Can Being Productive Get You a Job?
For the past several months I have been coaching friends, colleagues and job applicants on how to conduct a job search in this crazy economy. The first thing I tell them is they need to treat their job search like any other “project”. It should have a beginning, middle and end. It should have timelines, follow-up and action items. Currently, finding a job can take anywhere from three months to a year depending on the expectations that have established. So, what to do with all that down time time?
A legitimate job search is a full time, full court press. You are searching the job boards, networking, researching companies, sending e-mails, responding to e-mails and in some cases re-inventing yourself. But there will come a moment or multiple moments (hours on end) where nothing happens and no one responds to your efforts, so what do you do with hours on end? Be productive!
From my fifteen years of recruiting experience when comparing candidates I have found that being able to demonstrate productivity and maintain a positive attitude while in an undesirable situation (whether employed or unemployed) will give you a significant advantage over others during the interview and selection process.
First, I (the recruiter) would ask you what you did with your time off. “So, Bill what did you do between March 2008 and September 2008?” Assuming Bill was not in prison I would expect him to have a compelling answer. The second reason productivity is so important is that family members will become annoyed quickly if they perceive you are not “being productive” (and you thought you didn’t have a boss anymore). Finally, and in my humble opinion the most important reason productivity is critical while you are unemployed is that it maintains your self-esteem.
When I interview candidates with an employment gap, I ask them what they did besides look for employment. The answer will tell me a lot about their strengths and interests. For example, the candidate who spent time with their family, volunteered at the local library and started exercising likes to stay busy and multi-task. The candidate who remodeled their backyard is motivated by accomplishments and likes being outdoors. The candidate who traveled to Europe has a variety of interests and is well rounded. The candidate who did nothing except look for a job is “vanilla” and I want to hire an ice cream sundae.
Appearing productive to family and friends is very important. Family and friends want to be supportive and it is much easier to support and encourage those who are making a contribution. Some things you can do:
- Ask for a “to do list” and tackle a new task each day
- Offer to babysit for family or friends
- Take the kids to school, help coach their sport team
- Start a networking group and meet 1x a week to share ideas, job opportunities and offer moral support to each other
- Get a part-time job (you don’t have to put in on your resume)
- Volunteer where you can network in your industry or preferred profession
- Share your skill set with those who need it
- Go back to school to learn something new
Once you get out of the house and try new things you will be amazed at the people and prospects that are out there. Your next job interview could be on the soccer field with the coach of your daughter’s team, but you never would have known that if you stayed inside and searched monster.com all day.
Most importantly being productive is good for your self esteem and morale. When you are employed you feel like a contributing member to your community and you feel good when you go home at then end of each day. You were productive (ok – not every day but most days). When you stop working – this feeling of productivity vanishes. That feeling must be replaced in order to sustain a positive attitude and maintain morale. When you are productive, you are confident and happy. This positive energy is transparent in an interview. So when all that networking, etc. comes to fruition and you get the interview (whether it is scheduled or impromptu) you are ready and in the right frame of mind. You are the type of candidate recruiters (I) love to talk with and present for consideration to hiring managers.
Not only can productivity improve your stature in the community and get your closet cleaned out it can improve your quality of life and give you an advantage over others in a competitive market. So, my point is…Do something, anything! You have been given the gift of time, spend it wisely.
Leave a Comment