For the last couple months I have been leading a job group at church. With the job situation as it is, I decided it was time to give a little back where I had received so much. I have been meeting weekly with those who have been willing to come and talk about job hunting experiences. I guess one would say that I have been pursuing a passion for job hunting. I don’t want to hunt for a job. I just know how it is and how much I hated it. What I did love, however was the network interviewing. I have been pushing the guys to get to that point. With 17.000 people out of work in the valley, the only way to find a job will be through a network.
Last week I pushed one of the guys who is a little more introverted to start interviewing. I had him come role play one with me. It was really good. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit as it gave me a coulpe ideas for my team. I pushed him to go talk to someone else he knew from church. That one went even better. He did all the arranging. He led the conversation and ended up scoring big time. That good friend took him over to the desk of a job councilor and helped him get set up with some tests to find out what he wants to do with his career. It was just what he needed. He not only got the valuable information, but he came back to the meeting energized, understanding what it was that I have been trying to tell him. Wonderful! He caught the vision. He will be okay.
Now for the self analysis. I haven’t been out network interviewing in a long time. I have got to get back to it. I need to do at least one per week. It is fun. I love meeting new people and learning what they do. So why haven’t I kept up on it? Time. I need a kick in the pants to get moving sometimes. Since you never know when you are going to need a network or your network will need you, it is important to always keep it moving. Time to get back in the saddle.
Passion makes doing something easier. When I was out of work, interviewing was easy because I was passionate about getting a job. Now that I have a job, the passion for interviewing has sagged. It takes time to set up and go and I feel like I don’t always control my schedule. Reality is quite different though.
This week I will set up one interview. That is my goal.
