Finding a Job Now! - Part 2

If you have not read part one of this article it is best to read that here first. 

This article is to add on some additional information to the first article. When the going gets tough its time to enhance your plan!

Networking - Level 2 

The next level of networking requires a much more focused almost aggressive approach. You have to set yourself a goal of making a number of new contacts every week - whether that number is 2 or 5 or 10 or 20 is a function of what you think you are capable of. My recommendation is that you pick a number in the 2 to 20 range that you think you are comfortable with and add 2 to it. So if you think you can make 7 new contacts every week (that's just one new contact a day) then your goal is 7+2 which is 9 new contacts a week. When you are doing this comfortably increase again. The idea here is to be aware of the fact that you need to expand your network and that you are always looking for new opportunities. Some examples of great opportunities for meeting new people, Church/Temple groups, Hobby groups, Social Service clubs (Lions club, Rotary club etc), neighborhood watch, PTA.

It is important at this stage in your search to cast a wider net, to be aware of and be exposed to a broader set of opportunities. The more people you know and the more varied (background, profession, neighborhood, ethnicity, religion etc.) your network is the better your opportunity to connect with the people out there that are looking for you!

Linked In - Level 2 

In the first article we went over how important social networking sites are and how you should have a presence on LinkedIn.com and on Facebook.com. At this point you should have connected with everyone you ever knew that is online on these sites (well not the strange kid that stalked you in high school).

Now it is time to look carefully through the connections (or friends) that the people you know have and to see who you might like to get to know. Now this article is about finding a job, so let's keep the focus on that and the people you would like to get to know should be people that will help you land your next opportunity. Keep the goals of networking in mind when you do this - do not just want to connect with every CEO, Managing Director you see in your friends connection list, it is better to make a connection with someone at your career level or someone you think you have something in common with than to just focus on very senior people. Very senior people are very busy and have many people fighting for their time/attention. Start with asking for introductions to the top 3 most interesting people you see in each of your connections, connection list.

To spell it out: if you know someone named John Doe and they have 100 connections on Linked in, go through the 100 names, pick 3 people that you think might be interesting to get to know in a job finding context and ask John Doe for an introduction. It would also be a great opportunity to re-connect with John Doe and remind him that you are still in the market and looking for an opportunity (remember we spoke 3 months ago John?) and seek his/her feedback on who they think might be good people for you to get to know in their list of connections. If you do 3 people from everyone you know and you know 100 people that's 300 NEW people you would get to know!

 

Time to get MORE creative 

Do not be constrained by the past, feel free to explore opportunities that are very different from what you used to do, from what you think of yourself as.

You might think of yourself as an office manager for example, but why do you make that narrow definition? Yes that is what you used to do, maybe you used to do that for a very long time, and maybe you even enjoyed doing it. But what is to stop you from being a data entry person or an insurance sales person or a realtor? Yes in the real world there are some barriers to entry - for example if you were an office manager chances are slim that you will be working as a Neurosurgeon at your local hospital any time soon, however in reality these barriers only apply to a small subset of jobs and each job has many other similar jobs that are well within reach for many individuals.

Did you always work in a particular industry? Pharmaceutical or Banking or Manufacturing? There is nothing that holds you in these industries. Yes having a product knowledge and a cultural awareness give you an edge but if buggy whips are going out of style it is pointless being the most excellent buggy whip maker - time to create a functional resume (and if you do not know what that is look it up) and go hunting in other industries for your next opportunity.

This is also a time to look at things that you do for fun that people seem to think you are good at, maybe there is income potential in those limericks you spout at family gatherings or in your ability to take beautiful photos. It might be worthwhile starting out even as a part time venture to attempt to monetize these skills. Try a google search or two to find other people that do this, read online forums on the topic and you will learn a lot - and there is something to what they say, when you do what you love it does not seem like work.

Why look for one job? When you can look for 2 or more? Maybe the future is not one person one job. Maybe your future is not one job. There might be a need for your skill set in smaller companies, maybe these companies cannot afford to hire you full time. Offer to work 2 days a week for them. Find a couple of such situations and you have just established multiple sources of income - diversified income is better than a single source of income.

Most important 

When you feel the weakest and the most tired is when you are closest to the peak. You may not see the summit of the mountain you are climbing; it would be a shame to turn back when the results are within your grasp. Giving up is not an option. It is at times like these that people differentiate themselves from the pack. Persistence and the discipline to forge ahead is the key.

You will succeed.