How to successfully set yourself up for a job search. Whether you’re unemployed, in a toxic company or a fresh college grad.
On the hunt for a new job? Whether you’re unemployed, working in a toxic work environment, or a fresh college grad you’ll need some encouraging tips to help you survive the job hunting process.
How do I know? Because I’ve been on the job hunt a number of times. Let me count the ways:
First, when I got out of college. It’s hard finding a job that takes someone with little corporate experience. That whole, “must have one to three years experience” part of the job description.
The job I finally landed was as a customer service representative working at an insurance company call center explaining to angry customers why they had an astronomical doctor bill. I was one of the few customer service people who’d take the time to explain to customers how to avoid large bills. I’d get docked pay, because we were paid by how many call we took in an hour, not by the level of service we provided. There were so many things wrong in that job, but I’ll spare you. After three months of this I found a headhunter who helped me get a job as an administrative assistant in the financial services industry.
Second, ten years and two jobs later, I found myself unemployed during the global financial crisis. Wondering, along with millions of others, how in the world I’d ever get another job. This is was one of the lowest periods of my life. I did all of the things from networking, working with head-hunters, applying for jobs, changing my resume multiple time, coffees with strangers, and even moving from the East Coast to the Midwest and moving from guest room to guest room three different time while looking for work. All of this with a smile pasted on my face externally, but many tears cried internally. Ultimately, I was unemployed for FOURTEEN months. It was through networking with strangers that I finally found a job.
Third, seven years after that horrible experience I found myself in an extremely toxic, abusive work environment. Only employees who worked there could understand how awful it was. I was working extremely long hours, had no life, and was suffering from multi-week stress headaches that required heavy medication. One day I even had to go to the neurologist for a shot in the back of my head and then went back to work. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it. At my desk, I’d add up how much money I had saved up and calculate how long it’d last if I just quit. One day, after a few phone calls to friends to make sure the decision made sense, I put in my notice.
Whatever reason you’re looking for a job, you’re going to experience a few angsty feelings internally and to mitigate that I want to encourage you on your journey and share things that I wish I had known in advance of my job search experiences.
One: Perspective
It’s the weirdest thing to know that you’re capable of doing a great job and then to find yourself in a position where you have to persuade people to take a risk on you.
So two things:
You’ll need to give yourself pep talks. I told myself everyday during my time of unemployment, “I will get through this. One day I’ll have a job. I don’t know what it will be, where it will be, or how I will get it, but I’m doing what I need to do to get that job.” And one day, it came true. Come up with your version.
You’ll need to remind yourself of what you bring to the table, what you’re capable of, what you’ve done professionally, and how you’ve made a difference. When you get rejected from those job applications, you’ll need to remind yourself that you’re still a winner. This might sound silly, but when you’re in the thick of it and nothing seems to be working or happening, you have to believe in yourself and your abilities because you do have them. That’s all true. It’s just that you’re still on the hunt for the best fitting job.
Two: You’re the Boss
You’re the boss of this job search. Just like a job has regular hours, as the boss, you need to set parameters for when you’ll show up and do the work of looking for work.
Pick a time of day to do your job search. Block it off on your calendar and then show up on time.
Side Note One: If you’re in a toxic, stressful, long-hours job, it’ll be harder to find time to job search. Take micro-actions. Reach out to one person a day who might be able to help you out. Dig out your resume and put it in a new folder on your computer and update it. Any action you take towards looking for a job will feel empowering so when you go into work, you know in the back of your mind you’re doing something to get out of this situation.
Side Note Two: If you’re unemployed, you cannot look for a job every second of the day. Give yourself permission to do things that when you’re working full-time you wish you could do in the middle of the day. Things like going to a museum on a Wednesday afternoon. Meeting friends for coffee or lunch. Visiting an elderly relative. Going to the beach and reading a book. Hanging out with your kids. Hanging out with your spouse. If you can afford it, take a trip somewhere. You’ll have a job at some point, give yourself permission to do things that working people (which will be you one day) can’t do when they have a job.
Side Note Three: If you’re a college grad, dedicate a chunk of time of your day for your job search. Create a list of adults you know in your life who you can connect with, tell them what you’re looking for, ask them if they know of anyone they can connect you with. See what resources your college career services department has. Ask your professors if they know people. Be professional when connecting with them, show up on time, have a few questions you can ask them, have an “ask” that they could easily help you with, send a follow-up thank you email. (P.S. get yourself an updated email address that isn’t your school’s email and that isn’t a Hotmail account.)
In addition, find a job or get an internship that’ll give you work experience while you’re looking for work. Even if you’re a server or you get a job working retail. Whatever the job is, it’ll show you that you’re employable and will give you experience. Work on a pet project. Want a job in marketing? Find someone who you can help with their marketing and grow their account. Want a job writing? Start a blog. Create ways to do the things you want to do in a job. Show people what you’re capable of. These experiences will give you talking points for when you get an interview and will show you that you’re proactive, interesting and motivated.
Three: Positioning
The most important part of the job search process is learning how to communicate what you bring to the table. Ultimately you don’t just want a job, you want a job you can succeed in, one where you add value to the company and team you’re working with, and one where you love what you’re doing.
So how to do that?
You’ve got to identify:
Your strengths
Your weaknesses
The types of situations you thrive in
Examples of how you’ve made a difference in different situations
The types of people you’re ideally suited to work with
The “problem” you solve
Basically, you need to become super self-aware.
How to do this?
Start by asking yourself questions. For each item above, turn it into a question and answer it. I.e. “What am I really good at?” What am I not so good at?”
Looking at your answers to the above, are there any stories or examples that’d be great to have as talking points in interviews or on a cover letter or in your LinkedIn about page?
See if you can come up with the answer to, “I help X do Y so that Z.” Once you have that answer, it’s 1000% easier to know exactly what types of jobs to look for and how to talk about yourself with the hiring managers. (This isn’t a quick answer BTW. This requires major reflection!)
Fourth: This is Temporary
Looking for a job might feel like a long-term situation, but, as with all things, it is temporary.
When you feel discouraged, know that that’s a valid and normal part of the process.
It takes a strong and brave person to embark on a job hunt. If you’re on the hunt, kudos to you. This is a character building life experience that not everyone is willing to or has to go through.
You have strengths and gifts that someone out there is looking for. Get clear on what they are, know how they make a difference, and practice talking about them in a way that positions you as the perfect fit for the role that you’re applying for.
Once you know the above, you won’t dread the job hunt nearly as much as you originally thought you would.
Go get ‘em. You got this.
If you read the above and you’re like, “This is all great, but how do I do this on my own,” please contact me and let’s connect. I’ve helped many individuals go through the job search journey - from clients in a toxic work environment, unexpectedly unemployed, looking for their first job, or just needing a change.
Together we’ve worked through what they bring to the table, how to talk about their strengths, how to manage their weaknesses, how to position themselves, and stories they can share with hiring managers to showcase why they’re a value add.
Here are some comments I’ve received from two of them after working together:
“Great news! I started at a new job this week :) It’s sorta perfect. It’s creative, but there’s still the technical element I’m after. A lot of flexibility and my boss is a dream. Thanks for your help and support. I wouldn’t have been able to make the decision to move forward without understanding my goals and strengths.”
“Hello! I got the role! Thank you for the guidance and coaching you’ve given to me over the last 9 months. I would not have had any direction or frankly self confidence to go through the process without the work we did together. THANK YOU!”
Alternatively, click here to get my guide, “Align Your Grind: Five Key Questions Most People Never Ask Themselves but Should.”
If you take the time to reflect on who you are, what you bring to the table and why that matters, you’ll set yourself up for life-changing and fulfilling success.