Did you abandon your job search this summer? Maybe you were parenting kids out of school, or feeling discouraged after too many rejections. Or perhaps you just decided to enjoy what, in Minnesota at least, was one of the best summers in decades.
Whatever the reason, if you’ve been absent from work or job search, you’ll need a plan to jump back in. You’ll also need an answer should anyone ask what you did on summer vacation. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where the unvarnished truth really isn’t a very good idea. There aren’t many good ways to spin, “My family life is too demanding to allow job search,” much less, “I just didn’t feel like it.”
Not to worry. Both the plan and the spin are solvable problems.
The plan
1. Find your old notes. If you kept paper files or a job search notebook, pull them together into one location. If you have computer files or emails to employers and networking contacts, corral them into files on your desktop.
2. Analyze your past search for potential leads. You might be feeling sheepish or even ashamed for dropping out of sight, but that doesn't mean your contacts will be judging you. In fact, they may not have even noticed your absence. Everyone's busy, after all. Once you've reviewed the past leads and contacts, sort them into categories, such as Promising, Contact Again, Don't Bother. A word of advice: Assume more belong in the first two categories than in the latter.
3. Revisit your goals. Now that you're kicking back into gear, what date are you setting for re-employment? And what is your job goal? These answers matter. The first will help you set your pace (how many contacts per day or week, for example) and the second will help ensure you're using an efficient process, targeted to your goal job.
4. Revise your resume. You may have nothing to add, but check back through the last few months just to be sure. Did you coach Little League? Run the community bake sale? Operate a neighborhood lawn service? If you want to demonstrate leadership or community involvement, or just fill a gap in the time sequence, these non-work activities may prove helpful.
5. Set a schedule. It isn't necessary or even particularly realistic to assume your search should take 40 hours a week. But you'll succeed more quickly if you set aside time on a daily basis. Two to four hours every weekday morning works great, ideally starting at the same time every day.
6. Plan a launch point for the search. It might be an appointment with a career counselor, or a class at your workforce center or attendance at a job support meeting. Whatever you choose, commit to a date on your calendar to formally launch your rebooted search.
The spin
For the moment, try to forget that the word “spin” is usually associated with misleading others. Here’s another way to look at it: There are several true ways to describe any situation. As you reboot your search, you need to choose a truth about your break that doesn’t make it difficult for others to take you seriously.
To start, lose the guilt, if you have any. With few exceptions, you didn’t need anyone’s permission for suspending your search and you don’t owe anyone an explanation now. That said, your conversations will go more smoothly if you anticipate the obvious query: “Where have you been all summer?” Here are a couple of ideas to help you.
1. When recontacting people in your network: "Dear Mary, I hope you've had a great summer. It's been a while since we connected about the marketing position at your company. I don't know if that's still in play, but in either case, I'd love to get together for a cup of coffee if you have time in the next few weeks."
2. When speaking with a contact or prospective employer who has asked what you've been doing for the past few months: "I've been focusing on other things over the summer, including some leadership roles I took on." Or, if that's not the case, "… including some family obligations I wanted to take care of before starting work."
In either case, the next sentence should redirect attention to the meeting at hand: “I’m focusing attention on my job search now, and I wanted to talk to you about …” or, “I’m ready to return to work, and it sounds like my timing fits with the opening you’re filling …”
OK, that’s the plan, and the spin. Summer isn’t quite over yet, so enjoy yourself, and let your Labor Day holiday refresh you for the search ahead.
