The "6 P's" of finding a new role.

In March 2020 I lost my job. 

No problem I thought, I’ve got a good CV, lots of strong experience backed by a wide range of transferrable of skills both technical and soft.

Then the world changed, literally. 

Covid-19 struck. My plans, along with most of the rest of the world, suddenly went sideways, very quickly.

It took me around 7 months to secure a new role. Over that time I experienced a lot. 

Some days weren't great, others amazing!

I spent time with my family, I got through a long list of DIY jobs, I learned new ways to look for roles, I learned new skills and met lots of new and interesting people.

This article highlights my “6 P’s of job searching”. It covers what I learned, which I hope is useful to others, or at the very least a valuable 5 minutes of your time to read it.

1 - Prepare

•       The military 6 P’s

“Proper Preparation Prevents P**s Poor Performance”. It’s true, there’s no excuse for not preparing.

•      Mentally

Job seeking is hard. Job seeking without a job is harder. Job seeking without a job in a global pandemic is hardest of all.

Be kind to yourself.

Prepare for set backs. The next interview might be your last! There are lots of inspirational videos and blogs out there. Find one that works for you.

Think about all your successes you’ve had. How many came without challenges? How many came without failures and lessons to be learned? Why will finding a new role be any different?

Learn from each encounter and improve the next time.

“Accepting the things you cannot change” is a good way to stop yourself from worrying too much. This is particularly true of things that have already happened. Try to avoid dwelling on your past mistakes. Instead, simply make a mental note of what you will or would do differently in the future.

•       Interviews

For any role and level there are always common questions. There might be slight variations on the questions, but they exist.

Use the internet to find them and strategies on how to answer. Practice your answers so they are natural, practice variations. If you know your examples, you won’t be put off by a variation you didn’t expect.

For remote interviews, make sure your Internet connection is working. Make sure your mobile is charged. Make sure you know the dial-in number in case there is an issue with video.

•       Network

Use your existing network. Catch-up with people you’ve not spoken to in a while, you’ll be surprised (or not) at how willing people are to help. 

Find new contacts and connections. LinkedIn is an excellent tool for this (and was it’s primary goal). 

Don’t forget other media though, a directed personal email usually gets a response. If it doesn’t, then they weren’t the right person for you. Move on to the next on your list.

2 - Present

•       CV

I started with my CV. I got it up to date, I sent to recruiters I knew well for their feedback and was fortunate enough to have outplacement support, who helped with their views.

I can guarantee you will get conflicting feedback. Go with the elements you feel work best for you and present you in a way you feel comfortable with.

•       Professional social media (e.g. LinkedIn and job boards)

Once your CV is where you want it for now (and expect to tweak it over time) make sure your social media profiles match and compliment it. 

Advice varies to the degree of detail, I personally went for quite a detailed approach, with more content than some aspects of my CV, largely due to the unlimited space and the keyword searches recruiters use.

There are a lot of free guides on using LinkedIn, find them, use them. Look at other people’s profiles, copy the style and approach which works for you. You will find conflicting guidance, pick one for you.

•       Yourself

When meeting people (face to face, video or phone) make sure you match your profile style. Be consistent in your appearance and match your professional summary. If you say you’re a great communicator, the first impression you need to give is that you are a great communicator, otherwise everything else you’ve written will be ignored and questioned.

Be yourself. 

Do not second guess what people are looking for. Ask yourself this question; If you’re not yourself, then who are you?

3 - Practice

•       Strengths and weaknesses

Everybody has strengths and weaknesses and it is important to be aware of yours.

However, don’t punish yourself for them. Instead, learn to use your strengths and accept your weaknesses. In particular, don’t set yourself unrealistic goals that challenge too many of your weaknesses all at once.

Work on one thing at a time and give it all your focus.

Don’t forget your strengths. You are where you are today because of them.

•       Interviews

“Practice makes perfect” as the saying goes. You don’t have to be perfect, as interviews are subjective, and no two interviewers are looking for the same thing.

Practice breeds confidence. Confidence that you know your content. Confidence that you can structure your answers well. Confidence that you can present yourself well.

•       Responses to why you’re looking

Do not underestimate the impact of the question of why you want the role you have applied for. If you come across as desperate and any job will do, I can guarantee the outcome of that interview.

Be honest to yourself. 

Do not lie about your situation, or your skills and experiences. You will be found out.

•       Presentations

In most roles as you progress through the interview stages you are likely to be asked to present on a topic, probably related to the company and/or role. Nearly always it’s one of the main challenges the company is facing and the role will be involved in solving.

Practice face to face presentations, use friends and family if you can. 

Practice video presentations, especially in the current Covid-19 environment. You can record yourself and watch it back. You can record it and get others to give you feedback.

Without doubt, this is one area where practice does make perfect.

•       Elevator pitch

What’s your 60 second summary of you? It will be an element of your personal profile on your CV and social media profile.

You need to be confident to communicate it in a conversational style, rather than as if you’re trying to remember your lines from a play or if you come across as repeating someone else’s words.

Own it!

4 - Perseverance

Keep going. You may get 99 No’s before the one Yes.

You only need one Yes.

Don’t give up. There will be dark days. There will be great days. There will be mundane I’ve no idea where I’m going days. But you will succeed.

Trust yourself.

Believe that the next interview will be the one!

5 - Patience

It will take time. 

Accept this from the start. I can’t say how much time it will take, but I can say it’s rare to be offered a role on day one of your search!

Trust in your abilities and that you are doing the right things. 

You will get a new role.

6 - Personal

•       This is your journey. 

For all the help and support that is available, ultimately, it’s on you to do the hard work.

•       This is your journey. 

Don’t expect or count on others to do it for you.

•       This is your journey. 

You will meet lots of people along the way. Some will not be beneficial to you, ditch them. Most will be helpful, some more than others. Don’t hold it against them, this is your journey, not theirs.

This is your journey, enjoy it!