How to transform your job search from lonely to liberating

Being alone can get a bad rap. It can mean less of.

Inferior.

But the opposite can be true.

As a career coach, I work with my clients who are looking for a new role. Maybe they’ve been let go and made redundant, or they feel like they need a new direction and aren’t sure what to do.

And at first they can find that they feel all alone. But by tapping into the network around them they can find new opportunities and develop skills that lead them to their next big thing.

And being in a very, very rainy town in Cambodia taught me all about this…

In my 30s I backpacked alone for 15 months.

My time in Battambang in Cambodia began with rain, continued with rain and ended with rain.  Very appropriate for a town that has a bit of a gambling issue with rain in the first place, when locals bet on the precise day and time the rain will start, often losing homes and cars chasing this custom. 

But that’s another story.

How to use your network to get closer to your next job

So, with the weather, I found a café run by a young Cambodian, Vannak. The photos of the dishes he made looked totally mouthwatering.

Vannak also gave cooking classes.

Now, I’m an okay cook.

But I knew nothing about cooking Cambodian food.

And that afternoon Vannak changed that.

We cooked in his café’s kitchen.

And had great fun.

And I learned a lot.

And one hour later, three Khmer dishes had been created and I sat in Vannak’s café having a food experience that I can only call rapturous.

To this day, it's still some of the best food I've ever tasted.

And as the deluge continued outside, I had the most leisurely lunch.  

Reach out to people and ask them about what they really do

But let’s move on from talking about my time in Cambodia to your career. And helping you shift from feeling alone to feeling engaged and supported.

Who in your network does something that you’re interested in? I say interested in and not “want to do that as a job or for a living” because one of the best ways to find a new job is to explore and develop skills that you like using.

Before you apply for a job in what could be a new area or field and then find out that it isn’t for you.

Because it’s worth discovering what makes you feel free, what lights you up and what you really want to spend at least 40 hours a week doing.

Say you love using analytical skills. Who in your network does this kind of thing? Can you talk to them about what specific tasks they do as they perform analysis?

Perhaps you love animals. Who do you know that’s worked in an animal shelter or volunteered with support dogs? What kind of tasks does that work involve?

Maybe you want to develop your event management skills as you love being a host and organising things. Who do you know that works for a company that has just held a conference? Can you find out who organised that and talk to them?

Suddenly, by doing this, you’re talking to people who use skills that you think you might like to use more.

You’ve started your research.

And now, you’re not so alone.

Which is liberating in itself, isn’t it?

You’ve started asking questions, started to explore new opportunities, and all of this takes you closer to identifying the skills you really want to be using and developing in your next role.

Did I become the next best Cambodian chef?

I did not.

But by reaching out to the network in front of me that day in Battambang, Vannak the brilliant cook, I stretched myself, I developed my skillset, and all through being bold enough to try something new.

Who can you reach out to and have a conversation with to start your job search?

And if you’d like support in identifying what values, skills and strengths you have - which is going to be far more than you had in school or college, believe me - drop me an email. As a licensed career coach, my programme Career Spark is just the thing to help you nail down what matters to you now and get you that new role to make you smile.