It would be great if every time you were going to face a job search, you had warning. Maybe a year in advance would be ideal. You would be able to get your networking in order, save a few months’ expenses, and have your resume ready for prime time.
Most job seekers, however, find themselves unemployed suddenly. If they have two weeks’ notice (and maybe even a bit of severance) they consider it a gift! For job seekers facing unexpected unemployment, feelings of frustration, disappointment, fear, anger, relief and anxiety can become an overwhelming swirl of emotions, often making the first months of the search unproductive.
As soon as you are notified you are “no longer needed here” and face a job search, here are some steps you can take to find your next job:
Month 1
Your new job, as of Day One, is to find your next job. While the hurt and disappointment of being downsized or fired is still raw, you need to capture this precious time to gather your thoughts and create your value proposition. This means you’re focused on the job search from the time you wake up (at a reasonable waking hour) to the time you prepare for dinner; your focus is on what you will do to get re-employed.
You should spend your first month dedicated to these activities:
Introspection and Personal Branding
Personal branding is the key to being able to clearly articulate your value proposition to a potential employer. This means you have to understand aspects of your offer, including:
- What makes me unique? What do I do that sets me apart?
- How do I want others to perceive me?
- When am I most authentic at work? What kind of work am I doing when I feel most “like me”?
- What kind of people do I work best with? What company cultures will I fit into the best? For instance, do I like working in highly collaborative teams or will I work best on my own? Do I enjoy high-energy entrepreneurial work or more traditional office jobs?
- What am I passionate about? Do I enjoy trying to solve world issues? Politics? Education and hunger? Or, am I more intrigued by complex financial issue or teaching children new skills?
Inventory of Your Tools
- Do you have personal business cards? This is a “day one of unemployment” task! Get cards printed with your name, email, cell phone and perhaps a description of what you can offer. For example, Ben Smith, Dedicated IT Network Administrator or Susan Jones, Talented Writer Who Turns Ideas into Business Narrative.
- Do you have the wardrobe for a job search? Do you need a new suit? Are you looking for work in a new city where you might need a new wardrobe? Polish your shoes, tailor ill-fitting interview clothes and dust off your portfolio.
- Does your resume need to be updated? Aside from updating with your last job, do you need to refocus the document?
- Do you have the computer/software tools to successfully research and contact the companies you are going to approach?
- Do you have a good network of contacts? How are their names, contact information and notes organized?
Networking
- Review best practices of networking.
- Decide who you need to know and how you will meet them.
- What groups or associations do you belong to and which ones should you join?
- Who do you know who can help in your job search? How will you reach out to them to know you are in a search — in person? By phone or email? On LinkedIn?
- Are there meetings, gatherings, conferences or MeetUps in your area that you can and should attend?
- Do you have an answer for the “What do you do?” question? If not, start developing a response.
- Plan your follow up — how will you keep in contact, follow up and engage in a long-term networking relationship with the people you will meet?
Research
Looking at the companies you identified in step 1 (who do you want to work for), begin researching all you can about them, including:
- What are their company priorities?
- Are there aspects of their company or industry for which you have unique insights?
- Is the company growing?
- What type of employees do they hire?
- Are they hiring right now?
- Do you know anyone who works there? What is your relationship with the people you know who work there?
Build Your LinkedIn Profile
Maybe you looked at LinkedIn as a “nice to have” when you were employed, but now it can be one of your most powerful job search tools. The people you need to know, and who need to know (and find) you, are often just a keystroke away.
With a clear sense of your value proposition and what you’re looking for (refer to step one, again), in Month 1 focus on:
- Updating your profile with a current and professional-looking headshot.
- Adding information about your last employer — focusing on successes, results and keywords designed toward your next job.
- Revising your Summary to reflect your passions, goals and value proposition.
- Add any credentials, education or volunteer activity you’ve gained recently.
- Start to slowly ask for recommendations on your last job. You will get more assertive about this next month, but start asking now.
Month 2
As you spent Month 1 gathering information, learning and becoming more visible to your community and industry, now it’s time to amplify your efforts using the insights and research you learned.
This month your focus is to:
Build Out Your Online Presence and Social Networks
Take a much more visible position online. Look at all the networks where your target audience (recruiters, hiring managers, colleagues who could refer you and influencers) participates. For some of you this may mean building a presence on Twitter, or maybe posting some creative videos highlighting your talents on YouTube. For others of you, perhaps forming a strong presence and following on Pinterest or Instagram will get the attention of the product-focused businesses you are trying to connect with.
Also consider a mini-website or blog. Both can be done relatively easily using a platform like WordPress, where the look and feel is relatively user-friendly. This can serve to illustrate your skills and experience, and can house your resume, writings and offer to your next employer.
Refine Your Resume
Draft, revise and have your resume reviewed. Be sure this document reflects your style and personality, is concise and interesting, can be customized to the jobs you will apply for and is completely (yes, completely!) free of typos or grammar mistakes. Did I mention there should be no typos?
This document is a reflection of your personality, passion, care and interest in the position and company that will receive it. Care for your resume as if it were a Super Bowl ad — make sure it’s perfect! Have it reviewed by many people who know you and know what you’re looking for.
Take Your Networking to the Next Level
For all those contacts you started meeting in Month 1, now you will become more intentional about connecting with them, offering to meet and discuss opportunities, learn about their industry and figure out how and who you will build more long-term, win-win, networking relationships with.
Perhaps join a committee in one of the networking groups you joined. You might even join a leads group or program specifically designed for job seekers. Your goal is to be out in the community, not sitting at home, so you can be visible and top of mind with your target audiences.
Contact the Companies You Researched
Now that you have the due diligence complete on the companies you’d like to work for, and you’ve identified your in roads (i.e. people you know who work there) create your cover letters and pitch schedule. Consider whether to contact the hiring manager on LinkedIn first or whether a letter by regular mail might be more effective.
Tailor and customize your cover letter and resume for each position for which you are applying. Draw a straight line between what they are hiring for and what you have experience doing and are passionate about doing again. Make the hiring manager’s job as easy as possible.
Months 3+
If your job search continues, you are likely dealing with mounting feelings of frustration and anxiety. Just know that the process is never the same for any two people. Your colleague may have had a great job offer by the end of the first week of unemployment, and you are facing three+ months of uncertainty. Your situation could change tomorrow with one phone call, so rest assured: If you’re working the search correctly, you’re doing everything possible to make yourself findable, and evaluating the opportunities you receive.
Keep your momentum going by focusing on:
- Social networking
- In-person networking
- Contributing to the online conversation
- Getting out into the community
- Continuing your research
- Letting people know what you have to offer
- Refining and polishing your resume
- Sending letters and emails to your target audience
- Volunteering
- Take care of yourself
Try as best you can to keep your spirits high. Spend time with friends and family, take the dog for walks in the park, help a neighbor scoop their walk. Staying connected to the things in your life that matter to you is critical to keeping your game sharp in a job search.
Your personal brand is your filter — it’s your criteria and assessment tool for the types of opportunities you seek and where you will do your best work. When job seekers haven’t focused on understanding and building their brand, they tend to accept the first job that comes along, or they try to mold themselves into an ideal candidate for any job they see; in both cases, they give away their power and control
When you can create a consistent brand and marketing and promote that brand across all mediums — from online to in person — you’re building a career, not just finding a job. You’re clear about the type of work you enjoy and where you’ll contribute your highest value, and the way you will behave, because you know that your vision and your actions will craft the reputation and legacy you desire for yourself, instead of leaving that to chance.
How has your personal brand strengthened your candidacy? If you haven’t developed a personal brand, what do you think would be the biggest benefit of doing so? Share in the comments!
Image: Flickr
