I’ve recently been involved in a LinkedIn discussion with someone trying to start a journalism career. My heart goes out to him, trying to start a career in a profession going through massive upheaval is difficult, if not impossible.

The conversation eventually turned ugly, as can happen in high stress situations, with him assailing people who had told him to try some job hunting basics such as network, go to events, etc.

My suggestion, go where the jobs are, was attacked by him and others to which I simply posted links from a media job site listing jobs by location to show what I was talking about.

The point of relating this is that sometimes in the heat of a jobs search, we forget or lose sight of the basics. They are basic, but they do help, eventually. I was reminded of that in a recent piece on TheLadders.com.

The author outlines five steps for career planning and career management. All are basic, but all should be remembered, no matter how frustrating a career, or a job search, can become.

The steps are:

• Map out your grand strategy
• Re-frame your stories (IE make your experience sound relevant to today’s jobs)
• Be your own best salesman
• Invest in yourself (i.e. education, health, appearance)
• Focus on self-awareness

“One of the greatest predictors of career success is self-awareness. You need to know your strengths, your weaknesses and your biases. In fact, I’ve heard from countless executives that self-awareness is a make-or-break quality for their candidates,” wrote Rebecca Rapple who has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, and others.

Indeed, that last point may be the most difficult of all, but it’s also the most necessary.
John N. Frank