Losing your job is a shock. It's a blow to your self-esteem. It can be a financial burden. As excited as we were to leave 2009 behind us, aspects of it are still following us. As the New Year dawns, so does more layoffs. Losing your job is bad news. So what's the good news?
When you are laid off or fired, it sometimes means you needed to be thinking about a new job anyway. While in your job, you need to constantly be evaluating if you've outgrown the role, the company, or if the company is moving in directions that may not include you. Yes, it is best to be looking for a new job when you still have one. But if you lose your job first, consider it a wake-up call telling you it's time for a change.
As a manager and recruiter, I have seen several examples of employees having to move on and finding a better fit in the long run. Certainly, this involves effort and not settling on lesser roles if you can. Hopefully you have a strong network including a few recruiters with whom you have a good relationship to rely upon to help you find your next opportunity.
A candidate I recently placed, Jason Estes, has a similar story. We've known each other for quite a while. And even after I didn't place him earlier in the year, he stayed in touch (even after he landed a new job himself). As fate would have it, his job was short-lived, but his timing was perfect. He let me know of his situation right away and I had a potential job for him even before interviews were starting. I lined up a meeting and he got the job very quickly. He is now working at a more stable company where his talents will be fully utilized. And most of all, he is happy! As Jason tells it, "After my second layoff of the year, looking for a job was the last thing I wanted to do, especially right before the holiday season. Fortunately though, by maintaining a great relationship with Jeff, I was able to quickly land the perfect job with a long future ahead."
Yes, there is often bad news associated with losing a job. But you need to ask yourself at those times, was it time to move on anyway? Can I do better? In many cases, the answer turns out to be: Yes.
Jeff Lipschultz is a founding partner of A-List Solutions, a premier recruiting firm in Dallas-Fort Worth. Jeff shares his views on employment trends and quirky observations of society at http://jefflipschultz.wordpress.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phyllis says: (8:55AM on Feb 5th 2010) Vote Up Vote DownReport2/5
Problem is NOT the job-seekers not staying in touch with the recruiters. For 18 months, what I've found is that recruiters are TOO BUSY to stay in touch with me. I've left numerous phone calls or emails to various recruiters that I've spoken with during the past 3-5 years; I've contacted them on specific job postings on their sites. End result -- NADA. No one seems to have the professional courtesy of returning phone calls or emails.
So, please advise on how we, as the job seekers, are supposed to do??!!??
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Jeff Lipschultz says: (12:09PM on Feb 5th 2010) Vote Up Vote DownReport2/5
Phyllis,
I completely understand your perspective. Many times, interaction with recruiters can seem like a one-way street. The key is you are doing your part. As long as you are sending your information ONLY when there is a job that is a clear match to your experience, you are half way there. Recruiters get so many emails and calls, they cannot possibly call everyone back who contacts them (especially those deemed as non-ideal candidates for the job). If you ARE a match, they WILL call you back. I try to return as many calls and emails as possible, after all, you might be a fit for the very next job I work on (and I’d like to know more about you before that happens, if possible). In reality, if they are not calling you back (it might seem rude), but it simply means you were not in the top five selected for that role. Some recruiters shy away from making that kind of call, too.
To build a stronger relationship with a few select recruiters, you need to do more than just send in resumes and updates when there is a job you are interested in. In fact, you want to be proactive and cultivate the relationship BEFORE that opportunity even arrives. Please take a look at two other articles I’ve posted in emurse to learn more about this: "You Need to Give to Get" and "Is Working with Recruiters like Pushing a Rope?" You can click on my name at the top of this article to view all my posts.
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