Note: This is the first of six blog posts detailing the developmental needs that will be addressed in the Resonare Boot Camp starting on July 16, 2020. Feel free to ask questions and to sign up!
A common story that I have experience is having a client come in to meet with me, and I ask them what we can talk about that will be helpful to them. The most common response is “I need help with my resume”, and then I mention that the resume should be geared towards a particular audience. After asking them who the audience is, I usually get “I don’t know”. This is what I feel is the most common problem for people who feel lost in their career and job search.
The process of trying to find a new job (especially if you’ve just been released from a job) can be harrowing and fear is usually the first emotion that comes up. Even if you have enough money in the bank, health insurance covered, and a support network, our limbic brain tends to put out the panic signals and it’s hard to think. I’ve often said that we never make good decisions from a fear-based mindset, and this is never more true that when it comes to your source of income.
A typical action of this is for people to want to “cast a wide net” and when asked what they are looking for, to respond with “anything”. As you can image, if someone said this to you, it would be a challenge to figure out how to help them. People want to help you just as much as you want to help others, and they can only do that if you give them a hint. I liken it to stretching a fishing net out so wide that the holes are too big and nothing gets caught. That is what it’s like when you try to be so broad.
The Resonare alternative, is to work with your own personal power. I like to say you don’t need every job, just one, and it may as well be one you would choose for yourself. Instead of starting from the big, wide world and trying to find that job/needle in the haystack, I recommend you think about what really appeals to you, and then go look there. I’ve talked before about the five criteria for any job opportunity (industry, function, job activities, location, and corporate culture) which will then help you to narrow down your search to the places will be good for you. Additionally, if you know where you want to be and then demonstrate to others that you are also a professional like them (see my Secret Club posts), you can reach out to them and get to be known before the job is even thought of.
It is estimated that somewhere between 70-85% of all jobs are gotten through networking, which means that as few as 15% are gotten through jobs posted online. Yet this is where a vast majority of job seekers put their energy. While one can certainly get a job via a job posting, it doesn’t work out for most people, or if it does, it’s because someone also has a networking connection in there too.
This is the time to ask the deep question of “What do I want? What’s important to me? Am I brave enough to speak my own desires?” While this might seem like a relatively easy thing, I have found from working with thousand of clients that this is the biggest thing that gets in the way of a successful career plan. It’s also why it’s the first thing that I usually start any client interaction with. It’s also one of the things that scares people the most.
Come join me in the Career Boot Camp starting July 16, 2020 and our first session will be just this. Future sessions will cover: Identifying Target Organizations, How to Develop a Story, Identifying Your Personal Brand, Telling Your Stories, and Putting It All Together. There’s a limit to 25 participants, so sign up now!
I look forward to you joining us!
Neon Sign Photo by Alexis Fauvet on Unsplash
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