Why bother?

Ever bailed on a strategy that didn’t produce immediate results?

If you’re being brutally honest with yourself, the answer is most likely, “yes.”

If you’ve followed me on LinkedIn or have subscribed to this newsletter for awhile, you know that I often devolve into a broken record about one important job search strategy:

“Networking.”

“NETWORKING.”

“NETWORKING!!!”

However, I’m sure many of you have tried approaches such as these without any immediate results.

If you fire off 10-20 emails and no one responds, why keep trying?

What’s the use in doing something that doesn’t produce obvious, visible results? When do you get to see the payoff that you feel you deserve?

Consider this newsletter and my coaching business for a moment.

It’s no secret that career coaching is my profession.

If you’re reading this, how did you discover me?

Did someone refer you to my newsletter? Did someone point you towards my LinkedIn profile? Did you stumble across one of my posts and decide to sign up or follow me from there?

When seeking out someone to work with or listen to regarding advice for your job search, are you more likely to follow someone with zero social proof or credibility, or someone with a larger following, lots of reviews and good content that resonates with you?

I’ve built the latter through meticulous and consistent effort that doesn’t often have an immediate payoff.

If I write a LinkedIn post giving people advice on fixing their resumes or crafting a strong elevator pitch, is that going to immediately lead to new clients? Will people sign up immediately to work with me?

Sometimes, but not usually.

But it builds credibility and expands my visibility so that people know what type of guidance I provide. It also attracts others to my profile and allows others to find me who might be in need of my service. The payoff for those efforts may come weeks or months down the road.

This principle can equate to your efforts on the job search as well.

Committing to a consistent networking process may not produce immediate results.

But I have seen great networking efforts from my clients lead to a referral or an interview a few weeks or months after they reached out.

These connections would never have happened had they not sent that first email.

Again, networking shouldn’t have a transactional focus. If you only reach out to people when you need something, it is less likely to generate a positive outcome than if you build a network organically and have strong, genuine relationships.

Build a network before you need it.

And if you’re on the job search right now and do actually need it, don’t only pursue connections that will have an immediate payoff.

Think about the companies you’d like to work for one day who may not have an opening today but might in six months, a year or five years.

Think about how much more successful your future job searches can be with a larger network you’ve been cultivating for years.

Be forward-thinking with every approach during your job search.

Admittedly, this is hard.

If you feel pressure to land a job soon, it can be tough to place value on actions that may not have an immediate payoff.

Future payoffs are often greater because of the compound effort that you’ve invested.

So, if there are aspects of your job search that you are not putting effort into now simply because you cannot find an immediate purpose or payoff, I urge you to reconsider.

Start building some connections now. Update your resume as you go along instead of waiting until you need to apply. Develop a strong elevator pitch before you have any interviews.

Be proactive about everything. Your future self will thank you.