Here are some observations about clients who have successfully looked for new roles or more freelance work. These are five common factors – some intuitive, some learned – that have enabled them to get what they want within their timescales. They are sustainable ways to continue to manage their careers in their next roles, minimising future derailment.
- It goes without saying that they are good at their job. Not only that, they are visibly good at their job. They have hard evidence on their CVs and LinkedIn profiles to back this up and they have solid reputations. They may have had failures along the way but they perceive these as positive learning experiences and have developed a resilient and realistic attitude towards setbacks.
- They are specific about what they have to offer a potential employer, rather than saying they can fit in anywhere or do anything. ‘I am a new product development specialist working in the food industry with a particular expertise in dairy products.’ They are very clear about what they can bring to the table and also about what they want. They have a strong career goal and know what the role can give them as well as what they can give to it. They have thought through the risks they will take and the rewards they want.
- They then use this expertise to create opportunities for themselves, instead of simply applying for the same advertised jobs as everyone else. This is the real hidden job market. They explain how they have worked in a similar context, with similar challenges. They focus on the employer – what they can do for them, what they can bring that’s new. Employers want to know how they will be better as a consequence of bringing a new person on board.
- They have nurtured their network, helping other people so that when they themselves need support they have levels of connections around them to reach out to. They will have developed informal mentoring relationships even if they haven’t had access to formal mentoring programmes. They will have cultivated recruiter relationships too. Their new role is most likely to come from their connections’ connections and they understand how to access these networks. They have written impressive CVs but they don’t rely on sending out CVs to find the right opportunity – they get out and create it for themselves.
- Finally they are highly productive, energetically seeking a new role and also continuing to network, to learn and to hone their expertise. They approach job seeking as an opportunity for career development and increasing their self-awareness. They are positive people to be around.
Please forward this to anyone in your network who would find it helpful. I would welcome your feedback or suggestions.
More information on how we help our clients find better work in their own organisation or externally is given on zenaeverett.com. We now have a unique enterprise outplacement programme specifically for people wishing to work for themselves after redundancy. This is a collaboration with Grow, the UK’s leading SME marketing consultancy. And I am running open career confidence and personal branding masterclasses for Mumsnet in the autumn: http://www.mumsnet.com/academy/course/87-personal-branding.
Have a great summer,