Being in career transition is a lonely place and so often is the case the loneliness sets in before the actual exit begins. Needs change, mostly brought on by factors we have no control over. What seemed like the perfect job is no longer, and after exhausting every possible solution the inevitable is acknowledged…Once acknowledged our perception changes, our collaborative team spirit begins to divide and ‘us’ becomes ‘they’.
The art of job searching is a challenge which requires skills drawn from strategy, marketing, business development, networking and sales. As working professional executives such activities come naturally when executing on behalf of a company. But as an executive in transition you are taking yourself to market, the challenge for many is transferring these skills to job searching.
Designing a strategy will help you to measure what is working in your search methodology. Your plan of action will allow you to target specific channels of engagement, taking you closer to your chosen path. Without a plan you could risk feeling you are going round in circles and making no progress, results are left to coincidence rather than being created.
Learning to market yourself is important during all stages of your career. If you lacked this skill prior to transition, take what you learn to your next employer! If you feel updating your CV, headline summary or being interviewed seems like an overwhelming experience, you are not alone! Many executives who have been extremely successful building multi million businesses are exceptionally poor at being able to market themselves.
Linked closely with marketing, think about how those outcomes can support your business development activities. As in business, creating leads will hopefully generate meaningful discussions that will eventually lead to opportunities. Your network is one of the most valuable resources that will likely be the gateway to finding your solution.
So whilst career transition can be a lonely experience, connecting back with your network can be a fulfilling experience. Not only for generating opportunities, but we are social creatures that require such interactions to thrive. But building new and rebuilding old relationships takes effort, this is another exercise that should continue after your transition is over.
During my career in executive search I have built great relationships with executives who have both been my client or someone I have headhunted at some point. Remember our needs will continuously change but hopefully with a supportive network they can help us find the solution sooner.