The Long, Long Search
A little over 8 years ago, I walked through the doors of WunderLand. Back then, WunderLand was a hungry, one-and-a-half year old start-up with a hand-crafted team of folks whose mission was simple yet fierce: provide the service of staffing in the manner of how we’d like to be treated, ourselves, as individuals. WunderLand’s green and white cheery logo in their temporary office space breathed ambition alongside the founding team’s mighty desire to hold true to treating others how we want to be treated. The afternoon of my interview I wanted to just set my bag down and start working: I accepted the job immediately. When you find the right role you simply feel it and it’s infectious across both sides. I speak with many people who are equally eager to dig in and get settled but despite today’s booming staffing climate, they simply can’t find a job.
Where Are All of the Jobs?
Despite the low unemployment rate and all the boisterous chatter about how great the job market is, senior through executive-level candidates call me routinely feeling stuck in an extended search, struggling to find the right next job. These folks are frustrated hearing how wonderful the economy is yet the right opportunity seems impossible to find. They apply to numerous job postings but they never hear back. They get wrapped in a multi-week interviewing cycle that ends up with a corporate restructure bringing them back to Square One. They fall into a nebulous black hole. When these candidates finally do hear back for a role they applied to, the position isn’t as exciting or the pay is completely off base. Things aren’t matching up and they are quickly losing patience.
Patience and Trust
You are not the only one going through this. Searches are lasting a long time and there are more people stuck than you think. Patience and trust are two very important hallmarks to persevere through an extended job search.
As we progress along our path, our careers and job searches become more complicated. Our household budgets may increase while our need for flexibility grows…our careers become more robust and high-level. There simply are fewer higher-level roles making these desirable jobs more in demand which leads to a longer, more complicated search. Extended searches are emotionally taxing so here are some tips to maintain your positivity:
Define your individual contributions. How have you positively impacted an organization’s bottom line? What were the numbers and analytics behind your work? What makes you unique? Jot down your successes on notes and stick them all around your office…surrounding yourself with Post-Its of your achievements and successes will help keep you focused on your unique and valuable qualities during an isolating search.
Take stock of your personal evolution. Think about who you’ve become during your tenure and try to sort out what really matters to you right now. We can get stuck in a career track that can suddenly, and sometimes without warning, cause us to pause and take a look at winging it and going in a different direction. Yes, it’s scary to look toward that unknown but staring into that void can open up amazing possibilities.
Stay in communication. Get out and meet people, call your connections to talk, and keep in communication.
Trust yourself. The right role does come along. It will be scary and it will be frustrating when you see or read about others’ career successes while you feel stuck but keep focused on what you and you alone offer.
This year marks my 15th year in the recruiting and staffing industry. These years have afforded me the great honor of helping companies and individuals through complex hiring and career decisions. It’s impossible to not be inspired by those who take the jump and go on a new path—or push through a grinding search to find just the right role. The best guiding lesson I’ve learned during these 15 years is the insight to see that the right person lands the right job. Allow yourself patience and trust. Meanwhile, I’m always here to help.