Top 10 Career Transition Questions: #4 Who do I ask for help during my career search?

Blog post by Career Transition Coach, Greg Moore

This blog is part of a series addressing some of the most compelling questions for those that are beginning a career search. During the last 6 years, we have been asked hundreds of questions related to career transition and best practices. Here we are distilling those queries down to the 10 most critical need to know responses. Here is #4 of 10, discussing who to ask for help during your career search.

Who are my top 5 – 6 professional relationships and how can those individuals assist me in my search?

One of the first exercises one can perform when beginning a job search is to take stock of one’s “assets”. Those relationships with people who are in positions of power or influence can be extremely valuable to your job search. You are going to need some excellent strategists. These are the folks that you want on your “dream team” to assist you during your search. These should be people who are both capable and willing to help. Hopefully along the way you have made some positive impressions that will allow you to make these critical requests for support.

Start by making a list of almost everyone you know. Don’t parse it or vett it at this time. Just keep writing. This should be a long list of names maybe over one hundred deep. Then, go back through the list and score them all on two important criteria: How much power/influence do they have? How willing are they to help? Add these two scores and the people at the top might very well be your “dream team”. Give it some thought and try to select 5 or 6 people and reach out to them with a request for a coffee meeting and tell them you looking for advice. That is all you do at this time, ask for advice. If they seem willing to help and if you still believe they are capable, they are on the team.