Career Transition During the Plague

I’m hearing from many clients about concerns related to career transitions during this time.  Here is a sample:

In light of the complete decimation of the ________ industry, in which segment I have invested my entire career…

Pretty serious, right?  Not to mention disturbing, and, in many cases, paralyzing.  

And, yes, of course, the time we are in is dramatic and serious and life-changing – what some people are calling the “new normal.”  

Not sure about that new normal thing, but it is important to consider how to cope when you’re trying to change jobs or careers or move internally during a period like this.  Just as in the ’82 recession, ’87 crash, ’92 real estate slump, 9/11, and 2008/9/10. Each had a unique set of challenges, and each involved creating new ways of resolving career issues.  In my experience with all of those periods, I think 9/11 was the toughest (I know financial service professionals will disagree, because 2008 was their most difficult challenge, easily). 9/11 froze New York City for months.  No real activity in career moves, unlike now, where the formats and procedures are what are changing the most. Not sure yet about how a coming recession might affect everything.  

A few thoughts…

From everything I’ve heard, from around the country, hiring is continuing. I am, like most people, not aware of the pace.  Nearly all of it is virtual. One client in the Midwest has fielded four offers in the past week, in financial services, and has a couple more pending.  Almost all of his search, towards the end, has been via teleconferencing.  

Don’t give into the panic in the news about unemployment.  Not to diminish the dire straits of several industries, but I haven’t heard – yet – about all those new unemployment claims seeping into the professional ranks.  A huge proportion comes from service industries (hospitality especially). But there are some creative possibilities even in that industry. I’m not seeing the situation as widespread at this point.  I may be proven wrong in a matter of weeks, but the prognostications have been all over the place.

With networking, the key to any transition, there are two qualities that you need to adopt:  a sense of humor with the people you’re approaching, and adeptness with Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, doxy.me, Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting, Webex, et al.  Reassure anyone you’re approaching that you’re not asking for a person-to-person meeting (vastly preferable in normal times) and would welcome the opportunity to talk by phone or Skype (or whatever).  As always, be aware of the other person’s situation. Show your best social intelligence. Also keep in mind that this person is probably also working remotely, too.  

Work on your phone skills.  I’ve learned from senior sales professionals over the years that it’s good practice to use headsets or headphones, which enable a more comfortable speaking style.  Stand and walk while talking; it adds depth to the voice, not to mention energy. Smile. Believe it or not, people HEAR smiling. When I mention energy, I mean that you’re showing excitement about the organization that you’re speaking with.  Always.

Create structures.  Not only when you’re working virtually at home, but especially now when nearly everyone’s structure has been upended.  Build a schedule every day, even if it has nap time or lunch or reading in there (all good ideas, by the way). If you’re on a search, stress the research part.  You now have plenty of time. No excuses.  

When you feel your industry has little opportunity at this moment, get creative.  What auxiliary services can you provide, in either consulting or full-time jobs? Listen to your network!  Ask lots of questions about the industry that reflect your knowledge about what you’re talking about, and then take in a suggestion or two.  Some will be dumb, and some will be worth exploring. Several years ago, a suggestion from someone I met during a search completely changed my professional life.  Be open to these suggestions. Or attempt to get affirmation for some of your creative ideas.  

When students, alums, or private clients ask me how long it will take, my standard answer is, “It depends on:  discipline, tenacity, carefully researched target markets, and strong marketing materials (pitch, LinkedIn profile, and resume).”  These qualities will almost always defeat a difficult market.  

It’s time for different strategies, and adjustments to movable targets.  Keep proactive; relying on reactive techniques like answering postings isn’t great technique – with low odds for success.  

Building and utilizing networks will lead to learning about new opportunities.  Haven’t seen it fail yet.  

NOTE: Just this moment received an email from my client in the Midwest -  “…a friend in brand management just landed a job by interviewing over the phone.  No in persons at all!”

Out of Left Field: The Usually Forgotten Benefit of Networking

Most job seekers learn, at some point, that relationship building (otherwise known as “networking”) is the way to go. There are so many reasons, the best being that every statistical survey shows that it’s by far the best methodology. Most of the numbers I’ve seen point to a range of around 75-80% market penetration from relationship building, compared to, say, around 5-6% from postings. Those same single digit numbers also apply to using external recruiters (executive search, employment agencies, etc.). Of course, these numbers vary according to whatever metrics and categories the surveys use, but the main point stays fairly consistent.

The best reason for building relationships, aside from the numbers, is that making direct contact with decision makers initially, instead of Human Resources professionals or external recruiters, almost always will have a greater opportunity for success. HR and recruiters are frequently just screens (mostly screen outs). Reaching the decision makers is also usually the benefit of personal contact, rather than ending up as a piece of paper in a huge pile on a desk. A piece of paper can’t talk; you can.

My standard definition of networking is “building relationships, over a period of time, so that when people hear of appropriate opportunities, they will think of you.” This is an indirect approach, as opposed to the idea of asking everyone you meet if they know “anyone” or know of any open jobs. That’s a surefire way of not building a relationship; rather it’s a great method for convincing people to avoid you. (Much more about all of this on my website, ellischase.com, in the blogs and videos sections.)

There is another distinct benefit from relationship building, which is frequently overlooked – getting unexpected information. One technique for getting some unexpected information is to ask how that person got to where they are now in their career. Everyone loves to talk about him or herself, and you never know what you’re going to hear that might be a good new idea.

Or…your contact, if you’re lucky, will have some interesting observations or suggestions. I’m not referring to suggestion #459 about fixing your resume (almost always useless advice) or negative comments, like perhaps you should stay where you are; you just don’t know how lucky you are. (And you decided to do all this networking for fun, right?)

What if a suggestion is made that you hadn’t heard or paid attention to, and is an interesting one that you hadn’t thought of?  

Many years ago, I had a terrific job in technology staffing at a major bank, but it was in a culture where I didn’t fit. I even had an excellent manager. But I was, after five years of giving it a strong try, determined to leave and find a culture where I’d be more comfortable.  

My search took too long. In retrospect, I think it was because I was inflexible about my targets, and wasn’t able to hear some good suggestions about types of organizations other than the ones I was researching. (Active listening is a topic for another blog.) In other words, I hadn’t paid attention to one of those hidden benefits of building relationships on a job search. I was only zeroing in on building the relationship, getting some market information, and expanding my network. Those are good objectives, but I was missing a critical one.  

I met with a woman at one of the large banks, who seemed to listen to my story quite intently. At the end of it, she said, “You seem to be more interested in the career mobility aspects of your job, helping employees move from one area to another, or how they can get promotions, or how they might deal with difficult situations. Am I correct?” I admitted that was my favorite part of the job, but I did like the whole job and was learning a great deal from it. She suggested that I consider working in outplacement consulting.

Since the organization I worked for did their outplacement internally, I had to admit I didn’t know much about the field (like almost nothing). She told me about it, and something just clicked, which ended up turning my career completely around. She was correct in her assessment and recommendation, and my next job was in one of those consulting firms. A perfect cultural fit, and a career direction that would last for the duration of my career. It may have taken too long to figure all this out, but the outcome, due to this one suggestion, resonated in the strongest possible way.  

I’m always sorry that I don’t remember the woman’s name, because I would definitely have dedicated this blog to her.  

Don’t ignore the fact that your relationship building/networking is more than just the mechanics of meeting new people, following up several times, and asking good marketing and business questions. It should be listening for new ideas, as well.  

P.S. Does anyone know what the picture here is? Just curious. Let me know.  

The Holiday Rant

October 24. A great fall day, as I was walking to the subway. And then I saw…

Holiday decorations! All throughout the local shopping area. October 24!  

When I was a kid, the holiday thing started the day after Thanksgiving (long before that  wonderful holiday, Black Friday, was invented). Then it started creeping up towards earlier in November.

And now, October 24. Before Halloween.  

Aside from the complaints about the onslaught of relentless advertising and various holiday pressures, this meant I knew what I was going to hear from my private clients, Executive MBA students, and business school alums. And this year, it was going to be even earlier than usual.

“What’s the point of continuing my transition process? Everyone’s slowing down; not much is going on, so I think I’ll take the time off myself and begin again in January.”

Big mistake. Aside from the fact that December tends to be a high volume hiring month (headcount issues, among others, create that fact), abandoning a search leaves the field to your competition. Just because some businesses slow up during holiday/vacation times doesn’t mean that relationship-building stops. 

Your competition will be skiing in Vail, or lying on beaches in Aruba, or just partying, planning their energetic return to action after the holiday season. By the way, January is frequently a tougher time to get things going. Not to mention the loss of momentum involved, which makes things even more emotionally draining than job search usually is. Starting again is tough. I’m not suggesting that taking a break during a search is a bad thing – it’s actually a great idea – but to lose a whole season is not smart. 

As a matter of fact, reaching people you want to meet might be easier than usual. Things do slow up, but there’s a good likelihood it could work to your advantage. 

Yes, some organizations do get slow during November and December, especially in financial services, but does that mean companies are closed? Of course not. Someone is keeping the place open, right? There is some business going on. And there will be, therefore, valuable contacts to be made.

It’s also easier to get people to spend some time with you at these times; the overall pace is usually slower. Many would rather talk with you than work! And talking leads to business relationships, which leads to effective networking, which leads to… (you get the point)

Just in case your relationship-building does slow down a bit during these times, it is also a perfect time to do your basic research, stay knowledgeable in your field, utilize the somewhat empty business libraries (in New York City, for example, SIBL), re-think your e-mail writing campaign, organize your resources and records, and get a lot done. We’re now in the period following…October 24 (!)…  It’s time to step it up.