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"How come I never heard about that job?"
Sound familiar? Ever ask yourself that when a colleague or friend snagged a great opportunity that they heard about through the grapevine? How come you never get those calls? It seems like some people have all the luck but what makes them lucky?
Here are a few questions you should quiz yourself on to see if the good job Karma will start to flow in your direction.
- Is your resume ready? How long have you been claiming that you are going to find and dust the old resume off just so you will have it in case something good comes up. Forget finding it. Start from scratch and rewrite the whole thing. Who you were 2 or 10 years ago and the job you are looking for now are both probably vastly different. Take the time and put the effort into putting down something you would be proud to show anyone including your current boss.
- If you had to give a sixty second commercial about yourself to someone at a cocktail party, do you know what you would say? And would it be any good? The opportunities to meet people who may eventually be a part of your informal network occur at the least expected times. It could be at your friend’s son’s Bar Mitzvah or while waiting at the dentist office. Be ready to tell everyone you meet what you do and present yourself in the best possible way. Not everyone will be asking or care, but you should always have a professional, clear and compelling response.
- Do you know what companies would be most interested in someone with your background and have you done anything to make contacts within that organization? This is self explanatory. Networking your way into a company always makes sense. Make it your business to know what goes on at your competitors and who is working there. Look for opportunities to get to know people in that organization so they know you and what you have to offer if they should ever need it.
- Are you nice to other people looking for a job? When someone else calls you looking for a job, give them a hand, especially when they are unemployed. Those minutes you spend with someone on the phone at that time of need will not be forgotten and you will have taken the first major step in building a group of professional acquaintances who will be watching out for you
- Do you belong to and participate in any professional organizations to expand the number of people you know in your industry? The more people you meet the better off you are. If anyone remembers the old Breck commercial…”then she tells two friends and she tells two friends” – this really holds true. When a really good job opens up, it goes out to who knows who first. And all the people who know you are multiplied by all the people those people know. Get the picture?
- Have you learned anything new in the past year to improve your current skills? Before you say you don’t have the time, have you seen the last episode of “American Idol”? Do you know the whole weekday prime time lineup? If you have the time for TV, you have the time. Improve yourself in some area, whether it is a specific job related skill or even just something as simple such as keyboarding, or time management.. When you get better at anything, people take notice. Strive to improve at something that will better your performance at work each year. Companies want to hire people who are moving ahead.
- Do you dress nicely everyday? Over twenty years ago the book “Dress for Success” became a bestseller but now dressing down is the norm. What you wear creates an impression to co workers and anyone else you come in contact with about who you are. What is your daily wardrobe telling people about you? Are you making a memorable impression on others and is it the kind you want to be making?
- How often do you keep in contact with people you no longer work with? Even if you have stayed in the same company your whole career, many people around you most likely have moved on. The internet makes it easy to keep in touch with people you once shared a cup of coffee with in the break room. Keep in touch and see how they are as well as letting them know how you are doing. It is a nice thing to do and five years from now you may both be able to help each other.
- If you are ready to find a job, do you spend most of your time surfing the net and emailing your resume? The Wall Street Journal said in a recent article that only 7% of all jobs are filled by the internet. The internet is a great resource of information to know where the jobs are and which companies are hiring, but not the best way to make contact. Even if that statistic of 7% is off by a lot….obviously, openings are being filled in other ways and most common is by people referring people. Is anyone referring you?
- How nice were you to the last recruiter who called? Maybe the job they talked you about wasn’t a fit, or perhaps you were busy that day. Does it make sense to not be nice to a person who is in the business of telling you about jobs they know are open? If you don’t return the call or spend 60 seconds on the phone when they are networking to recruit a person for their opening, will they call you again with the next job? Or will they call another person first who was more helpful last time?
The list can go on but the message is the same. You need to pay attention to who you are, the image you have developed for yourself and who knows you. This will undoubtedly increase your odds of hearing about jobs when you don’t need one. Maybe then you will never have to look.
