as if it were a project. That means you should set goals for yourself, make plans, and monitor your progress. You should apply all of the tools and skills that you used in your last job to the project of finding your next job. As you must expect, this is an important project. The sooner you complete it, the sooner you gain a promotion into a job.
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3) Be your own boss. Set expectations for what you need to accomplish, provide direction, and monitor your work. Meet with yourself once each week to evaluate your performance. I recommend doing this by writing two reports. The first is a candid evaluation of what you accomplished during the previous week. The second is a description of your plans for the coming week.
Your plans should include your goals, actions, and priorities. The first time that you write these reports, write an evaluation of what you have done so far. Describe the results that this effort has produced. And compare these results with what you wanted to have. Next, map out a realistic plan for the next week based on achievable goals. For example, you could set goals for the number of people you will call, the number of networking meetings you will attend, and the research you will conduct.
In the coming weeks, compare the results that you obtained during the previous week with the goals that you set. For example, if you planned to attend twelve networking meetings and you attended only two, you should a) explain why this happened and b) plan actions that will correct such a difference. You should also analyze why you missed your goal because this provides insights on what you need to do differently. For example, Your goal (e.g., of attending twelve networking meetings) may have been set too high. Or maybe there are things you can do that will make it easier to achieve your job search goals, such as car pooling with a friend who is also looking for a job. Finding employment is a full time job. Work through it with a plan and the support of a good boss (yourself). I wish you the best of success.
Charles Friedo Frize
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