When I was "In Transition" (out of a job)

For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. (Psalm 18:29)

One of the things I learned about the job search process is that it is known as being “in transition.” When I found myself “in transition” with eight children at home being home educated by my wife, I was under a “little” pressure to find an income. The company I left had shut down an entire product line and laid off many people. As part of their parting handshake, they hired a third-party training organization to provide training in how to find a new job. As I sought God for direction and provision, it seemed that I should embrace the situation as an “opportunity” to learn. So, I determined to get all I could out of the training to diligently apply the principles I learned. This was difficult because I had not been a "people person" and did not like selling. Now, I had to learn to sell myself.

There were several valuable things I learned.

Have a goal or direction.
Be ready to present a “one minute commercial” of yourself.
Create a well written resume.
Get educated on the field and potential companies.
Diligently follow your personal network.

I was surprised to learn that 85% of people find a new job based on “who they know”. And, who you know extends to those who are known by those you know. In other words, if I diligently follow my direct and indirect relationships long enough, I will eventually find “the person.” But, I learned that there were some definitely right ways of doing this process and some definitely wrong ways.

I found out that it is vital to know what career or type of job one is seeking. A goal must be determined. When I ask my friends to help me locate a person to talk to, they need to know what or who am I looking for. “I’m looking for a position with a bakery” is much better than “I’m looking for a job.” The book, “What Color is Your Parachute?” is highly recommended to help with goal setting.

Once I had a goal, I needed to be prepared to sell myself. It was important to “dress up” and I needed to be able to speak about my goals, accomplishments and values. So, I needed a suit and a commercial. I bought a suit. And, I began to prepare for the opportunity to give my commercial. This commercial prepared me for this statement, “So, tell me about yourself.” It’s tough to squeeze the most important information into one minute. But, it was emphasized that one minute was the maximum. I practiced on my wife and the mirror. I must have presented my commercial dozens of times as I contacted different companies and individuals.

Another surprise came as I learned about my resume. I was told that I should personally deliver these resumes at the time of my “educational interview”. They should be hand delivered. They should not be mailed or emailed unless someone requests it in that way. This may have changed some since the advent of Internet based job search sites. But, even those sites still point out that the most effective way of finding a job is networking (see the quote below). There is information on the Internet about how to write resumes. But, I learned that it should give basic information about your experience, illustrate how you benefited past employers, and be a good reminder of who you were when they talked to you.

Who is getting interviewed? I found this to be the most empowering principle. I was supposed to follow my contacts out to points of interview. But, I would be going to the meeting to “get educated” about the career and the company in which I was interested. In other words, it was not a job interview. It was an educational interview. I would go to the interview with some questions about my proposed career or job and about the company. One of the most important parts of the interview would be when I asked, “Could you give me the names of a couple of other people that I could talk to about this career?” This question is vital and I also asked it on the phone as I followed my list of contacts. I started with a contact list of 30 people. By the time I found a job, the list had multiplied in size. Almost every educational interview also had this important opening, “Tell me about yourself.” I was taught that the interview was a coin with two sides. It really should be educational; so, take notes during the interview. It is also an opportunity to present yourself as well-dressed, good mannered, competent, diligent, and a generally valuable person. I frequently handed my resume to the person I was interviewing and asked them how it could be improved. Was there some area they thought should be expanded or modified?

I remember handing my resume to a senior VP of a company that I had worked for years before. This VP had been my division manager a decade earlier. I asked him if he thought the resume was accurate. He offered a suggestion for a minor change. But, then he suggested that I should talk with some of his managers. This suggestion turned out to be vitally important because he would not, as a general policy, hire previous employees.

My job search became “my job”. I left “for work” at the usual time and started my phone calls to contacts. If I left a voice mail, I made note of the status of that contact. Everyday I would scan my contacts for potential follow-up. I kept a set of cards with contact names, addresses and phone numbers. I had a day-timer with appointments for educational interviews. I wrote up post-mortem descriptions of the interviews and added contacts to my list. Thank you notes were sent to each person that allowed me an education interview.

The result of my job search education and “job”? At the end of three weeks, I had two job offers and a third was “in the mail”. This was at a time when the average time to find a new job in my career was 3-6 months. The job offer that I accepted was in a company that had an active hiring freeze. I became an exception to their freeze because of my contacts (that Senior VP) and because of the need in the specific part of the organization that hired me. My new boss, who actually hired me, was one of the people who had eventually appeared on my contact list. Another benefit was that my new salary was a significant increase over the old.

Today there is more emphasis on online job search tools. Some of the techniques and presentation may have changed. But, every employer wants to have the best information he can get about a potential employee. The most effective way to find good employees is through personal contacts and recommendations.

Here is what Monster.com says to new college grads about networking:

“Generally the most effective job-hunting approach, networking is simply talking to people to either track down helpful personal contacts or learn about job openings that may not necessarily be widely advertised or advertised at all. Start by talking to your own family, friends and acquaintances. Let everyone in your life know you're looking for a job, and give them an idea of what type of job you want.

If there's a professional organization in your field, join it and start participating in its meetings and other events so you can get to know people in your area of interest. Work with a career counselor at your school to both tap his contacts and learn of alumni from your school who might be able and willing to lend you a hand in your search. Finally, don't forget to tap your professors' connections as well.”

Even if you have a job, you may still be "in transition." I found these principles extremely valuable. So, let me encourage you to define your goals, create a one-minute commercial, generate a clear and selling resume, start doing educational interviews, and follow your contacts. Mix this with prayer and seeking God's priorities and you will inevitably reach your goal. It was by God's grace that I was able to overcome my dislike of selling and could learn to "sell" myself.