Have A Job Search Strategy? Great . . . Now Act Like It. (Part 1)

On of my main goals for writing this blog has been to convince people of the need to have a job search strategy. Without one, you are lacking the guardrails to keep you heading down a confident path. If you are out of work and do not have a solid strategy, you may have a long road ahead of you. Read Do You Have  A Job Search Strategy? to learn more.

If you do not recognize your lack of a strategy it will, unfortunately, be very obvious to others . . .

If you watch the You Tube video, you’ll see an extreme example of how some recruiters, polished job seekers and busy hiring managers view a significant portion of the folks “in transition”.

The point of this video is not to illustrate a lack of a strategy – the “twits” clearly portray a lack of other necessary traits to succeed in life. It is not meant to make fun of people who are struggling to find a job and suffering financially. Rather, it is here as a “2 by 4 to the head” for those who think they are doing “OK” and don’t see what others see. From my experience, there are two big risk areas for job seekers – even if you have a strategy:

1. Executing a bad strategy

2. Executing a good strategy in a passive or disrespectful way

Now the risks here seem obvious, right? But until you read examples of ways people bring these risk areas to life you may not recognize that you may be guilty of them yourself. If you are seen this way by the influencers or decision makers in your industry or job search circle, you will face an environment characterized by dwindling support (fewer returned calls, shorter conversations and significantly less 3rd party endorsements). If you are a sailor, think about it as being “in irons” (no wind in your sails).

So for two perspectives on these risk areas, I had conversations this week with a fellow job seeker from 2007 who is now employed and a local executive recruiter here in Southern California.

A. The Employed Contact
My fellow job seeker (Joe) from 2007 works at a software company here in Southern California. He went through a recent transition and successfully arrived at a new job early in 2008. As with a number of people arriving at a new job, there is a very real empathy for those who are still looking. You know their pain. You also know that you have a big challenge ahead in convincing your new boss that he made the right decision. Finally, you are (or should be) acutely aware that while you can help others network and find jobs within your company, you have to be careful that you don’t send “just anyone” to your HR department.

Joe’s example
A very common connection is the meeting of someone at a networking event, having a five minute conversation and agreeing to keep an eye out for each other. You might even connect on Linkedin or Plaxo for future discussions. Joe made a connection with a guy (Pete) just before Joe arrived at his new job. Because Joe was empathetic to Pete’s situation, Joe agreed to help Pete network within his company for a few open jobs. Here’s an important point. If you are Pete, please realize the huge risk that Joe is taking by networking you into his environment. Honestly, he doesn’t know you that well.

To move the story along, Pete makes a couple of big mistakes. First, he calls almost everyday looking for an update. Hard to fathom except if you see Pete as desperate and hoping like crazy that his connection with Joe will be “the one” that ends his search. Do not pester your connections or they will snap like a twig. Second, he misrepresents his relationship to Joe by suggesting to the HR department that they are friends. Not only is this is flat out wrong but does Pete really think that “friendship” drives interview selection?

The lessons here? Your connections are precious. Treat them with respect and courtesy. Do not burn them out with over-use and do not, in a single statement, put your connections at risk in their new job.

In my plate spinning analogy that is the basis for Tim’s Strategy, I ask you to initially and continually measure your Spinning Stick.

3. MEASURE your spinning stick
How open is this micro network to helping you? You can do this by measuring your spinning stick. It shows the relative distance between you and your micro network. In plate spinning a shorter stick is less awkward to work with and in this strategy it suggests a closer relationship to your network – one you can tap into more deeply and more often.

The mistake made by Pete? Making a big request with a long stick . . . and abusing the opportunity.

See my next post for PART 2, the guidance from an executive recruiter.

More From TimsStrategy

• Have A Job Search Strategy? Great . . . Now Act Like It. (Part 2)
• Looking For Work? Become A “Must Have” Connection.
• The Psychology Of Job Search

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• If You’re Going Job Search, Do It Like This Executive Does  (MBA Highway)
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