The Reality of the Hunt…The Job Hunt, That Is.

Ok. So in December I quit my job.  It wasn’t jibing well.  My goals and career objectives no longer aligned with where the company wanted to place me and so I had to make the executive decision about my life and career…so I packed up my bags and returned home to Montreal.

I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t worried…worried about finding a job, worried about moving back into my parent’s home and worried about rebuilding, yet again, a life back home.  It’s scary.  You’re facing the unknown.  I don’t have a job lined up and there are no guarantees…only the confidence that I would do what I had to in order to re-establish myself back in Montreal.  

So I thought I would talk to all you careerists out there about the job-hunt as it is relevant today.  I know you all hear that “the rules for the job search are different, today,” so I want to illustrate the new rules as I have been experiencing them lately.

Paying It Forward in 2010

It’s the New Year.  2009 is now behind us and we are thrust forward into the throes of the unknown that is 2010.  I could do the usual and write about New Year’s resolutions that I will be making and…ahem…keeping…but I thought I would rather talk about a great theme that we should focus on for the next New Year.  The idea came to me after an in-depth conversation with a great friend!

I was thanking my friend Meghan for passing my CV around her office to a few key managers (because I recently quit my job and relocated back to my hometown of Montreal).  And in response to my thanking her, Meghan said the nicest thing; she said that she thought it was the least she could do seeing as someone had helped her get her job and she was just paying it forward.  Paying it forward.  Yup, that simple gesture of paying forward the kindness you have experienced from others.

For those of you reading this thinking that Meghan is simply a really nice person, well you’re right!  But she is also a careerist: driven, persistent and ambitious.  And paying it forward is such an important thing for careerists to do, as well.  Here’s why:

The Last Impression. Often Overlooked and Undervalued.

There is a lot of talk about first impressions and how important they are.  How first impressions are so powerful that they alone can dictate the success you experience in your career.  

But, what about last impressions?  What about the last impression you leave with people when you change employer or role?  How important is it and what could it mean for you and your career prospects?  The last impression is generally only an afterthought and if you are like most of the population and find yourself undervaluing the last impression, it would be a good idea to keep reading to understand why you need to be more conscious of the impression you leave behind. 

There are generally two ways you can leave an organization, the first is on your own terms and the second is on the terms of your employer.  You can hope that every one of your transitions is of your own volition, however, the reality is that it can very well be a result of company re-organization, or worse, poor performance.  Regardless, the last impression you leave with your coworkers and superiors is just as important as the first impression you gave them when you first started, if not even more so.

Should You or Shouldn’t You: What Can Blogging Do for You?

So I recently finished reading this book, Blog Schmog by Bob Bly.  I initially picked it up because I have been entertaining the idea of starting a business and wanted to understand how blogging could or could not help my business.  After reading the book I am still on the fence.  I’m undecided as to whether the intangible benefits of a blog are worth the time and money investment.  But that’s my dilemma and not really for this post. 

What this book has got me thinking about is the benefits blogging can bring to careerists, like you and me.  The questions are these: How can careerists leverage the benefits of blogging to their advantage?  What can blogs help us achieve in building our careers? What are unrealistic expectations of the benefits blogs can have on our careers?  Can we gain an edge through this social media tool?

Gain the Advantage, Work for Your School’s Career Center!!

This is the best idea EVER and not many students do it.  Yes, it’s volunteer work, so if you’re looking for instant financial remuneration, this probably isn’t the job for you.  But if you want to secure for yourself a future revenue stream, there is no better place to start!  All it takes is a couple of hours a week.  You can mentor students, you can contribute to special projects within the career center that will help boost your exposure (remember: exposure = networking = contacts = opportunities) or you can form part of the career fair organizing committee.  Whatever you decide to do, being involved with your school’s career center means you’ll hear the latest career buzz first; you’ll be the first to know of any new seminars, panels, job openings and resources…keeping you up to date on the latest job-hunting news. However, if you want the most value for your time, I would focus on doing the latter: join the organizing committee of your career center’s annual or bi-annual career fairs. 

Why you need to join the career fair organizing committee at your school:

Tap Into Resources by Getting LinkedIn.

According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 45% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates; where 26% of those use LinkedIn, with an additional 11% planning to implement social media screening in the future.  This means that if you don’t have an online profile, you may be putting yourself at a disadvantage when it comes to job opportunities.  Why knowingly do that?

LinkedIn is a great tool.  Yes, it’s a social networking site, but unlike Facebook, it’s geared toward professionals who are serious about networking…actually, it’s geared toward anyone who is serious about networking. 

One of the greatest things about LinkedIn is that it enables you to upload presentations and files, let others know what books you are reading and allows for status updates where you can let your contacts know what you’re are currently working on (kind of like Twitter, but less annoying).  So essentially, you’re profile has already evolved from on-line

Personal Business Cards are Networking Currency.

If you don’t already have personal business cards (PBC), then you need to go out and get some.  As soon-to-be grads, or recent graduates, or even young professionals, you are trying to make your way in the world and establish yourself as an independent professional – because, let’s face it, you probably won’t be working for the same company your entire life.   In order to do this, you need to improve and increase your exposure through aggressive networking. 

…If you are a soon-to-be grad and are wondering why you need a personal business card, I’ll give you a great reason.