Week #3 - Tuesday (Work Soul Mate)

Since I'm looking for my "Work Soul Mate" right now, I thought I'd take my exec-coach's latest write up and duplicate it to my personal experiences.  Let's call these previous employers "ex-jobfriends" to help with the association between the people you date along the way until you meet "the one".  Now I'll forewarn you now, I'm starting this blog without an end in mind, just getting my thoughts on paper so I will almost definitely get longwinded.  But again, it's my work-therapy I'm after so read on or don't.

My 1st ex-jobfriend - Adventurous and care-free but can't bring home to Mom.

This position was for a small group adventure travel company and like the product we sold, the culture was easy-going, a lot of fun and down right irresponsible at times.

What is it they say about the bad crowd?  They are so much fun to hang out with, you never know what's going to happen next and they never judge you, they don't expect much from you.  The bad crowd can't afford to judge, in the end you find out they're not going to amount to anything so they literally have to take what thy can get.  In this way, I likely sold myself short when I started this relationship but don't get me wrong, alot of good came from it.  With a 'jobfriend' like this, you can't get serious because there is not next step in this relationship.  You take it at face value, have your fun and then later after you are able to step back, you'll learn more from what you didn't like about the relationship than what was good about it.  If I hadn't been so green coming straight out of college, I might have read some of the writing on the wall.  With no expectations of the position, there was no way to fail...but also no way to succeed. This leads to mere existence with no upward mobility in sight and the inevitable break up.

My 2nd ex-jobfriend - Rich bitch

This one didn't last long at all.  This was a position in new home sales that I took just on the backside of the housing bubble.  The nice thing was that there was still money to be made and having just moved back to Atlanta as a newlywed, I needed a nest egg.  I did well through training and even sold a house in my 2nd week.  My jobfriend was happy with me during impression mode and then we settled in.  It was clear this relationship was different on the inside than what was projected on the outside.  The leadership would project confidence during all hands meetings, telling the sales team that there is no housing crisis, don't pay any attention to the news, if anything the housing market is getting stronger.  Meanwhile, back on the job, we were having to give away discounts of unprecedented amounts in order to secure a deal.  Even still, this jobfriend was meeting my paycheck needs but as I found out from them, I was not meeting their expectations.  This was another case of unpublished performance objectives but in this case, I thought I was doing well and they thought I wasn't doing enough. This breakup was due to the ex-jobfriend holding me to the standards of their ex (the salad years) who could do no wrong.  Even though the best days were behind them, they put unreasonable expectations on their new relationship which forced them to only see the things I did poorly without the credit for what went right.  This cut-throat relationship reminded me that I was happier in a position where I could make a difference for the world so I dumped this ex-jobfriend in search of my true love.

My last ex-jobfriend - Growing apart

This relationship lasted just over 6 years.  This is the relationship that should've ended after 4 years but you went through the motions for the last 2 out of convenience.  I read a great article about this recently.  Funny enough I've done this in my own life with girlfriends, I wonder if I had gotten this advice about my jobfriend would I have been able to leave it before the relationship soured.  Another great article that relates well to this scenario was about the importance of "re-interviewing" for your job when leadership changes.  This was also a critical mistake I made in this relationship.  My jobfriend made some changes and I wouldn't say  I was unsupportive but I also wasn't terribly invested.  We'd grown apart.  We wanted different things.  As I type right now, there may have been some things I could've done differently to make it work but I'm not a believer in that anyway. It should come easy.  An employer should inspire you, make you laugh, smile and want to be with it just as you should bring those same things to them.  That's a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship and that's what I'm looking for now.

Week # 3 - Monday (roller coaster)

Job searches can be the equivalent of emotional roller coasters. Some moments you're up and optimistic about your prospects and activity for the day; the next you're feeling the heavy weight of all that's at stake. It can take a lot out of you and leave you feeling uncertain and exhausted.  At that time, search for inspiration.

I found this article that I couldn't agree with more



http://www.inc.com/magazine/201303/jeff-haden/the-right-job-listing-is-like-a-love-letter.html






It reminded me that while I'm looking for a position that will leverage my skill set, I'm 1st and foremost looking for a great company culture.  That's when I rediscovered a great company that I used to work closely with in a former life.  Their company's core values read like a love letter to me...

http://www.gadventures.com/about-us/gadventures/

Do yourself a favor and watch the videos for each when you get the chance.  They are hilarious.  But they also carry meaning that most company's can't seem to duplicate.

Week #2 Tuesday - Friday

Woah...talk about a lapse in writing!  Just as I was feeling so proud of myself for blogging each weekday, I go into a lull.  But that's okay because I feel like I had some good movement on the search front.  I was able to sit down with a few folks from one company of interest to discuss opportunities there and it seemed that I would be a good cultural fit there.  I also rec'd a # of recommendations to my LinkedIn profile as well as 2 introductions to folks who work for other companies of interest. 

This next week I'm going to return the favor on some of those recommendations and seek more coffee meetings with some of my key contacts around town to let them know what I'm looking for.

Week #2 - Monday

Today was a day where a little bit of worry crept in.  I know this job search won't and probably shouldn't be over in a week but it is difficult for me to sit still this long.  I get a little stir crazy all cooped up, scrolling through listings that are halfway interesting worrying that I may not be able to find that position that is a lateral or upward move.  I guess that's what the timeline is for though?  But doubt is a normal part of this process.  I've seen it in applicants I've interviewed and to be honest, I like a degree of vulnerability.  It helps me connect on a human level.  I've seen the other end of the spectrum too where the candidate is working overtime to project confidence and to me, that hinders my ability to get to know that person well enouh to make an informed decision.  Because after all, people hire people that they think will be a good cultural fit in their organization.  Sure, qualifications are the 1st step but the tipping point is likability.

Think of it this way; you spend more time per week with your colleagues than your family and loved ones so it stands to reason a hiring manager will take into account your personality.  If they aren't, you may want to proceed with caution yourself!

So to overcome this worry, I saved about 10 jobs from  LinkedIn query to mull over some more.  i also applied to 2 related to my management and sales management background.  Another thing I did today was read about a dozen articles on interviewing, optimizing my LinkedIn profile, Sales tips and another on general success tips. I've posted some of the better ones below if they'll help any one else out there.

1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/01/11/how-to-ace-the-50-most-common-interview-questions/
2. http://profilelaunchpad.com/linkedin-profile-optimization/how-to-increase-your-linkedin-profile-views-by-500?goback=.anb_3926212_5EB47F06FEBA_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1.gmp_3926212.gde_3926212_member_218874210
3. http://muovo.blogspot.hu/2013/03/why-should-i-hire-you.html
4. http://www.inc.com/harvey-mackay/2-words-close-deals-faster.html
5. http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-things-extraordinary-people-say-every-day.html?nav=pop

Week #1 - Friday

This post is going to be 2 things...a bulleted list of Friday's activities and since it's Friday I want to take the 2nd half to talk about what how I'm using this time to enjoy this time out of work without neglecting my job search duties of course...

• Applied to 2 desirable positions
• Compiled a short list of target companies from the ABC (Atlanta Business Chronicle) Book of Lists
• Connected with Exec Coach to revisit the strategy next week
• Reached out to some LinkedIn connections to make introductions to 2nd tier connections
• Reached out to another for a coffee meeting to discuss opportunities at his company
• Confirmed a happy hour for next Thursday to talk to potential hiring manager in a casual setting
• Posted my Thursday blog

So as I mentioned earlier, it's important to remember that when you're going through the daily grind at work, there are things you wish ou could be doing or things you say "I wish I had time for that!".  Here are a few things that I have the freedom to do and I hope to have less time for in about 7 weeks but until then...

Run or workout every day
Write this blog
Have dinner ready for my wife


Okay, so it's a pretty short list but I don't want to turn into a complete man of leisure...maybe my list will get longer but for now I'm enjoying the fact that I can do these things. 

More next week.

Week #1 - Thursday

CALLED OUT! Incorporating Coaches into your process

The focus of this post is the importance of your friends and family in your search.  To a degree you have to put on heirs in your networking so that you're always in impression mode.  Those who you are closest to are the ones you can share your fears, vulnerabilities and uncertainties with because they already know you on that level and will love and respect you throughout.  They'll also build you up and be sure you know how capable you are, offering inspiration and support along the way.  But I digress.  This post is really prompted by an email I received this morning from one of my closest friends with a gentle reminder that I failed to post anything yesterday.  For all my intentions, yesterday was a full day but I'll go into that later.  First, here is the unadulterated email I rec'd from my good friend:

Hey Boss!  

Love the blog!  I think the structure, objective and soon to be content will both inspire and educate.  However, I missed the update today.  Hold yourself accountable to the daily journal even if its creative writing!  You may find the creative side will lead you to options you had not thought about. Plus once you've landed that next "Diggity" position you will be able to look back and see what you were thinking and what lead you to where you are.  

I remembering after traveling and having to start over completely bc real estate was dead.  I was so frustrated with not finding a "suitable" position that I found myself running in circles and reaching in areas that I knew were not where I wanted to be.  I think I did this to justify to myself that I was "searching" hard enough to be able to sleep at night.  In hindsight I should have been more efficient in my "job search" and took the time to enjoy the freedom and explore more of my creative side. You know as much as I do that once you land somewhere you are going to pour in everything you are and the freedom is gone.

Bottom line, you are brilliant and have one of the most creative minds I know!  I've always looked up to you and how you've never taken the road most traveled. Wherever you land, they will be lucky to have you!  

One day you'll look back at this time and smile bc it tested your character and tell your child how scary it was not knowing what was going to happen.  All moments in life are equal, you have freedom now like never before, do something great with it!  

Love you brother!

In other words, he nailed it.  But it got me thinking about Personal Trainers in the fitness world and they not only instruct you on the mechanics of executing a workout but also offer motivation and positive reinforcement.  Similarly, Professional Trainers like my Executive Coach have given me a new way to conduct a job search that's expanding my networking skills and with this email and other encouragements from those I'm closest to, I'm getting alot of encouragement as well.


The idea that people need this deeper network as much as they need their professional network was reinforced yesterday while having coffee with a former employee who was part of the restructuring that eliminated our department.  We were sharing how we're handling it, how we're responding and what we've done since we received the news.  While I shared much of what I've written about in the prior posts, she said that one of the first things she did was to let her 2 best friends and her sister know what had happened and that they were going to be her coaches in this transition of hers.  Now this is a person who I had worked with for the last year and half so I know a great deal about her.  She I knew that last week's news could have gone 1 of 2 ways because she's incredibly sensitive but she's also incredibly forward facing and optimistic and the forward facing side won out.  Rather than lose confidence in herself, tuck her tail and go home, head hung; she's pisking herself up and with the help of her "coaches" I know she'll stay up and figure out what the best next move for her will be.

I suspect that I did a bit of that too (self congratulations coming...).  I decided that I did not want to dwell on how the restructure was handled rather focus on the acheivements, growth and development I was fortunate to have acquired in these last 6 years.  And the advice I'm going to heed and give to you is that you have freedom now like never before, do something great with it!

All job related activities taken yesterday:

• Applied to Managing Director position for an education related non profit
• Had lunch with a former employee
• Had post-lunch coffee with another former employee
• Asked two LinkedIn connections to introduce me to people at a company I'd previously applied to
• Sought more feedback on my resume from Exec Coach and scheduled a session next week
• Scoured the Atlanta Business Chronicle for companies I'd like to target and made a list.

Week #1 - Wednesday

So where were we?  Oh yeah, next steps once the resume and LinkedIn are up to date.  So the next thing I'm going to do upon my exec coach's recommendation is to subscribe to the Atlanta Business Chronicle which publishes what's called the Book of Lists.  In this book, there are lists of Atlanta's best places to work organized by size, industry, etc.  Tomorrow I'm going to spend some time reviewing the lists and making my own list of employers I'd like to work for.  Then I turn to my 280+ LinkedIn connections and leverage Brandon's 2200+ to make introductions, from there, I schedule coffee/meetings and those become my sales pipeline, only this deal is big bc they get me and I get compensation and benefits!  So to recap:

1. Get your resume looking incredible and be sure to make your LinkedIn profile reflect that professionalism (copy/paste goes a long way)
2. Pick the companies in your area that you'd like to work for.  Don't worry about whether they have a posted position
3. Use LinkedIn to get introduced to people who work at these places
4. Work to schedule coffee meetings with these key individuals to learn more about there company, tell them your career goals
5. If you can schedule a few of these every week, pretty soon one of those "coffee talks" will morph into an interview.

So that's the plan as prescribed by my Exec Coach.  It sounds phenomenal to me bc let's face it, I've got the time and also bc I feel like it keeps my sales skills sharp and opens my eyes to a new way to network.  And if I can build a larger network of contacts in Atlanta, who knows what opportunities will avail themselves later on?

Plus the whole approach feels more like old school networking.  Funny that in the age of the internet the approach can actually revert back to getting people together, in the same space, over coffee.  It actually aligns really well with this book I've been reading called What's Mine is Yours about how social networking sites are allowing us to spend less time in front of our screens and more in our community, with those neighbors we've spent the last few decades disassociating ourselves to.

And don't get me wrong, I'm still searching jobs in the traditional online way but I am leveraging LinkedIn more heavily in the process. The 5 steps above is an experiment that I'll report on through this blog bc at the end of the day, I want to be certain I've tried everything.  Plus if Brandon's right and 80% of jobs are unlisted, the experiment above will help me uncover those with only employers and industries that I'm interested in.

Tomorrow I'll dedicate the post to other things I've done since returning to the job market. Until then...