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 It is great when your life moves forward, “according to plan.” If you are particularly an organized person that likes to “check off the boxes” as things get done with the tasks you have in front of you, having
something occur, on which you did not plan could serve from anywhere as a minor annoyance to a major catastrophe. When those unexpected interruptions occur during a job search, they can be particularly devastating if one does not expect them to happen. So, how can one be prepared to handle those unexpected obstacles?
If one starts out their job search process with the understanding that the job search is a “Research Project,” and that there are 5 continuous steps to it, that flow back and forth throughout their search, then they are well on their way. A strong job search consists of 5 steps. Those steps are:
- Assessing what it is you are looking to do next in your career
- Conducting Research, (both in-person discussions and secondary research from online sources)
- Targeting the job functions and industries you are pursuing, and where to do that work
- Interviewing both as a job searcher in interviews arranged by companies and ones you set up to gain information from those that can help
- Following Up consistently with those companies with whom you have spoken, those who have provided leads, etc., to let them know of your progress, interests and to see what else may have emerged
While all the steps are essential, the first 3 are ones that many job searchers miss. They will look at their last resume, add their most recent job(s), add a short description of what they did, (often from the job description), and start applying aimlessly. The prepared job searcher realizes opportunities will present themselves and then get stalled or disappear. So, what may they do to combat such
likelihoods?
One step is to put together a “Marketing Plan” for themselves. So, what is a Marketing Plan? It is a one-page document that is a “roadmap” for the job searcher. It will include a “brief” summary of the strengths they bring to the table. It will include the 3 to 5 major accomplishments and skills they will want to emphasize they bring to a prospective hiring company during any interactions with them. And, most
importantly the final 1/3 of it will consist of industries in which they can perform their talents, and organizations in those industries, (whether they have a current opening or not), which they are targeting.
How does the marketing plan help in this regard? First, as the job searcher begins their search, if they are speaking to those, they know that they are in job search transition, they can share a copy of the plan with their contacts. The contacts, if truly looking to help them, may indicate they know individuals at companies which they are targeting, and may be willing to make an introduction to those contacts. A contact with whom the plan is shared may identify other organizations within
the industries they have identified that they may want to have on their marketing plan, (not every person knows every company, especially mid-size, or smaller organizations). The marketing plan, if used as a dynamic document, becomes a vital document during the search.
Another step that a prepared job searcher will do, is realize no opportunity is a certainty. Even, if they have been selected for an interview, which goes on to multiple rounds of interviews, it does not mean they will receive the offer for that position. That is why it is encouraged that even if multiple opportunities look promising, a job searcher is still searching for possible other companies to apply, so that if all promising opportunities fall through, they are
not starting from the position of having been devastated and starting all over again. Additionally, it may be beneficial to even continue keeping the search open for even 2 to 3 months after starting a new position, to ensure that it aligns with everything one expected when accepting the job offer.
Other strategies for dealing with “detours and obstacles” that may occur along the way include, being open to tweaking one’s resume depending on the job for which they are applying. Today’s job search tools are designed strongly to weed applicants out. As such, ensuring that the language on one’s resume matches to a 70% or above level to the keywords and skills on the job description is essential to being considered a candidate for the
role.
Additionally, even if applying for a position online, remember to combine that method with the determination to find who may work for the hiring company that is either in your network or connected to those in your network. Are those contacts willing to bring your resume to a hiring manager? How willing are they to be advocates for your candidacy inside of the company? (Obviously the better they know you, or have worked with you in the past and can speak to your
skillsets, the more willing they are going to be to speak up on your behalf).
Detours and obstacles will always be there in our lives. Whether it is while out driving on the road, or in moving on to the next thing you are targeting to achieve or move forward to in your life, one needs to be prepared to have a strategy to deal with them. The more you think out what you will do before the obstacle presents itself, as opposed to being surprised by it and reacting in the moment, the better you will be prepared to continue forward on your journey.
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