Where to Start?

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon. I had just finished my lunch and was watching Shark Tank. This American series has been a blessing during the lock-down as the show is all about Dreams, Hopes, Grit, and the Entrepreneurial spirit. 

Entrepreneurs across the world have had tough last three months. With the world as a whole under Lock-Down, Opportunities are hard to find, revenue streams are drying up, and demand is low. 

I suddenly got a WhatsApp text from a colleague (Let's call him Ajay for now) with whom I had worked a few years ago. He wanted to have a quick chat. I said I'd call him shortly and I kept my promise. We hadn't worked together for several years, and hence I thought I'd ask him what he was up to in the last few years. He had indeed grown phenomenally well in the last few years, and I was happy to hear more about his accomplishments. I could sense something was yet to be told, and I knew it was just around the corner. He had hit a plateau in his career and wanted to change. As much as I was wondering why someone would think of change now, not to my surprise, he said he just left the organization last Friday. 

Where to start? He asked. After working for several years, I want to land a new job, but I know no one. The conversations I have had in the last few months were no different than this. It was clear to me that I would not be successful if I just told him to apply for jobs. Mid-Career Crisis, as we all know well, often comes when we are least prepared. Ajay had the right skills, right attitude, yet he was unsure of what he needed to do.

I knew I had to wear my coach hat on now. I asked him to get a pen and a paper and keep it handy to make notes. 

Ajay had solid credentials and rich experience with some bit of international travel as well. He said he had been applying for jobs over the last several months but had no luck in getting any calls. I asked him to explain his strategy behind and also asked him for a copy of his CV. Something always good to ask, just to be sure what he was up to!

His CV was decent, but his strategy of finding jobs was an outdated one. The 1980's strategy of 'applying' for roles, unfortunately, doesn't work anymore. All the more, the old tools won't work if you are someone with around two decades of experience. 

As we kept discussing several things, he threw a googly. "I think if I should start something of my own, Gopal. What do you think?" He asked. My response was a question instead. "Why would you want to do that, I asked". Of course, this was just an idea that he hadn't thought through entirely. I made it easy for him, and asked if you were to start one, what would you do? His response was immediate, 'Consulting.' I was thrilled with the clarity and conviction he had. I just decided to take it a bit deeper and ask a series of questions that I typically ask everyone who reach out for guidance. They go as follows:

• What do you plan to do (Product or Service)? 
• Are you the product or the Service? (we must know the difference between the two well)
• Who would your customer be? (The client, the demography, online/offline)? 
• What would you sell for (The price)?
• Why should the customer buy from you? – What differentiates you?

He didn't have a response to any of this as we spoke, but he promised he would work on them before our next call. This was perhaps, was way out of my comfort zone. 

Ajay had always been a Go-Getter, someone with excellent credibility and recognition for all that he has done. Perhaps the first time ever, he now had to narrate his story to someone external on what he has done. 

Gopal, How should I find new opportunities, Ajay asked. I knew he still wanted to keep one foot on being an 'Employee' of an organization and another as an 'Entrepreneur'. 

Ajay, be it Job Search or finding new clients; The world needs to know 'Who you are.' 

"Hmm," he said, sounded as if this was the last thing he wanted to hear. He was afraid that he had an extremely arduous task ahead of navigating an enormous market and had very few contacts in his network. As a friend I made him aware of the market realities in the current #Nextnormal and how demand is becoming extremely unpredictable. He heard me out, and we continued our discussions on some of the finer nuances of taking either of the paths. 

"Gopal, I am an extremely introvert guy; I had always let my work speak for myself; how do you expect me to start networking all of a sudden?". I knew he would bring this up at some point. "Go-Getters" love that they be recognized for their work. Their success was always based on their great work. I knew I had to handle it carefully. 

"Ajay, Imagine yourself as the CEO of a start-up for a moment. The world needs to know who you are. Unless you establish your credibility with the new world, the new customer base, you cannot win new work. As a CEO, the onus is on you to go and make sales. So even if you are an introvert, if that's the requirement, do you have the luxury to say no? 

Networking is as simple as how you learned excel when you started your career", I said. 

I never thought of it this way, Gopal, where do I start? He asked again. I gave him a few suggestions on what he could do. 

• The world is full of webinars these days. Attend some, and while you attend – say something while you are there!
• Use platforms like LinkedIn extensively, build a strong network. - Go out of your way to add people you don't know
• Get back in touch with your school, college, prior organizations alumni network – All the new opportunities could come from any one of them. 
• Be in touch with former colleagues, and never underestimate the possibility of returning to the organizations you had worked in. 
• Speak to at least 15 people a day. Just ask them, "How are you?" If they are doing well, they will undoubtedly help you with some advice. If they are also going through challenges in current COVID times, offer help. Your rich experience can come very handy for them.
• Most importantly though, Listen to the people you meet and reconnect with them in ways to demonstrate you were paying attention 

Think of this process as a way to build your network. People work with people they trust. People trust people they know, which leads us to what we are trying to accomplish here – get known. 

Once people know you and like you, they will call you when they have a need. When that person calls you to tell you they have a need, you get your opportunity! You got your first assignment!

Gopal, I'll work on this, but this is going to take time. Is there anything I can do, like now?. I smiled I as I could hear the tone of the 'Go-Getter'. 

Be ready to offer help, mentor start-ups, do Freelancing, Freelancing is going to be the new normal of careers, volunteer – I know you will do well with any of these Ajay, I said. 

He was intrigued by the 'Freelancing as a New Normal'. I suggested that we connect again later next week to know more about it.