Now that the holidays are here, many job-seekers take a step back from their hunt, thinking hiring takes a back-seat during the holidays. I’ve heard from clients and students over the years that, “No one’s doing anything between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, so I’m going to take the time off and get revved up in January.”
Wrong. Not only wrong, but also frequently just another excuse to avoid the search.
Here are some compelling reasons for doing the exact opposite of sitting out the season:
1) Your competition is disappearing
Because other people believe this myth of inactivity during the holiday season, you’re competing against a smaller group of candidates. So the odds your phone call, email, or social network outreach get attention are that much greater.
2) There's no time like the holidays to build relationships
In general, people are less focused on their own work. More time on their hands means chatting with someone else about their career or meeting a new face might be a welcome distraction. It’s called “networking.”
In addition, you can find creative ways to reconnect with people. Use a holiday card to remind old friends and business acquaintances about you. Then follow-up later on when that seed has been planted. But . . . don't use those cards to discuss your career or job search. Tacky. Not as bad as those impersonal broadcast communications some people send out--filled with vivid, detailed descriptions of everything they've done in the past year--but still not a particularly good search technique.
3) Party . . . with care
Accept the holiday party invitations. But remember, parties and other social events (professional associations and the like) are not the time to corner people, give them a long pitch, and try to get information and possible leads. Your sole purpose at any social function, where the attendees are definitely not there to be hit on by job seekers, is to build a bit of a social acquaintance, and collect business cards--for future meetings.
4) January is usually NOT a good statistical hiring month
And usually not a time when many feel like building new relationships. Think about it: when you get back from the holidays, do you feel like doing much of anything at all? This is another reason why there should be strong emphasis on a December all-out self-marketing. January shouldn’t be the start; it should be a continuation of what was built in December.
Good luck!
Is it time to leave?
Malaise at Work
Having a bad week at work is usually transitory. Everyone goes through that. When the bad week extends into several and becomes chronic, or what I call "the feeling sick on Sunday night syndrome," it may mean it’s time for some sort of change.
It takes, however, some careful thinking to separate out a bad career decision from a bad work environment. Too often I've seen clients and students insist on making a change, either within a field or maybe something more radical. But with a little time and perspective, they realize that the problem may be the work setting, not the career choice.
Write it down
One way to figure out the difference is simply to draw up a list of personal values, i.e., what's important to you at work, and then match it with the attributes of the current job. Is there a strong correlation? That should help you understand whether it's the place or the profession. Or both. What would the change actually look like? Writing it down often provides some perspective and clarity.
Escape from reality is not a career path
Do you frequently think about another specific profession? That, too, can be a clue. (Please note I’m not talking about your dream of opening a B&B in New Hampshire or a bait and tackle shop in Tahiti. Those are called “escapes.” Often from reality. The truth is that kind of work is TOUGH, and not nearly the idyll that most people fantasize.)
Get another perspective
You may need some help figuring out this conundrum. It may take some personal assessment, perhaps some formal assessment tools, or some conversations with a trusted friend or colleague. Maybe a professional career advisor can help you get a better perspective.
When should I think about leaving?
Here are some signs that it may be time to move:
- If you feel completely stuck, it is probably time to consider either an internal move or a move out.
Of course, there are some who enjoy certainty and repetition and are comfortable with that. For most, though, "stuck" is not a good place to be. Unfortunately, it can also lead to inertia--you start to feel paralyzed. If that happens, then you definitely need to at least take a look at some other options. This doesn't mean a commitment; it just means an exploration.
- Constant complaining about work may mean it’s time to consider alternatives. It could also be a personality trait--you’ll have to be honest with yourself here.
- A difficult relationship with a boss may signal the need to move. Unless it reflects your own issues, too.
It's important to understand that work environments almost always have some kind of significance in terms of family background. Early childhood patterns tend to repeat throughout life. You're always playing out parts of childhood at work and in other life arenas, whether it's a sibling issue (competitiveness?), parental (problems with authority figures?), or parenting (difficulty with subordinates?).
On the other hand, it can be purely about a difficult boss. For example, a narcissistic boss can be extremely difficult to work with, because, characteristic of that disorder, the narcissist is almost never satisfied. He/she requires inordinate amounts of attention to prop up a fragile personality. That's a tough work situation, and probably a motivation to make a change.
- ·The prospects for advancement in your field look grim.
If you do make a decision based on this, you need to be careful before coming to conclusions about industries in decline.
Sometimes it's cyclical (real estate), and sometimes it's a radical change in direction (publishing, music). Be sure to do considerable research to make that determination and be careful about naysayers, who will offer negatives about any profession at any time.
I remember clients hearing negatives (no jobs out there anymore!) about technology during the dotcom boom of the late '90's, which was ridiculous. Of course, those negatives did become real in the early 2000's--but turned out to be part of another, newer, cycle.
- The balance between work and life is way off.
If you value your time off, and you find you're working regularly on weekends, maybe it's time to think about a change. Is it part of the industry culture (investment banking and law)? Or is it cyclical (accounting)? Be sure to research whether it's industry-wide, or whether it's just your organization.
What does a change entail?
Now that you know it’s time to leave, you need to know that a career change should involve a heavy due diligence before implementing a search. This turns the common sequence around a bit. Instead of making an arbitrary decision because something sounds interesting, as most people do at the beginning of their careers, I strongly urge research and informational networking in perhaps two or three different targets.
This will help to determine whether or not you
(1) like what you find out,
(2) find that there is an actual market out there, and
(3) determine whether your skills and experience are appropriate for the target.
What you want is a critical mass of opinion--meaning more than one or two people-- so that you can make your decision, and then begin the mechanics of a search. By mechanics, I mean the development of marketing materials (resume, pitch, written communications) and then building relationships which will get you to decision makers.
Please note that I'm not emphasizing ads or recruiters here, which, while sometimes useful, are low-odds resources for most job seekers.
Making the final decision
It is difficult, if not impossible, to make blanket generalizations about entire fields, in terms of what's hot at the moment. For example, current consensus says that healthcare is a growing market segment for now and for the future. This is generally true, but does that refer to doctors or nurses or physical therapists or pharmacists or all the other healthcare professions? Obviously, one statement can’t cover them all.
Finding out what it means requires the due diligence mentioned above, plus research and reading about the industries you're interested in. Intelligent career transition requires a great deal of preparation, not just a quick, sometimes arbitrary decision.
I feel strongly that any career decision should involve the notion that the career should fit you--and not the other way around. It's important to understand your own personal style and values, and figure out whether any career decision suits who you are. Too many decisions are made out of expediency or as the result of not enough reflection. It’s never easy, but isn't it worth the effort to do it right?
To find answers to your questions on job search and career transition, get your copy of In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work
Why Veterans as Job Candidates Continue to Earn My Deepest Respect
With Veterans Day coming up, I wanted to write about one of my favorite topics - veterans. Trying to collect my thoughts, I realized I’d probably written about this topic on Memorial Day. I checked back in the archives and saw that indeed I had--my feelings are, if anything, stronger now.
The reason veterans are so important to me is that I’ve learned so much over the past 12 years at Columbia Business School working with many incredible students who served in the various armed forces. This was a new experience for someone who'd had limited contact, over a lifetime, with military people-- except to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. For those of us who were draft age in the ’60s, attitudes were considerably different then.
This holiday is a good time for me to mention, again, why veterans are among my favorite clients--and have been for years. I’ve seen how well they do at Columbia Business School. They’re disciplined, tenacious, resourceful and financial services organizations (among others) love to hire them. The success rate is unusually high. Is this a surprise? Not to me.
Many of the officers I work with have come from tough backgrounds and have fought hard to make it. While they value individual strength, they also understand the value of team work. That’s just one of the reasons why they do so well in the job market.
I've had clients who have done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but have never held a job outside of the military. I’ve seen them start from scratch, build networks, pick up the skills they’ll need for success in civilian life. It's great to watch. One of our current students, a West Point graduate and veteran of THREE one-year tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was still in the military when we met, and during his first semester, found his first job outside the military--through his remarkable West Point network. He’s already working on his next options. This is one determined guy.
But the sequester is taking a bite out of tuition remission, along with a lot of other services for veterans, making it harder for veterans to get the education they need. It's outrageous that they have to even partially pay for an expensive education after what they’ve been through.
No one’s ever accused me of being a super patriot, but maybe Veterans Day is a good reminder that the rest of us need to pay special attention. Not just for today, but every day.