The Career Doctor Blog Empowering job-seekers to conquer college, career, and job-search ailments. Home | About Dr. Hansen | Career Column | CAREER Model | Benefits of Coaching | Career Resources |Coaching Quiz Desperate Job-seeker Poo-poohs Networking By Randall on August 11, 2009 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Anonymous writes:
Network. Network. Network.
I followed all the networking and other advice you and every other career guru offers. I’ve been out of work for more than two years now. Nobody in my network will return my phone calls or emails anymore because of course they all have jobs so they can’t understand why I don’t. They’re tired of hearing about me not having a job. They’ve asked me not to give their names as references anymore because they’re tired of all the phone calls from people who end up not hiring me anyway. Without references, I don’t have a chance of finding work.
I have no job, and I’m so demoralized that I don’t even have it in me anymore to bother to look for one. I have no friends left. I spend every moment of every day by myself. I have nobody to talk to. And oh yeah, I have a truckload of skills, training, and experience going to waste.
The Career Doctor responds:
First, let me state how sorry I am that you are in your current situation. I think desperation and poor job-search techniques have had a hand in your stretch of unemployment.
There is a fine line between using your network and abusing your network. People in your network aren’t the ones who will hire you; networking is based on the premise that we live in a small world and our network serves as our ears for the potential job openings. I’m not hiring, but I just heard that Company X is in need of someone with your qualifications, so I give you a call and let you know about the opening. Networking is, and probably always will be, the most powerful tool of job-hunting — when used correctly.
There is no question you are desperate — and I feel for you. But you have to understand that hiring managers do not hire people who are desperate for a job — any job — hiring managers want job-seekers who are a good fit and have an interest in the job and the company.
And I think you are still traumatized — on some level — by getting downsized. Just about everyone gets fired or downsized at some point in their careers, and you need to find a way to put that behind you and move forward. There is no stigma — unless you put one on yourself.
At one point you WERE getting interviews, but I am guessing your desperation or trauma over being fired was telegraphed to the interviewer — and that’s why you never received a call back or a job offer.
My best advice? You need counseling. Call your alma mater and speak with a career professional. If you don’t want to do that, see if there is a one-stop career center in your area. These publicly funded career centers can help you regain the confidence you need and rebuild your skills so that you can get a new job and begin rebuilding your life.
Use this URL to find a local government-sponsored career center: Career One-Stop Center Service Locator.
For more advice on networking, go to this section of Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Categories: Job Leads, Opportunities, Job-Search Strategy, Networking Tags: alma mater, career professional, confidence, counseling, experience, hiring manager, interviews, job openings, job-search techniques, job-seeker, network, networking, one-stop career center, qualifications, Quintessential Careers, references, skills, training, unemployment
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