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Meeting Recap: Community Networking, Surviving a Layoff & Job Searching
Published
November 01, 2016
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Meeting Recap
  • What: Community Networking, Surviving a Layoff & Job Searching
  • When: October 20, 2016
Lisa Logan
Scott Walker
By Scott Walker, Chapter Member

Our most recent meeting was on Community Networking, Surviving a Layoff, and Job Searching. The featured speaker was STC Carolina’s Director of Communications, Lindsay Saunders, who is also a content specialist, content strategist, SEO copywriter, and technical writer and editor. Lindsay shared her experiences with finding herself unexpectedly between jobs and her successful strategies for networking, job searching, and landing the next fulfilling (and paying) job. Her presentation interwove concrete examples of strategies with personal anecdotes that illustrated her points.

Lindsay’s presentation comprised 10 steps for surviving a layoff and working smarter in networking and job searching. For more extensive information, please see the full slideshow from the presentation itself. She began the session by describing the not-always-linear path she took to arrive at her current position, including the non-communications jobs she took to make ends meet while pursuing her graduate studies and expanding her profile. She then moved into the 10 steps:

  1. So You Get Laid Off…: Lindsay presented tips on meeting job-search requirements from the NC Employment Security Commission, documenting your search, and maintaining your balance and self-care during a period of unemployment.
  2. Share News: Job Search!: How to share the fact of your job search with different groups of people — and how to decide whether to share it or not.
  3. Reflect on Why?: Take this opportunity to really think about what drives you, what makes you happy, and what you should be working toward for your next job.
  4. Update Online Presence: Develop a consistent persona for your online self, and make the most of social media opportunities, particularly LinkedIn. Don’t overlook Twitter, though – Lindsay once got a job through her Twitter activity! This portion delved into ways to wield your email, website, and blog effectively.
  5. Assess the Job Market: Review job ads, company profiles, and writing by thought leaders to sharpen your own outlook for your job future. Consider whether you need to get more schooling under your belt, or to revise your salary expectations.
  6. Redesign Your Résumé: Update your résumé and think about a redesign to freshen its look. Ask more than one trusted person to review it. Scour job ads for keywords that can make your own résumé more SEO-friendly. Make sure you tailor each résumé to the position for which you’re applying.
  7. Create a Search Spreadsheet: Not only does organizing information into spreadsheets help you keep track of jobs for the ESC’s requirements, but it also helps you stay on top of material you need for effective follow-up and quick reference. Lindsay’s slides lay out the information you should include in these spreadsheets.
  8. Make a New Routine: Think about what will make your job search and networking efforts successful. Set reasonable goals and give yourself rewards when you achieve them. Try to establish a consistent schedule and stick to it. Find the right balance between the job search and the other parts of your life.
  9. Productive Results: Emphasize quality over quantity. (Hint: sending out 10 applications a day is not a worthy ambition!) Put job-search sites and lists to work for you. Think Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.
  10. Networking: Be Active: Make connections wherever you spend time in a group — not necessarily a job-search or even a networking group. Make genuine, caring connections with the people around you, such as in volunteering organizations, social meetups, church groups, etc. Look for small-scale ways to find out more about the people with whom you come in contact. Keep in touch after the initial conversation. Take part in networking events, and do what you need to do to feel comfortable there. Keep alumni and other groups in mind. Look for mentoring relationships as well.

Missed the meeting? View the recording and slides here!

If you missed Lindsay’s detail-packed, energetic presentation, her insights are well worth your time, even if you’re not currently looking for a new job or career.

Event Recording:
View the recording on Vimeo.

Event Slides:
View Lindsay's slides on Slideshare.



SCOTT WALKER can be reached at swalker at innovectortech dot com. Read more articles by SCOTT WALKER. End of article.


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