When I lost my job, the first thing I did was get the word out that I was unemployed and was looking for work. Over the past few months, I've met quite a few people, who, for one reason or another, are having a tough time overcoming the negative stigmas associated with being unemployed. This is just my opinion, but let others think what they want to think about us; we know who we are and what we're capable of.
I don't know what made me so open about looking for work. I think it was just the fact that I knew that the best way to find a job is through someone you know, so I wasn't shy about my situation. Some unemployed feel like they're letting their families down by losing their jobs. Some men, the "hunters", feel like losing their job conflicts with their responsibility to provide for their families. There are also some strong, independent women who have lost their jobs who were the main (or sole) income for their families. Some unemployed parents have kept their job status a secret from their children in order to keep them from worrying.
We all have our own reasons for what we do and who we tell what. And if you can manage to get a new job by keeping the fact that you're looking for a job a secret, that's amazing! I'm still of the school of thought which says that people can't help you unless you ask for it, so maybe that's why I reached out to my contacts (including family and friends) so early on in my search.
How did you react when you lost your job? Did it take you a while to tell others or did you tell them right away? Are you continuing to keep the fact that you're not working to yourself? I'm curious to hear your stories.
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The problem with job loss is that we don't always see the worst employees go...
ReplyDeleteThe whole networking to get back to work idea heavily discriminates people... it should be illegal to get jobs based on who you know, rather it needs to be based on person's qualifications, experience, skill-set, what do you think?
Thanks for your comment. I think that knowing someone within an organization is extremely valuable. If I give my resume to John Smith who works at the Company to present to the HR department on my behalf, he's not going to do so without knowing me and what I can do. If I'm not a good employee and he recommends me, it's going to make him look bad. I'm not going to be hired by the Company just because I know John Smith. I still have to meet all of their base line criteria. Knowing John Smith just helps. This has been going on as long as people have been working for a living and it's not going to stop. Knowing someone within an organization helps us get our foot in the door, helps us to stand out. But you're not going to get the job unless you meet all of their requirements to begin with. AND networking helps you to discover the 90% of open positions that ARE NOT advertised! When I heard that statistic, my jaw dropped :) Are you networking? Are you going to any of the events around town?
ReplyDeleteSuzanne I see your point but it still somehow feels wrong that two folks who are similarly qualified for a job will see different outcomes because one of them has an inside connection. In the stock market that is known as insider trading and the SEC takes a very dim view of that.
ReplyDelete"Illegal to get jobs based on who you know"?
ReplyDeleteIs he serious? That's one of the worst ideas I've heard. Afterall, I want employees who can relate well with others... the result is that those folks are often well networked. They get jobs based on who they know - but who they know is an underlying soft skill: relationship management.
Why would you want to hire someone with no meaningful connections to others? I really can't think of a job that would fit an "unconnected" person.
Networking is required for a job search. Yes, some folks are hired more by who they know than what they can do. That's the playing field. You can choose to accept that fact and make it work for you (get good at networking) or you can complain about it.
Personally, I'd rather sharpen my networking skills than complain.
Thanks for your comments, Pat - I really appreciate it!
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