When Being in Transition is an Advantage
Spoke on the phone today with a former client who was as excited as she has landed a new job. As we talked about it and I asked her to walk me through the steps, an interesting thing surfaced. The company had placed an ad for a Sales Manager but a few weeks later took it off their website. When she called to find out if she was in the running, HR told her that the company had decided not to fill that position.
Fast forward a few months and my client gets a call from the same company and learns that a different division needed a sales manager and asked HR to share the resumes they had previously collected. Hers was chosen because they knew she was in transition and might be more open to an opportunity that was temp to perm. In other words, being out of work made her a more attractive candidate. She went on the interview and got the job. So don’t assume that your current status, if you’re out of work, is a disadvantage.
I am an Organisational psycholgist and outplacement specialist (20 YEARS) and also find that if a client I am helping is flexible and is prepared to work in temporary or contract work, then this can be a win-win situation for the company and my client. I find, at least in Australia, that temporary roles can become permanent.
The only proviso I would make is that they must have what Crystal and Bolles called the “resource service mentality” and not the “job beggar mentality” when they are selling themselves this way…I tell my clients to never appear desperate and sell themselves on a well thought plan where they have the skills, competencies and passion for the roles that they are applying for.
Jon- You zeroed in on the key point: the applicant must know what work activity stimulates them, excites them, and get’s their enthusiasm dialed way up. At United Boomers of America we call that knowing your “My Work”. Any Hiring Manager can feel the energy generated by a person working in their sweet spot. The applicant doesn’t have to convince the Hiring Manager of their commitment to deliver the goods, their body language will loudly communicate that message. Thanks for focusing on such an important issue for joy and fulfillment in a workers life.
Thanks for your thoughts. Enthusiasm is such a great selling point–a good reminder.