Step 3 – Communicate

Once you get past YOUR “issue” about telling everyone about your situation, there is another group of people you need to work with – your relatives.  This could be your spouse or parents or in-laws.

You need to make sure they understand that YOU actually WANT people to know about your situation and that you are NOT embarrassed.  Additionally, they need to know that you are perfectly fine with them telling their friends about your situation – and, as a matter of fact, WANT them to spread the word.

Control or at least Guide their Message

In order for your relatives to actually HELP, they really need to know what to tell people.   They need to know what type of work you have been doing and the type of work you are seeking.

To validate this, you should ask your relatives what they think you do (or, have been doing) for a living.  See how close that comes to what you’ve actually been doing.

If you’ve been working for a company (especially a large one) you will likely find out that they really don’t understand what you’ve been doing.  So, you should consider what is the best way to explain what you’ve been doing and what you WANT to do.  You might want to give them a copy of your resume.

BUT make sure they understand that they should not just hand out copies of your resume to everyone they meet.

Why do I need their help!?!?!

It’s actually fairly simple.  The MAJORITY OF NEW JOBS ARE NOT ADVERTISED and you need every possible advantage in finding the jobs that are NOT advertised!

There is one very good reason to let your friends and family know about your situation.  Estimates are that more than 60% of all jobs filled in the U.S. are NEVER, let me repeat that, NEVER advertised. They are filled because a candidate networked their way into the position.

We’ll talk about Networking elsewhere.

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