The Hunt Part Seven - Thinking on Linking (and Drinking)

As my job hunt weeks have turned into months, my inner anxious kitten has needed to find things to keep me focused (or is that distracted?). Perhaps it’s just a symptom of colder, darker post-Thanksgiving days, but I must confess that what was once an exciting chance to ‘re-imagine my career’ is starting to drag a little.

Sorry to bring you down, gentle reader, but there’s hope in the words that follow. I’ve found that mixing it up with new people, places and shiny things has given me a boost. And hopefully my ramblings will help anyone who’s stuck in a rut, or wanting a change …

The Social Butterfly Effect

Social media has been part of my professional and personal lives for many, many years. It kind of worries me just how long I’ve been liking, following, and connecting. This blog post from 2008 summed up my thinking and I still agree with 2008 Jeremy’s conclusion – “..The nature of influence has changed with dialogue driven by word of mouth (and mouse) being the key weapons in the marketers’ arsenal.”

The truth is, I’m (currently) no longer helping clients build channel partner networks on LinkedIn, working with influencers to raise brand awareness during the Paris Marathon or using busy financial services professionals’ social profiles to help turn them into company and industry influencers. But I believe more than ever in social’s ability to help small brands (like me!) reach an audience (like you!) and generate a measurable action (like…a like, share or comment…or even a job opportunity).

Social has been incredibly helpful in my job search. Posting content like this to LinkedIn and my blog and amplifying through Facebook and Twitter is infinitely better than putting it in envelopes and mailing it to thousands of people. But – and here’s something that hasn’t really changed since 2008 – it’s a tactic, not a strategy.

Looking that the five roles I’m currently interviewing for, only one came directly through social or digital channels. While I hope my social profile has helped people either remember me, or decide if they want to meet me, friends and former colleagues have been a much more reliable source of real opportunities. 

Getting by With a Little Help

Every couple of weeks I meet with a small group at the Crazy Mocha coffee shop in Montclair New Jersey. While our backgrounds are different, we have one thing in common – we’re all searching for our next, next big thing. 

While I love a good pithy tweet or LinkedIn message thread as much as the next unemployed PR consultant, there’s nothing like comparing notes with folks who are fighting the same fight over flat whites and assorted caffeinated drinks. 

We help each other with resumes, talk about local health care markets, and discuss the nuances of cover letters. I’ve shared my to-do lists, resume template and career audit. And, I think most critically, we’ve commiserated with each other. 

This finding-a-job thing is really hard. It’s an un-nerving time for any ‘mid-career’ professional. And coffee with friends at the Crazy Mocha is a panacea I’d definitely recommend. Take two and call me in the morning if unemployment melancholy persists…

Keep Your Ears In

I try to keep up-to-date with PR and technology industry trends. When I was employed, my continuing education was largely through consuming a heavy diet of the podcasts that made my commute bearable (and me look smarter as it helped me ruminate on the latest thinking on cloud computing courtesy of the Daily Tech News Show or PR news via the PR Week. 

I also had a habit of signing up for webinars but struggled to attend them. Or if I did, they were, at best, listed too in the background while I did something else. One of the joys (for want of a better term) of not having as many ‘somethings else’ is being able to focus on webinars as part of my continuing professional education.

There’s a wealth of stuff out there – in the past week I’ve caught up with KD Paine’s latest thinking on connecting media coverage to business objectives and seen Hootsuite’s take on practical social media trends for 2018. Today, it’s “AI…Friend or Foe? – Is Your Agency Ready?”. I can’t wait. My money’s on ‘friend’…

Whatever your industry, I’d recommend breaking your routine with some thought-provoking webinars. Great to keep you connected with the latest thinking (and perhaps good interview content…).

Enough for a Tuesday. Back to the networking, vacancy scanning, writing, promoting, learning, research, interview follows-up and waiting anxiously by my in-box that keeps me out of trouble. As always, gentle reader, I have one ask. If you liked this post, ‘Like’ it. If you have a thought, please comment. And if it would help your community, please share.