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Back to Work |
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By Jim Carman
December 2004
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It’s All About Networking
Career transition experts agree that the best fit for anyone making
a career choice occurs when your skills, experience, and passions
are combined with a reasonable economic motivator. If all of these
imperatives are aligned, you’re likely to be content with your work
situation. By contrast, over-emphasizing any of these attributes —
such as ignoring your passion in favor of a higher level of
compensation in some other career field — might not be in your best
interest.
Networking — relying on your relationships with people to learn
about potential job opportunities and expanding your contacts to
meet new people who might be able to help with your job search — is
the essential element to finding the perfect niche for your unique
talents. Nationwide, 80 percent of all jobs are gained through
networking. Chris Michel, president of
Military.com,
a company focused on supporting service members, veterans, and their
families, reminds his clients that “we are all part of one of the
largest pre-built networks in existence: the military community.”
Quigley and Kaufman encourage their clients “to begin exploring by
speaking with friends and acquaintances who have successfully
returned to work.” Discuss the areas that ignite your passion as
well as your concerns about stale technology skills and the big
black hole in the center of your resume while you were out of the
work force. Understanding how others coped with these same career
transition issues will build your confidence and expand your network
of contacts.
Excellent sources for networking include the parents of your
children’s friends — including their classmates and teammates — and
your spouse’s network of professional and personal acquaintances.
Beyond this initial circle of contacts, examine your family’s
holiday greeting card list and others you come in contact with on a
daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis — such as doctors, dentists,
investment advisors, personal trainers, child care givers, hair
stylists, or even your pastor — for connections to others who could
have detailed knowledge about a particular sector or career
opportunity.
And don’t overlook your college alumni office and local professional
organizations — many college alumni offices have expanded their
member services to include referrals to other graduates working in
specific career fields.
Once you make a connection, the goal is to have a conversation about
their transition experiences, their business situation, and the type
of skills and experience that were helpful in their return to the
workforce. Expand your network by asking for the names of several
additional people they know who might be helpful in your career
transition. Most important, ask permission to use their name as a
reference in subsequent discussions with these new networking leads.
Prepare Now for the Next Move
Quigley and Kaufman remind their readers that “part of the strategy
is to look for your first and second job at the same time.” They
urge their readers to “think about how that starter-job will prepare
you for a plum position” at some point in the future. Your
starter-job can also be a bridge to a new position if the forced
geographic relocation of your spouse requires you to change jobs.
When confronted with a forced relocation, recognize the distinction
between a job and a profession. Although some professional careers
— such as education, nursing, medical technicians, and airline
pilots — enjoy good portability to new geographic locations, most
professional careers require a greater level of commitment and offer
less flexibility and portability.
By contrast, most jobs are far more portable than most careers. Jobs
tend to involve clearly defined hours, bounded responsibilities, and
less emotional attachment. Professional careers in fast-lane
corporate America, however, tend to be more of an integral part of
our identity and require a greater investment of time.
Finding a new job following a forced relocation begins with the
support of your current employer, who might have a subsidiary,
partner, customer, associate, or classmate in your new community.
Don’t hesitate to discuss your situation with your direct report,
and don’t be shy about asking for their help to find a challenging
job that optimizes your skills and experience at your new location.
Moreover, the military services, in partnership with Adecco, a
global leader in employment and human relations services, have
launched the Career Accelerator
program to help meet the employment needs of military spouses.
Career Accelerator is intended to provide “skill enhancement and
temporary job placement for military spouses” at no cost to the
military services or to the military spouse and with a transferable
benefits package. It’s important to note that temporary positions
increasingly offer an avenue to full-time jobs and are not limited
to clerical support positions.
The reduced flexibility, greater demands, and higher level of
commitment expected from employees on a professional track make a
forced geographic relocation far more problematic. Options worth
exploring include the likelihood of your current employer
transferring your career position to your new location or
negotiating a tele-commuting arrangement with your employer. In the
event your current employer is unwilling to accommodate your
situation, a strong network will be indispensable in helping you
find a new professional position.
Remember the following essential steps for a successful transition
to a new location:
1) always keep a current resume;
2) maintain your affiliation with professional associations and your
college alumni organization;
3) consider the boost in name recognition from contributing to
professional journals and attending professional conferences; and
4) work every day to nurture and expand your network of personal and
professional contacts. Don’t wait until the forced relocation is imminent to begin your
networking. To be effective, networking must be a part of your daily
routine — it’s “filling the well before you’re thirsty,” in the
words of one West Coast-based high technology CEO.
The more you work at strengthening your existing relationships,
cultivating new ones, and revitalizing old ones, the greater your
success will be in the job search process. You will be amazed how
eager friends and strangers are to share their work experiences with
you and help you succeed. And with hard work and planning, you will.
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