Joyce Richman: Don’t get used to your new routine
Joyce Richman: Don’t get used to your new routine
Don’t get used to being in that mode after being laid off. You know the mode: staying up late, waking up late. Oprah Winfrey in the afternoon, Conan O’Brien at night. You kid yourself into thinking you’re looking for a job when you jump online, browse through a few postings and fire off some e-mails.
Grousing about the state of affairs in business, government and the world of hurt doesn’t move you ahead, it just leaves you behind. It’s time to let go of that and get back to work.
So now you say, “I would, if there were any jobs out there.”
But when’s the last time you checked?
“I’m online every day, and I can tell you there are slim pickings.”
Who’s on your networking list?
“I don’t bother with networking. It’s a waste of time and gets you nowhere. The people I call don’t know where the jobs are and if they do, they aren’t telling me.”
There are jobs out there. They open and close every day when employees leave them. And they do leave, not because they’re fired or laid off but because life has intervened. Sometimes it’s the unexpected; an illness or death. Sometimes it’s just to switch to another company, industry or to go back to school.
When these openings occur, employers don’t have time to go public and field countless applications, make a hundred phone calls and conduct a dozen interviews. They need to fill positions quickly with people they trust who can get up to speed and fit in with the team that is already in place.
Employers start by looking inside their companies, but having no one to spare, they quickly turn outside, quietly putting the word out to people they know to help find the right person for the job.
“And you think I can be that person?”
Yes, you can be that person, but the people looking have to be able to find you. If you spend your days and nights staying in the house, staring at your computer, you’re invisible.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
Get really clear about what you do well and how you make a difference to employers. Be sure that you and your résumé are on the same page. Then start making calls and setting appointments with everyone you know.
“I’ve already asked people I know and they don’t know anything.”
Start making calls to people you know and let them know what you do that benefits employers, that makes them money or saves them money. Then ask for names of people they know who you can call, and find out who they know. Keep making those calls, making those connections, and you’ll eventually track down opportunities that you can jump on.
In this market, jobs open and close quickly, so polish your résumé, dress professionally and get out where the action is. Trust me, it’s not in your house.
Joyce Richman is a career coach and author of “Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job” and “Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” Read her blog at www.richmanresources.com and watch her latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. on WFMY News 2. Contact Richman at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com.
