How often do you tell people that you're looking?
Although you may first think of Barbara Streisand, but it was Jule Styne and Bob Merrill who wrote, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” There’s a lot to that. But what does “Funny Girl” have to do with your job search?
Forget the resumes. Forget the cover letters. Forget LinkedIn. Forget the jobs boards. While they’re all certainly important, people are the most important component of your job search… and this is nothing new. In fact, it’s one of the few things about job seeking that hasn’t changed over the past couple of decades.
Whether it’s networking or an actual job interview, you can’t land any sort of position without dealing (favorably) with people. Even the most shunted introvert must climb the personnel – or personal – mountain at some point along the way.
So let’s get personal.
How many people know that you’re on the job search? Family. Friends. Relatives. Former co-workers and colleagues. Vendors. Former classmates and alumni. Former bosses and supervisors. Don’t be shy. Let them all know.
How often do you tell people that you're looking? Virtually everyone you encounter at a networking event must be told. Virtually everyone you speak with a social event should know. After all, you’ve put it on your LinkedIn profile, haven’t you? And that’s like telling the world!
We’ve noted in this space that the stigma of being “in transition,” isn’t the curse of death that it used to be. It’s an accepted part of life. Everyone knows someone who is or has recently been looking. There is no good reason to keep it to yourself.
A recruiter friend recently noted that people love to help people. And people will love to help you… if you tell them.