Ed Choklek (UI ’85 ENG) recently emailed us to thank us for being there during his recent job search. He also asked to share the top five things that he would recommend to others who are in a job search and/or career transition based upon his recent journey. We gladly accepted his contribution.
In Ed’s words:
1. Let your entire professional (and personal) network know about your situation and ask for their help with finding job leads. I sent out over 300 e-mails to my professional and personal networks within two weeks of being laid off and nearly all of my job leads came from these sources. I never posted my resume on any of the job sites that everyone else seems to be using (Careerbuilder, Monster, etc.), and I rarely submitted my resume to a blind advertisement or to a company that I did not have contacts on the inside. 99% of the people I met during my job search were willing to help me since we all know many people who are currently in-between jobs. 75% of the recruiters/headhunters I used during my job search came from referrals.
2. Continue to network and socialize with your professional (and personal) groups through attending functions in person. I stayed very active with USGBC and APPA (professional organizations) during my entire job search. I went to additional networking events hosted by groups and organizations that are associated with the industries I was seeking employment in to increase my professional network and to be visible with my existing contacts. I even presented on an area of my professional expertise at an out-of-state conference for the higher education market (the market sector I wanted to be selling to in my next job/career).
3. Do not take rejections personally and be ready to say "NEXT". This is easier for those of us with a professional sales background because we deal with "no's" and losses on a frequent basis. Companies know that they can find the exact match to what they are looking for in terms of both skills and cultural fit for their organizations, so do not be discouraged when you do not get the initial interview, the follow-up interview(s), or the actual job offer. I experienced situations where my skills were a perfect match, but my personality and approach to my profession were not a match for the firm's culture. I also had a few companies tell me that they wanted to hire me, but that their bosses had denied their request to bring anybody on board until either they saw the economy improve or their business performance get back on track.
4. Treat finding a job the same as doing a job. I typically spent 6 hours per day during my job search, and I refused to take time off to think about what I wanted to do with my life and to coast through the 2009 holiday season. I am convinced that the efforts I put in during the second half of November and throughout December helped me to reenter the work force 90 days earlier than my initial goal of being employed by 6/30/10. I decided right away that my Plan A would be to stay focused on the sales/business development profession within the two industries where I had the most experience.
5. Try new approaches and ideas during your job/career search. It had been nearly 10 years since my last layoff (and three years since my last job interview), and I had no idea how technology had changed how HR professionals, recruiters/headhunters, and other job candidates use LinkedIn, Google and other search engines, and internet social media for employment screening and job postings. (The ACC) webinar on these topics really was an eye-opener for me. I also attended a couple of Job Clubs and found these to be of value as long as you did not use these as a way to feel sorry for yourself. I definitely will be proactive in creating and maintaining my personal brand based upon what I learned from exposure to these new tools.
