Proof of Concept
By Kurt Schmidt In Blog On May 27, 2014
Getting back to work, my regular work, has been tough. I knew it would be. I also knew I wouldn’t sell a million books in the first month, so work it is! I never really stopped recruiting, I just let my project load taper down so I could focus on getting the book written, edited and finally published. Finishing a 332 page book is quite a project!
Now it seems I have two jobs: Selling books and recruiting, both of which feel like start-ups. Book selling is new and, for me, experimental, so I expect that will take some time to sort out. Recruiting is what got me here in the first place and, in some ways, feels like putting on an old pair of shoes – that fit. However it’s been some time since I’ve worked hard at it so starting up again now means starting fresh, an intimidating proposition.
As I wrote repeatedly in the book, the recruiting work I do is very similar to looking for a job. Starting it up again is just like starting a job search and, for me, represents a great opportunity to prove the concepts I spent 332 pages writing about. So how did I start up again? Just like I advise: research, networking, guidance requests, relationship development and information sharing. I went back to my roots!
What happened? It took some doing and the final results aren’t in yet but, after quite a few marketing calls and emails, last week I discovered and got access to a situation where there are 5 open jobs. I’ve got 3 candidates interviewing already, and while there’s no guarantee that I’ll place anyone yet, just getting access to the positions gives me more to talk about, which will eventually bring about more projects.
How did I do it? More on that later…
One of my book sales plans is to share some of the contents and my ideas publicly, on this blog, and in my LinkedIn group, Modern Job Search. Naturally, when I created the LinkedIn group, I invited all of my contacts. Because LinkedIn has a standard invitation form that doesn’t allow for customization, there was nothing I could really say about the group while inviting people. As a result a few people sent questions, some like this one from “Ken” (not his real name).
“Hi Kurt,
Advise how this group interacts to assist members.
Thank you.
Ken”
Fair enough “Ken.” I wish LinkedIn would have let me explain that in the invitation. I assumed that the title of the group, “Modern Job Search” would have provided some hint about the group’s purpose but still, it’s a fair question.
“Hi Ken,
Thank you for getting back to me. I apologize that the invitation was not more detailed. LinkedIn only provides that format for group invitations.
The group is a forum for people to share articles, blog links or ideas about job hunting. So far, I’m doing most of the posting – but I have a lot experience in this area. Some of what I’m posting comes from my own tactics and strategies as an executive recruiter. Other posts are things I’ve found on that seem helpful, interesting, subtle, or relevant.
In addition, I’ve recently published a book that goes into much greater detail about the types of strategies successful recruiters use to market and place their own candidates, including research tactics, resume preparation, interview strategies and negotiating techniques. The group is named after the book – which can be found at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JAPPXFI
I hope that people do find the group helpful, whether or not they are actively looking for a new position right now.
Thanks again for your reply.
Best Regards, Kurt Schmidt”
This is true: “I hope that people do find the group helpful, whether or not they are actively looking for a new position right now” and I would like to think that the experiences I write about or cite for the group (blog and book) are helpful. Along those lines…
Back to the jobs I picked up: Seriously, how did I do it?
The basics are research, networking, guidance requests, relationship development and information sharing. In the book this is the progression from Chapter 1. “Understanding Your Value in the Marketplace” through to Chapter 7. “Breaking Through” and includes personal and market value analysis, peer and hiring manager network research, packaging, initial contact, managing the numbers, dialogue development, and interview conversion. Obviously there’s a lot more to that – which is why there’s a book and not just a blog post, but the bottom line is that I found the right people, crafted the right message, shared information and started conversations. In my work, as it is for job seekers, communication leads to sharing information. Shared information leads to opportunities. It is important not to be afraid to reach out to the people you’re curious about. Do it frequently and good things will happen. All of my calls and emails are a result of curiosity.
Getting access to work on 5 jobs using the strategies I wrote about in my book represents a “proof of concept” for my job search process. Sharing the methods with others who might use them for their own benefit seems like a pretty good “proof of concept” for the LinkedIn group too. File under “Tuesday after Memorial Day thoughts.”
Photo: Flowers, Zagreb, Croatia 2009
