Looking for a job is a very personal experience
➔ When we say that looking for a job is “a very personal experience,” we don’t mean that it’s a lonely endeavor and/or that all job seekers are like passengers stranded on a desert island facing unsurmountable odds to find the Holy Grail of a new job. If anything, a job search is the polar opposite of that.
Looking for a job – especially in the 21st Century, especially when you’re older than age 50, especially in today’s topsy-turvy job market – is anything but a solo activity. In fact, the more people that you engage in your job search, the better off you are; the more likely you are to land that next job.
Up Close and Personal Does Not Mean Alone
You’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are roughly 1.2 million Americans over the age of 50 who are looking for work. What’s more typical is the singular way that people land jobs.
The most common way of finding a job is that someone told someone who told someone who someone that XYZ Company is looking for a widget manager. You hear of it. Apply and are offered the job. And before you can say “Jack’s your uncle,” you’re the new widget manager.
How about a recruiter hears of a position with one its client companies, they locate your resume which begins the process where you land the job. Or, someone at XYZ Company needs to hire someone and they do a LinkedIn search for that title or set of skills, and you are one of the search results. Despite your search efforts, you land a job because someone did a search for you.
Then there is everyone’s favorite: serendipity. You happen to walk in the door when someone else is walking out. Or, you walk into an abandoned company lobby when someone walks out and asks if they can help. It turns out that that someone is the president of the company and the rest is history.
Last, but not least, there is the woman who was meeting a friend a local coffee shop for an informational interview. While waiting, she overheard the conversation two men were having at the next table. “We need to find someone who…” said one man. Our friend butted in and said, “I can do that.” Long story, short. She was hired.
Just like the old adage that says that everyone is different, everyone’s job search and everyone’s ultimate success story will be just a unique as the person experiencing it.
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