Quote:
Originally Posted by jammies
I can't stress enough how important it is to MAKE FRIENDS at every job you ever work at. I haven't had to go *look* for a job since the mid-90's, instead I just put the word out that I'm thinking about a change, and connections do the rest. Networking is the most important skill you can ever develop - the best jobs not only don't get advertised, they get filled by someone who knows somebody.
This might not help you in your current predicament, but it's useful to think about for the future. Make friends with everyone and do people favours - no matter what their current position or authority - because being well-liked and respected is worth a hundred times any qualification you can put on your resume.
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This is so absolutely true. I hadn't realized until recently that I have been doing this. I've always said that I have lucked into my job opportunities. In reality, I always got them from people I knew. Either from people I have worked with or even friends. Actually, now that I think about it, one of my best opportunities happened when a friend of mine told her uncle that I had just graduated. I ended up getting an amazing offer. I didn't accept the offer, but my then current employer gave me a 50% raise to compete. They also put me on a fast track for advancement that was absolutely amazing for my career.
In April I found myself unemployed. I am loving it. My wife has a good job (for now anyway... they are looking at cuts too). We had been living well below our combined income level. I got a good severance and we already had some cash to spare. I wasn't really too happy with work. We are now spending more than her income, but our savings should last much longer than I expect it will take me to find a job, and that is without a drop in our lifestyle.
So, at this point, I am enjoying a free summer. I haven't had one of those since my second year university. I figure I don't have much hope of finding anything before September. Even then, I think there is a very good chance that I won't find anything until the new year.
Interestingly enough, I have have a personal drive to network. I am mostly doing it because I want to keep in touch with people. I love to go out for coffee or lunch. When I do this, I sometimes get information about opportunities. So far, none have panned out, but that is okay.
A few of my former colleagues in Winnipeg have even casually offered me positions (or suggest that they can find something for me) if I were willing to move back. I've kept in touch with a few and the economy appears to be doing just fine there. This is good to know if thing get really ugly, but Calgary is home now.
What I think is interesting, is how different people react. My story is the same to everyone I tell. I say that I am happy about it, that we are fine financially, and that I don't really plan on starting to look until the fall. Very few people actually believe all three of those statements. I actually think I am in a much better mindframe to find something now than I was initially. Having a couple months to decompress has been wonderful. If I had been looking initially, I would not have come across very well in the interviews relative to what I can really do.
Anyway, I hope that those that do need the work find it soon.