Lessons Learned As a Job Seeker

Linda Sondgeroth is an HR professional with experience partnering with senior management of small to mid-sized companies to provide HR leadership that supports the goals and objectives of the organization.

As an HR professional I believed I understood the recruitment process. As a job seeker, I now know that I had no concept of how hard this part of my professional life would be. In the last year I have discovered that:

1. I’m not alone. I know a lot of very talented people who are in the job market through no fault of their own, and they have been in the market for extended periods of time.
2. I need a support network of friends, acquaintances and colleagues. And, I need to maintain these connections. I feel better and have a more positive attitude if I’ve been around other people.
3. I need to give my network permission to be honest. Tell me that my resume needs work and know that I will accept constructive criticism without taking it personally.
4. I need to pursue multiple avenues in my job search. The internet is only one tool. (See #2)
5. I need a professional identity. I have associated who I am with what I do for so long that I don’t feel whole without my professional identity. I’m filling this need by volunteering with my professional association and with a community group that let me practice my profession.
6. It’s not me, it’s them. When I apply for jobs and receive rejections, or worse, hear nothing I must remind myself that I’m not doing it wrong, there are just a lot of other people also doing it right. (See #1)
7. I can learn new things (new to me anyway!). My LinkedIn profile is 100%, but I keep refining it, adding connections and participating in groups. Heck, I’m even blogging!

There is a lot that’s good in my life. I need to focus on the positives; my health; my family and friends; and, the value I bring to my relationships. When I focus on the good, the loss of one job doesn’t seem quite as important. (Although, I still want another job!)
It’s not all about the job search. I need to do something productive every day, but it might not take 8 hours every day. As long as I have done everything I can do that day, it’s OK to spend time on other things too.

My hope is that the lessons learned from this job seeker experience translate into transferable skills that will make me a better HR professional the next time I’m recruiting.