A geographic move. Bored at work. Career re-entry after a work gap. Military Transition. Laid off. The boss doesn’t appreciate my work. Need room to grow. Higher Pay. Need a shorter commute. There are many reasons to be looking for a job and they’re all good ones.
Logic would say that a quick refresh of the resume and you can jump right into the job boards to start applying. BUT unfortunately, there is more to it. WAY more!
Ninety-five percent of jobs are obtained by networking. That alone is a staggering statistic and an overwhelming thought. So, what can you do to tackle the situation and optimize for the best outcome? I recommend you build your job change/job search strategy around 2 strategic concepts: Networking & Interview Preparation
Networking
With 95% of jobs obtained via networking, if you shy away from networking or misunderstand what networking is, you’ve just narrowed your success rate from 19 in 20 to 1 in 20. WOAH, don’t do that! So then, what EXACTLY is networking. I frequently hear people say, “I’m set with networking. I’ve already created my LinkedIn Profile and put a frame around my picture that says ‘Ready to Work.’ “ …Siiiiiigh…
Unfortunately, that’s not networking. Networking refers to strategic, personal outreach for the purpose of making warm connections with individuals and pursuing “coffee chats” to learn about their experiences and about their employer. Well, it’s more complex than that and it’s too much to explain in a short article SO I HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHLY recommend that you purchase The 2 Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton and read it cover to cover. I urge you to write in it and tab it up so you can go back to it over and over. If you follow Mr. Dalton’s methods, you will save yourself a world of hurt. TRUST ME. I’ve lived it.
However, even though I have recommended a pivotal resource, I can feel you squirming with discomfort as you think about networking conversations. That brings me to the other job change/job search strategic concept: Interview Preparation.
Interview Preparation
Preparing for job interviews is essential, and I will talk about why and how shortly. But also consider how they will help you with the networking piece of the job search. When on a networking call or face- to-face having a Dunkies/Starbucks/Nero coffee, what do you say? How do you say it? What do you avoid? Well, job interview preparation not only helps you with nailing the interview, but it also helps you find your voice and your comfort in networking conversations. Think of networking as the amorphous, ambiguous, and perhaps muddy, beginning of the interview process.
Ok, aside from the massive impact it has on networking confidence and skills, let’s just talk about why you need to practice interviewing for the sake of the interviews themselves.
1. Coping with FIGHT or FLIGHT
It doesn’t matter how prepared you have been for launching your F18 off a carrier deck, or prepping your family for your spouse to head out on another deployment, or preparing a brief for your superior, when you get in front of an interviewer your fight or flight reaction is going to kick in. And here’s the thing; you can’t fight and you can’t flight. You must have your reaction under control. The best way to do this is to practice with real interview coaches who are going to both give you honest feedback but also build you up. So, practice with Candorful.
2. Structuring your answer so you say enough.
When you get into an interview, do you feel confident that you know how much to say? Are you sure? Most military spouses and military don’t go into enough depth. And most military spouses talk about their spouse, not themselves. You need to get past that so you can present the data that needs presenting. That way a hiring manager can decide that you are the right candidate to gamble on. So, practice with Candorful.
3. Structuring your answer so you don’t ramble.
When you get nervous do you find it tough to answer clearly and directly? Do you tend to ramble? Well, many people do. Or perhaps you’re just naturally chatty. Either way, you need to be able to work well within the constraints of the interview to communicate your skills and fit clearly. Getting that conversation into a calm and well delivered message is essential. So, practice with Candorful.
4. Structuring your answer so that you hit all the important points the interviewer needs to hear.
When you are in an interview are you confident that you know what to hit and how hard to hit it? If you talk about your impact, is it bragging? Do you wonder if you will come off arrogant if you talk about your accomplishments? And what do you say about them? How specific do you need to be? What kind of prep do you need to do to know what the interviewer wants to know?
If you are familiar with interview prep you’ve probably heard about STAR. It’s one thing to intellectually understand STAR, it’s another to be able to execute the STAR methodology in real time. If you haven’t heard of STAR, sure, you can look it up. But, again, having an intellectual understanding of STAR and executing are two different things. Practicing STAR and getting your head around it with coaches who are intimately familiar with it is essential. So, practice with Candorful.
5. Being prepared to think on your feet with confidence.
What happens if you get asked a tough question that you haven’t directly prepared for? Here comes fight or flight again! How do you lasso the instantaneous “uh-oh” reaction and rapidly get control of racing thoughts to nail a strong answer. You probably know what I’m going to say by now: Practice with Candorful.
6. Reassurance
Maybe you HAVE practiced. But the butterflies aren’t helping. You need to rally a team that can give you balanced feedback AND reassurance that you can do this…and even help you get there. So, practice with Candorful. We have over 130 coaches who WANT to help you with this! Oh, and with 130 cool coaches, this starts to resemble networking, doesn’t it!
7. Confidence
Appearing strong and confident is essential to landing the job. Now, notice I said “appearing”. Being confident is important, but that’s worth its own discussion. We all have our insecurities and fears, and they can get in the way of appearing confident. Practicing strength and confidence in an interview setting WILL help you get there. So practice with Candorful.
Now, you have probably noticed a trend here: Practice. But it’s more than practice. It’s practicing with people who truly want to help you land the job and have a great life. I have to say, if I had to identify what gives Candorful its magic or its secret sauce: It’s the 130 plus amazing coaches who are all volunteers from varying industries and are volunteering their time for YOU – to make YOUR LIFE BETTER!! Seriously. What’s stopping you? Come practice your interviews with Candorful.org. We’ve got your back.
Meet Pat
Pat Hubbell is Cofounder and Executive Director of Candorful, a 501c3 nonprofit supporting military spouses and veterans with job interview practice so they can Nail That Interview.
Pat’s parents were teens as WWII came to an end. Her dad’s stories of learning to fly in the Army Air Corps and her mom’s stories of experiencing the war from the patriotic homefront played a strong role in shaping her deep respect for the military and military families. Pat witnessed the struggle that many transitioning military and military spouses had telling their stories to land civilian jobs. Applying the experience from her roles in engineering, management consulting and career advising, Candorful is single handedly solving that problem.
