Presented to the graduating MBAs of Babson College, this simple checklist teaches six lifelong habits for career management. The habits are useful for anyone, do not depend on technology, and are based on my 14 years coaching people in job transitions.

1. SIX KEYS TO A
SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH
FOR MBAs
Doug Hardy

3. CAREER MGT VS. JOB SEARCH
Career mgt is constant
Discipline & diligence
Brand yourself
Reach out continuously
Build a professional
network
Onboard yourself
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4. this IS your job - forever
KEY INSIGHT: Whatever you do
for a living, you now have a second
job, which is managing your career.
KEY HABIT: Daily routine that
brings an ever-growing
understanding of your place in the
world of work today, and your
opportunities tomorrow.
KEY TAKEAWAY: An
understanding of job search as a
business project with specific goals,
methods and milestones.
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5. stay productive
KEY INSIGHT: Measure
productivity in terms of how much
A-level work you got done each
day, because the end point — a new
job — is unknown, but progress
toward it can be measured.
KEY HABIT: Asking throughout the
day, “What is the most important
task for me to be doing right now?”
KEY TAKEAWAY: Good time and
project management become second
nature.
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6. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL
BRAND?
KEY INSIGHT: You are not a job
title but a unique combination of
skills, experience, knowledge and
temperament that is the answer to a
business’s unique needs.
KEY HABIT: Matching your skills,
knowledge and career ambitions to
a changing job market.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Marketing
yourself means building customer-
focused messages.
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7. REACH OUT
KEY INSIGHT: It’s not about you,
after all — it’s about what the
market (employers and their
customers) wants to buy.
KEY HABIT: Curiosity! Listen,
learn, and investigate the job
marketplace until you can make a
customized approach to each
potential employer and network
connection.
KEY TAKEAWAY: You will have a
growing list of “next places” to go,
including different employers and
different jobs at your current
employer.
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8. MAINTAIN YOUR NETWORK
KEY INSIGHT: A professional
network is built more by giving
than taking.
KEY HABIT: Regularly making and
maintaining professional
connections over the full length of
your career.
KEY TAKEAWAY: A professional
community that is separate, distinct
and targeted to your long-term
professional goals.
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9. Onboard yourself
KEY INSIGHT: You can take the
habits you’ve learned and create a
personal onboarding program
based on exactly the skills and
techniques you’ve just practiced to
get the job.
KEY HABIT: Weaving job search
methods into daily work from your
first day on a new job.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The first few
months on a new job is the time to
transition your job search skills into
lifelong career management.
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10. PLACES TO PLAY
• LinkedIn
• Recommendations, Groups, outreach
• Participation must add value (not advertising yourself)
• www.visualcv.com
• Alumni communities (Babson et al.)
• Professional communities (e.g. FENG, BNI)
• Imagine concentric circles of influence

11. Thank you!
doughardy@gmail.com