Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash
I have talked to so many candidates recently who shared what their plans were until those plans got changed by COVID. Some folks were positioning themselves for a promotion, others had just taken a new role with a lot of career upside but also more risk, and almost everyone planned on their economic situation improving over the coming years.
Career management is important. The jobs that you take tell the story of a career path and are used as an indicator of what direction you might be going. Hiring managers look for patterns. Patterns of employment length, position titles, etc. This is why it is important to manage your career as if it is continuous rather than being position delimited. However, you can only control what you can control. COVID-19 is an example of something outside of your control that may affect your career. Perhaps your company is downsizing, you have been laid off, or are afraid that you might be laid off. When you and, by extension, your career are disrupted, what do you do?
The most important advice I can give you is to remember that you control your career narrative. You tell the story, supported by facts, of why you are where you are right now. No one else can or will tell this story and just like any story, there are characters, a plot, and a hero(ine). Consider the following example of how you choose to tell your story and how different the same event can sound:
“I got laid off…”
“Over the past two quarters, my former company took a massive hit to their balance sheet due to COVID. As we both know, cash is king, and management needed to make some tough decisions. I met with my business leaders and we had difficult conversations about the health of the business. I exited the company due to the need of the company to cut costs… I hope they make it. Personally, I am excited to find my next great opportunity and would like to know more about how I can contribute to your team.”
The first story tells only one fact and provides no context. You are demanding that a hiring manager construct a narrative that makes sense to them to explain YOUR situation. Does this seem not only risky but also selfish?
Business is collaborative. Help the hiring manager to understand the reality of your situation rather than asking them to make uncomfortable assumptions.
The second story tells the same fact, that you were let go from your former company. However, because you tell your story, it actually is an opportunity to sell yourself and your skills. In this story, you demonstrate financial acumen, maturity, resiliency, and positivity. These are all fine skills and traits that employers look for in top talent. Additionally, consider the stress that a hiring manager is under to explain the unexplained to their boss. Their boss will look at your resume and will ask, “Why did he get laid off...”. If you don’t help the hiring manager to understand, the poor soul will have to grasp at possible reasons which may or may not be true, or positive, to explain what happened. This is poor risk because there is no upside.
You are in control of your career narrative.
You choose how to tell your story on paper and in conversation.
If you get stuck in terms of how to best tell your story, consider putting yourself in the position of the hiring manager. What successes might they note that you can elaborate on and what red flags might they see that you can help explain away?
It is YOUR job to get the job.
Good luck and stay safe!
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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