Article Title: When job search feels like jury duty
Author Byline: Tim Tyrell-Smith @ Spin Strategy™ – Tools for Intelligent Job Search
Author Website: http://quixoting.typepad.com/spin_strategy
So here’s a few thoughts about job search and jury duty. Are they comparable?
Ask anyone who’s been called for jury duty and you’ll get one of two reactions. First are the folks who are proud and honored to have a way to serve their country (2% of respondents). Second are people who grumble loudly to everyone they know that the system is painful, inefficient, and not terribly empathetic to the participant (98% of respondents).
Hmmm…Sounds a bit like job search on some days, right? So, how else are the two similar? And, importantly, how do we use this analogy to suggest a few new thoughts to help you succeed in finding a new job?
Here are some of the more hard to swallow aspects of jury duty (you can also comment below and add your own):
1. Painful. I think you’ll agree that jury duty often comes at the wrong time and if your company is not jury duty friendly, you can be hurt financially. The pain also comes in the form of boredom as you wait for your number to be called. Ever sat there all day?
2. Inefficient. How do you plan your week knowing that you don’t what your week looks like? The basic system that feeds juries puts the onus on you with no real guarantees that you can be somewhere else (like in an important work meeting). You might get the call that dictates your next few days or weeks only hours before the actual jury commitment begins.
3. No empathy. If you’ve ever told a sad story to the judge and watched his/her reaction, you know what I mean. Very few people get out of jury duty.
So, now that you know all of this, job search can’t be all that bad, right? Well, you and I both know that job search can be very tough – especially during these economic times.
– The financial pain can be significant for those who are not getting much severance and whose salary represents the bulk of their family’s income. Make sure you build a financial plan and budget conservatively for your transition period.
– If you are not careful, inefficiency is a real risk. A lot of the most instantly gratifying tasks (such as scanning for jobs on the internet) can be the least effective. So, make sure you have a strategy and build a discipline into your effort.
– And, no, there isn’t a lot of empathy out there. Lay-offs are not personal attacks but they can feel awfully abrupt and cold. The reality is that HR folks have to be objective, even though they likely are hurting deep down. So, do your best to transition your mind as quickly as you can. The longer you take to heal, holding onto your anger or frustration, the longer it will take for you to be in the right mind set to interview with a cool, confident head.
So, what are your secrets to succeeding in a tough environment?
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.