NL #1- From Layoff To Opportunity

From Layoff To Opportunity

By Uri Galimidi

Issue #1, May 2009

Job Scarcity In Turbulent Times. At the end of March 2009 there were 1.68 million unemployed people in Canada (8.0% unemployment), competing for much fewer job openings. The situation in the US was not much different: 12.5 million job hunters (8.5% unemployment) chasing 3 million job openings. What would it take for YOU to make it to the finish line ahead of the others?

First and foremost, as in any other highly competitive situation, you have to be at the top of your mental form. You have to be very clear about your goal, be creative, resourceful, and determined, have the knowledge of the best techniques and resources out there, and have a strong supportive system.

My purpose in this article is to bring to you an insightful Career Transition Framework^TM that will help you meet your career objective. So let me start with an interesting job hunting story.

The case of John Stewart. John Stewart (not his real name) was one of the many casualties of the economic downturn. The first thought that came to his mind, as he was staring at his pink slip, was about the new house he bought recently. “How am I going to tell my wife?” he asked himself. “How am I going to pay my mortgage?” For the first two days John continued to leave his home at 7 am, pretending to be going to work as usual. Moving from one Starbucks to another and doing a lot of thinking, John realized that if he were to allow his emotions to take charge, he would be doomed. “I need all my strength to handle this” He said to himself. “And I need the support of my wife”. At the end of the second day he shared the news with his wife, and together they spent the evening strategizing about the way forward.

True to his methodical nature, John decided to approach this job hunt as a project. He took a few days off to determine clearly what it was I really wanted to achieve and how he was going to approach this challenge. In retrospect John wished he had hired a Coach, but he did not.

After some consideration, John chose to use a sharp-shooting rifle approach, rather then sending out a blast of resumes to every possible job site. He consulted his extensive contact list, and drew a shortlist of contacts that he thought might help him get to his destination. Some of them he had to rack down on LinkedIn and Face Book, but finally he completed his shortlist. After a couple of weeks of calls and follow-up calls, duly recorded in his Excel project management worksheet, John received the call he was waiting for. “Call this man”, said one of his contacts. “He is the CEO of an emerging but dynamic company. They are looking for someone like you”.

Before calling, John spent a few days searching the internet for everything he could find about the company. He studied every news item, the company’s leadership team, every interview they gave, their business strategy, their annual report, even their competitors. Armed with all that knowledge, he had to figure out what unique value he could bring to the company. John developed a detailed strategy statement, complete with graphs and charts, carefully articulating his vision for the company and how he could help them realize it. John then set to prepare for his interviews, using video rehearsal and visualization techniques. John had to ensure that he would project himself in the best way: professional, confident, and experienced. Eventually, after seven long interviews, laced with challenging discussions about his ideas, John received the good news he was hoping for. Only two months after leaving his old job, John was at his new desk. His mortgage payments were going to be met after all.

A Job Hunting Strategy. An article by Susan Crompton, published by Statistics Canada, ranks losing one’s job as the seventh most stressful life event (a score of 47 out of 100), after death of a spouse, divorce, separation, death of a family member, illness or injury, and marriage. Clearly this is a challenging period when an effective support system is very much needed. The Career Transition Framework^TMdescribed below, combined with the support of a Career Coach provide one of the most effective ways to tackle the challenge.

1. Come To Terms

If you have lost your job recently, you probably experienced feelings of disbelief, anger, shame, disappointment, loss of self-esteem, and possibly even depression. There may be immediate financial issues facing you. The relationship with your family and friends may be impacted. There is a lot you have to deal with in this initial period. It is crucial that you find effective ways to work through these issues as quickly as you can. You have to get in your top-most mental shape quickly if you are to be successful in your quest for a new job.

2. Explore The Market

In this step you may consider spending some time exploring the market and becoming familiar with what is awaiting you out there. The economy, the stimulus package, the state of your industry, occupations and locations in demand, companies that are still hiring, government and other resources available to you, and the like. You’d be amazed at the abundance of information and resources out there, some very valuable, others less so.

3. Develop Strategy

This is the most important step of all. Although you may be tempted to race ahead, please do not skip this step. Start by defining your long term and short term life vision, your core values, you strengths, weaknesses and self-limiting beliefs, and the things that make you unique. Next write down the type of job you wish to have, the position, responsibilities, salary and employment conditions, the type of company and its culture, and your future work-life balance. Then, spend some time thinking about your job hunting strategy and how you will execute it.

4. Write Your Resume

Writing an effective resume is based on a few simple principles. First and foremost it is important that you customize your resume to meet the specific requirements of each company and the job you are applying for. Most companies use Resume Search software that automatically searches for the attributes they seek. Make sure those are included in your resume. You should also state clearly and concisely your expertise, your quantitative achievements (e.g. managed a budget of $....), and what makes you uniquely valuable to your targeted company.

5. Networking

Recruiters agree that most jobs, perhaps 60% to 70%, are found through one’s own network connections. And most career experts advise on the importance of investing in one’s professional and personal networks. The internet provides ample opportunities to stay connected via LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, and others.

Your immediate objective is to network with those who can help you with your job search. Your longer term objective should be to define your professional brand, and build your professional presence out there.

You should also search your name on the internet, and ensure that you are comfortable with the content posted about you. Any content constituting a “red flag” could disqualify you from a job, which you would otherwise be an ideal candidate for.

6. Search Job

Most experts prefer the targeted approach to job hunting, based on pursuing your network of contacts, and getting an audience with company individuals who can open doors for you. It is also a good idea, to thoroughly research the company you are pursuing. Get to know everything you can about the company, its strategy, its market position, its key personnel, and even its competitors.

7. Interview

Ultimately, it will all ride on your ability to project a confident, competent, skilled, and experienced image at your interview. Your preparation is crucial, both in terms of the knowledge you need to acquire and your ability to resonate positively with your interviewer. Take this step very seriously. Use visualization, interview rehearsals, and role playing to prepare.

Armed with this framework, you are bound to be successful. Good Luck.