Connections

Three types that help move you forward in work.

One of the challenges for first-time and reentering job seekers is a lack of work-related contacts and connections. Getting an initial foot in the door, starting cold, is complex, resulting in a temptation to “take anything.” For younger workers just starting, this can work. They will gain work experience and, if they’ve done an excellent job, earn a recommendation that can move them forward.

For career-transitioning people and those with background challenges, getting “anything” can delay their progress or, worse, set them back. People in this group need a defined Job Search Objective so that the experience they receive and the work connections they make align with their longer-term goal.

I write frequently about the importance of a Job Search Objective, but it may be helpful here to expand on what I mean by connections and contacts. In this instance, I’m referring to people who can assist another person in moving forward in their work or career. Through their current positions or associations with others, these people can make recommendations, referrals, and introductions beneficial to someone wanting to move forward.   

Generally, these people come in three forms:

1. Friends, family, and personal associates.

2. Networking relationships developed by the job seeker outside of work.

3. Work relationships, such as co-workers, supervisors, and managers.

Group 1 – Friends, family, and personal connections

Connections of this type can be beneficial if they align with an overall goal, but they have a finite life. They are most useful at the beginning of the work journey, and their usable life correlates directly to the work quality done by the person receiving the hook-up. Do good work, and they last; do lousy work, and they’ll fade away. For new and transitioning workers, this is a resource. However, sad but true, many reentering job seekers have burned all sorts of bridges and have no active contacts outside the helper world; thus, this category may be marginally helpful at best.

Group 2 – Networking contacts

These connections usually come during or after someone’s first or second job or later. Furthermore, some people love going out and networking and are good at it, while (many) others hate it. So, as a practical matter, this form of connection isn’t initially in the cards for new, reentering, or transitioning job seekers.

Group 3 – Work contacts

This is ground zero for most people, regardless of their job-search status. Developing (professional) work connections at a first job is essential to moving forward with a warm send-off rather than another cold-from-scratch start.

But here’s the catch:

The need and the benefit of building these connections is frequently unrecognized. Some people get it intuitively, but many don’t.

So let me be clear: DON’T OVERLOOK THIS!

At a minimum, the goal of reentering (or starting out/over) is to progress to independent self-sufficiency. These days, this requires movement from one job to the next, working toward an eventual work/career goal. Assuming things go well during the first job, there will at least be some positive work history to include on the resume, which is helpful. But that’s not enough.

Here’s a better way to do this: I would say the following to the job seeker.

First, you should inform select people (lead, supervisor, manager preferred) about your overall work/career goal early in your tenure at the new job. First, do good work and show you are an engaged and solid employee. Then, two or three months after you start, mention what you are out to accomplish in general terms. Keep it casual, using “broad strokes,” but get it out there.

After six or eight months, you should start plotting your next move, which may take another six or eight months to materialize. When the time comes to begin applying, ask for recommendations from the people you shared with—your request will not surprise them; instead, they may be expecting it (while silently rooting for you). What’s more, if you’ve mentioned that you’ve begun searching (discretely and WHILE CONTINUING to do good work), you may find people willing to help beyond just giving you a recommendation.

Developing key contacts (I call them People Links in my book) doesn’t come naturally to some and, therefore, must be approached as a specific, deliberate action. Talking intentionally about your plans doesn't mean chatting with your work besties. And, BTW, I recommend few, if any, work besties at your first job. Instead, do this tactically as an add-on to your Job Search Objective.

Anyone moving to their second job will appreciate not having to start again (cold) from scratch. For those challenged, it can go well beyond appreciation and be the difference between success and failure because restarting the entire wheel when carrying a bag of past issues can be a bridge too far…to say the least.

Onward.