You have 13 weeks in which to find a new job

In my long experience of assisting bankers into new roles, it takes approximately 13 weeks from termination to the discovery of a new position. However, you can't take this for granted. You will need to work at it. If you want to be successful, read and digest the bullet points below.

PREPARE: Don't rush into the marketplace. Spend 4-6 weeks in a preparatory phase. Do not spray resumes to recruiters or potential employers unsolicited.

RESEARCH: Do your research into target companies. .Know what you are looking for (no it's not just any job), and more importantly know what you have to offer.

IDENTIFY: Identify target companies, those who have a need for your skills set, and at the same time identify organizations that have a culture in which your

working style well fits. Identify the point of purchase. The person with the power to hire you (It's not an HR.)

NETWORK: Two thirds of your thirteen weeks will be about networking. Most candidates come to the job market with poor networks. Networking is about adding value to others. It therefore takes time to build a network.

MEET: Assuming you have a good network, you should get in front of 40 -60% of your target companies.

IMPRESS: Meeting people is the easy bit. More important is making the right impression. Does person you meet go away with the impression that you understand their business and the competitive environment in which they operate? Do they think you can significantly add value to their business?

FINALLY: Here are three final tips for the financial services jobseeker.

1. You need to be confident, have high self esteem and a high level self

awareness. These are essential.

2. You need resilience. You will get rejected. You need to be persistent.

3. Dare to be different. You need to stand out from other candidates, but

for the right reasons.