This month I am sharing this inspiring message I received recently… The names of companies, etc have been left generic for privacy and to help you see that this story is transferable/relatable to all fields.
“Hi Stefanie! Remember me? I was the restless longtime employee of a great company in Raleigh with an amazing dream company on her radar. 🙂 My family and I relocated to our new city 5 months ago, and it’s been a whirlwind. My job is intense, but good. I have an amazing manager who is a great mentor, helping me understand “their corporate way.” The company is humongous and there are so many things to learn, but I’m making headway, little by little.
I wanted to share some insight with you on how my dream company recruits since it’s something you talk about in your sessions. I had a meeting with two of the HR recruiters for this company a couple of weeks ago. They are using LinkedIn as their No. 1 social media tool to locate talent. In addition to finding the right skill set and experience on LinkedIn, they also said they look to see what interest groups a person has joined and/or what other companies they are following. They really like to find people who have an affinity for the brand already, so if you’re following their company on Twitter and LinkedIn, etc, that is a plus. I remember once I had decided that is where I wanted to work, I started following a bunch of the company Twitter accounts, LinkedIn sites, etc. I didn’t realize it would be something they took note of when they looked at my LI page, but apparently it is important.
Social media presence aside, the most important factor for me in landing this job was making connections at my dream company. I was able to do that because I was on the board of a local professional association chapter in the Triangle and I reached out to the their President in the city where my dream company was, who happened to work at that company! I honestly don’t think she’d have ever taken my call had I not had that association connection in common! Once I talked to her, I was able to talk to a couple more people and get my name out there. Then, when the right job opened up, I applied and I wasn’t an unknown name in a stack of resumes. So the system works! Let your clients know that even if you have NO connections to a company, if you are strategic about it, you can find a way to get your foot in the door.
It all started with an “itch” I had that my job at the time wasn’t challenging me anymore. When I was completely honest with myself, even though I had all the perks that an employee could want while working for this great company in Raleigh, including a supportive manager and fun team, I wasn’t growing as an individual anymore. Once I recognized that, I started taking steps to find something that would energize me again. I attended one of your workshops on building your resume and social media presence, then started meeting every two weeks with a friend/co-worker of mine in the same boat to hold each other accountable to making steps towards change.
So, the first step is honesty with yourself. The next step is action and driving change. And once you set your sights on a goal and are willing to do the work to get there, there is no stopping you! :)”
I hope you found this story inspiring and that it gave you some ideas and strategies you can incorporate into your career transition!