Your “Raving” Fans
Do you have a particular celebrity that you like? Perhaps they are an actor or actress, whose roles, or portrayals you always enjoy. Or it may be a musical star whose songs you enjoy and the way they perform those songs. For others it may be an athlete that performs at consistently high levels whom they can talk about non-stop.
One of the lessons from my Five O’Clock Club training as a Career Coach many years ago, is to always know who are your “raving fans,” in the working world. They are the individuals, who are not afraid to speak to others about why they have enjoyed working with you. They are the people who when you ask them to be a reference or provide you a recommendation on LinkedIn, will do so without hesitancy. There is no fear on their part speaking up on your behalf, as they trust the referral they provide to your talents is one that they have no fear of reprisal from the person to whom they recommended you.
At present, we are going through one of the tougher job markets during my years as a Job Search Strategy Coach. Are there jobs out there? Yes, there are. One can find them posted all over Indeed, Linked In, and other various job sites. How quickly are individuals getting hired from those job postings? The answer to that question is completely different.
A single solitary job posting often gets hundreds of applicants within a day or two. While many of those applicants are not in the least bit qualified for the job role, it clogs up the process for recruiters who may need to screen those applicants. Other job postings, go against automatic screening tools, where the impact several times is that perfectly qualified clients get “screened out,” because the wording of their resume, does not actually match the wording of a job posting description. Even those that make it past the screening and posting stage will find they face multiple rounds of interviews, and even learn in the end the company “decided to go with an inside candidate” (someone already on the company payroll).
While still a difficult process, the clients I have found who have made the most progress in their search in recent months are those who have:
- Built a strong network of professionals and stayed in touch with them.
- Reached out to someone in their network who can speak to their talents when they are interested in opportunities at a particular company
- Built a strong reputation at a previous work place as someone who both got items accomplished and was an excellent team member with which to work.
Yes, you often may need to “follow procedures,” such as applying online when answering a job posting at a company. But, having an inside source to help boost your candidacy does not hurt. Whether it is that person who can walk your resume to the hiring manager, or that person who when asked if they know of individuals that meet the requirements a company may have, even before an opportunity is posted, that individual can be of great value to you during job search, and moving forward your career. By the same token, the individual with “raving fans,” also looks to “pay it forward,” by endorsing those that they know have the skillsets a company they are now working for may need.
So, do remember, a career is a “lifelong journey.” It may move from department to department or company to company. Additionally, it can even change from function or occupation that you choose to do at a particular point in your life. However, those you work with and meet along the way, may very much so come back into your life when you least expect it. Gone are the days that individuals stay in one place or with one company for their entire career. Additionally, you may need the skills and talents of a particular individual when you least expect it. If you can always be at your best, look at those you work with as partners in your journey, and always look to meet the needs of those you serve, you will find you will build a contingent of “raving fans.”
