Job searching is one giant unnerving roller coaster ride
One of the biggest challenges in life is job searching. Whether you like it or not, our jobs define who we are in the eyes of others, and is our principal driver of meaning and purpose. How many times do you get asked what you do in life by strangers at a party? As much as you want to say “I am a peace loving libertarian”, people want to know what you DO.
Job searching is one of the most frustrating experiences in life, as you pass multiple interviews only to be told that the budget is cut or not be told anything! Yes, it happens often these days that companies or recruiters dangle jobs and interviews in front of your nose, but lack the common courtesy of giving any feedback after interviews. So you are left wondering what’s going on. Internet Job searching is simpler, but that simplicity makes it easier for your competition as well. I’ve seen an interesting position posted and in 2 days thousands of people have applied. See? Job searching can turn into one big stomach wrenching roller coaster ride.
I started my career in the mail room
I started my career with my little mail cart at a large Aerospace company and eventually clawed my way to a Senior Buyer/Planner position. That was the most stressful job I have ever had (not pushing the mail cart, although it did squeak a bit), as I was responsible for the buying, planning, and delivery of highly complex aerospace materials. I traveled often and would find myself in multiple supplier’s production meetings, barking orders on their shop floor, or even flying to companies and yanking CEO’s out of meetings and giving them hell. All to get my parts on time. It was also the best learning experience of my life. Then I quit at the right moment and avoided a “restructuring” that destroyed some of my colleague’s lives. I realized at that moment that a job for life was a fairy tale. After quitting that company after 21 years, I went on to an awesome and fulfilling career, but I won’t bore you with the details. You can look at my LinkedIn profile. Let’s talk about IBM and $150,000.
IBM lures me in like a fish and but I end back in the water
I was initially approached by IBM a few years ago for a lead position at a huge government project. The interesting aspect of this was that the IBM recruiter told me the job started at $140,000 a year. It’s not often that you are given a salary figure before interviews, but after hearing that, I decided that I would start negotiating at $140,000. Did it work out? It did not. The IBM client decided my French was not adequate. At that point I could have thrown my hands in the air and kicked an innocent garbage can, but after hearing the potential salary I was like a dog on a bone. I wanted a job at IBM.
Like a dog on a bone I land the Job at IBM
I read a lot of books. One of the best I’ve read is – Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong.
In the book there is a case study about Kurt that job searched using prototyped conversations, reaching out to people, networking and basically starting a conversation with people. And starting conversations is the key that opens doors. So I went on to LinkedIn and found all the Montreal Area IBM partners and offered them a coffee and conversation. It’s not easy to get executives attention and it’s not my nature to cold call, but I made it my focus. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have both stated that success in life is due to focus and I cannot agree more.
Getting simple coffee meetings with IBM Partners was in itself a challenge. After lining up a meeting with a Partner, I dressed in my very swanky suit and tie, drove downtown and waited at IBM. Eventually I had to call the Partner because he had completely forgotten about it. That just made me more determined and focused. I arranged a few informal lunch meetings with another IBM Associate Partner, proved my worth and landed the job with an extra $10,000 dollars. The point here is to start a conversation with people. Forget about applying for a job where hundreds have applied. It’s an ineffective and frustrating approach. Offer a coffee and a conversation.
Step 1. Start a conversation with people.
Step 2. Bring value to the table and show how you are the best person for a particular job.
I eventually moved on from IBM when another fantastic opportunity presented itself.
If you’re interested in grabbing coffee and sharing career stories (or to hear about my IBM after life), please send an email my way. Terry@worldclasssupplychain.com.
Terry Vermeylen is a Senior Project Manager, Business Optimization expert, and SAP and Supply Chain specialist that has advised the US Navy, spoken at conferences, lost his soul a few times, and inspired teams to the point that they want to hug him.