One of the earliest conversations I can remember having with my wife Carolina was when we were dating. I knew that Carolina’s role in the public school system in which she worked was that of “bi-lingual teacher.” In that role, I knew she tutored students in the school system for whom English was not their native language. The school system had several students whose family had settled in the area who were from Spanish speaking countries. As Carolina was also a native Spanish speaker, having been born in Cuba, she was a natural fit for this important role in the education process. 

While walking I commented to Carolina that her students were fortunate to have her as their tutor since she could translate into Spanish lessons that they might have a difficult time in understanding. Carolina quickly corrected me that my understanding of her role was completely the opposite of what I understood it to be. She firmly informed me her role was to help her students gain a comfort with understanding their lessons in the English language and helping to get them “mainstreamed” into the classroom environment, so that they no longer needed her services. It proved to be a valuable lesson to me, to not assume that I understood exactly what someone whom is close to me does as part of their work environment and day to day work tasks.

How well do you know what the individuals in your family or your close friends truly do as part of their workday? While some may say they really do not care to know what those close to them do during their workday, when a situation such as job search transition comes, it could be of great importance. While there are four ways to find a job, and many rely on posting for job positions on online sites or using a recruiter to “find them a job,” statistics throughout history of job search show that networking with others to learn of opportunities, and directly contacting firms to see if your services are right to help them in their mission, work far more effectively than online sites and recruiters for job searchers.  And, while one may have a deep network of professionals themselves, sometimes the individual they need to speak with may be a connection or two away.  

Your family members may have friends who have spouses or children that work at companies that are on your target list of companies, and may help to forward your qualifications to a hiring manager. It is possible that the activities in which they are involved, be they volunteer or recreational activities, may have them connected to individuals that can be of assistance to your search. Additionally, if your family members and friends have a deep understanding of the type of work you do or how you help others, it may trigger in them an understanding that someone they know in their circle does similar type of work, or works with similar types of organizations that need your skillsets. Let me tie this all together with a story that was first conveyed to me at a job search group many years ago, by a fellow coach/recruiter in my network of professional acquaintances, that he shared with the group this one Saturday morning.

There was a young professional who lived in New York City. One of her dreams was to work at the Time Warner corporation. She was working with a Career Coach as she was strategizing the steps of her search. The coach guided her to tell everyone she knew about her desire to work at Time Warner. When she asked what he meant by “everybody,” he said to her, you should tell your mother, you should tell your aunt, you should tell everyone in your circle of family and friends.

The professional was skeptical about the advice. She said to the coach “How could someone like my mother or aunt, (people who had not worked outside the home in years), help me with getting into Time Warner? It so happened a few days later the professional was on the phone with her aunt who lived in Chicago in a senior citizens complex. She conveyed to her aunt how she was in job search, and how she had hoped to be able to find opportunities at Time Warner. The aunt said to the young professional, “I think I can help you with that.”

It happened that the aunt played bridge weekly. One of her bridge partners was the mother of a Time Warner executive in New York. She told her friend about her niece’s desire to work at Time Warner. The mother of the Time Warner executive called her son in New York, provided the contact information of the young professional, who was called in for an interview. After receiving the telephone call from Time Warner for the interview appointment the professional called back her Career Coach and got his voicemail message and left the following four-word message, “HOW DID YOU KNOW?”  

May 2023 - Closing Thoughts