Job Hunting Rules To Break (Or Why & How to Crowd Your Shadow)

I participate in the Career Collective, a community of bloggers who convene and give their takes on a singular topic once a month. Up this time: outdated job search beliefs or rules that are made to be broken.

Given that it's Groundhog Day and hundreds of journalists and on-lookers are gathered to tell us if a singular groundhog, Punxsutawny Phil, will see his shadow or not, I'm going to talk about what I call the "shadow myth": The idea that you are only presenting yourself accurately in your job search if you conduct your job search on your own--without help.

You know the oft-quoted statistic on networking, but I'll repeat it anyway: A majority of non-entry level job offers are the direct result of networking. A job search conducted entirely on the couch or behind a computer monitor is less likely to yield results.

Research or not, it's very tempting to conduct your job search on your own for a number of reasons: you can preserve your privacy, avoid the "did you hear from them yet?" question from others, and leave the feedback to your perspective employer instead of others. If you're a private person or someone who doesn't like to share everything with everyone--this strategy can feel good. If only it worked.

Unless you are currently employed and have a highly unique and sought after skill, the private job search has a lower likelihood of success. You need others to give you leads and perspective. After all, who's the first person you look for in a group photo? Yourself. To paraphrase the late Walker Percy, "you've spent a lifetime with yourself, don't you know what you look like?" Somethings are just hard to do on your own.

Most people you meet will develop a first impression of you in less than 30 seconds, an employer--on average--gives you less than 15. It's worth getting feedback from friends, mentors, and colleagues so that you know how you appear to others. And as I mentioned, since the people you know can also share the leads that will very likely lead to your next job--it's a no-brainer.

If Punxsatawney Phil sees his own shadow today, there will be six more weeks of winter. Disrupt your shadow by getting other people to help you in your job search, and you may shorten the time it takes for you to land your next gig.

In my post last month, I announced that I am working with StartWire, a new social collaboration platform that allows job seekers to get help from a closed private network of trusted friends that they create. (Your tweets may go into the Library of Congress, but StartWire status updates stay inside the system and will never be visible on any social graph.)

StartWire is based on the concept that a few people who have your back can expedite your job search. On average, most of us know about 600+ people--and a lot of what we know about them isn't on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other online website. Job seekers can use StartWire to share their interests, ask questions of friends, and get feedback on their resume and job search targets--all in private. It's like a buddy system for your job search.

StartWire is now in open beta. Consider this your invitation to check it out and let me know what you think. (You can also contact me if you have questions or want to learn more.)  But most of all, I hope you won't see your shadow this winter--and wish you every success.

Photo by J. Stephen Conn.

Here are additional posts on the topic of job hunting rules to break from my savvy colleagues and fellow members of the Career Collective:

• Juice Up Your Job Search, @debrawheatman
• It's not your age, it's old thinking, @GayleHoward
• Want a Job? Ignore these outdated job search beliefs @erinkennedycprw
• Job Search Then and Now, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• Break the Rules or Change the Game? @WalterAkana
• The New: From The Employer's-Eye View, @ResumeService
• Job Search: Breakable Rules and Outdated Beliefs, @KatCareerGal
• Job Hunting Rules to Break (Or Why and How to Crowd Your Shadow), @chandlee @StartWire,
• Shades of Gray, @DawnBugni
• 3 Rules That Are Worth Your Push-Back, @WorkWithIllness
• Your Photo on LinkedIn - Breaking a Cardinal Job Search Rule? @KCCareerCoach
• How to find a job: stop competing and start excelling, @Keppie_Careers
• Be You-Nique: Resume Writing Rules to Break, @ValueIntoWords
• Modernizing Your Job Search, @LaurieBerenson
• Don't Get Caught With an Old School Resume, @barbarasafani
• How Breaking the Rules Will Help You in Your Job Search, @expatcoachmegan
• Beat the Job-Search-Is-a-Numbers-Game Myth, @JobHuntOrg
• 25 Habits to Break if You Want a Job @careersherpa

Comments

[Gayle Howard]

Excellent article. The line that sticks with me is "by getting other people to help you in your job search, and you may shorten the time it takes for you to land your next gig". Very true indeed and in fact, has been recognized for many years if you consider the sayings, "A problem shared, is a problem halved" and "Many hands make light work".

[Debra Wheatman]

Very interesting info about Startwire. We have recently expanded our product offering to include research on hiring managers because the demand for help with job search is really high. It isn't enough to have a good resume anymore. It is in using all the available resources to promote yourself that candidates get ahead and Startwire seems like an excellent venue based on what you described. Thanks for your informative article.

[Megan Fitzgerald]

Great post Chandlee! I love this idea of Startwire - in today's world being able to access your "board of advisors" in privacy and online makes so much sense. I can't wait to learn more!

It's great to be a part of this wise group of career professionals!

Megan

[Dawn Bugni]

Hi Chandlee -

You nailed it! NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. No one has to go it alone ... unless they choose to do so.

I attended a local job search seminar recently. Between sessions, I was explaining the importance of networking to some of the participants. I shared networking isn't "asking someone to help you find a job." It's staying in touch with people, knowing their interests and sharing information with them. It's making the effort to touch base with others occasionally. Basically, networking is another word for being a friend.

One of the women in the group I was speaking with looked perplexed. She replied, "I don't think I could do that. That just sounds too smarmy to me." She was unhappily employed and struggling to make the career change needed to fulfill her professional self. Any wonder why she was struggling? If she defined being thoughtful of others and staying in touch as "smarmy", there's not much I could do to help.

Best wishes for much success in your Startwire venture. I know anything you touch will be a great value to job seekers and careerist everywhere.