Song and book writer from MS now living in Nashville, TN. Marketing and graphic design background. Regular blogger on topics surrounding the subject of job searching.
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Have you ever lost a job? Perhaps you were downsized when your employer reorganized or was sold. Maybe you were fired.
My first lay-off involved a factory job. We showed up for our regular work shift and were given pink slips and directions to the nearest unemployment office. Years later I was downsized from a white collar job when corporate priorities changed. I’ve also left jobs amid strong hints that I’d be fired if I didn’t leave. I didn’t like those jobs and knew within months that I’d made a mistake letting myself get hired.
Even so, losing a job is absolutely devastating. It damages our sense of self-worth because we invest so much of ourselves in our jobs, even the bad ones. Inevitably we wonder what we did “wrong”. But it’s important to recover quickly and move on. After some trial and error, I hit on this sure-fire method to do that.
Step One – Buy a BIG bottle of champagne. Throw a champagne party to you salute yourself as a great person. It’s not your personal fault that the company had financial problems causing them to downsize. You’re not responsible for the screwed up life of a bad boss who took out her/his emotional problems on you (and your co-workers).
Step Two – Recognize the skills and experience you developed with your former employer. Every job I lost taught me at least one skill that helped me get the next job. So you’re in a better position in this job search than you were in the last one because you have new skills to sell!
Step Three – Acknowledge that sometimes losing a job is the best outcome. It forces us to move forward in our lives. If a job is truly awful, losing it can literally be a life saver. After one particularly rotten job ended, my mental and physical health improved so dramatically that I never again made the mistake of hanging on for the sake of a paycheck.
So if you’ve just lost a job or are still grieving the past loss of a job, reevaluate your situation. Buy that champagne, and salute yourself. Then start searching for the next job which may just be a lot better than that bum steer you lost.
About the Author: Norma Shirk helps employers create human resources policies that are appropriate for the employer’s size and budget. The goal is to have structure without bureaucracy. Learn more here about Corporate Compliance Risk Advisor. Join the Norma & the HR Compliance Jungle! Follow Norma on Facebook & Twitter! Check out Norma’s Compliance company and HR blog: Corporate Compliance Risk Advisor & HR Compliance Jungle
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Looking for a new job? Want to get the one you want faster? Check out my new book, Here Today, Hired Tomorrow.
The more connections you have at LinkedIn.com, the more likely people may be to accept your request to connect. Also, the larger your network, the more 1st- and 2nd-level connections you’ll have available when you’re networking.
Here are 3 main ways you can grow your network at LinkedIn: 1.Those You Know Already – After setting up your profile, invite those you know to connect. From the Connections link in the options bar at the top of most pages, choose Add Connections, and follow the process to import your email address book. LinkedIn can then suggest connections. Here’s another route: A list of “People You May Know” will also show up on different screens as you use LinkedIn. Don’t use the Connect quick-link, however. Make your request more personal. Go into each person’s profile to send connection requests, so you can customize the message they’ll see. You can also go back and add friends from high school or college.
2. Those You Meet – Add each person you meet as you network to your LinkedIn connections. Do so within two days so they won’t forget who you are, and always mention the event where you met when customizing the wording of your connection request. (As part of the targeted networking process, you’ll be requesting LinkedIn connections to people with whom you’re attempting to schedule networking meetings. This will also grow your network.)
3. Group Members – This is how I grew my network from about 50 people to 200. Join LinkedIn Groups (probably no more than 8-10) that have to do with your field. (To browse Groups, use the search blank at the top of the screen, change the setting to Groups, and enter keywords.) After you’ve joined the group, from the top of the Groups page, click the Members link; you can only see all members if you’re a member of the group. From their profiles, you can start to invite select people to connect. On the “How do you know ___” screen, select Groups; then choose the Group you both have in common.
Your personalized message can be something like, “Hi, James. We’re both members of the Music and Marketplace group here on LinkedIn. I’d like to connect with you.” Participate in discussions as often as you can. This way, you may meet potential employers or people who can help you learn more about topics in your field. You can also establish yourself as a subject matter expert by contributing original material to your groups. I once got a contract position after having met a hiring manager in one of my groups.
Don’t miss a thing. Subscribe to receive updates by email. Looking for a new job? Want to get the one you want faster? Check out my new book, Here Today, Hired Tomorrow.
For the past ten years I’ve been facilitating a networking group that is designed for senior level professionals and executives in transition called the Transition Café. While I’m happy to report that job search activity and opportunities for folks at these levels is quite robust, I still see many people finding themselves back in career transition every two to three years. With this “burn and churn” cycle it’s no reason that feeling expendable is a thought that can creep into one’s head. So how does one manage these feelings? First and foremost, you have to drop this notion that any company can place an expiration date on you. Instead of labeling yourself as expendable, try changing your mindset and think of yourself as expandable. So what are some ways you can do this?
1. Expand Your Network – Now we all know how important networking is, but very few of us do it, let alone do it effectively. While there are tactics and etiquette one can employ, the best way for you to become a great networker is to do it often and do it with purpose. All too often I see newly transitioned people immerse themselves in the networking game only to abandon the relationships they built once they land a job. If you want to truly recession-proof yourself, continue to build your community of contacts, and keep your network ALIVE. Make it a part of your normal work routine. Nurture and foster the relationships you’ve made, and always be building new ones. You know the saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and in reality, “it’s who you know WELL.” Need a place to start networking? Keep abreast of what’s going on in your community at local chamber events, and stay on top of industry trends in a professional association related to your field.
2. Expand Your Skill Set – Without a doubt, we should always be in a learning mode and adding to our knowledge base. Whether you’re in transition or not, now is the time to take stock of your inventory of skills, talents, passions and goals and begin creating a plan to position yourself for continued success. Are you a bit weak on the social media side? Take a class on how you can build your social media presence and personal brand. And if you are employed, don’t necessarily wait for your employer to pay for training. Make the commitment to invest in yourself! In business you’ve probably heard of conducting a SWOT Analysis, which is essentially identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Don’t be intimidated by this acronym. It’s basically a gap analysis of where you are today and where you want to be in the future. Keep it simple by really thinking through this exercise and devising a plan to better yourself. Do you want that competitive edge? Then don’t wait until you’re in transition. Be proactive and do your SWOT analysis now vs. being reactive and doing it after you lose your job.
3. Expand Your Income Possibilities – For most people, diversifying their income stream is a “foreign” concept, but in today’s world this strategy is probably one of the best ways to recession-proof yourself. Now let me qualify this by saying this approach is not for everybody, but it’s worth consideration. Some ways to do this would be by freelancing on the side, consulting, sub-contracting, ecommerce, owning income producing investments like rental properties, and business ownership. In my world of franchising, we have clients that work full-time jobs and also operate what we call semi-absentee franchises. Their goal is to create another income stream to not only supplement their income and build wealth, but to also protect themselves from relying on only one source of income, their current employer. I have a career coach friend who refers to this as creating a Portfolio Career. Kind of like creating an investment portfolio but for your career. It’s all about diversification and not putting all of your eggs in one basket.
4. Expand Your Volunteering – Do you have a desire to build your leadership skills? Make amazing contacts with high caliber, well-connected people? Be a part of your community? And most importantly, do something that is fulfilling and gives back to society? Then bolster your volunteer activities. Volunteering clearly provides both social and professional benefits, but it can also be an amazing mood booster for us.
5. Expand Your Comfort Zone – This last suggestion essentially encapsulates all of the ideas mentioned above by continuing to challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zones. Doing all or some of these things is not easy. It takes time, thought, and commitment. However, you don’t have to be a super hero to initiate these activities. Perfection is not the ultimate goal. Start with one goal and continue to expand. See what works for you and gets you jazzed up. It’s all about growing and improving ourselves. Apply this mindset, and make the uncomfortable, COMFORTABLE!
About the Author:
Dan Aronoff has over 20 years of business experience working for both small and large companies, most notably in the human resources arena. He had the opportunity to work with Exxon Corporation, Kraft Foods, Kendle International (a pharmaceutical clinical trials organization) and his family’s business, Goldner Associates, which is an advertising specialties company. In 2005 he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur by buying the Tennessee territory of FranNet-The Franchise Connection, a franchise matchmaking service (www.FranNet.com/daronoff). Dan taught Franchise Management to students in the School of Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in the Fall of 2011 and continues to speak to aspiring Belmont students. Since 2006, he has also facilitated the Transition Café, a networking event for senior level professionals and executives in career transition (www.TransitionCafe.com).
