Looking for Work? 3 ways that work, and one best way

One, the best way: talk to people

I get asked all the time: What’s the best way to find work? And honestly? There is one best way and it’s: talk to people.

You may already know that 30% of all jobs are filled by referrals from existing employees. This stretches to 45% for internal hires. So, unsurprisingly, a relationship is the single biggest source for hiring (Society for Human Resource Management). Reach out to your existing network, but also work on making new connections. And you don’t need to rely solely on people you already know. You can also DM someone in your field on LinkedIn or send an email. Generally, people like to help. And as a researcher I know that people like to talk about their work.

Ask your questions. Be honest about what you’re looking for. Let them help you. It’s simple in theory, a little harder in practice—but it’s also the thing most people underdo when they’re job searching. We apply online, we wait, we refresh our inbox. Meanwhile, the fastest and strongest path to your next opportunity is usually a conversation. This is how we access the hidden job market and it works better as our careers progress.

So, how do you do it? Start with one person at a time. Ask a simple question: Do you have a few minutes for a chat about your work?

Then follow up with a few more detailed questions:

·       What do you like best about your work?

·       Is there a part of the industry you think I should consider more carefully?

·       Is there some training you think I should get?

·       Is there something you think I should read?

·       Is there someone else you think I should talk to?

Read the room. If they’re into it, keep going. Remember, you’re building a relationship, not just making a transactional connection. If you sense some reluctance or if they need to move on, close with a call to action like one of the questions above.

And then... follow up: I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me last month. I wanted to let you know that I... (met that person, got that job, took that course...)

If you’re an introvert, this whole process is harder, but you can start small and aim for a helpful connection. If you are an extrovert, you’re already having conversations all the time, so think about what is a helpful conversation. For everyone, think about what you have to offer in return: your kindness, your gratitude, and maybe some help in return in the future.

Module 2 of the Career Development Workshop is all about how to build and use your professional social network to the best effect.

Two: Keep using your skills — and keep learning

Of course, conversations alone might not be enough. Now let’s look at the second way to navigate a shift. While you’re looking for work, don’t stop doing the work. Use your skills. Remind yourself what you’re good at. Focus on it and do it, paid or unpaid. Practice doing what you trained to do. This way you are doing what you love, and maybe people will see you doing it, hopefully with passion and conviction. Maybe you’ll meet people who love what you love and maybe that leads to your next big thing.

Upskill where you need to or want to. Start by doing an assessment of what skills you have, which ones are in demand, and where you can build. Module 3 covers this exactly.

When you’re out of work you can only spend a bit of time each day actively looking for work, the rest of the time can be spent doing what you love or adding to your existing skills. Either way, a learning mind is very attractive to employers, and if you’re in a job search, you need to be this kind of attractive.

Try this: Add what you’re working on to your resume. Use language like "currently learning" or "recently created." A recruiter might ask you about it, and you’ll be able to speak to it with confidence and enthusiasm—or even just genuine curiosity. Curiosity signals that you like to learn, and employers find that compelling.

Three: Keep Your Confidence Up & Keep Going

A job search can wear on you. Sometimes when we're first looking for new work, we stop and wait for a response from someone, but you can lose some valuable time doing this. You need to keep going and here are some ways to protect yourself from the very real stress and pain of job hunting, especially when the process is taking too long:

• Do what you’re good at — the things you trained to do — paid or unpaid. We feel good when we are doing what we do best.

• Spend time with the people who build you up. They’ll remind you how good you are even when you’ve forgotten.

• Believe in your dream and believe in yourself. This will help you keep going when the going is tough. It will keep you in the right frame of mind and overall you’ll feel better. Your supporters will help you with this.

• Break goals in to manageable tasks. You likely can’t complete your job transition all at once, and if it is taking too long you need ways to keep going. It’s easier to start with one small thing than addressing a big goal all at once.

Try this: Remind yourself what you’re good at. Focus on it and do it. If you’re not sure how to practice your skills on your own, spend some time figuring that out — it’s worth the effort.

Try this: Write down one thing you want to accomplish today, even if it only takes five minutes. Maybe it’s completing a skills assessment. Maybe it’s making a list of industries that are hiring. Just pick one thing, do it, and celebrate that forward motion.

What’s one small step you can take today to get a conversation started? Ask me if you need help with the first step: hello@careerimaginationlab.com