Want a Better Job? The Smartest Place to Start Looking Isn’t Where You Think

I’d start the conversation with my time-tested caution: you never know who’s going to bring you your future. Be open, be observant, don’t be a snob, and understand how quickly things are changing around you and how new doors and career paths are opening every day. If you’re not paying attention and at least passively in the hunt, the best bets will pass you by. As Ferris Bueller noted: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And also, be ready to bail or bolt. The world doesn’t wait for you. And it pays to have your current employer at least a little concerned about the importance of keeping you.

Step one in any job search is to remember that your prospects are 1,000 percent better if you’re presently employed while you’re looking for the next step rather than if you’re out on the street or sitting at home. Don’t jump ship before you’ve got a safe and secure place to land even if every day at work is getting tougher and tougher to take. And even if you’re the world’s most conscientious employee and hate slackers who quit without leaving. It’s still OK to spend a little of that long day looking out for yourself. You may have loved the company, but these days the company will never love you back, so you’ve got to be the one looking out for yourself and your family.

Step two is, before you spend any time looking elsewhere, take a look around and see what opportunities may be available—vertically or laterally—within your own shop. These are the folks who know you best—strengths and weaknesses as well—and there may be slots opening up within the company in other areas or divisions or even locations that may offer greater challenges, better compensation, and a chance to keep growing in a new work environment with some new team members as well. AI is changing the game entirely and different sets of skills will be required in various areas of the business that are being radically restructured. Your talents and liberal arts background may be far more portable and valuable in a world where prompt engineering is just as critical as mechanical engineering and creativity may trump the whole lot.

The daily digest for entrepreneurs and business leaders

The best leaders always know who the key performers are within their organizations and also know that an employee’s great attitude, grit and a solid work ethic are much more important to their company’s long-term success than the pain involved in switching someone’s roles or positions—not to mention the costs of finding a suitable replacement if they leave. So, shop around inside and check out the internal prospects. If there’s nothing there, you’ve spent a little time and probably gotten a better handle of what you’re really looking for in your next job.

Step three is to try to get a short meeting with an executive at one of the major headhunting firms. Find a connection, something in common, some excuse to ask him or her to spend 30 minutes with you and give you a little advice. In the best case possible, they’re in the process of looking for someone just like you and it’s Kismet, fate or simply good fortune. But it’s not very likely. On the other hand, getting your story and your resume on the radar and in the hands of the right people is very important and it’s a great way of networking as well. Finally, these people are trained sharks and sitting with them and pitching yourself is unbelievably great practice even if nothing else comes from it.

Step four is a don’t. Don’t put your resume online or list it with even the biggest of these volume operations. It turns out that there’s just about nothing more damaging to your reputation and perceived value than joining the desperate crowd even if your credentials are great. You can be the biggest fish in the pond, but if the pond’s a cesspool, you’re not doing yourself any favor. Honestly, much like dating sites, the success stories are few and far between at the higher salary levels, the horror stories are voluminous, and the black mark on your resume is largely indelible. Word of mouth from peers, friends and relatives is a far better channel.