Congratulations – you are relaunching! You are so excited to get back
to work, and you just want to find that job. You spend your days
searching the Internet for jobs and applying on-line. Or, you focus on
writing and re-writing your resume. Your intentions are great, and your
efforts should be rewarded. However, the very best way to spend your
time is by leaving the house, and talking to people. It may not be easy
at first, and certainly uncomfortable for some, but telling people that
you are relaunching your career is what you want to be doing right now.
If you stay behind your computer, researching or applying on-line,
not only are you working against the odds when it comes to being hired,
you are also going to be negatively impacted by the silence, rejection,
and isolation that ensues. You are fooling yourself into thinking that
you are doing all of the work that is required of a job search, but you
may end up feeling less confident and less motivated.
If you need more convincing, here are my top three reasons to Get Out, Talk and Tell the World:
Ideas
The best ideas often result from other people, either when
brainstorming together, or when listening to other people’s
perspectives. As soon as you share with someone else that you are
heading back to work, they will either ask questions you had not yet
considered, or offer thoughts or suggestions that are new to you. There
are so many jobs and ways to structure work that did not exist even 5
or 10 years ago. When you get out and talk, you will uncover jobs,
people, and companies that will help you relaunch.
Accountability
The more you talk about something, the more likely you will do what
you are talking about. It is only natural that you will want to follow
through on what you have discussed with others. If you tell your friend
at a barbecue that you are figuring out your next steps, or applying
for jobs, you will want to have made progress before seeing her
next. Being accountable means staying committed to producing an
outcome. But staying accountable to yourself during your relaunch can be
very difficult. So prepare for that difficulty by getting out, talking
about your relaunch, and creating external accountability.
Getting Hired
Most jobs are not listed on-line. Fewer than 15% of jobs are found
on-line and yet 80-90% of people spend their time looking for work this
way. The average job opening attracts 250 applications, and employers do
not respond to most candidates for any given role. Forty percent of job
offers are made through employee referrals, and 48% of companies state
that their quality hires come from these employee referrals. Further,
65% of recruiters report needing more talent to choose from, and 85% of
small businesses in one survey reported having open positions and no
applicants (www.ebiinc.com). This is all great news because it means
that getting out and talking to people is actually what works to find
work!
Here is how to begin
Whenever you can, tell people what you are up to. This can be at
school events, social gatherings, your spouse’s work party, or at any
function at which you find yourself. This does not need to be done
perfectly, nor do you need to have your career plan laid out. You only
need to start talking about. You can try, “I am relaunching my career
and have started doing research on roles that would be a great fit," “I
am going back to work and do not yet know what I want to do. Once I have
started my research, would you mind if I reach out to you for coffee to
talk about this more?" or “I know we never really talk about work
because I have been a stay-at home parent, but I wanted to let you know
that I have decided to return to work.”
You will be amazed at what happens when you starting talking to
others. Your mindset will shift, you will be introduced to new people,
you will come up with new ideas, and you will start to move. Choose one
person or one event this week, and get ready to relaunch!
