I promised on LinkedIn that I would document my process of finding a new job, which took me four months and was complicated significantly by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is that blog entry.
The Context
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| "I want to rip my hair out! Oh, wait..." |
In mid-December, I received a phone call from my manager at the time. The call, if I summarize it in a humorous light, went something like this: "you got a nice end-of-year commission check, yes? Great because you don't have a job after the end of this month. Merry Christmas."
The Strategy
I was given two weeks before my position was eliminated, and I was told that if I could find another position elsewhere within the company I would remain employed there. "Great!" I thought. "I'll just reach out to the numerous people in senior positions to get transferred to another group." Unfortunately, it wasn't this easy - either there was no headcount available or it was in a different region of the country with no way to transfer the open headcount to the East Coast, where I am based. And because I am unable to relocate due to family concerns, that was not an option.
As a result, I started reaching out on LinkedIn at the very end of December.
LinkedIn, a Network for Professionals
I've been blessed to have, over the years, established a vast network of over eighty CxO and C-1 individuals. These are people I have worked with throughout my career who have ascended through the ranks into positions of power and influence. I figured that one of them had to have an open position in their organization that I could fill.
Some background on me: I'm a "big picture thinker." I excel at engaging senior executives like this to not only listen to their strategic initiatives but to also ascertain whether there are holes in those plans and/or whether there are ways to improve an already good idea and unlock more value for their organization. I'm typically part of the sales team for large accounts like the big pharmaceuticals, insurance companies and global banks. It seemed natural to me, therefore, that I could easily slide into a Business Value Consultant or similar type of role.
I started contacting CEOs that I know. And then CROs, CMOs, CIOs and CTOs. And then mid-level managers. And finally individual contributors.
In the end, a drummer that I had just met two weeks prior - yes, you read that correctly - who is an IT recruiter professionally told me that he knows a corporate recruiter at my current employer. He offered to reach out to them to see where it may go and, ultimately, it was this random conversation that led to a job offer.
Thoughts on my Job Search
Along the way, I applied some things I had learned throughout the years, hustled quite a bit, and got lucky a few times. Here are the things I learned along the way.
Build a pipeline of job searches. In any enterprise sales position, quota carrying people know that they need a pipeline that represents the potential to make 3x, 4x or even 5x their number. The reason for this is that most of those opportunities will fail, with the remainder allowing them to reach their quota. A similar concept applies here - at any given time during the 4 months that I was searching, I had 3-5 simultaneous interactions with different companies - never more and never less.
Don't flood your pipeline. Having said that, I could have had 10 times that number if I had wanted to do so. But I knew that I would need time to prepare for each phone call, research the backgrounds of each company and the individuals with whom I was speaking, etc. Finally, I knew that if I were able to somehow manage to translate every connection to an opportunity at the same time, most or even all of them would fail, meaning I would have nothing in the pipeline for the next several weeks while I tried to uncover additional jobs for which I could apply. The expression "slow and steady wins the race" applies here, and while the temptation is there to try to do as much as possible as quickly as possible so that you can hopefully minimize your unemployment time, it makes more sense to start with the highest quality opportunities first and, if those fail, start looking for new high quality opportunities as you simultaneously inject the next set of ready-to-go opportunities into your pipeline.
Document everything. This isn't the first time I've been unemployed. Back in the 90's I went through this process while living in the State of NY, and back then the unemployment office expected you to bring in documentation proving that you were actively looking for work. When this started I expected something similar for the State of NJ and, as a result, I immediately kept a log of every interaction at every company that I had - each one dated - as well as a list of every job posting on LinkedIn for which I submitted myself for consideration. As time went on, however, this document served as a way for me to keep straight all of the companies I was actively engaged with (opportunities that were "qualified out" were moved to another section at the end of the document); what the next steps were; and the previous activities at that company. This was immensely valuable for me to prepare for the next phone call that I was to have with each company, since many of the jobs were similar in nature and it would have been easy to confuse one company for another if I attempted to do this from memory alone.
Be proactive with your network. You have undoubtedly encountered a lot of other quality companies throughout your career. Do you know if any of your former peers are working at those companies now? It's easy to check! If you find someone with whom you had a good relationship previously, send them an IM on LinkedIn to a) let them know your situation, b) find out what shape the company is in, and c) see if they know of any open positions that are not published in the Careers section of that company's website. (Yes, that happens more often than you think.)
CxOs are just like everyone else. It's tempting to think that a CEO can just snap their fingers or wave a magic wand to create a job for you. Hell, I knew that wasn't the case and yet I still tried to make this a reality. Unless they have a position that reports directly to them, they are just like everyone else, i.e. they are able and often willing to introduce you to the hiring manager but that's all that they will do. The only advantage you really have by knowing someone in their position is that they are well-connected in their company and so any introduction they offer to make will be successful, unlike other situations where you'll reach out to hiring managers directly who won't even respond to your outreach efforts.
And, yet, CxOs are not just like everyone else. In spite of the previous paragraph, the value of a set of references (when you apply to companies other than their own) or endorsements that includes CEOs and people in similar positions cannot be understated. For example, my initial interaction on LinkedIn was a general purpose posting about my situation. A CMO based in the U.K. that I know shared this post on his timeline, and it received far more views than my original post did. A number of people who viewed the shared post resulted introduced me to senior people at their companies.
Don't get discouraged. I realize this is much easier said than done. In early March, I had completed the interview process with a great company and after coming home from the final interview (on a Tuesday) I told my wife I expected an offer to come by Friday. On Wednesday, the Board met and decided to put all hiring on hold until the COVID-19 pandemic played itself out. While this is an extreme example given the global pandemic, similar things can happen to you during your job search. It's easy to despair, but if you have a healthy queue of opportunities to insert into your pipeline stay positive and continue the cadence you already have established.
Don't get offended when people don't reply. There will be a lot of situations where you'll reach out to people that you know and won't receive a reply. Or you'll have a friend who "knows someone" tell you that they want you to reach out to them but won't receive a reply. Etc. Is it acceptable behavior when people do this? No. Should you get upset because of it? No. Use the energy instead of focus on the next opportunity in your pipeline.
Finally, don't discount anything. As I mentioned, it was a drummer that I met just two weeks prior to him telling me that he was an IT recruiter that ultimately resulted in me finding my next adventure. In sales there is an expression that says "Always Be Closing" (or "ABC"). You never know how you'll be introduced to your next employer so always take the time to speak to people about your situation and (more importantly) what you're hoping to achieve at the end of this. Note that there is a fine line between doing this and simply whining about how unjust life is so be sensitive to this.
If you're currently unemployed I hope that these thoughts help you in even the smallest of ways so that you can change your situation more quickly.