Ok, you got laid off, fired, downsized, made redundant or other sterile terms that denote that you are now between jobs and are in danger of overtraining given that you have too much time on your hands. What do you do?
Nothing. Yes, nothing. At least as far as anything to do with work or career for at least a week. Get the anger, hurt or frustration with your last job out of your system. I have seen people on several occasions who have panicked and started their job search and interviews before they had really expelled the negative energy of their previous job and it showed in the interview.
Plan your Job Search.
You plan your training in order to achieve your goal, you certainly should be doing that for your career search process. Keep a log of your daily activities as relates to your Job Search. It always amazes me how little time people will put into a job search and then wonder why they don’t get results. Sending out 3 resumes a day is not an effective Job Search strategy. Looking for a Job is a full time job. (ok, lets not get carried away, you can slack off a bit, or at least get some more bike riding in. You have often heard of the “hidden job market”. What does that really mean. It means two things: A requirement for work to be done that has not yet been specified in a Job Description to or by HR. The recognition by a hiring authority that the person who just called him or her has skills that could be useful to that organization, and a job is created for him/her.
If you apply for a posted job, you are competing with everyone else for this job, and you are often being reviewed or judged for that position, or being screened out by someone who does not fully understand the true skills required for that role. Remember also that many organizations use Applicant Tracking Software that screens on keywords. (More on that in my next posting on Resumes) (As promised, lots more on HR in another post)
Write down your goals.
What are your preferences and rank them. Have someone not emotionally involved with you and your career review them. Take their comments for what it is, their comments. Its not carved in stone. Write down what you liked and disliked about your previous jobs. (This also often gets asked in interviews) Write your own Job Description
Do research. Take a look at the Job Boards, see how many postings there are for the kind of job you would like/are suited for. Make a list of local companies/organizations that might use someone with your skill set. If it’s a bigger City, limit the list to 20 to start. Find out who are decision makers in these companies as relates to your type of Job. Avoid Human resources if you can help it. Its not that hard to do. You can see by their News Releases, notices of appointments, articles in trade or local papers etc. who might be a good direct contact. Ask friends and acquaintences if they have any contacts in these organizations. Best to establish contact with a Manager in an area you wish to be in and let them refer you to HR. (More on the perils of HR in a later post)
Next post: Resumes, HR, Interviews