The Job Search Mantra: Repeat After Me

Hello and Greetings from the heart of the country. My name is Jim Durbin, and I'm new around here, just taking Harry's People Management blog for a spin to get a feel for it.

My bio is over there on the side, but just so you know, I've got 10 years of marketing and sales under my belt, six years as a technical recruiter, and a little under five years now as a blogger.  My role on this blog will be to talk to you about social networks, new media, blogging, and the recruiting process, in hopes that  hard-earned lessons in the trenches can help you with your job search.  So on with the show...

The Worker's Mantra:  Your Job Search is Your Job.

Stop for a second and repeat that.  Your Job Search is Your Job.  Your Job Search is Your Job.  It's one of those key statements we take for granted, but is true at all levels of the job search.

Level #1:  You're Unemployed.

If you're no currently working, your job search truly is your job.  The best way to approach your status is to look at your day like a 8 or 9 hour work-day where everything needs to be done.  You have deadlines, you need to be at work by a certain time, and you have to be in early the night since you have to get up for work in the morning.

The problem with unemployed time is you're paying twice for your time.  In addition to actual expenses going out the door, you're lacking incoming revenue, which should make you twice as eager to get money coming in.  Unemployment is not an extended vacation (those are known as sabbaticals), and yet many people treat the lack of a boss and a paycheck as an excuse to get all those unpaid vacation hours caught up on. 

It's a mistake.  The longer you are out of the workforce, the harder it is to find employment at or above the position you just left.  Don't get caught goofing off for two months and then finding yourself squeezed for cash and hoping for an offer.  Discipline yourself to treat a job search as a full-time job, and you'll be in a position to make the best decision when the offers do come.

Level #2:  You're employed, but looking.

Networking is often looked upon as a difficult and tedious process you use when you need to get a job, but if you approach networking as a vital part of your current position, you're performing essential job search functions while still employed.  Let's face it, employers (and your friends) prefer to work with winners.  It's a bad strategy, but most hiring managers prefer to hire someone who already has a job, because we place more value on what other people have than on what they cast off.

So while employed, employ the idea that networking can help you in your current position to look for new positions.  The goal here is to find people in your industry that are the best, the brightest, the most connected, and the most likely to teach you something about how to perform your job better.  Self-improvement is a powerful tonic for a dreary job, and if you spend time around energetic people who know more than you, you will find yourself rising to their level in your daily duties.  This method pulls double duty, as it increases your chances of raises, promotions, and notices at your current job, while signaling to the rest of your industry that you are someone worth knowing (and might I say, worth hiring?). 

Networking in this sense also allows you to practive giving more than you get, which is the essential driver in efficient networking.  Be seen as a giver, and you will get more attention.

Level No. 3:  You have a job, and don't need to look.

Complacency is a terrible thing, as it leads to rusty performance reviews.  You don't have to be constantly interviewing, but you should always be open to listening, both to jobs outside and inside your current company.  In this case, the job search is your job can apply to all three levels.  Keeping aware of what goes on in the industry recruiting helps you understand salary, new ideas, and trends that affect your current job performance.  High value networking can make you more valuable to your current company, while also making sure you're building a strong network that doesn't depend on your current paycheck.  And third, you spend most of your life working, not interviewing.  Interviewing is the process of communication, and they allow you to make a more honest self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.  We're back to that self-improvement issue, which is always good for you, even when you're not looking.

The Job Search is Your Job.  It applies in all areas of your work life.  It's a mantra worth repeating.

Comments

[Diana]

So a question? How does a consulting firm find such a seasoned recruiter that's possibly looking but gainfully employed? We're in the process and the prospects are slim in the tech. specialty.

[rebecca]

what prevents one from getting a good job?

[nisha]

1)”The most important thing I learned through this is that one MUST keep optimism alive in whatever way one can. It’s easy to get caught in a mind game and think doom and gloom. Share your fears with your trusted friends and keep the faith outwardly if you can. It makes a huge difference in how you come across. As compassionate as many people might be; no one wants to hire a gloomy or negative person.”

2)”I’m so glad I maintained my authenticity along the way. I fought against the tendency to try to be all things to all people. I let people see my true personality and know who I really was. Some people were uncomfortable with that, but now that I landed in the right place, it was worth the discomfort. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was worth the long months of agony. Now I have an incredible opportunity in front of me, and I’m grateful.”

These are tough times. A job search can be very discouraging even in a thriving economy, but in these times it can be downright depressing. Stick with it. Push ahead. Organizations are still looking for good people.

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nisha
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