#9: Joining a JSC - Can I be Hawkeye?
How A "Job Search Council" Can Help Define Your Goals
Less than 18 months after leaving the corporate world, I’m on a Zoom call with professional peers located in 5 U.S. states.
And I’m digging it.
Wait – isn’t this what I *didn’t* want to ever have to do again? Well, yes, but there’s a big difference between having 10 Zoom calls a day and joining one Zoom call, twice a week.
And besides, this call is for my *free* Job Search Council (JSC), courtesy of Phyl Terry. Who’s Phyl Terry? He’s the author of Never Search Alone, a book that outlines his process for finding a new and more fulfilling job.
Now, my reasons for thinking about a job have changed, from making money to making a meaningful difference (and then maybe a little money?).
Still, I’m hoping that the JSC will help me tweak my resume, update my LinkedIn profile and freshen other important tools that introduce what I do to people who need it. Some of those people will offer interesting opportunities, I hope, and perhaps I’ll expand my network in my new state of Georgia as part of the process.
I had never heard of Phyl Terry or Never Search Alone until my buddy, Mike, told me about a group he meets with online every week. The group, called a Job Search Council, works together to provide advice and support each other as each member seeks a new job.
Mike was between jobs, and found his JSC helpful. “How much does this cost?” I asked, warily. Nothing, it’s free, Mike said. Well, buying the book is helpful, and it’s $17 on Amazon.
I’m in!
The book provides a link to begin the process of joining your own JSC. You answer a few basic questions about your field and what you are looking for, and a few days later poof! You are assigned a group, complete with a moderator who schedules the first meeting.
My JSC includes a former marketing data analyst in Florida, a finance whiz in near Chicago, a marketing expert from Boston and a project manager near Dallas who is also our moderator. Another person listed as a member never actually joined, so with me, our group was 5 people.
I immediately notice three things on our first online call:
First, I’m the oldest member of my JSC by at least 15-20 years.
Second, I’m the only person who is looking for fulfilling and meaningful work vs. resuming the full-time pursuit of a c-suite role.
Third? I’m thoroughly enjoying meeting with professionals who clearly have lived and breathed in professional environments, and who speak in almost a business shorthand as we talk about our situations and goals.
We choose to meet twice a week, and each call is filled with updates on ongoing job interviews and new prospects. There are questions about when and how to follow up if you’ve heard nothing since the interview, and how to leverage your network to find leads.
It quickly becomes clear that I don’t miss a full-time career. The stress is palpable on the faces and in the words of my JSC teammates, most of whom have young children. They need to get back on the career treadmill stat, for many reasons.
No one quite knows what to make of me. Because my goal is different, we usually get to my unique questions last as we work on each step of the job search process. The team provides terrific advice and insights on my resume and Linked In profile. Also, we understandably don’t spend much time viewing our activities through a post-career lens.
When we begin our practice interviews about three months into the process, the team is shocked that I’m good at it. Some mention, in tones of amazement usually reserved for escaping near death experiences, that they took notes on my questions and answers and plan to use parts of them. They don’t realize how many times I’ve been interviewed by reporters and asked questions myself as a reporter and executive communications leader. This career stuff is a piece of cake compared to hostile reporters and tense executives!
In the end, I got exactly what I needed from the JSC. The team calls eventually slowed and then stopped, as each JSC member found a full-time job. I’m happy for all of them.
I emailed Phyl Terry’s organization and asked if they would consider creating a JCS composed of people who are in late career and have different needs. The response? You can post something in our online community and see if others are interested.
I haven’t done that, yet. [Update: But I did soon after, and will write about that in the future.] But meeting with my JSC was a wonderful experience during my journey to find purpose. Today I stay in touch with a couple of my JSC peers, and root for them as I see their social media posts and career progress.
Choosing what you do next, like finding a job, is a process. If you’re lucky, it includes starting your own business. Which I did almost immediately after leaving Ball. May I introduce:
