Job Hunting, Interviewing, and Exercising PatienceHeroic Technical Writing: Advice and Insights on the Business of Technical CommunicationHeroic Technical Writing: Advice and Insights on the Business of Technical Communication

While work continues on my short-term contract with NASA, so too does has the job hunt. Jobs in my preferred industry in Central Florida have been thin online, so it was a welcome relief when my network once again worked its magic in March and a former customer messaged me in LinkedIn to see if I’d be interested in working for his company. The down side was that it took a while for the formal interview process to move at the speed I’d hoped. Demonstrating calm and patience while job and house hunting has been…challenging.

Your Network of Previous Employers Can Work for You

I’d love to tell you that I’m some sort of marketing and networking genius who can offer you a three-point strategy for getting the job you want. I’m not. The last two major contracts I worked on came about because former colleagues needed a tech writer and thought well enough of my past work to reach out to me. The following three points won’t guarantee you a job when you’re hunting, but they can definitely help:

When you are working, work well with others (meaning, do your job well and get along with people).
Get to know as many people as you can, work well with them, too, and save their contact information.
If you are unemployed or about to be, let your network know…and also let people know what type of work you are looking for. LinkedIn is very good for this purpose. Targeted emails also can be useful–ask your recipients if they know someone who has work you might do–that’s a lot easier than asking for a job.

Exercise Patience During the Interview Process

Employers understand that potential candidates have bills to pay (who doesn’t?). Some applicants are eager–that’s a more polite word than desperate–to start as soon as possible. Still, employers have their needs to consider first. They want to make certain they know what tasks a particular role will perform; they want to make certain they set their candidate criteria appropriately; and they want to ensure they have the budget to hire the person they want.

You might, in fact, be the most qualified, most fitting person for the job. However, you will not be the only one. It takes time to review and interview candidates.

There are also other jobs out there, so it’s important that you keep looking, regardless of how exciting a particular job might be compared to others in case you don’t get the one you hoped for.

That’s it for this month. Next month will look very different!