|
Being
vulnerable isn't our first instinct. We're human after all, which means
most of the time we're shamelessly stubborn and independent in the hopes of
appearing strong and put-together.
This is especially true when we're in the throes of unemployment. The thing
is—and you know this—when we let our pride go and admit we need help, we
usually surprise ourselves with the outcome.
Take Farah Patel. Earlier this year, she was laid off from her sales
position due to company downsizing. Because she'd relocated to San Diego
for the role four months earlier, she found herself unemployed in a new
city with no personal connections.
So, she turned to the one platform she knew would reach the people who
mattered:
"I started using LinkedIn 10 years ago, when I first started as a
recruiter in New York in 2007. I rarely posted updates on LinkedIn, but I
had written a couple of articles and found it was a good way to keep in
touch with business contacts. A few minutes after being laid off, I got
into my car and posted a couple of sentences through the mobile app about
my need for a new opportunity, and included my background."
Hi
LinkedIn family - I just found out I got laid off as the top performer at my
company. I have a sales background in engineering and recruiting software
companies. Eight years of experience as a Recruiter and five as a top sales
performer. I consistently ranked #1 or #2 on slaes teams each quarter. My
referral is Brendon Cassidy. Please reach out if you have any senior roles
open in San Diego or the Bay Area. Thanks!"
In
response, she received an overwhelming number of comments. Some were from
recruiters or hiring managers asking to meet with her, others were from
contacts and friends recommending positions and tagging employers, and even
more were personal stories and notes of encouragement from people who'd
also been laid off in the past.
"I was surprised by how many people were genuinely supportive and
willing to help a total stranger," she told me when I reached out to
learn more about her story. "I was so touched by the kindness of
strangers that I responded to every single email I got."
Farah received over 300 messages via LinkedIn and email, and at one point
had 20 interviews over a period of just 15 days. For sales, she knew how
important it was to work for a company and product she could stand behind,
so one opportunity stuck out among the rest:
"I knew after my initial phone interview [with Vonage] that I wanted
to keep moving forward in the interview process, and it only got better
with each team member I spoke with. The possibilities of having a platform
like [Vonage's] are endless, and the culture was fresh and new and [full
of] really smart, forward thinking people."
Fast-forward through that interview process and she got the role!
There's
nothing wild and crazy about Farah's job hunt—she didn't craft an
overly-designed cover letter, she wasn't BFFs with the CEO, and she wasn't
breaking into a new field. What she did to land her job was simple: reach
out to her network. And because of that, she's now a Senior Cloud Solutions
Sales Executive at Vonage.
If there's anything you take away from this story, it's that there's
nothing wrong with allowing yourself to be vulnerable and asking for
help—in anything you do, but especially in your job search.
And it doesn't have to be in a public place like LinkedIn. It can be as
simple as reaching out to your network and telling them what's going on. If
one measly email can make your job search easier, why wouldn't you send it?
|
No comments:
Post a Comment