"I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition."
Read Part One here.
Last week I announced to you that I was leaving the Laid-Off Life for greener pastures, or at least to go work the fields. It’s been a long, hard road from Laid-Off to Newly-Employed. By government definition, the 'long term unemployed' is anyone who has been out of work and looking for new employ for over a year. I outdistanced that statistic by nearly 150%, having been 'In Search Of...' for 16 months. And, in some strange way, I am taking all of you with me into the land of office chairs, coffee makers, and casual Fridays. The thing I can hang my hat on the most is that as I was sitting here alas these last 25 weeks doling out advice is that truly following the advice I’ve meted out is what got me to where I’m going. And that comes as validation of the work I’ve done to share with you what I know.
But that’s a misnomer. I haven’t been sharing with you what I know. I’ve been sharing with you what I’ve experienced. I’ve said time and time again that I’m no expert; that’s what the actual experts at PhillyJobs.com are for. All of the guidance I’ve divvied out comes from what I’ve learned rolling down the Laid-Off Life Expressway, truths and realizations I’ve come across both through research and from my own Adventures in Wonderland. And the lesson I impart to you is that if I can do it, so can you.
So, previously on '24', I spoke about all the things you can do to get your résumé noticed and be considered worthy of the next step: the interview. That’s when the real work starts.
Before you even look up the directions of how to get to the interview, you must do all the research you can on the company again. Make sure you know as much as you can. Do research on your interviewer. Find out where they went to school and learn something about the strong programs-of-study or the football team. Find out what their interests are and casually slide them in to conversation. Find them on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn (but don’t contact them, just glean information). Try to get a feel of what kind of person they are so you know what to expect. Do the same for anyone you may interview with. Be up on what the company does and where they fit in within their industry. Be able to answer simple questions from your interviewer like "Tell me in your own words what you feel like we do here at Strickland Propane." Dress appropriately, and shake hands professionally. And make sure you leave the room with an outstanding final impression. After the interview, do your own post-mortem, figure out what you did good and not so good, and email your interviewer a thank-you note. Want a great way not to get the job? Don’t follow up with a thank you. For a second or third interview, lather-rinse-repeat. Keep on the company if you don’t hear back and make sure they know just how much you want the job, and more importantly, why they should want you.
And when you finally get that job offer, congratulations. It’s hard out there, and you should be very proud. Just make sure it’s where you want to be. Crunch the numbers, petition for opinions. Talk it over with your family. Make sure it’s right for you, and not just better-than-nothing (if you have the option). Often being depressingly-employed can be worse than unemployed. You don’t have to jump at the first job that comes your way if something just doesn’t feel right about it. Be sure it’s what you want. The funny thing is always that as soon as you find one opportunity, several more can be right behind it, so other options may soon be available. When I accepted this new job of mine, I got three more phone calls that same week about job opportunities and freelance work. The grass may not always be greener on the other side, but there is always a different lawn right in the next yard. And if you currently have a job you are unhappy with, there is no shame in looking for a better – or even just different – one. The economy is still tough even though the recession apparently ended last year. Don’t feel like just because you have a job and eight million or so fellow Americans don’t, that you’re obligated to just sit down shut up and be happy with what you have if you are not happy with what you have. Be smart about it, but if you don’t like your job, find another one. Don’t settle for something that’s killing you inside little by little.
The job hunt, as I’ve mentioned, is about selling yourself. That’s one reason they say it’s a full-time job in itself. Everything you do, everything you present as part of yourself – telephone conversations, job applications, résumés, cover letters, portfolio – are all pieces with which you sell yourself and promote the brand of 'you'. Always remember that anything that people see is what they judge you on. Be professional. Write professionally. Speak professionally. Don’t be stupid with the things you post on Twitter and Facebook; they may come back to haunt you. And make sure you have a professional sounding email address. No one who replies from HelloKittyLover@hotmail.com gets a job (unless you’re applying at the Hello Kitty store). You are constantly selling 'you' to the potential employers out there. Make sure they’re interested in the commodity known as 'you'. The sooner you realize your job search is really just a PR campaign with the goal to market 'you' and get 'you' a job and make an employer want to be in the business of 'you', the better off you’ll be.
For many, including myself, the job search is long, tedious, difficult, and depressing. I’ve said many times in my columns that the one thing you need to remember is that you are not alone. Millions of Americans are also unemployed, with millions more underemployed or 'marginally employed'. It’s hard out there. The best and brightest among us are in the same shaky boat. I know they are just words, but try to stay positive and try to stay upbeat. The search can beat the strongest of us down. Work hard when you can, and take time away from the search when you can. Consider looking for work in another city: the change of scenery may do you some good. Lean on your support system, whether it’s family or friends or even former co-workers. There are so many of us out there looking that you must come to the realization that your unemployment situation is often not of your own fault. The right opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet. It will, with patience and work. And take rejections with several grains of salt. Keep your chin up and remember that there are a lot of people going through the same things you are. Try to keep from spiraling down an unemployment depression cycle. You are not alone. Unemployment – for the time being at least – is the new normal.
So how did I do it? How did I finally find my next position after 16 months of long-term unemployment? Patience, of course. Good fortune. Serendipity. Hard work. And doing the smart things. I found this particular job through a listing on PhillyJobs.com (Srsly. I’m not just saying that because they’ve been allowing me to keep the lights on for the last six months). I applied through the website’s application, but what got me the job was doing more. I found the company on LinkedIn, and found the President. I googled his name and the company name and found his work email address. And then emailed him directly. I told him I applied for the job online, but that I wanted to contact him to tell him how interested I was in the job and what hiring me would do for them. They were impressed by my initiative (see how easy?) and asked me in for an interview. A good first interview (using all the tips I mentioned above including the research and preparation with the appropriate thank-you emails and follow-ups) led to a second interview which led to a job offer. And it all came about because of using very simple extra effort to show them that I was really interested in the position and found a way to stand out from the crowd. It’s not a huge secret a lucky few are privy to; but the sad fact is that only a very few take the time to make the effort. It’s not rocket science people, just do it. And keep doing it.
So, I guess that’s the end of the chapter entitled 'Laid-Off Life' for now. I started writing this column weekly around the start of the baseball season, and here we are nose-deep in the playoffs. I’ve been imparting my tidbits of wisdom for 25 weeks, and I thank you for allowing me this soapbox from which to speak. I’ve said over and over that I’m no expert, just a guy with experience over expertise, sharing my stories with an audience of fellow travelers. My job was to tell you what the search has been like for me, and hopefully within that you’ve found some scraps of advice to which you can relate and use successfully in your own search. If I found a job worthy of 'yes', so can you. Patience my friend, patience.
I’ll leave you with a bit of sage wisdom I wrote in a previous column: "Prepare as best you can to walk out the door and face the world, adjust to challenges as they come at you, and do the best you can. And sometimes, on those worst of days, when you feel you’ve tried your best but failed nonetheless, someone will point at you and say 'That’s my guy'."
Good luck, keep in touch. And I’ll be back from time to time to impart more wisdom your way, if the powers that be allow me to do so. Thank you, friends.
Michael Hochman, employed person.
Michael Hochman
LaidOffLife@yahoo.com ? Laid-Off Life on Twitter ? Laid-Off Life on Facebook
Michael is a Copywriter, Creative Marketer, and Broadcasting Professional who has finally found a full-time job after 16 months of full-time job hunting after an "involuntary career sabbatical". A Philly native and Syracuse graduate, Michael is happy to be rejoining the rat race as a slightly older, slightly smarter rat.
"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." - Drew Carey
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