Last month, I spoke to Mr J, a 51 year old Project Manager who had been looking for a job since 2022. He was retrenched by his company back then and has since reskilled and earned certificates in Data Analytics.
But it has been an uphill battle as far as job-search was concerned because he had been applying for roles online for the past 2 years with no results and he was starting to question his sense of self-worth.
After speaking with Mr J, I realised what he was doing wrong, and unfunnily, it was a common blindspot that many Career-Crossroaders fail to observe when they are at their Crossroads.
They simply do have have enough data.
We use the above chart when we coach Career-Crossroaders, highlighting that their biggest obstacle is often the lack of relevant information regarding their next move.
And because a literal crossroad often entails multiple pathways with unknown outcomes, it is imperative that you find out as much as you can about the pathways you want to explore.
But what do you need to uncover?
Let me highlight 3 ‘Unknown Unknowns’ (Things you never knew you needed to know) and turn them into your ‘Known Unknowns’ and with this knowledge, you can begin your quest to uncover the data points you need for better decision-making.
1. What Are You Selling?
You need to know what exactly you’re selling.
For Mr J who was a Project Manager who had recently been certified in Data Analysis… was he offering :
- His Data Analytics capablities,
- His Project Management expertise,
- His experience in ‘Data-Driven Project Management’, or
- His Project Management skills in the Data Analytics Space’?
(Notice that even subtle differences could mean drifting a mile away from your intended destination)
As you can see, there are many permutations that will set you apart from some fresh-graduate who’s probably better (and faster) than you in using data-analytic tools.
Think of how you can bring your domain knowledge and subject-matter expertise gathered over decades of work to the interview table.
Uncover your super-powers that are unique to you and BLEND them into your new-found skills to position yourself perfectly for the job you want.
2. Who’s Buying And What Exactly Are They Looking For?
Once you have identified what (skills and capabilities) you are selling, you need to find out which companies need these abilities – and whether they are hiring.
Sometimes, the role you are looking for may not be the same one they are trying to fill.
We had a Marketing Client who was skilled at Data Analytics. She kept applying to jobs with the job title “Data Analyst” to no avail…until we told her to start applying for “Market Insights Manager” roles (which is what that Industry calls those roles) and landed a job in 2 weeks.
Don’t pitch them what you want to sell – pitch them what they want to buy.
3. How Do I Get There?
Once you have identified the role you want to target, the next piece of research is to get a conversation with the Hiring Manager, even if the role isn’t being advertised (yet).
Go on to LinkedIn and find out who this role’s boss is and connect to them – introduce yourself (unashamedly) and start a conversation.
Many of our clients have taken this easy step and by merely introducing themselves to the potential bosses, landed nice roles in those companies eventually.
Networking is the KEY to landing your job fast – be Bold and start your outreach today!