A career move means different things for different people, depending on where you are in life. To a college student, it may be a way to get more experience. To a mid-career professional it may be a way to continue to grow and accept additional responsibilities. To a senior executive, a move provide a way to reinvent her career, moving her toward one that has more social impact. In each case, however, a career transition is a change of heart and a change of mind.
Over the next few months, I will be highlighting several job candidates as they move through their job searches. I believe reading about their challenges and successes with help others in the job market.
I would like to begin with Michelle Peterson, a human resource professional who brings a different perspective to the job-search process, having been on both sides of the interviewing table. She has sat in the hiring seat most of her career, but the last couple of years, she has been in the candidate’s seat off and on. She shared her job-search experiences with me and gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to be both the observer of talent and the one who is selling their value.
In May 2011, Peterson left her HR management position in the nonprofit financial-services industry to focus full-time on her next career move. With over 15 years of HR experience, this was her second job search since 2009. The first transition happened when her employer relocated.
This time is different
Peterson attributes her most-recent job-search success to improvements in social media. LinkedIn is more robust, and she uses it to research companies and profile of the people conducting her interviews. She is joining LinkedIn groups and is starting to connect to groups outside the HR field. Social media is a great way to tap the hidden job market.
The hidden job market is real
Peterson knows the hidden job market exists, because she’s had experience analyzing hiring needs with managers months before a job is posted. “If the company finds the right candidate with the right skills — even during a recession — they’ll bring the person in. That’s why I keep networking even though there is no job title posted.”
Peterson says job seekers often panic when they don’t hear from the employer within 24 hours after an interview. She knows that’s just part of the hiring process. She doesn’t personalize delays. Just because she does not hear back from an employer immediately, it doesn’t mean she did a poor job in interviewing. It’s more about the process, she says.
Her HR background has given her a broader understanding, so she is more patient and less focused on how long it takes to hear from an employer.
She spends time observing and listening for cues that other job seekers may miss. For example, when a recruiter speeds through the hiring process, Peterson sees it as a sign to slow down and give the employer a second look. If the recruiter is desperate, it makes her question whether she would be a good fit for the company’s culture.
Surprise challenges
Peterson says the biggest challenge she’s faced is overcoming the unemployed stigma. She hears comments such as, “the unemployed need not apply” when she’s networking. It troubles her, because she knows there are talented professionals with strong backgrounds in the job market.
Over time, she has come to believe some companies are misguided by the notion that if a person is unemployed, there must be a reason why. Peterson is adamant that employment status does not define your identity, rather it’s your skills and abilities that make you valuable to an employer.
Staying active and selective
Peterson’s strategy is to keep networking and stay selective with her job applications. She targets jobs that are a good fit for her background and interests. She keeps a daily schedule. She gets up at the same time each day and gets regular exercise. Meditating is helpful, and she seeks solace in her faith with a routine that helps keep her grounded and focused on priorities.
Peterson’s plans for the next couple of weeks are to keep networking and staying engaged in her search. “I’m the kind of person who focuses on quality more than quantity when searching,” she says, and that may be why she has averaged one interview a month for the last four months. The pace she sets is deliberate, because she is very selective and focused on choosing the right culture fit.
While she’s searching, she also has made good use of her time. She’s staying current in her field by attending classes and is studying for a senior-level HR certification.
In coming weeks, we will check back with Peterson for updates on her search.
