The Roadmap has value for other reasons as well:
• It can serve as your own roadmap at the beginning of your job search or career transition in the sense that you can use it to:
• clarify your own self-analysis and thinking about what you want to do and where you want to do it;
• focus your networking strategies, allowing you to zero in on the precise people you need to approach for advice and transition assistance; and
• assist you in building and refining your resume(s) with sharper, more focused goals in mind.
• It can serve a dual purpose by arming you with a powerful document to give to your references, too, which will not only impress and enthuse them as well, but also can be used by them for talking points when contacted by prospective employers.
• It can keep you on track and away from digressing during your job search.
• It is a great confidence-builder, making it much easier to overcome your natural reluctance to ask for help.
The Subliminal Advantage
You will also earn “subliminal” points by presenting a Roadmap to your networking contacts, namely that it sends a very positive message about both your organizational skills and your strategic planning capabilities, characteristics that s/he may convey to prospective employers or his or her own referral contacts. It is by far the most user-friendly item that you could possibly provide to someone whose assistance you are seeking.
Summarizing…
I have personally witnessed the benefits of—and transformations wrought by—incorporating the Contacts Roadmap concept into attorney job search campaigns. No legal job aspirant in these highly competitive times should be without it. It is a no-brainer.