I don't check this blog but every six or twelve months, but I find it incredibly important to leave it up as a guiding beacon for those going through the painful transition of leaving graduate school. The advice I gave several years ago was raw, timely, and very much driven by my lived experience as I decided that staying for my PhD wasn't for me. I thought it might be helpful to know that years later I have no regrets, and still feel my decision ranks among the best choices I have made so far.
This is not to say that I don't have regrets, but none of them center on finishing grad school. Instead, as someone struggling with fertility issues I wish I had tried to have kids earlier. I wish I had run for city council like so many people in my community encouraged me to--especially now that I am working I have to worry about getting my boss' permission and conflict of interest concerns. I wish I had pursued more of my artistic projects, including stand up comedy that I feel would be potentially problematic now that I am working in a more sensitive job. If anything, I wish I had been braver.
As you think about whether to stay or go, think carefully about what you really want out of life. But know that regardless of what choices you make now, you will have more choices to make in the future. I can't recommend again the importance of doing some real soul searching now. Maybe that involves a therapist (which I highly recommend), or maybe it's just some great books like Finding Your Own North Star or the Artists Way. Even if you leave for a fabulous job, you'll likely be leaving for another job in the future. So think about that 85% rule: don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, but take your time to figure out what you really want.
Showing posts with label getting a job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting a job. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2015
Sunday, February 17, 2013
You Need an Insider: Finding a YOU Champion
No one wants to hear it, but there is a secret to getting a job in today's tough market. I'm talking about a good job, you know, one you would actually want. One that may or may not involve a career transition. You need a YOU champion.
A YOU champion is someone who cares about YOU and wants to see YOU succeed. Someone who works at the company you want to get hired at, or knows the inside scoop of their search. Someone the hiring team knows and trusts to make recommendations. Someone who can give you honest feedback about how to tailor your interview, your resume, and respond mid-search to any doubts or changing directions.
And the real secret is that when you fnd a real YOU champion, it will be because they believe that your success is tied to their success. Think about that for a minute. How does your success become their success? Getting someone to care about you stems from a number of scenerios: It can be because of the mentor mentee relationship you developed; it could be that they want to work with you and see you as an asset or an ally; it could be they want you hired to preserve their contact and relationships with the company they are seeking to place you at; you may have helped them get hired in the past.
That last point is really important. You don't have to be in upper management before you can start helping people find a job. Even the lowliest interns at an organization have more of inside scoop on hiring decisions than the random monster.com or craigslist.or applicant. When you find out about jobs, make a call or send a targeted email to people you think would be good--like really good. Make a call to the person hiring , or pass along an email with a name, contact info and a brief referral to help them with their search. Not only do you help the person you refer, but you may find that the employer comes back to you in the future. I helped a friend find a job when someone recruited me. I passed on my friend's contact info, and told her what to emphasize in the interview and her resume. Then I pitched the employer that she fit the criteria that had been spelled out when they were intervieiwng me. I debriefed with her after the interview, and helped her strategize her thank you letter. She was a great candidate, made me look good, and got the job.
When I applied for my current job, I was same employer came to me directly. However, it was my friend who had gotten hired at the other office who kept me updated about where they were in the process, when I should contact them again, and what startegies would work best. My friend who I had helped less than a year before is directly responsible getting me my offer. Yes, I was a qualified candidate. So were a lot of other people who applied. I had the benefit of several people who had come to see that their success was tied to me: my friend who helped me with my application, and the ultimate hiring team who knew what it was like to work with me due to our board service and volunteer work together. You still need to be the champion of YOU, but you also need to find someone else who can champion, YOU too.
And once you get that job don't think your work is done. I'm currently a YOU champion for another friend who would be a fantastic asset to the company he is waiting to hear from.
A YOU champion is someone who cares about YOU and wants to see YOU succeed. Someone who works at the company you want to get hired at, or knows the inside scoop of their search. Someone the hiring team knows and trusts to make recommendations. Someone who can give you honest feedback about how to tailor your interview, your resume, and respond mid-search to any doubts or changing directions.
And the real secret is that when you fnd a real YOU champion, it will be because they believe that your success is tied to their success. Think about that for a minute. How does your success become their success? Getting someone to care about you stems from a number of scenerios: It can be because of the mentor mentee relationship you developed; it could be that they want to work with you and see you as an asset or an ally; it could be they want you hired to preserve their contact and relationships with the company they are seeking to place you at; you may have helped them get hired in the past.
That last point is really important. You don't have to be in upper management before you can start helping people find a job. Even the lowliest interns at an organization have more of inside scoop on hiring decisions than the random monster.com or craigslist.or applicant. When you find out about jobs, make a call or send a targeted email to people you think would be good--like really good. Make a call to the person hiring , or pass along an email with a name, contact info and a brief referral to help them with their search. Not only do you help the person you refer, but you may find that the employer comes back to you in the future. I helped a friend find a job when someone recruited me. I passed on my friend's contact info, and told her what to emphasize in the interview and her resume. Then I pitched the employer that she fit the criteria that had been spelled out when they were intervieiwng me. I debriefed with her after the interview, and helped her strategize her thank you letter. She was a great candidate, made me look good, and got the job.
When I applied for my current job, I was same employer came to me directly. However, it was my friend who had gotten hired at the other office who kept me updated about where they were in the process, when I should contact them again, and what startegies would work best. My friend who I had helped less than a year before is directly responsible getting me my offer. Yes, I was a qualified candidate. So were a lot of other people who applied. I had the benefit of several people who had come to see that their success was tied to me: my friend who helped me with my application, and the ultimate hiring team who knew what it was like to work with me due to our board service and volunteer work together. You still need to be the champion of YOU, but you also need to find someone else who can champion, YOU too.
And once you get that job don't think your work is done. I'm currently a YOU champion for another friend who would be a fantastic asset to the company he is waiting to hear from.
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