Finding Your Footing After Being Laid Off

Image: Laid off workers with boxes leaving a building

Finding Your Footing After Being Laid Off

March 27, 2023

Image: Laid off workers with boxes leaving a buildingLast week, your job was solid. You were “in the zone,” feeling confident in what you were accomplishing, feeling valued as an employee, and receiving accolades on your work.

This week, you are no longer with that company because of a reduction in force. You've been laid off!

What happened? You were told that you were doing a great job and now you are no longer with the company.

This experience can spin anyone’s head around.

Unfortunately, this scenario happens all the time. Employers are forced to let go of talented people like you. It is never about your performance. You didn’t do anything wrong! You are simply one of many people affected by a business decision.

In this situation, it’s important to get clear about: (1) how to think about the layoff, and (2) how to talk about it.

First, let's look at how to think about being laid off.

In the chaos of getting laid off, these are important points that I want you to remember.

Getting laid off is not about you.

Employees who are laid off often interpret the layoff personally, as though the company targeted them to leave the company.

It’s vital that you remember: The company made a business decision about the role that you were in, not about you as a person.

This can be a difficult distinction to make, especially because you were emotionally tied to your position. Your identity may have been tied to that role and when that role was taken away, it can feel like your identity went with it.

Remember: You are a multi-dimensional person who has many other roles in life. You are a friend, sibling, wife, husband, colleague, coach, volunteer, a musician, a crafter, a teacher, as well as your professional title. Your professional title is only one aspect of you.

And also… you are a conglomeration of a multitude of skills and knowledge. That job was just one configuration of all of your abilities. When you leave the job, those abilities go with you, and you will reconfigure them into your next role. Your abilities are part of what make you who you are. Your last job is just one configuration.

I agree that your position at a company is an important part of who you are because you are compensated for your role and contributions. At the same time, WHO YOU ARE is more than what you do and where you do it.

When people lose their jobs, they tend to forget what they accomplished. They lose their confidence in their ability to do the work they have been successfully doing for many. You have many accomplishments to feel proud of! You added value to your team, you served the company, and you were respected and admired by your peers and leadership. These facts are still true! Make a point of remembering those things because it will help you maintain your confidence throughout your job search.

Second, let’s look at how to talk about your being laid off.

When my clients are laid off, I help them with their “Public Statement” about why they are no longer with the company. I make sure they aren’t saying, “I was fired,” because they weren’t! I also don’t want them to say, “I was laid off,” or “I was let go,” without adding the business’ reason for the separation.

For example, you could say:

“My position was eliminated because of [insert business reason here]." Maybe there was a merger or acquisition. Perhaps they decided to outsource or took the company in a different direction. Go back to the reason why the reduction happened and keep in mind that the decision was made about the position being eliminated, not you.

Next, say something like: “I was proud of the work I accomplished for the company and my goal is to add value to the next company as well.” You may wish to name your most recent accomplishment or you can keep it general. Either way works.

Why this all matters

Remember when you succeeded at that job before you were laid off?

YOU did that, and no one can take it away from you. The accomplishments belong to you not the company, so take those accomplishments with you when you leave.  

Your skills, qualifications, experience, and attributes that make up who you are have not changed. You just aren’t using them any longer at your former company. Your next company will benefit from what you have to offer.

And lastly, I invite you to think of your career as a journey. There are still adventures to be had! You won’t always know what’s down the road, but you will have a say about your options and choices. Use what you know and what you’ve learned along the way to design the life and career you want for yourself. You’ve got this!

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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Why You Need a Mentor & How to Find One

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Why You Need a Mentor & How to Find One

March 6, 2023

Pictured: Office setting with an older professional male talking with a younger professional femaleWhat if you had a confidante that you could turn to for career advice? Someone who could help you develop new skills, guide you through conflicts at work, and help you advance your career? If you find yourself a mentor, you can have all these things and much more.

A mentor can be a game-changer for your professional growth.

Here are just some of the ways they can help you:

Personalized Guidance and Support
A mentor can provide you with personalized guidance and support that is tailored to your unique needs and goals. They can offer insights into the challenges you face and help you navigate them successfully. Their advice and support can help you to avoid common pitfalls and make the most of your opportunities.

Access to Knowledge and Experience
The right mentor has been in your shoes before and has valuable knowledge and experience they can share to guide you. They can help you to develop new skills, learn from their successes and failures, and provide guidance on how to overcome obstacles and deal with conflict.

Networking Opportunities
Mentors can also provide you with access to their professional network by introducing you to new contacts and opportunities that can help you to advance your career. They can also offer recommendations and referrals to help you to secure job offers.

Increased Confidence
Mentors can help you to develop the confidence and self-assurance you need to succeed. They can offer support and encouragement, help you to identify your strengths, and provide constructive feedback on areas where you can improve.

Great! So… how can you find the right mentor who will be a game-changer for you?

Here is where I would start:

Get clear on your goals and needs. Before you start looking for a mentor, identify your goals and needs. Think about what you hope to achieve and what kind of guidance and support you need to get there.

Find out if your company or professional association has a mentoring program. They can connect you with someone who is interested in being a mentor and is in a good position to guide you.

Ask a colleague who has a parallel career if they have a mentor. Ask how they found them and if you can talk to them about finding one for you.

Seek out a good fit. The best mentor-mentee relationships are built on mutual trust and respect. Look for someone who shares your values and who you feel comfortable talking to and learning from.

Take the initiative. Don't be afraid to reach out to potential mentors. You can start by sending an email or LinkedIn message expressing your interest and asking if they would be willing to meet with you.

Having a mentor can be a game-changer for your professional growth. Finding the right one who’s a good match for you can take time, so plan to put in the effort. It’ll be worth it!

With their guidance, support, and knowledge, you can achieve your goals and take your career to the next level.

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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Increase Your Chances of Getting an Interview with These Two Steps

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Increase Your Chances of Getting an Interview with These Two Steps

February 20, 2023

Image: woman in suite at laptop with her chin in her hands, looking frrustrated or sadMany clients who come to me do so after they have tried to find a job on their own. They’ve applied for many jobs – sometimes hundreds!

But they aren’t receiving calls to be interviewed.

Sometimes they aren’t hearing back at all… and they realize they need help.

Their biggest problem is that they don’t know what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong, so they don’t know where to put their attention and make changes.

While the answers vary from client to client, the biggest thing I see them struggle with is this: Aligning their resume with Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS).

What are Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS)?

According to JobScan.co, 99% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS, a software that helps them manage the large volume of applications that they receive.

When you submit your application, you may (correctly) have the hiring manager in mind, but you also need to get through the gatekeeper: Their ATS system.

If you don’t get past ATS, the hiring manager will never see your resume and you’ll never receive an invitation to be interviewed.

To Increase the chances of (1) your resume landing on the hiring manager’s desk and (2) receiving an invitation to be interviewed, there are two things that you need to do:

1. Apply for jobs that you are qualified for.

Many people apply for jobs for which they are underqualified and overqualified. And I can see how that makes sense.

Job seekers apply for jobs where they are overqualified because they think that since they have more than the company wants, the employer will think they are getting a bargain.

But that’s incorrect. The employer does not need someone with more skills. In fact, they see someone who’s overqualified as potentially expensive and unlikely to stick around for long. Employers want someone who will stay around for a while and will grow into the roll.

Conversely, people applying for jobs they are underqualified for may think that they can just get training and they’ll get up to speed quickly. But companies don’t want to wait, and employers don’t want to take a chance on whether you’ll learn fast enough.

In both cases, job seekers seem to think that job descriptions aren’t serious or specific, and that they can be adjusted to fit the applicant. That’s not the case at all.

Job seekers who are applying for jobs that they are over- and underqualified for think they are keeping their options open and that it will make them more marketable, but it does not! Rather, it seriously decreases your chances of getting interviewed and hired.

The ATS system and the hiring manager are both going to be looking for closely matched skills, experience, and accomplishments. In other words, they’re looking for someone aligned with the job and qualified for it. If you are not appropriately qualified for the job, then you do not have what they are looking for. You will NOT receive a call to interview. When you are applying for jobs, the best thing you can do is to focus on what you are qualified to do in the job market.

2. Incorporate the keywords into your resume that ATS will be looking for.

If your resume does not have many of these key words, they won’t make it past the ATS! So, edit your resume to bring in as many keywords for the job as possible.

You need to use the exact words because ATS scans your resume to find those words in the job description.

After you’ve done your research and have brought in all of your keywords, I recommend using an excellent tool called JobScan, which mimics an ATS. I have all of my clients use this tool because it scans your resume against the job description to see how closely aligned you are for the role.

There are other ways to find a job.

I know that this sounds like a lot of work, but if you continue to use the advertised market to find your job and don’t do these steps I’ve outlined, your search will take much longer and be that much more difficult and frustrating.

The good news is there are other ways to find a job! The advertised market is just one path. If you want to bypass the ATS altogether, choose another path. Learn about the three paths jobseekers can use to find the right job.

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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Not hearing back about your job search? Here’s what to do.

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Not hearing back about your job search? Here’s what to do.

January 23, 2023

Pictured: woman in yellow with her head in her hands, looking frustrated while she waits by her smartphoneJob seekers do a lot of waiting.

They wait to hear back from a recruiter or hiring manager about their resume.

Then they wait to hear back about the interview and whether they’ll get to the next round.

They also wait to hear back from colleagues who said they would refer them.

It’s an anxious process that requires a lot of patience.

During that waiting process, questions start to rise up:

  • Why aren’t they getting back to me?
  • How long should I wait before I reach out?
  • Will reaching out hurt my chances, or help?
  • At what point is this silence a definitive “no”?
  • Why do they do this?! 🤦‍♀️

Is your anxiety rising? Mine, too!

So, let’s back up.

When you hear crickets, what are you thinking?

Do you start to worry about why you are not hearing back?

Or perhaps you are thinking: “I thought I did well during the interview. What did I do wrong?” It’s easy to ruminate about what you did wrong, what subtle message you missed… it’s a scary time and incredibly frustrating.

What can you do to reduce your anxiety and frustration?

How can you better manage these times, and even make them more productive?

First, keep in mind that your sense of time is very different from the people doing the hiring. They are working and very busy with a lot of things. You are just one thing on their long to-do list. If you are not working or anxious to move on from your current position, your sense of time is very different. It moves more slowly, and you want things to move faster… but it’s not in your control.

Second, try not to judge the silence as bad news. When you start ruminating and creating negative stories about why they aren't getting back to you, you create a negative spiral. It can affect a lot more than your waiting period. It can affect the decisions you make and how you show up in the world.

What can you do instead of judging the silence as bad news?

  • Manage your expectations. Be realistic about when will you actually probably hear back from people. When someone tells you a week, I recommend you think of it as two or even three weeks.
  • Remember that not everyone has the same sense of urgency as you. The people looking to hire have a lot more to their job than hiring, and their urgency is different from yours.
  • Spend this time on other job search activities. While you’re waiting to hear back, spend your energy and time making sure that this one opportunity is not your only option!

Finding a job takes time, patience, and an understanding of the process. Try not to judge the silence. Choose to remain optimistic. You never know... on the other side of those crickets might be a job offer!

One more thing... if what you're waiting for is a call back from an interview and you're feeling ghosted, read this article to learn about the steps you can take during your next interview to minimize your anxiety and even stop the ghosting.

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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Are you concerned about being laid off?

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Are you concerned about being laid off?

January 9, 2023

pictured: sillouette woman at desk with her head in her handsHearing about layoffs at your company can be alarming. It’s not something you can control and so they make you anxious. Or sometimes they’re a complete surprise because the company has kept it quiet, so you don’t even see it coming!

You might be thinking:

  1. My position is safe because of the role I do with the company. I am too valuable for them to let me go.
  2. My manager loves the work I do, and we get along so well, I would not be put on the list to be let go
  3. I hope it happens to me because I have not been happy in my job for a long time.

The truth is: No position is safe from being eliminated.

If your company is in a cost-cutting, reduce-headcount mode, they’ll do what they need to do.

What YOU can do is prepare yourself for it.

When employees hear about layoffs, they typically become reactive. They immediately start applying for jobs outside the company. Their moves can be desperate because they’re busy being afraid and they want to protect themselves. While this totally natural, it’s not necessarily the best first move.

Getting laid off is an opportunity, even if you aren’t happy about it. I invite you to be smart about your next career move. Instead of suddenly applying for jobs, choose to be intentional.

Your best bet is to get clear about your plan. What will you do if it happens to you?

This is less about taking action and more about planning for your best move.

First, assess what you want from your next position by evaluating your current one. What sort of work do you want to do, for what type of company, boss, and industry? What do you like and dislike about your current boss? Do you like the culture where you are? What about your current role helps you to do your best work, and what prevents that? What motivates you the most?

Next, consider your opportunities. What is your industry looking for now in skills and experience? Do you have the updated skills that will make you marketable to other companies?

These questions might seem difficult to answer before you activate your job search. And you’re right. They are a lot to think about. But it’s worth the time and effort. Knowing what you are looking for will speed up your search because you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for.

The best way to be prepared for a potential layoff is to get clear about what you want next. This is where you can take control. It will reduce your worry because you will see the opportunities, have clarity about your options, and be in a great position to hit the job market!

Where do you want to go in your career?

Use this guide to create your own career path. You can choose your own adventure.

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Let’s Set Your Career Intentions for the Coming Year

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Let’s Set Your Career Intentions for the Coming Year

December 26, 2022

Pictured: Woman in yellow sweater at desk with pen and paperEvery year around December and January, I spend a lot of time thinking about my career intentions for next year. Honestly, the deep question in my head is, “What do I want to do differently next year?” But it all starts here…

  • What do I want to accomplish?
  • What kind of work do I want to do?
  • What changes to my business (and to my life!) do I want to make?

Perhaps you think similar things?

To help create some structure for setting your intentions, here’s a little insight into my process.

First, I reflect on the past before I move to the future. I like to marvel at my accomplishments and look at what I was not able to achieve. In both cases, I want to understand why these things happen.

Were they on my wish list? Or were they something I really wanted to achieve? How intentional were these results, both good and bad?

For example, one of my career intentions for last year was to speak more in front of a live audience. I’m excited to say that I did this! Some were live and some were through Zoom, and they all count.

I also like to think about external events. What things outside of me impacted my outcomes?

This past year, the impact of Covid continued to linger. Some people still don’t feel comfortable with face-to-face events or returning to the workplace. Companies are still determining if they want their employees to be in the office full time or with a hybrid schedule. Layoffs are causing stress in people lives, especially if they’re worried that they might be lay offed right before the holidays.

Topics like the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting consumed the minds of many employees, leaving people feeling insecure about their future. These factors certainly affected people’s lives and I am sure our career intentions as well.

All of this reminds me that I’m not really in full control over what I do and don’t accomplish. There are so many things happening around us that influence those outcomes. That’s why it really helps to be clear about what I want to accomplish. Especially considering all the external influences, knowing my intention helps me make good decisions throughout the year.

In line with that, I like to select words that help me focus and remind me of my intentions. This past year, I had 3 words: Adaptable, flexible, and resilient.

My next step is to use what I learned in the previous year to help me set goals and intentions for the year to come. I’m still working on those. 😁

Are you doing some planning now?

Use these steps to help you plan your career intentions for 2023:

Step 1: Look at last year’s career intentions and what you accomplished.

Make 3 lists:

  • What were your intentions one year ago?
  • What did you accomplish?
  • What didn’t you accomplish?

Step 2: Which goals from the previous year do you want to bring forward to the New Year?

Step 3: What new goals do you want to add to your list?

Step 4: You can’t do everything, so trim your entire list of goals down to 3-5 goals and then prioritize them. What is the one thing you will work on first?

Step 5: Identify up to 3 words that will help you stay focused on your intentions.

Walking through these steps will give you a good start towards creating your own career intentions for the new year!

To help you dig in and do this hard work, I invite you to keep this in mind:

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” (Yogi Berra)

In other words, if you are not clear about what you want to achieve, then it will be difficult to achieve them. You’ll find yourself working on something you don’t believe in and wondering how you got there.

Take the time to set your own career intentions, and you’ll find yourself on track with a fresh perspective and a plan for your future career!

Wait... did you find this helpful and you want more? Download the worksheet below and dig even deeper!

Where do you want to go in your career?

Use this guide to create your own career path. You can choose your own adventure.

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Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: Which Will Get You Promoted?

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Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: Which Will Get You Promoted?

December 19, 2022

Pictured: Woman stnding in front of a presentation with data, speaking to a group of people who are listening.Employers use the terms “hard skills” and “soft skills” to describe what their employees need to do to succeed at their job.

It’s not unusual for people to focus on hard skills and consider them more important than soft skills. They couldn’t be more wrong!

I’d like to explain why. But first, let’s clarify what we mean.

Hard skills (or as I like to call them: head skills) are what you gained from work experience and training. These are the professional qualifications you need to do your job. Some hard skill examples include technical, computer, analytical, marketing, and finance.

Your soft skills (or heart skills) are personal attributes. They are your human qualities that enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. Soft skill examples include creative problem solving and innovation, communication skills, time management, adaptability, presentation, and active listening. While these heart skills can also be learned through work experience and training, they are often learned through life experience and may be rooted in our belief systems and our values.

When we think of the term “hard skills”, it makes them sound solid, firm, and confident. On the flip side, “soft skills” sound mushy, easy to mold, and gentle. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that hard skills are what matter most.

Without having effective soft skills, you will not be able to perform your job well.

Let’s say, one of your hard skills of expertise is analyzing data, but you are not comfortable with giving presentations. The ability to present information effectively is a soft skill that you need to be successful. You need to understand how to organize the information, how to present it in a way that your audience understands, and to be able to read the room and respond to questions effectively.

Your soft skills aren’t literally soft; they are powerful!

Companies are starting to realize the importance soft skills play in building effective teams, collaborating with colleagues, managing conflict, and solid relationship buildings skills. The term “power skills” is beginning to gain traction as the new vernacular for “soft skills.” I love that because your soft skills are powerful!

If your hard skills are the engine, your soft skills are the fuel that drives the engine!

If you want to be promoted, your powerful soft skills are key to your success.

It’s important that you know what your powerful soft skills are so that you can strengthen them and lean on them as you move up in the company.

What is one of your power skills?

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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How to Create Relationships that Build Your Network

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How to Create Relationships that Build Your Network

December 5, 2022

Pictured: 2 hands, a pen, and a card that reads: "Thank you for meeting with me today."A common trend with networking is the lack of follow-up. We connect with people on LinkedIn, during networking events, or at conferences, and then months go by without any additional interaction. Over time, we forget where we met the person, they forget about us, and then we never reconnect.

Building, following up, and staying connected to your network takes time and effort. If you don’t make the effort to stay in touch with a new person that you just met, your connection with that person was merely a transaction, not the beginning of a relationship. That means you’re missing the opportunity to add them to your network.

It also means you’re wasting your time! All that networking effort goes to waste when you don’t do the follow-up work to build a relationship with them.

The power of your network and its usefulness is based on the strength of your relationships with the people you know.

The whole point of meeting people and getting to know them is so that you can strengthen your network. When you do this, you increase the number of people you can turn to when you need help, be it with your job search, going for your next promotion, or support for a project you’re working on.

But just meeting a person once and not talking to them again is not enough. That’s just a transactional exchange and it doesn’t add them to your network.

To add someone to your network, you need to connect and communicate with them multiple times. This means following up, scheduling another time to talk, meeting up with them again at another event, and so on.

Your main driver might be to get to know the other person better because you anticipate asking them to help you in the future. However, the focus should be on helping them.

Building lasting relationships within your network is all about the other person, not about you.

It’s when you help other people that you build the true bedrock of your relationship.

Maya Angelou said, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

When you build a relationship with the people in your network so that you can help them, you make them feel supported and safe. They, in turn, will be there for you when you need them.

Perhaps this goes without saying but I want to be clear that this doesn’t apply to every interaction. Not everyone you meet will be a good fit, and that one-time interaction may be enough.

But for many of the people you meet along the way, it will serve you to move beyond the initial meet up and build a relationship with them.

How do to move an encounter from a simple transactional experience to a network-building relationship?

I mentioned at the beginning that it’s a common trend to not follow up after meeting someone for the first time. It’s too bad this is the case, because following up is a great place to begin!

After meeting someone for the first time, if you feel like they are someone who would be a great addition to your network or think you may be helpful to them in some way, follow up your initial meeting with an email or, better, a hand-written card.

It need only include a statement or two, saying that it was nice to meet them and proposing a next time to connect. If you met at a networking event, you could suggest that you make a point to cross paths at the next event. Or if you’d like to have a more focused opportunity to talk with them, consider meeting over coffee.

If you’re going to put out the effort to meet people and build your network, don’t waste your time by only meeting people once and leaving the rest to chance. Put in a little more effort; follow up with them and schedule your next meetup. This will help you build a strong network full of people that you know and can rely on, because they know they can rely on you.

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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Giving thanks? Don’t forget your network!

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Giving thanks? Don’t forget your network!

November 21, 2022

Pictured: cofee pen and card with the message, "I am so grateful for you."One of the keys to building a strong and broad professional network that people often miss is expressing gratitude.

As I write this, we’re approaching Thanksgiving. While most of us start to think about what we have to be thankful for in our lives and in our work, I think it’s easy to forget that we also need be thankful for our network.

The people in our network are important! They can help us find a new job, advance our career, and solve a problem we’re working on. We, in turn, can help them with similar challenges, and doing so makes us feel good about ourselves.

It’s important to notice and recognize the impact that our network has on us and that we have on them. And also…

Gratitude can help us strengthen our network connections!

When we recognize the people in our lives and what they’ve done for us, and when we take the time to let them know that we are thankful for them, they feel appreciated. It’s one of many steps you can take to strengthen your relationship with them.

There are some easy ways to express your gratitude, not just during Thanksgiving but all throughout the year.

Here are some ideas that will work well in a note or an email, or in person:

  • “I have been thinking about you and the value you brought to my last job search. Thank you!”
  • “I’m really excited that you taught me ________. Here’s how it helped me: ________. Thank you!”
  • “I really appreciate that we aren’t just colleagues. I consider you a friend and I really value the friendship we’ve built.”

Here are some other things you can do to connect with the people in your network:

  • Send them an article that you think they’d find be helpful. It will tell them that you are thinking about them and that you know what’s important to them.
  • Keep track of their birthday, anniversary, and any other special events. Save them in your calendar so you remember. Then and take the time to acknowledge them with a card, an email, a phone call, or a post via social media.
  • Call or email and say, “I was just thinking about you and wanted to say a quick hello.” Or “I saw ________ and you came to mind. I thought I’d reach out and see how you are doing.”

As you roll into the holidays, don’t forget to be thankful for the people who support you. When you take a moment to express that gratitude, you strengthen your relationship with them. It also reminds you of an important reality: None of us succeed alone. We need each other!

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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How to Measure Your Job Search Progress

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How to Measure Your Job Search Progress

October 31, 2022

Pictured: notebook with the words: how to masure your progressDo you sometimes feel like you aren’t making any progress in your job search?

It’s a long and sometimes frustrating process, and it can often feel like you’re spinning your wheels. So, that’s a great question to ask:

How do you measure how much progress you are making in your job search?

It can be difficult to tell!

Most job seekers measure how their job search is progressing by how many online jobs they have applied for, how many interviews they’ve had, or whether they’re waiting to hear back from a recruiter or hiring manager.

But then recruiters don’t call back when they said they would, interviewers talked about moving to the next round but you haven’t heard anything more about it, and you feel ghosted. When you haven’t heard back from the companies where you thought for sure you were qualified, the frustration is real!

One minute, you think you’re making progress; and the next minute, you aren’t. It feels like one step forward, two steps back. You’re feeling on top of the world, only to be let down and wonder if you’ll ever find a job.

Why is this?

It’s because of what you’re using to measure your success.

How many interviews you’ve done and which whether you’ve gotten to the second or third round of interviews are what I call a “vanity metric.” It can feel like you’re making progress, but it can be a false hope and you can go from hero to zero in a second. This is not what you need to be paying attention to!

Instead, I recommend these criteria for measuring your progress:

  • How many people (ideally hiring managers) in your targeted companies know what you want to do in your next role?
  • How visible are you on LinkedIn, especially to your connections, people you want to get to know, and people within your targeted companies?
  • How many face-to-face meetings do you have on your calendar each week?
  • How many people have you met with since you’ve started your job search?
  • How many new names have you added to your list of contacts from your one-on-one meetings?

As you may have noticed, these measurements are all about talking to people. Are you wondering how you’re going to find a job when that’s all you’re paying attention to?

That, my friend, is the whole point!

The best way to find and land the right job (not just any job) is to find out about new openings before they are posted online. Help people in the companies you want to work for get to know you (and by “people” I mean the hiring managers and the people they trust). Then, when there are new openings, you are the first person they’ll think about.

There’s one more benefit that you get when you focus on how many people you know and how visible you are: You eliminate the highs and lows that come with doing all of those interviews for jobs you aren’t even sure you want.

What if you could find out about job openings before they were posted?

Download the guide, The Secret to Getting to the Front of the Line, and learn how to access the hidden job market.

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