They Choose Not to Follow-Up

They Choose Not to Follow-Up

My clients come to me usually in three different ways. Some are assigned to me via the company that trained me in the job search coaching strategies I use. The people assigned often receive “out placement” benefits from the company that has terminated their employment. As part of the benefit, the individual receives both individual and group coaching, (often for a year’s time), to assist them in finding their next job.

A second set of clients come to me through a sub-contracting arrangement I have with a company that works with relocating spouses. In this arrangement, a corporation contracts with relocation companies, to help those moving on behalf of their company to get settled into their new environment. While many of the services involve the steps in finding a new home, a subset of the benefit is career coaching and acclimation through the services of a coach. The coach is usually assigned to the spouse of the individual the company is moving, because they often need to find employment and are the one settling the family into the new location.

Finally individuals reach out to me directly. Some may meet me at job search support groups or hear talks that I do on job search. Others are often referred by previous clients of mine. I will actually get a contact from the previous client letting me know they have referred a friend or acquaintance to me. As expected, often the individual is in job search, and in many situations have been for some time period. Having worked with me, the person doing the referring often has first-hand experience on how I am able to help the person they are referring to my services.

I have worked with hundreds of clients over the last eight years. That does not even count the many that I have also met with to do complimentary consultations to just recommend steps they can take. And, it still amazes me the number of individuals that do not reach out at all, (even after given my contact information. Note: This includes people who are having the “outplacement benefit paid for them by their company). Is it that they feel I will tell them things to do, that they may not want to do? Is it that they feel I will ridicule or belittle them? Is it that they make the decision that they feel my services will cost too much, even before even inquiring what my fees may be? Or do they feel that I can’t help because no one will hire them because either they are too old, or their salary is more than hiring companies will want to pay, or many other reasons they feel the odds are stacked against them.

Whatever the reason for not at least having a complimentary consultation with me, here are some things I do know having done the type of work I have done over the last eight years. No one person has all the answers in terms of the best way to conduct a job search, (even me). However, that being said, I have found that when individuals work or conduct their search working with groups of people, they are more likely to get additional thoughts and approaches they are unlikely to think of themselves. Another thing I know is that when trying to get through a stressful period all by one’s self with no sounding board, or changing environments, the more likely one is to get caught in the same continual loop of despair. Finally, when one tries to do search on their own, they are THE ONLY ONE, who knows they are searching. As such, if others know of opportunities which may align with their skill set they cannot alert them to those opportunities or recommend them for them, because they are completely unaware that they are indeed in search.

Perhaps those that do not reach out to me, actually do OK. Maybe, they do choose to work with another coach, and that is OK with me, because they have at least gotten help. Perhaps they do apply for a job, interview well, get selected, and are happy where they have landed. Or perhaps they have decided, maybe they really do not want to work at a job or vocation after all. However, I often have the nagging suspicion that many of them are out there self-loathing the job search process, hiring companies, their fate in the world, and if anything moving further away from what they said they wanted, when they were initially recommended to reach out to me.