Sarah Johnston discusses how to maximize job searching, and it's about to get customized

"What is my secret sauce or the unique value I bring to an organization?" In this installment of You've Got This, job search strategist & founder of The Briefcase Coach Sarah Johnston whose recent LinkedIn post supporting parents around coronavirus school closures went viral, explains what's entailed in being a career coach, how to make the most of your job search, and the key element of relationship building. Sarah also recently appeared on my colleague Andrew Seaman's series #GetHired to discuss what job seekers can do during this difficult time to increase their odds of success - check that video out here!

Don't miss her answers below - and be sure to get your questions ready for our next guest, President & Chief Executive Officer at Cricut Ashish Arora.

Victoria: "What's something you wish more people understood about being a professional career coach?"

Sarah: "This is a great question! There are two common misconceptions that people have about career coaches. The first, is that they think the career coach’s job is to actually find the new opportunity. They assume that the career coach has a huge rolodex of personal connections to top employers and with a few phone calls can get you an interview with Google or Amazon. If only it were that simple, we’d have no need for advanced degrees, certifications or conferences for upskilling--right? All you’d need to do is call the career coach and he/she will make things happen. WRONG. The career coach can’t do the work for you, but they provide you with a personalized plan to help you meet your career goals. Think of the relationship like a player/coach.

"Great athletes need coaches to help them get to the next level. High performing job seekers use coaches to help them shorten their job search and stay focused on career targets." 

The second misconception is that all career coaches have the same training and can address all of your career needs. In reality, there is no barrier to entry to becoming a professional career coach. Anyone can hang a shingle and claim to be a coach. However, I've observed among my respected peers that career practitioners with a background in human resources, journalism, higher education or counseling tend to be better equipped than most. Obviously there are exceptions-- Austin Belcak is a great example of a stellar career professional with a sales background. I think what makes him exceptional is that he has a growth mindset.

Also among the career industry there are specialists -- we all play a unique but important role in career development. For example, there are people like Bob McIntosh, who serve on the front lines at Government One Stop shops. People like Bob help unemployed job seekers enroll in benefits programs and do job search counseling to large groups. There are also non-profit organizations with career counselors like Malka Bendor from the Jewish Family Services. People like Malka are paid by a non-profit committed to the well being of people within a community. Individuals that work for these groups host job search clubs, meet regularly with people from the community to find employer sponsors and make introductions within the community. And university career centers have career professionals--like Myles Lofland-- dedicated to working with their students and alumni.

Outside of these public organizations, you have individuals who work with job seekers in different capacities. There are career experts like Jessica Sweet and Gina Riley who specialize in helping job seekers understand their passions and motivations to make a career transition or identify a career path. People like Nando Rodriguez who focus on a very specific career barriers like imposter syndrome, Jacqueline Twillie who focuses on negotiating and coaches who focus on niche populations such as legal professionals like Natasha Alladina. 

I consider myself a job search strategist because I help job seekers navigate the hidden job market, conduct mock interviews and write strategic career documents like resumes and LinkedIn profiles."

Victoria: "What's the most rewarding part of your day-to-day?"

Sarah: "The best part about my day is when I get an email or text from a job seeker who landed a dream job. Those emails NEVER get old.  Equally rewarding are the moments when a client has a light bulb moment when they--for the first time-- can clearly identify and articulate their unique value proposition. Arming job seekers with the right tools and confidence to find a job IS the best job in the world."

Victoria: "With so many people being affected by aspects of the evolving and changing COVID-19 situation, what would your top piece of advice be for job seekers and others right now?"

Sarah: "Don’t wait around until mandatory self containment ends to start looking for a job. Use your job search time effectively and on mission. I know it feels like no one is hiring right now--- and it’s true that a lot of hiring IS on hold-- but now is the ideal time to plan your strategic search so that you are ready. Before rushing to update your resume or applying to jobs online-- take the time to complete a self assessment.

"Ask yourself : What are my target jobs? What is my secret sauce or the unique value I bring to an organization? What challenges do I want to solve in the next role?"  

Next, grab your favorite pen and pad and map your network. Look at all of your previous jobs--- who left & went to other places? Who do you know working for competitors? Who do you know through the community who is connected and a connector? Write ALL of these names down. Stretch yourself to get to 30-40 names. 

Finally, build out a target list of companies. Identify 25-35 companies that interest you (in alignment with the location you’d be interested in, size, culture, challenges, etc). Take the time to go on LinkedIn and figure out who your boss would potentially be if you worked in the role you are targeting. 

This research and planning is time consuming and is often a step that job seekers skip (because there is delayed gratification). However, skipping these steps would be the equivalent of going on a cross country road trip without a map. You might end up in your final destination.... but it will take you longer and with more pit stops than if you had just brought along a navigation device."

From Jessi Hempel, senior editor at large at LinkedIn: "Jobs just got a heck of a lot more scarce. Should we shift the way we think about how we approach the job search, or more broadly, navigating our career, because of this?"

Sarah: "I think that you are going to see a lot more people who choose or are “forced” to become entrepreneurs. I saw this a lot in 2008. I graduated from college right around the time the housing bubble burst. Overnight, the jobs dried up and I wasn't prepared for how hard job searching would be. My friends who graduated a year before all easily found good jobs but for the class of 2007-2009, we were living off coupons and a prayer. 

The lack of opportunities generated a lot of creativity. I had a friend who was a construction project manager who ultimately ended up starting a laundry delivery business, another friend who graduated with a sociology degree ended up launching an online custom men’s tie shop and many other peers develop software programs. If you look at Forbes list of Most Promising Companies, a third came out of the Great Recession.

In terms of “shifting” the way we think about job searching, I am advising all of my clients to focus on the basics--- relationships have been and will continue to be the primary way job seekers land jobs."

Follow Sarah on LinkedIn.

___________________________________________________________

Next week's guest: Ashish Arora

I'm really looking forward to our next guest, Ashish Arora. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Cricut, the products and tools from his company help makers around the world to design and create.

Before joining Cricut, Arora was General Manager at Logitech. With an extensive background of more than 27 years of experience in consumer electronics and software, here's what I'll be asking Ashish:

• You recently shared on LinkedIn that over 130,000 face masks have been made and cut using Cricut machines, with more being made every day. How do you see the maker and crafting community joining in coronavirus efforts?
• Where do you see the intersection of business and community building going in the future?
• Why do you think that crafting and creating are such a source of happiness for so many people?

I encourage you to join in the conversation with your own questions for Ashish below - and thank you for reading!