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Finding Work in Tough Times - The Hunt for
Reality, Optimism and a Job…
By Sue Brenner, PCC, PMP
Teresa, a 40-something manager, rode a career wave
that peaked and crashed. The major telecommunications company where
she had worked in Silicon Valley for many years showed signs leading
up to the lay off. When Teresa lost her job, it marked the third
round of layoffs at her company. The first had occurred only four
months earlier…
''You could see a trend," says Teresa. "I knew my position was in
peril be-cause I was finished with a large project and was looking
for things to do. I was not surprised, but it was disturbing."
The company dwindled from 700 employees to 400. Last to be laid off
were well-paid managers and directors. When Teresa found herself in
that group, she deployed a seven-tiered approach to facing the job
market anew. You can use these tips too. Use them to get a new job
in your current field or to pave a new career path.
1. Seek Training and Support
Get the training you need to sharpen your interview skills and
update your resume. Career transition companies like Lee Hecht
Harrison (http://www.lhh.com) offer
courses to give you a roadmap that optimizes your job search
results.
Certified career coaches, like Sue Brenner (the author), are also
available. Coaches work with you one-on-one or in groups (typically
with over the phone convenience) to build your communication and
confidence. You can use your sessions to practice interviewing and
receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses. Coaches point out
where you're going astray, how to maximize your efforts and keep you
on track so you can obtain the best possible job options.
Other resources, such as professional organizations, offer job
leads, an opportunity to network within your industry and can
provide subgroups for job seekers. Join existing job seeker groups
within an organization or start your own. Form a "success team" with
four to eight people. Get together with them to share job leads,
successes and failures. You can hire a facilitator to direct the
group and offer guidance about tough job obstacles or take turns
switching off leadership for each meeting.
The success team that Teresa joined provided her with support during
a time of uncertainty. It offered shoulders to cry on and a cheering
squad to motivate each other onward.
The group also provided answers and self-esteem boosters. Teresa
explains, “When people get laid off, it really is a loss. When it
happens each of us needs to address the lingering issues and come to
terms with: Why was I laid off? Why not this other person?" Bringing
these questions to a facilitated group helped build morale.
Whether you are pondering these questions in a group setting or on
your own, also consider these questions: What can I learn from this?
And, what is next for me? You may or may not get to the bottom of
all the "whys" but you can learn from your experience and build the
courage to move forward into your next opportunity.
2. Set Goals and Work Toward Them
Take some time to set both short-term and long-term goals. Do you
want to work toward a new career path? Do you need to find a job
right away? Based on your professional and personal needs, form
goals directed toward your next employment move. Sometimes setbacks
can hold the gem of an exciting new opportunity. For example, let's
say you enjoy designing web sites for friends and you have your own
blog. You've dreamed about taking this hobby to a professional
level. Does the ending of your current job give you the chance to go
for your dream? You may opt to work either full-time or part-time
while you get trained for and launch a new business. There are many
ways to make it happen. Look for the opportunity in the setback.
Shape a goal around it.
It may be challenging, but set at least one goal that is three to
five years in the future. This will give you a bird's eye view of
what you're moving toward. Write down your future goal with a date
associated with it, such as: To advance my career and get a
marketing manager job by June 30, 2011. Let your goal stretch you.
Also make it real enough that you believe you can do it. Your
longer-term goal will help form goals you need to set today.
Facing reality: what goals do you need to set today to get a job or
make a career change? Set a four to six week goal. Make sure to
write down what you intend to do by when. For example: To obtain a
product development job at the same salary or greater by April 15,
2008. Once you put a specific goal with a target date out there, you
can map out daily and weekly action steps to move you toward your
outcome.
Each person in Teresa's success team created six-week goals and
shared them with the group. This created instant accountability.
Teresa's goals were: Join two volunteer organizations and to have a
job offer at the end of six weeks. Teresa accomplished her goals.
You can too by mirroring what she did. No matter how scared you are,
take action anyway. The next tip will give you what you need to
create a plan and go…
3. Create a Plan and Go
Your goals are in place. Now post them in a visible area to remind
yourself of them every day. Then let the rubber hit the road. Take
at least one hour to figure out how you will achieve them. Develop a
marketing plan featuring you as the product. Don't know where to
begin? Seek the advice of a certified career coach or talk with a
successful colleague. Bouncing ideas off of someone and saying your
thoughts out loud can clarify next steps.
To discover her personal job roadmap, Teresa asked herself these
questions: What are my job search objectives? How will I position
myself in the job market? What skills and experience will I
emphasize? With whom will I network? What companies will I target?
What types of jobs will I seek?
Ask yourself the same questions. Also ask: What is my purpose? Why
do I need a new job?
Answering these questions will ignite fire beneath your job hunt.
What are the compelling reasons that motivate you to wake up in the
morning and search? Examples include: advance your career, learn new
skills, support your family, connect with people and build a sense
of personal accomplishment. Your purpose provides the key to
unlocking your drive and motivation. Become intimately acquainted
with the why behind your job pursuit. Remind yourself of it daily,
especially if you are resisting taking action.
4. Set and Hold Daily "Work Hours"
If you are unemployed, your job is now to get a new job. That means
that you must dedicate part-time or full-time hours to a structured
job pursuit.
You went from having set works hours to the vast open space of free
time. We all long for it, but when it's before us free time can be
daunting. Make sure that you set and hold "work hours" each day.
That is, dedicated and focused time toward your job search. Know in
advance what you'll do each day.
Teresa set regular 9 to 5 work hours. To lock in this schedule four
days a week, Teresa rewarded herself for hard work. She says, "I
took one day off as an incentive because you know how demoralizing
it can be to find a new job."
You can also set up rewards or consequences to help you stick to
your job search schedule. Another professional woman, for example,
enjoyed spending summer weekends at the local water slide with her
kids. She decided that if she didn't get her focused tasks done
during the week as planned then she would have to spend the weekend
working while her family was off playing. Her family wanted to spend
fun time with her so they all rallied behind her to get her job
activities done during the week. It was a strong incentive to keep
her going even when she didn't feel like picking up the phone or
dressing for an interview. She managed to follow her set schedule
and avoided the "no fun" consequence. She found herself splashing
away in the rush of water with her kids and husband: her reward for
putting in a week of concentrated efforts.
5. Broaden the Range of Jobs You Will Consider
You're sending email blasts to get the word out. You’ve researched
companies of interest and tapped into your network. But still no
results. To get back out there, earn some income and re-build your
confidence, you may need to broaden the jobs that you'll consider.
Perhaps you have been out of the market for a while to raise
children, for example. The available jobs today may differ from
those available when you were in the job market before. There may be
a larger or smaller number of job openings in your field of
interest.
Put yourself out there and find out. Ask around. Search the net.
Discover what people currently in your desired industry have to say.
You may have to expand the types of jobs you are willing to accept
and that match your skills.
A colleague of Teresa's, Jim, approached the job market as if the
economy was still robust. As an ex-director, he pursued vice
president and director-level positions, which made high salary
demands. But, given the rapidly declining market and changed hiring
needs, potential companies were not interested.
Jim started looking into government postings. But city and
government positions, once overflowing, had been dramatically cut.
To avoid a prolonged job search like Jim's, Teresa offers the
following advice.
When you're faced with accepting less than you are accustomed to,
Teresa suggests, "Lower your expectations about what you're going to
get. When your gut feeling says to take the job, do it. Don't let
pride get in the way." Do not stall. You never know where the
position will lead. With often 100s of people applying for every
open position, jobs can fill quickly. If it is not your dream job,
it can be a temporary place holder until you find a more suitable
career move. Here's how…
6. Fill Your Job Search with Leveraged Tasks
What actions will give you the highest return toward getting a new
job?
Whether you're dedicating 40 hours a week to a job search, or
devoting an hour a week outside of your current job, continue to
take steps toward your next position.
As mentioned, Teresa filled four full days a week with the targeted
actions. You can take the same steps to accelerate your job search.
- Research job search engines like
http://www.monster.com and Yahoo's
http://www.hotjobs.com.
Also peruse local on-line job listing sites to check out openings in
your area.
- Contact hiring managers to ask questions by phone or in person. Or
try contacting someone in a department of interest and see if
they'll chat with you for 10 minutes about what it's like to work
there.
- Submit resumes and always follow up by phone and email to make
sure that the company received them. Don't just be another sheet of
paper in the stack. Get noticed by making personal, voice-to-voice
contact.
- Network. Contact colleagues for job leads. Set up lunches and
coffee meetings to let people know you're searching. Friends and
colleagues can be your greatest allies in finding work.
- Research companies before interviews. Even reading a press release
about a new product the company created can let the interviewer know
you did your homework.
- Interview. Getting an interview alone is a positive step. Be
prepared with questions and clear examples of how your work fits the
position. Greet the interviewer with a firm (but not bone breaking)
handshake.
- Follow up with prospective employers. After an interview, call the
person who interviewed you, send an email or a hand written thank
you note. Re-emphasize your commitment and enthusiasm for the job.
- Attend trade shows and industry forums. This will give you direct
access to recruiters and employees from targeted companies. Job
listings are commonly displayed at trade shows.
- Join new business organizations. Get connected with members and
build relationships with those inside of companies you would like to
work for. Professional organizations often share strong leads with
members.
7. Find Meaning Outside of Work
Many of us define ourselves by work, work, work. But when we lose
our jobs, our identity in work is gone. There's a pause in those
dinner party conversations when someone asks, "What do you do?"
Before you could happily say, "I'm overseeing the Benefits
Department at Seagate Technology." Now you fumble for words
explaining your situation. Finding meaning outside of work will help
you define yourself beyond your job. You are still worthy. Your job
loss may even connect you with dormant parts of yourself. Was there
a time in your life that you did a fun hobby? Did you used to enjoy
wood working classes? Are there recipes you used to love to cook?
What's that volunteer organization that you used to joyfully devote
time to?
As you recall, one of Teresa's job search goals was to join two
volunteer organizations. She says she did this to, "Get out there
and do something. It was a way to make myself feel valued during
this time of uncertainty. If I'm not working, I might as well be
doing something." She enjoyed spending one Saturday a week leading
tours at a historical property in Palo Alto, California.
We humans are wired to be productive. Dig your hands into
volunteering at the community garden or take that Pilates fitness
class one day a week. Do something that increases your energy and
reminds you that there is more to life than work. Spend a full
stretch of time doing something purely fun. Or commit one night a
week to that cherished hobby you've almost forgotten about. It will
lift your spirits and motivate you to keep going on your job search.
And while playing and pursuing work, you will remember the balancing
act of life with its opportunities and challenges. If you look at
life as a series of cycles and phases, you're in the midst of one
moving to the next. Ideas and answers will point you toward new job
beginnings. Teresa took her job hunt as an adventure saying, "You
can't take it too seriously. As long as you have a roof over your
head and food to eat with a little spending money… there is always
much to be grateful for." With gratitude for what you do have and a
willingness to let go of what is lost, you will be well on your way
for what the future holds.
So step into the river, one step at a time, feeling the rocks
beneath your feet until you reach more fertile ground.
And if you want ways to reach your career goals faster, join Sue
Brenner for her next *live* no cost tele-seminar by going to
http://www.suebrenner.com.
Copyright © 2008 Sue Brenner
Read more articles by Sue Brenner or subscribe to her free eZine, Ignite Your Life.
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