Happy Ending to Longest Job Search

Jennifer found a job!! This wasn’t just any job search.

This was the LONGEST job search in my experience as a coach. Jennifer became my client in January 2018. She found a job in May 2020 – a LONNNGG time.

Not for lack of trying, mind you. Twenty-five times Jennifer finished in the top two in job searches. Absorb that for a moment. So clearly, not for lack of trying.

Jennifer is one of my smartest clients – scary smart. She thinks fast on her feet with great holistic insight about organization strategic needs. I would make a spot for her in my team just to capture her talent for my future needs and keep the competition from snagging her.

Recruiters loved her. Most of her 25 opportunities came from recruiters. We prepared for every interview and debriefed to learn from every negative response. I helped her pick herself up off the ground when her spirits sank.

She was not a fit for any of those 25 organizations for some reason we could not understand. We did everything we could to shorten the job search experience, including:

• Great job search materials with a robust resume and LinkedIn profile.
• Created articles and content showing great insight.
• Networked into target companies.
• Opened a consulting practice and found some clients.
• Took courses at the local community college, created a portfolio and website, and expanded her network among local entrepreneurs.

Nothing made a difference. Jennifer was stressed, depressed and resigned to never finding something. Her family adjusted to the income loss.

In early March, she fielded an inquiry from a recruiter for a senior sales opportunity in a medium sized, B2B personal care organization, owned by private equity and located a short distance from her. This was a purple unicorn – the perfect organization, the perfect size, with a great product. She figured it would never happen. She went in casually, without the serious preparation she normally did.

Jennifer shrugged off the great feedback from the first interview and the face-to-face with the hiring manager. Then the state shut down for coronavirus quarantine. Weeks passed. She figured nothing would come of it.

Then more video interviews. Again, weeks passed without word. Jennifer moved on to something else. In early May, they sent her for an all-day psychological assessment. She figured nothing would come of it – she had been this far before. She was very casual and totally herself because she had nothing to lose.

But they loved her! She got the job.

Everything about this job was worth waiting for! It is a promotion to Sr. Vice President of Sales (previously she was a Director), close to home (30-minute vs 90-minute commute), loads more lucrative, and global vs national leadership. Best of all, she is on the company’s executive leadership team with a chance to influence company direction. Now she has a chance to use her magnificent intellect to grow a business!

How did this happen?

I think she prepared less and expressed her thoughts more. She didn’t care as much about the outcome, so she was more relaxed, more herself. I saw this before with another client – long search, coming in second many times, and always over-prepared for interviews until she stopped caring so much, relaxed and got the job of her dreams.

Jennifer found what we call in my family, “her kind of crazy.” She already feels like she fits in and is confident she will do a great job for them. I am not surprised that she already has many ideas how to make the organization more successful!

Jennifer and I shared a laugh, a few tears and a quiet moment of celebration before she moved on to this new adventure. I will think of her often and tell the tale of how being relaxed sometimes makes the difference between success and failure. It is worth waiting for “my kind of crazy.”

To learn more about the techniques Jennifer used during her job search, check out The Interview Doctor’s free training, 5 Tips to a Successful Job Search.