The workshop was run by Next Step - it seems a lot of people I speak to haven't heard of them, which is a real shame, because they are a valuable and - rare at this time, surely - free resource for job-hunters. Look them up in your area, there is bound to be a local adviser you can book with. I wanted to go because of that statistic you may have heard - 40-60% of jobs are unadvertised - I'm not currently having much luck getting shortlisted for the advertised ones so I'm very willing to try something else.
I ought at this point to say that of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, I am apparently an INTJ (with a strong preference for introversion over extroversion). This makes networking more than a little challenging for me. It basically means that for me, small talk with strangers both pains and drains me. I have learned the value of it over recent years, but it seems that I'll now have to move up a gear. Our workshop leader, Alka, said that if we're currently job-hunting, we need to make 10 contacts a day. That's 10 phonecalls or emails or conversations. Every day. Going out of our way to attend groups such as the Executive Jobclub. Introverts reading this will be shuddering - not because we don't like people - nothing could be further from the truth - but because this will take a lot of energy. We get our energy from being alone, being with other people expends it. And yet after the 10 contacts of the day, I'll still need energy to fill in applications, and more. Falling into a slump will not be an option.
So I've been thinking about this a lot since the workshop (and my subsequent one to one appointment with Alka), and have come up with a compromise. I'll still apply for jobs that are advertised, and spend a good proportion of my time on these - after all, I'm seeing some really tempting jobs that way, and just because there's tough competition, it doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Plus I get to communicate with potential employers by writing - by far my most preferred means of communication.
Secondly, I'll do as much of my networking as possible via the internet. I'm already well on my way to a decent LinkedIn profile, but have yet to really get the most out of this valuable tool. I already know lots of people via Facebook and Twitter, and all of these tools have the advantage again of allowing me to write to someone first, conserving energy, and setting up phone calls and face to face meetings as and when a useful contact is made.
Finally, my 'down' time will be filled with activities that recharge my introvert's brain (our brains really do work differently from extroverts - read all about it in The Introvert Advantage). I'm making a list, identifying ingredients for soothing my overstimulated brain - staring out of windows (train windows are the best), birdwatching, gardening, colouring (yes I did say colouring - well I can't draw, and colour is something that affects me positively, in all sorts of ways), knitting of course. Reading, too, if it's the right book. A change of scene whenever possible. Focussing on my breathing. Turning making a cup of tea into a ceremony (as it should be) - taking note of the scent, the steam, choosing my cup carefully, feeling the warmth (something we've lost since the advent of the kettle and the teabag - but that's a whole other blog).
Learning to live life at my own pace - something I've longed to do for some time.
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| Yes I'm a tortoise, but I always get there in the end. |
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