Post from Transformation Tom™- Recognize There are No Guarantees: Chapter from “Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job”

January 31, 2022 / tomdowd / News

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If I stopped everything I was doing expecting my best leads to come
through, I would still be looking for a job. During my search, I interviewed
for a job where I was given the impression, or misinterpreted the
discussions in such a way as to believe, that I was a lock. Three weeks later,
the company reorganized the department and the open job was cancelled.
Luckily, I didn’t have to learn this lesson the hard way. I continued my
pursuit within minutes after that final interview. In another situation, I
was told by a recruiter to call him before I accepted anything else because
he had an opening that just needed to be finalized. I called a few times to
follow up, but was told that, “Things changed.” Things do change, and
your best prospects are only as good as the lead you are pursuing at this
very moment. Your job prospects turn to actual jobs when you start on
the first day. When you recognize that all leads can be fruitful but that
they are not guaranteed, you become more realistic in your views of the
process and more motivated to keep moving until you have solidified
your next position.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

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Post from Transformation Tom™- Make it Obvious that Your Primary Networking Goal is Not to Find a Job: Chapter from “Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job”

January 24, 2022 / tomdowd / News

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Did I just read the heading correctly? If you are part of the “Great Resignation,” “Great Reshuffle,” or whatever you want to call it while searching for a new job, you may want to refocus your goals while networking. Just because you’re looking for a job doesn’t mean that everyone will care, have the time, or even want to bother networking with you. It’s important for you to be strategic in your approach and take a step back to reassess how you’ve approached your past networking sessions. Ask yourself, “Has it worked?”

In too many examples with coaching clients, I find an unintentional selfishness to the approach where you might find that the first and last question asked was related to, “Do you have any openings?” Even when I’ve actively sought a job or trying to expand myself professionally, I need to remind myself about the importance of having a goal outside of job searching, I must constantly ask does the networking session go beyond finding a viable lead or am I doing the harder part of building a relationship?

We get led in this direction because we are the ones who take it this way. We might say it was tough losing our job or are feel the urgency to get out of a job that causes an immense amount of frustration. If our primary goal is to look for a job we might be unintentionally steering the conversation toward sitting back and waiting for the sympathy or empathy to come in to the conversation. When we’re looking to take the next step in our career, sympathy isn’t usually going to land us the job of our dreams.

When I’ve been active job seeking, I always have to remind myself that my first thought is to build or enhance a connection, and not to cut to the chase of what’s available in that person’s organization. If someone on the street asked you, “Are you hiring?” you probably would look at them funny. Ultimately, if our primary goal clearly comes across as a job search, we are creating a wall. Instead, the goal should be to get someone to like, respect, and trust you first. The rest will take care of itself through the developing relationship.

Don’t mistake me: I am not saying you should disguise your underlying goal of finding a job with a thin veil of insincere small talk. You’re not hiding that you’re looking for a job, but it doesn’t need to be your headline. When your pure focus is on the job search and not the potential budding relationship, I’ve found a sense of desperation whether it was in the messaging, tone, or words. I’m clearly stating that your primary goal is not to find a job when you are specifically networking, but to make a connection. If the goal is not to find the next opening while networking with someone, then what should you be doing? First, you must find the common bond—either personal or professional. Why did you think of this person in the first place? That most likely will provide you enough clues to find a link. You have to relate in some way to the person you’re speaking with so it doesn’t come across as a cold call. Whether it’s a common field of expertise, or something you’ve picked up on LinkedIn, or the person who referred you to them, find the common ground. As much as we may inadvertently push the conversation into, “What can you do for me?” the success of the session is contingent on your ability to find what’s in it for the other person to truly make a valuable connection—both sides need to get something from the conversation. Let the network find the job for you. You just need to keep the process moving by building strong relationships based on common bonds.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

advice, anxiety, author, blogradio, book, books, business, business development, Business Training, change, Coach, coaching, communication, development, displaced, displacement, displacement day, Dowd, finding work, job, jobs, kind voice, leadership, looking for a job, Management, Motivation, network, Networking, out of work, Personal, Personal development, personal growth, professional advice, Professional Development, radio, reference guide, Résumé, Résumé Writing, success, Thomas, Thomas B Dowd, Thomas B Dowd III, Thomas Dowd, tom, Tom Dowd, training, transformation, transformation tom, transformationtom, unemployed, unemployment, your kind voice

Post from Transformation Tom™- Cross-Pollinate Your Network: Chapter from “Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job”

January 17, 2022 / tomdowd / News

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When thinking about networking, many professionals are too narrow minded. We often keep our various circles segregated. Sometimes, this is wise, but other times it is not. When I lost my job in June 2013, a meeting of the minds of my blended networks helped me build my confidence, came up with a creative–and diverse–game plan, and pointed me in the right direction.

Circles of friends and colleagues often differ. We have a circle of friends with whom we may like to talk sports, others may discuss politics, and others may be strictly about business. There may be some overlap, but we sometimes build protective cones around many of our circles. However, blending these circles can mean benefits for you and others. Your network is only as good as the work it is doing for all participants, so if there’s an opportunity for crossover within some circles, take advantage of it. You may create the introduction for someone within your own circle to meet someone in your extended network. Or, you may ask if someone you are talking with knows someone in a particular field of interest that’s outside the immediate circle.

The web of a network should have key members in it. When discussing networking, we often think of going straight to the top. Instead, it’s important to make sure we are connecting with various levels within an organization. When we cross-pollinate our network and are not narrow minded in our approach, that network becomes more balanced, including friends, co-workers, former colleagues, doers, leaders, support staff, and even some fun personal network contacts.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

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Post from Transformation Tom™- Get Recommendations Before You Need Them: Chapter from “Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job”

January 10, 2022 / tomdowd / News

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Even if you’re deep into the job search, it’s still not too late to put
together your recommendations. You may have to make up some
ground, but keep the effort moving forward. If you’re poking around to
see what’s available on the job front and you’re not on a full-blown job
search, or you’re simply looking for a promotion that needs character
validation, now is the time to figure out who will recommend you. You
don’t want to be in the middle of filling out an application and get to the
section about recommendations or referrals and be stopped cold because
you don’t know who you plan on selecting. I had several people in mind,
but in some cases, it had been awhile since we last interacted. If you don’t
know the answer to the question, “Do I know who will endorse me?”
then it’s time to start writing out the list immediately.

After you finish the list of names, send a note or call the potential
group of at least three to five people and ensure that they know they may
be contacted. This may seem obvious, but I found that I didn’t have complete
contact information for a couple of people I wanted to use. I might
have had an email address or phone number only. On some applications,
name, address, email, and multiple phone numbers were requested. Be
prepared. If you’re building an online profile with a company that’s general
in nature, it may be okay to stop the process here.

As you start to narrow down the positions you are seeking and get to
a point where a recommendation may actually be used, help the person
providing the recommendation by giving them specifics about the job
and the individual or types of skills the company may be looking for.
A targeted approach with the person doing your recommendation can
potentially help the employer gather more meaningful information about
you.

Finally, the personal and professional relationship you have with
someone isn’t the only criteria you should pay attention to when making
a selection. Do you have connections that are brutally honest in all of
their assessments? While that can be a great quality, you don’t want all
your strengths and weaknesses laid out on the table for your prospective
employer. The person you select for a recommendation is an important
part of the job search process; that person shouldn’t spend the majority of
the time talking about your less desirable qualities. A balanced approach
is good, but you need to know ahead of time what’s coming. Coach that
person, if needed. I once went through a 360 feedback process where
I included direct reports, managers, peers, and business partners in my
feedback process. I was able to select them myself, so I picked the people
I was closest to, thinking they would only sing my praises. In actuality, I
had picked the people who knew me the best and were looking out for
my best interests by providing critical feedback. Although this is not a
direct correlation, understand that the people closest to you do care the
most about you, but also know you the best. Additionally, it’s important
to be cautious about seeking recommendations from people who can only
provide personal character responses. You want a balance of character information
with business accomplishments.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

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