Intrepid Miami journalist

Introduction: The end of this week I'll reach a key marker on my free agent journey: the six-month milestone of the unplanned voyage to my next career chapter.

Although my final destination remains unknown, diligent networking and a confident forward focus have led the way to considerable progress on this unpredictable trek.

In November after getting jettisoned from the Miami Herald as business editor, I started to document my journey here on LinkedIn and on Substack to stay visible to hiring managers and to offer useful career management takeaways to help journalists and other professionals rebound from a layoff.

Purposeful, competitive mission: I'm happy to report I've secured several interviews at local, regional and national companies. I've been competing hard for many desirable leadership positions inside and outside journalism, often advancing through multiple interview rounds in pools with dozens of formidable competitors.

Undeterred by the repeated rejection that goes with the territory, I'm as confident as I was on day one of my journey that I'll eventually land a meaningful post to make another significant contribution. It could be either with a stellar news organization or for a highly principled employer in the vast business world looking for an innovative leader, clear communicator, proven team motivator and effective collaborator.

Despite enjoying a rewarding three-decade career thus far as a reporter and editor working from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area and in between, I expected this transition to my next career stop to take upwards of six months or even longer.

Storytelling thrill: Here I am right on schedule. I'm betting on myself as a solo career management practitioner, aiming each day to avert distractions that could derail my mission as a smart risk-taker eager for a fresh start. I'm walking a tightrope balancing decades of acquired wisdom from collaborating with talented journalists with youthful exuberance powered by lifelong learning and a healthy lifestyle. The thrill generated from provocative storytelling that sharply resonates with an audience and makes a profound difference in communities still drives me.

Power of networking: At this pivotal juncture, I'm reminded and fully realize my journey could be wayward without my diverse professional network of former colleagues, friends and strong support from my family. Thank you to each of you for your encouragement, motivation, strong push and unwavering support.

To anyone in the same boat, I'm rooting for you. My best advice continues to be lean into your own networks. They are the people who will lead you to your next exciting job. As I've said before, don't rely on postings on jobs sites because that strategy is a big loser.

That's not to say you shouldn't monitor openings on LinkedIn and other digital sites. Use them to learn about prospects your network hasn't alerted you about. Just don't depend on merely submitting your resume in reaction to a bevy of postings or you'll face a long trail of letdowns.

Beware of fake job postings: In fact, several recruiters and other career management professionals recently have warned via LinkedIn that there's been a big upswing in fake or "ghost" job postings. These experts say the portion of postings that don't represent real employment opportunities could be as high as 50% or 60% of the deep well of them online.

A 2023 survey of over 1,000 hiring managers by investment and wealth management firm Clarify Capital revealed dozens admitted to posting "ghost" openings, leaving filled jobs and expired postings online in order to gather resumes for future turnover, to keep their own workers motivated or to give the impression of a growing company, among other reasons.

What's more, the Better Business Bureau warned an estimated 14 million people a year are exposed to scam job postings often seeking to extract their personal information to steal their identities or dupe them to extort money in exchange for purported fulfilling employment. According to a BBB job scams study , scammers find their targets mainly on Indeed, LinkedIn, Facebook and CareerBuilder digital platforms.

How to verify openings: To protect yourself and avoid adding stress to your job search, an excellent rule of thumb is to never apply for a job opening on any online platform until you've done the best you can to verify it's indeed an open position. To do this, if you see a position on a digital jobs site that intrigues you, go to the respective company's website to the careers section and check to be sure the opening is posted there.

If it is, then always apply for the position there. If you don't see the position listed by a company in its careers portal, you can email the human resources department to try to determine if the job you saw on a digital jobs aggregator really is open to external candidates and recruiting continues to fill the opening. Also, it's valuable to vet the opening with people in your network because they might know someone working at the company or one of your contacts might have worked at the organization.

Mining inside information: Or as I experienced this week, I recalled a business reporter I met several years ago at a national industry conference who at the time worked for a market-leading news outlet in New York that just posted a newsroom leadership position that caught my eye. Checked and found this reporter still worked for same news outlet so I emailed him, inquiring about the fresh opening. In an email exchange and telephone call, he confirmed the open position and shared valuable insights with me about the job, the department, the staff, the news organization's culture and leadership. This example of networking legwork yields internal information you as a job candidate can't glean anywhere else. It enables you to gain a competitive edge as you vie for the open position and proves the value of networking.

Focusing on the bigger picture, if you've also logged six months of free agency in this highly competitive labor market, here's a multipronged strategy I'm using to supplement consistent networking that could work for you, too.

Widen career boundaries: As you engage your professional network to learn important insights about potential openings, view the possible next opportunities on your career arc through the widest lens. To do this, assess broadly your professional experience, your skills, capabilities and critical internal and external customer results you've achieved or led a team to achieve over the course of your career.

Realizing through personal reflection that you likely have many more transferable skills in your arsenal than you thought makes it easier to muster the courage to compete for positions you might not initially think match your qualifications. And remember it's false to think you have to check off each and every item listed as requirements or responsibilities in job descriptions.

Visualize yourself in new role: While striving during interviews and follow-up communications to convince hiring managers you are the best candidate for a particular position, it's advantageous to envision yourself in the roles you're seeking. Think about what you would do on the first day in a new job, then what you would do during the first, second and third months and beyond. Ultimately, compile mental and/or written notes about the main things you want to accomplish in the first 90 days in your new position. One tactic to glean helpful information to do that is ask a hiring manager during an interview what does success look like to her or him when the new hire reaches the 90-day mark of employment.

Ample patience: You've heard patience is a virtue. Well, it's one you will almost certainly need to have in abundant supply, if you're going to make the most of your time as a free agent to consider an array of purposeful opportunities before marketing yourself to land interviews, then scoring and accepting a job offer that matches your career advancement goals.

To manage the direction you're navigating your career, give careful and serious thought to what you want to learn in your next position, the scope of the contribution you can make and the value you want to add to your next employer.

Thank you for reading. Hope you'll continue this journey with me to my next career destination. Please feel free to connect on LinkedIn or on Substack , or at [email protected] to offer your thoughts, suggestions and job leads.