Nov 7, 2022
Hey Everyone,
Hearty hello to this Never Search Alone community – a community with a *heart and a home* for anyone laid off or let go (or otherwise looking).
First, I know anxiety is increasing out there, especially with the latest news that “large-scale layoffs” are coming to Facebook this week.
Second, breathe.
This community is here for you.
Come join us this Fri, Nov 11 for our next Job Seeker’s Open House at 4pm ET (register via Zoom – we got off LinkedIn because of the privacy problems).
And if you missed the Oct 28 Open House, here are the highlights below.
Alan (a pseudonym) told us about Candidate-Market Fit
Alan discussed the power of determining your candidate-market fit.
After he initially struggled with this concept (and initially wanting to skip it), he now believes in the power of “putting yourself in a cozy little box.”
I’ve learned the hard way about the importance of determining candidate-market fit – and not just for a potential employer, but for myself in thinking about the next step I want to make in my life.
Why was this hard to do at first?
Like every job seeker, Alan felt anxious and wanted to just get out there and start networking and interviewing.
In fact, he tried that, but it didn’t work.
So, instead he decided to form a Job Search Council and conduct a Listening Tour to figure out his candidate-market fit – i.e., to figure out the intersection of what he wanted and how the market saw him.
One of the most important discoveries Alan made was the counter-intuitive realization that getting narrow actually made it possible for others to see his full breadth much better than if he were to start with a broad approach and hope they would narrow that down to a specific job.
If you tell people you can do a bunch of things they don’t know what to do with you. If you get specific about your candidate-market fit, then recruiters and potential employers can extrapolate those skills into adjacent opportunities. In the end getting specific about the opportunity you are seeking can actually open up more opportunities.
Alan explained this counter-intuitive discovery with a sports analogy.
If you tell a coach you’re a great athlete, they don’t know where to put you.
But if you tell the coach you are a great first baseman, then they have a mental model of what that is. Interestingly, they could then put you at first base, or, surprisingly, extrapolate that out to discuss other positions with you that leverage the fielding skills of a first baseman.
Exactly!
Action:
- Watch this discussion with Alan (starting at 08:30)
- Register for the next Open House via Zoom this Fri, Nov 11 at 4pm ET
- Join a Job Search Council (JSC)
It’s *free* to join and comes with free training too) where you can get the support to figure out your candidate-market fit and find a GOOD job.
And, most importantly, whatever you do – remember, never search alone.
Best,
Phyl
P.S. Lots of people on LinkedIn are now posting about the Never Search Alone community. Please spread the word yourself about this community with a heart and a home for anyone laid-off or let go. You can encourage people to join our group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14129084 or come to our Zoom open house this Friday.
P.P.S. There are more highlights below.
Appendix – More Highlights, Links, and Resources
The Open Houses have been joyful, which is not something normally experienced in the job search.
You should definitely sign-up for the next one: this Fri, Nov 11 at 4pm ET.
Watch more highlights from Oct 28 starting with Tanisa Williams.
–– More October 28 Highlights
Tanisa Landed a Job At the Economist
At minute 34:30, we celebrated Tanisa who followed Never Search Alone and recently landed a good job with the Economist as head of HR for the Americas.
Her main advice: “Trust the process and lean into it and think about what you want (and how the market sees you.”
She explained how she leveraged her JSC and how she found them helpful – including in deciding to let certain opportunities go.
They were able to see when she had a lack of passion and help her turn that down.
In one instance, when she turned down a job that was not for her, the Economist opportunity popped up the next week.
Sarah Shared How to Ask Recruiters for Advice in Your Candidate-Market Fit
Starting at minute 46 of the video, Sarah successfully followed the advice in Chapter 8 of Never Search Alone: ask recruiters for their advice into your candidate-market fit.
I suggest several questions to ask and Sarah asked all of them:
“What do you think I am a fit for now?’ What would be a stretch? And What am I *not* a fit for?”
To her delight and surprise, recruiters not only answered these questions, but their answers were consistent giving her confidence in shaping her candidate-market fit.
Ask your JSC for help BEFORE an interview
We also heard from Lisa who, the night before her interview, was concerned about her accent (English is not her native language).
Her JSC did two things for her:
1) gave her the support and confidence to go into that interview (and suggested she let the interviewer know right off the bat that English is not her first language, and that if they don’t understand anything she says, they could ask her to stop and repeat).
2) Suggested she complete the Gratitude House exercise in Chapter 4 of the book, which gave her the confidence to relax before, during, and after her interview.
The interview then went well and she shared with everyone her simple conclusion: Don’t underestimate the power of a Job Search Council (JSC).
Finally, here are a few more highlight from our Oct 14 Open House with the wonderful Tamara Adlin.
–– October 14 Highlights
Here are highlights from the Oct 14 Open House.
“Just Show Up”: Participate in a Job Search Council (JSC)
Tamara Adlin, a job seeker who is a volunteer JSC moderator, joined us on Oct 14 to share her experience moderating one of the 20+ councils that have been set up since the book was released.
Her JSC is going really well and she shared the following learnings with all of us:
- Everyone struggles
Tamara says you will be shocked to discover you are not alone – that everyone on your JSC, no matter how impressive, has the same anxieties and insecurities.
- Be vulnerable
Trust that you will get to know each other well over time. “And use that trust to be willing to be vulnerable in the first meetings — I guarantee you everyone else feels this way and it’s amazing to have that community. It will just make you feel better when you express your fears and insecurities and everyone in the room says “me too!!!””
- Just show up at the first meeting
Don’t fear the first meeting. “Yes, you won’t know what to expect, but it’s really just a bunch of people introducing themselves. You don’t even have to have read any of Phyl’s book. Just show up.”
- Exercises/tools work
Tamara says the exercises in the book (which the JSCs do together) are easy and really illuminating.
- Why did we ever search alone?
“With each meeting you’ll be more and more astounded that we all tried to do this alone for so many years,” said Tamara.
Never Search Alone and ADHD
Caitlin O’Brient Bauer also joined us on Oct 14 to talk about the special needs of the ADHD job seeker and how she has found Never Search Alone to be particularly helpful.
As the founder of SF ADHD Coach, O’Brient Bauer specializes in working with women in tech, entrepreneurs, new moms, and creatives and has agreed to explore starting a special bi-monthly call for ADHD readers of Never Search Alone.
Diagnosed with ADHD at 8, O’Brient Bauer discovered that it took finding genuine interest in her first love, the theatre, to start engaging her strengths and growing beyond the limitations of her condition. Caitlin went on to earn a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami (Go Canes!) and work in professional theatre. She also has over a decade of entrepreneurial expertise running her own digital marketing & web design agency.
Action: if you have ADHD and want to potentially join a session focused on ADHD and Never Search Alone with Caitlin O’Brient Bauer, please reply to this email and let me know.
Free Tools and Templates
Never Search Alone community volunteer, Katrina Glover – who is happily employed and volunteering to help all those who are looking – is the product manager for the tools and templates.
She’s continuously adding more examples, and even new tools (after testing demonstrates their value).
Action: Download the current set of free tools – and get in touch with Katrina if you want to share examples of how you are using them (or to suggest a new tool).
Steps You Can Take to Support this Global Community
- Volunteer?
If you are NOT looking, but want to help, then reply to this email. We have a growing volunteer team that is building this “community with a heart” that is a home for all those laid off, let go or looking.
- Join a JSC?
You can sign-up to join a Job Search Council for “Slow Seekers” (people in jobs but looking), “Fast Seekers” (people out of work and looking). or college students looking for their first roles. This whole process is free and volunteer-supported.
- Attend the next Open House on Fri, Oct 28 at 4pm ET?
(Hint: if you are working full-time and don’t want LinkedIn to notify your network that you are attending, then do this first).
- Questions you want answered?
What are you struggling with in your search or what challenges are you facing in your search? Reply to this email with your questions and we’ll work to address them in this Friday’s Open House.
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The book
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– Great news: Never Search Alone continues to be #1 in key categories on Amazon *and* the hardcover is finally available for Prime next day delivery.
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The Open Houses
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- As noted above, the
- Previous Open Houses:
- Fri, Oct 28 (Candidate-Market Fit, Job Search Councils, trust in the process)
- Fri, Oct 14 (basics of Job Search Councils; ADHD and Never Search Alone)
- Fri, Sep 30 (verbal offer withdrawn; and more topics etc.)
- Fri, Sep 16 (Women joining Boards; Candidate-Market Fit, multiple stories and guests)
- Tue, Sep 13 (Launch Party with 9 job seekers sharing stories – CEOs, VPs, ICs, etc.)
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Book Parties
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We’ve had two wonderful book parties: Manhattan and Boston.
Big thanks to my two hosts – Allison Mnookin and Brent Tworetzky – and all the wonderful guests.
If you want to host a book party at your home, if you provide your home (or office), the food and drink (and it doesn’t have to be much), and invite a group of 30, 50 or more, then I’ll travel to you.
Note: I know lots of people all over the country, so I can add names to your invite list.
If you want to explore this, reply to this newsletter and we’ll talk.
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Job Search Council Orientation?
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– Job Search Council Orientation (via Zoom)
Thu, Nov 17 (and bi-weekly after that)
7pm ET
This is for everyone who has signed up to join a Job Search Council or is thinking of doing so.
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Podcasts
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– SaaS Scaled
Planned for early November.
– Never Search Alone and Find the Job You Love
LinkedIn Product Management Learning Series (hosted by LinkedIn)
November 18, 2022
12pm ET
Sign-up: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6977411723313958912/
– Future of Retail (recorded and available)
Phyl Terry revolutionizes the executive job search with his new book “Never Search Alone”
– Local Maximum (recorded and available)
Phyl Terry: Never Search Alone
Note: if you are a podcaster, or know a podcaster – then I’d be happy to be on your show to help spread the word.
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Tools of the Never Search Alone community
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- Free job search council placement and support
Volunteers are now donating time to help place job seekers in Job Search Councils. They are also helping to train the job seekers who volunteer to moderate each JSC.
- Free tools and templates
We have free tools and templates vetted and used by many job seekers and volunteers donating time and expertise to constantly update and expand this library.
- LinkedIn support group
We have started a support group on LinkedIn for all job seekers. Volunteers are helping to welcome new members, moderate the community, and promote participation.
- Bi-weekly open houses
We are running bi-weekly open houses to support job seekers and build community and support. Volunteers are helping to program and promote these sessions.
- Monitoring layoffs and reaching out to companies/people
Volunteers are reaching out to companies and individuals who have been laid off — offering our *free* resources and community to help them.
Do you (or someone you know) need help?
Please join this community with a heart that we are building to support people just like you.
And, separately, if you want to help, then reach out.
Together let’s help the millions of job seekers who today (and tomorrow) will need our support to never search alone.
