How it all began…
In 2007, I became ofcially unemployed (in between) for the frst time in my career. It was joyful, stressful, freeing, exciting and frustrating all at the same time. And, in some ways, I needed to make a game of it.
To fnd unique analogies that I could use to maintain a positive and confdent psychology. You see, there is something very stimulating about being on the job hunt. You get to test your skills against many others and in front of a great variety of hiring managers. Where else do we really get to compete in life anymore?
Plate spinning as the frst analogy for job search, career and life
The act of plate spinning was the frst analogy I identifed because its focus was on efciency – the best, most productive use of time spent. And it led to the original name I used for the blog and website. You see, I found during my own search that people were tapping into too few resources and using them up beyond their usefulness. And I think we have opportunities to apply this idea broadly throughout life.
I originally called it “spin strategy”
Building this community is an act of thanks to all who helped me during my own search. To get started, I created a name and a logo (after all, I’m in marketing) and started to share the idea with a few friends. I then created a set of tools to help job seekers identify and determine how best to use their network – all based initially on the analogy of plate spinning. As the concept matured and caught on, job seekers wanted more than just a concept or a tool. Tey wanted a broad menu of resources so I started to blog and began to create free downloads to support the job search. And plate spinning became just one of many ideas to share.
Then I made some changes . . .
About 15 months into creating the concept, I decided to make a change. To re-jigger things a bit. So I re-named the blog and combined it with the website. It became Tim’s Strategy. After all, it did originate in my head, right? And every day I write or build a new tool, the strategy gets more complete. So now I am working on ways to pull it all together. Tere are ebooks, an eworkbook, and a new hard cover book in process that I hope to get published. But in reality, the content is not mine alone. Like anything that is created from experience, it is never one person’s strategy alone. But it’s mostly mine!
It’s A Competitive Market
But, let’s be clear. Tim’s Strategy is still a very young concept. I hope it will become a great resource for lots of people. But today it is an interesting idea waiting for you to share it with others. Tere are a lot of great resources out there on the web to career and personal development. I only hope Tim’s Strategy can add to the quality content available and do so in a fun and inventive way.
So, what’s next?
I continue to write on the blog and look for new ways to bring this concept to life. We may do a few national webinars or seminars in Southern California to get away from the computer, meet you and share our ideas in a more personal way. Looking for a speaker? Let me know!
The rest? Well, that’s up to you.
I hope you enjoy this book. It represents the best of the blog since its inception. Now you might be asking: what’s the value of this book when much of the information is already out on the blog? Well, I’ve re-edited some of the blogs, organized them into three critical sections and I’ll tell you, it is really difcult to fnd content that is two months old. And older content might be just what you need… right now!
So I’ve organized the book around three key areas. After writing for 15 months and completing 231 posts, these are the three big ideas. Te three things you have to get right in order to succeed in job search. Tey are:
Each section includes 10 chapters to help you succeed in each critical area. And this new 2010 edition includes 2 bonus chapters!
Tese are ideas. Easy to read and easy to implement. And you can start tomorrow.
I am so grateful to share these ideas with you!
Now it’s your turn… who can you share these ideas with? Feel free to share this book with anyone in transition, out-of-work or unhappy in their current job. It may be just the thing they need!
Good luck out there!
Tim Tyrell-Smith
November 2010
Oh, and send me a note with your feedback. Would you?