Taking Control of Your Career Transition

Unfortunately, Charlotte caught up with the rest of the nation in the deep economic downturn. For a while it appeared this was the Promised Land with reasonable housing and a vibrant job market. No more. As many of us wait and pray for the economic stimulus to take hold and have impact it’s a time for action to regain our rightful place in the work force.

Conventional wisdom dictates networking as a critical way to get re-employed. That’s so true. I view networking as now a way of life. You should always be making connections not just when you feel you are in danger of going down for the third time.

Now’s not the time to sit back and wait for the phone to ring. For many if not all of us it just doesn’t happen that way.

For the purposes of this blog let’s take a closer look at one form of networking that is really sizzling right now -- social and business networking. It’s hot and getting hotter. And leading the way is LinkedIn. Millions are finding it a serious way for making meaningful business connections. If you haven’t checked it out yet you really should.

Follow this link for a great article on LinkedIn and key ways to use it as a part of your job hunt.

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/02/10-ways-to-use.html

Personal Effort

In terms of tapping into the power of the LinkedIn network my own experience involved starting a discussion group based on a critical current interest – finding work. It’s known as “Job Seekers-Charlotte Metro Area”. Last count we’re now up to 79 members!

I started it about six months ago as a way for job seekers in our area to connect with one another, ask questions, hold discussions, make employment-related announcements and more. Basically, I jumped it knowing virtually nothing about creating and owning a discussion group. It sounds trite but if I can do it anyone can.

To me, this is an extension of participating in one of many career support self-help groups located throughout our region. Whenever possible I attend the Careers in Transition (CIT) group that meets twice a month in Fort Mill, SC. Heading by Tony Armeni, an hr director at Transamerica Reinsurance. I find it a great place to share with others the challenges of regaining meaningful work in a sour economy.

So, if you are contemplating setting up or participating in a LinkedIn discussion group here are a few tips I’d like to share:

• Keep it fresh – Start or encourage others to begin discussion topics that are relevant and timely. As with most web sites, people need reasons to get involved and check back – frequently.

• Encourage sharing success stories – Even in this horrible economic climate people are finding ways to land jobs. Welcome their stories. It provides hope and encouragement to all. Fresh approaches and new ideas are what the group is all about.

• Be open to change – Listen to the members. Understand their needs. Adjust the emphasis of the group accordingly. Actively encourage involvement and engender a sense of individual ownership of the group.

The point is everyone deals in job loss differently. Those that succeed maintain a positive attitude, try to surround themselves with supportive people, and keep working at finding ways to reinvent themselves. If you’re in the job market what are you doing to better position yourself? What works and what doesn’t?

As a CAMA blogger I’m very interested in your thoughts on the subject of career transitions. Please share your ideas. In this job market we all need to pull together to help each other.

Enjoy and Happy Hunting!

(Incidentally, if you’re reading this and are interested in the “Job Seekers-Charlotte Metro Area” LinkedIn Group, I welcome you to join.)

Ken Caputo is a marketing professional who relocated his family to the Greater Charlotte area from Central New Jersey a little over a year ago. One of his first official acts upon moving down was to join and get involved in the Charlotte Chapter of the American Marketing Association. He’s delighted he did.