Unemployment: Networking

Day One of the Career Planning Workshop

I have a pretty good class of eight people.  The majority of us are quite interested in career change and we seem to be in approximately the same place mentally - out with the old and in with the new.  That's encouraging.  The facilitator has picked up on my experience and refers questions about post-secondary to me which is great.  I'm very comfortable advising and I'm really enjoying being involved.

I was reminded today about the importance of sharing contact information when you're looking for work.  I attended a two-day interview skills workshop a couple of years ago to brush up on my skills and I was partnered with a gentleman who was looking for work in the computer industry.  He had immigrated from Isreal where he had been a university professor but his education wasn't recognized here.

About a week or so after that workshop ended, I saw a posting from the UofC for a visiting professor from Isreal (seriously, what are the freaking odds?!).  I would love to say that I was able to contact him directly and let him know; but I can't.  I called the place where we attended the workshop and asked them if they kept registration information from previous workshops. They told me they did not.  I was really upset about it but who knows?  Maybe he found it anyway... I hope he did.

It's also important to talk about your experience and goals with others.  One of the participants in this class is an electrician and had been working in oil and gas.  He had also taken an Instructor's course in BC and was certified as an Adult Education Instructor; he'd also worked on a contract in BC installing solar. He would like to instruct other electricians in the same and he's even created modules already.

The facilitator mentioned that she had heard something on the radio that morning about a group out of BC who was looking to do that as well, Iron and Earth.  Later that night I saw a post on Facebook from my Aunt (who lives in BC) with the caption "I'm so proud of my son for being involved with this" - it was Iron and Earth.  I wrote her, she wrote me, I emailed an introduction between my cousin and my fellow classmate.  He replied to us and included the director.  The director emailed all of us with a thank you and a promise to connect with my classmate privately.  Very cool.

The facilitator has also asked me to connect with her on LinkedIn so I can view some more profiles and look at people's education and where they've worked to give me ideas.  She has also offered to introduce me to her boss so I can have an informational interview with her.  All in all, it was a fantastic first day!!

The facilitator also handed out a resource list of helpful books and I picked up "What Color is Your Parachute?" By Richard N. Bolles.  So far, this is an excellent resource for exercises to determine your values and your interest areas.  In particular, he has written a very thought provoking section about how to approach work search.  He says that people applying for work solely through advertised postings are successful about 4% of the time.  People using a mixed technique of networking and company/industry-focused research are successful 86% of the time.  I believe I will be looking into the latter!

*"What Color is Your Parachute?" Could be available at your local library, definitely on Amazon.ca and possibly at your local bookstore.