Imagine
that a customer service team leader is laid off after ten years at the local
utility services’ call center. It takes him a few days to recover from the
shock and decide what to do next. Finally, he sits down with his wife at the
kitchen table to look over the classified section. Delighted with all the
possibilities, he draws a red circle around several postings. He’s always
dreamed of a career in hotel management. He has a degree in business and spent
five of his ten years overseeing a team of call center representatives, so he
feels he would be a perfect fit.
Months
and countless resumes later, he has still not landed a job. He is competing
with individuals who have decades of experience in hotel management — and the
experience has left him feeling disappointed and dejected. His letters of
rejection grow while his morale and self-esteem drop. He sees the job search as
a continuous cycle of hope and disappointment.
This
is a very common scenario for millions of job
seekers. Why? Because many of them are focused only on getting their dream
job or “Job A.” This is problematic on a couple of fronts. One, the likelihood
of getting “Job A” may not be realistic in light of the present economy. Two,
many opportunities may be missed when the focus is only on these types of jobs.
A
“Job B” should not be viewed as a means of “survival” but rather as an
“opportunity.” It is a way for an individual to develop career competencies so
that when an “A” opportunity presents itself, they are competitive and more
marketable for the position.
So
how do you know what a good “Job B” is? The key is to develop criteria for why
a job seeker would take it. Reasons include skill acquisition, experience,
contacts or links to “Job A,” to name a few. The individual in our fictional
scenario above, for example, could better focus his desire to be in hotel
management by seeking a position as a front desk clerk or concierge.
He
may take a cut in pay and feel as if he’s again working from the ground up, the
contacts and experience he might gain in the position are invaluable when the
time comes for him to apply for a promotion.
If
a “Job B” is available — one that meets the established criteria — a rationale
can be made for why it would be strategic to take the position. At the end of
the day, in a resume or interview, you
need to be able to explain your employment choices to a potential employer. By
establishing strategic criteria for why you will accept a job, you’re better
preparing for a future “Job A” opportunity.
Keeping
an open mind about the “B” possibilities is not abandoning the search for “A.” It
is, instead, thinking more strategically about how you’ll get there. It is
imperative to conduct a parallel job search — right from the beginning — that
includes both “A” and “B” versus only “A” opportunities. Knowing that the
present economic climate may not make landing an “A” job right away a reality,
you don’t want to delay finding any other opportunities. Additionally, when
you’re open to different types of opportunities there is a great chance of
something coming across your radar.
The
reality is that the job search is date driven. If you put off applying for an
opportunity today, the consequences will be revealed sometime in the future
(depending on the hiring cycle for that particular industry). Starting a job
search with jobs “A” and “B” in mind may decrease the time it takes to find a
job. After all, you will have more opportunities to actually apply for jobs.
Take time to create your “Plan B” today — you’ll be happy you did!
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