Hello again,
Today, a friend of mine told me that his employer has initiated a 2 - 3 day layoff period for restructuring purposes. He said that some people were obviously bottom performers and some were great performers but laid off for "other" reasons. He said that deep down he was hoping to get laid off so that he could have the freedom to pursue what he really wants to do - become a business owner in the health & wellness industry. For whatever reason, he has not fully pursued it due to family, finances, time, and a laundry list of other reasons.
So I told him (cautiously of course), maybe this layoff is the kick in the pants that he needed to get moving toward his "real" career goals, and he agreed. We agreed that the Monsters and Careerbuilders of the world are great resources, but for his situation, networking would be the most effective route. Later today, he told me that he happened to send an email to a contact from years prior. Bascially, after a few emails, he was communicating with an upper level manager that would be pivotal in him getting a new job. Although the new job is not his ultimate passion, it is a great match for his background, his personality, his values, and it puts him geographically where he wants to live and where he wants to operate his business. With this new position, he'll be in a much better position to setup his business.
Now, I know what you're saying. Career Cougar is all about people reaching their ultimate career passions no matter how often those passions change. However, the moral of this story is that my buddy needed a virtual kick in the pants to get moving. The problem was that he was too comfortable in his job, and he allowed his comfort to get in the way of what he wanted. Through the power of networking, he's that much closer to reaching his career goal.
To summarize, the moral of the story is to meet people, have genuine conversations, take their cards, and keep in touch even if it's occasionally. It's amazing the positions people get simply because they know someone of influence.
Daphne R.
