it’s good that he’s gotten some sales experience–IMO, i think everyone can benefit from that. i wonder what it is about his job that he hates. prospecting, management, having quotas, or what. if he can identify that this could help can make decisions on what to do. and in reality, it’s good for you to take interest and want to help–but remember, he will have to do this work for himself to make anything happen.
as starters, if he really wants out he needs to do his resume. if he has done that then this tells me that he is serious about moving on. if he is reluctant to do that then maybe he isn’t ready, despite being miserable. (I bring this up, because at this time of year, going into the holidays, alot of people would rather “hold on” and get through this time of the year because of holiday obligations, etc)
the bottom line is–he is smart. he will do his research if he wants to. in sales, one gets to meet a ton of people. the best thing for him to do is start talking with people about what he thinks he would like to do. talk to a GOOD executive recruiter. he also needs to do his homework and identify what he likes about his job and what he doesn’t like>this is most important. once he identifies this stuff then he can navigate from there.
i’ve read that 80% of the people working feel some real sense of dis-satisfaction in thier jobs. personally, i think this comes from people doing the wrong thing in the wrong environment. so he is not alone…most people can relate.
also, how about him doing some personality profiling on himself? if he has not done so already. The DISC is a favorite of mine, as is Meyers-Briggs, and the Enneagram. IMO i think the DISC relates most to work. He can do these on-line at his own time at a reasonable cost.
so, encourage him to do the DISC so he can learn about his working style, then have him outline what he likes and dislikes. these exercises will be very telling.
there are lots of opportunities out there, he just needs to know what he would enjoy in terms of job function and environment(to find favorable for a j-o-b. ). job function and environment are the foundations of any job, no matter the industry or title.
if he has done these things, then he should have a good understanding about himself, and be ready to speak with a reputable executive recruiter, as well as his most respected career oriented friends. his career oriented friends know people and can give him ideas, as well as referral of others to talk with. he can even write a letter to all of his friends and acquaintances that outlines what he is looking for (in general terms). also, job meetings where people share ideas and network are also terrific things to attend. at this point, networking will benefit him.
in addition, most of the job market is underground. i have clients call me and tell me to look for people for openings, and none of it is advertised. talking with people is the best way…and leveraging the best executive recruiter he can find.
in today’s world, it’s this on-line application non-sense. it’s like sending your resume out in space. i don’t know how anyone gets hired like that and believe that most of those jobs aren’t even real. if he can get refered into a company via friends or executive recruiter that is the best way. if he doesn’t know what he wants to do, then he’s got to get busy on his homework–identifying his personality traits, likes/dislikes, and then start talking to others to learn what is out there.
lastly–encourage him to be patient. the longer he works, the more he will understand what is out there. it’s called experience…not just in his job, but in business generally speaking. 2 years in is nothing. most of us would agree that at 2 years of business experience most of us knew nothing. so, it’s a win win. if he looks he can possibly get a position he enjoys more, and if he stays he gets more experience about the business world in general. the first 5 years in the workforce are all about earning stripes…personally, i think they are the hardest years in the career.
kittycat