Many jobseekers face the same conundrum that this jobseeker asked me about: I have been to several interviews and am waiting to hear back. I like the idea of taking a break and also want to wait and see what happens with this first group of companies. I have other companies I could start researching, but I don’t want to spread myself too thin. How do I know when to keep pushing for more leads or focus on the ones I’ve started?
One of my former coaching clients should have wrapped up her within a few months. But then with budgets tightening, the job that she seemed poised to get was not filled after all. This happened to her twice before her third job offer finally stuck. The first time it happened, she had slowed down the pace with other companies in play and then had to rebuild her momentum again. The second time she kept her other searches going simultaneously even when one seems promising. When the second imminent offer fell through, she barely missed a beat. Score one for Press Forward.
In investing, you shouldn't try to time the market because you may pull out on the handful of days when the market makes its big returns. Similarly, in the job search, persistent and regular action is critical to getting in front of the right opportunities at the right time. If you put yourself out there day in and day out, you are more likely to be front and center when that ideal job opens up. In today’s volatile hiring market, right place and right time could be anywhere and anytime, hence the need to Press Forward.
If interviews are going well, don't stop looking elsewhere. The budget may disappear, another candidate may appear, the chemistry may be off with a key decision-maker that only gets involved at the end of the interview process. Even if the offer does come through and you do accept it, the other interviews will serve as building blocks for your network, data points for your negotiations, and springboards for your next search.
This is the era of 24/7 job search, where your next search starts as soon as you finish this one. I don’t mean that you send out resumes and schedule job interviews on your first day of the new job or even shortly thereafter. But I do mean that you don’t ever stop managing your career -- keeping an updated resume, maintaining your network, being aware of opportunities (even if that means referring other people instead of yourself). Work your job but also work your career: the person who works a job has things happen to them; and the person who works a career is ready at a moment’s notice to deal with an unexpected restructuring, layoff, or golden opportunity elsewhere. To always Press Forward means that you take control over your career. It takes work and a shift in mindset, but once you do it and experience the power of having choices, you will never go back to the old-style, timidjob search. With a tight market, old job search techniques just don’t cut it.
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.
