I often see people get themselves into a situation where they focus so much on their current position that they forget to make sure they are putting some irons in the fire for future opportunities to come their way.
Now, I’ve heard people say: ”But I don’t want a new job. I’m happy where I am. I don’t need to do this.”
My answer is always this: “Ok. That’s your choice. But sometimes finding a new opportunity isn’t always our decision.”
Sometimes people get unexpectedly laid off.
Sometimes the market changes and your position gets restructured into something you no longer want to do.
Sometimes life just comes up and suddenly you find yourself needing to make a change.
The hope is that these things never happen but if you don’t plan for things like this to happen, you are likely going to find yourself in a situation where you now don’t have a job, you're scrambling to find something new and desperation starts to set in.
This is NOT a good place to be!
I shared this message on a FB live and afterwards, I received a few messages from people asking me how they could go about putting some irons in the fire so they didn’t get into a desperate situation like this.
This article is an answer to that question. Here’s what you can do to find your next opportunity (even if you are a super busy executive). OR even if you don’t need that next opportunity right now.
There are 5 things I recommend you do:
#1: Have a goal
I always tell my clients before we do any work together they need to set a goal for themselves. Goals give you direction and purpose.
This process is no different.
It’s important to have a goal in mind because it will shape how you approach this process.
Is your goal to find a new position ASAP?
Is your goal to move up from Director to VP?
Is your goal to move from a big, traditional company to a start-up?
Is your goal to increase your visibility in your industry?
There are a wide range of goals you may have but determining what your goal is for your career and for this process is the first place to start.
Step #2: Create a plan
Now that you have a goal it makes it 10X easier to formulate a plan for taking action and moving you closer to that goal.
Maybe to reach your goal you will need to determine what companies you’d want to work for and then create a plan for infiltrating and getting to know the decision makers in that company.
Maybe your goal is to be an influencer in your industry you need to connect with other influencers. In that case, you’ll need to determine who those people are and how you can connect with them.
If a way to reach your goal is to become more visible on social media, then you need to create a sustainable and strategic plan for doing that.
The point is, no matter what your goal is there are always steps that you will need to take to get you there. Mind mapping with software like FreeMind, MindManager, or XMind is a great way to do this.
Step #3: Know Your Value
You need to know your strengths, what you bring to the table and what your value is.
This piece is vitally important because when you’re crunched for time, you want to make sure that you use every opportunity to its fullest. That means anything from a ride with someone in an elevator, a dinner out with a colleague to a chat with a stranger (who might need your services) on an airplane.
While I will encourage you to be strategic about planning meetings to help you achieve your goals you also never know when a chance encounter might prove fruitful. I’ve had clients who have gotten leads while talking to someone in the line at the grocery store!
So, make sure you are clear about what your strengths are and how your skills can help companies overcome the challenges they’re facing.
Think about the things that keep people in your industry up at night that you can help them with. Then make sure that when you are talking to people, you’re leading with those pieces.
Step #4: Update Your Marketing Materials
This one isn’t very sexy but it certainly is important. You need to have your resume ready to go at a moment’s notice and you need your LinkedIn profile to be in tip-top shape.
Even if you aren’t actively looking for a job you will be surprised how often people will ask for your resume so you need to always have it ready. By-the-way, this is a key to why (if you do all of this correctly) you never really have to look for a job. Because the people you’ve met with already have your resume and they’re keeping you in mind.
It’s the same thing with LinkedIn. In this day and age, you better believe that just about everyone you meet professionally is going to be checking you out on LinkedIn. It is vitally important that your profile is updated and that it matches the personal brand you are presenting, in person, so that there is no disconnect between the two.
I do realize that these are two areas that sometimes trip people up and it’s why I’ve created the Resume Upgrade course and the Personal Branding course.
Step #5: Schedule Time
You’re busy with work, family and the rest of your life. And what I know about busy professionals is that if they don’t carve out time to do some of these activities they will NEVER happen.
Honestly…have you ever carved out time to do these thing on a regular basis?
Most corporate career women don’t.
That’s because this isn’t always fun and it isn’t always sexy. BUT this is what will make the difference between getting stuck scrambling for a new job and having career opportunities come TO you.
The time you put into this process is time you’ll be thankful for down the road. The worst thing that might happen is you put this time in and you never need it to help you find your next opportunity. However, in the process, you’ll build up a great network and you’ve become known in your industry. That’s not such a bad thing, is it?
So, make sure that you are scheduling time to devote to these things. Make sure you’re setting a goal of how many people you want to meet with each month. Set a goal of how many LinkedIn articles you want to share every month. And then make the time to DO these things.
Make the time to:
- Do the research
- Send the emails
- Meet your contacts
- Write articles
- Create a follow up plan
You get the idea.
Are you willing to make a commitment to yourself, your career and your future to put these 5 steps into action?