Waiting For Perfect

Job seekers, don’t get caught up in waiting for perfect. Postponing reaching out to key contacts because you want the stars and planets to align themselves in a certain way before taking action is a mistake. More than likely, you will find the perfect moment never materializes or when it does, someone else has beaten you to the punch.

When I worked on a sales floor as a recruiter typically two types of people could be found. The first was the individual who stayed on the phone and efficiently rolled through a variety of conversations. That individual was well practiced, relaxed and full of all sorts of valuable information gained from his efforts. He had developed a wealth of professional relationships that he was able to nurture and grow daily. The second was the individual painstakingly reviewing files, reading every letter of a job description, checking his phone voice and watching the clock for the decided upon moment when the magic would be able to happen. Once that individual finally got on the phone, he was tense and over-selling because the call had too much at stake. What could’ve been “a” call was now “the” call.

Please don’t think I’m against incorporating good strategy into your job search. It’s definitely important to be considerate of when and how a contact would be more receptive to your message. Don’t be like me the time I called a tax manager in a public accounting firm on April 14th for a reference. That, my friends, was unfortunate and dumb. The key is to map out a plan of contact while being realistic in terms of what needs to transpire ahead of action on your part. Too often, when my ears hear job seekers talk about wanting certain things to have happened before reaching out, my brain hears them saying they’re afraid of or not interested in action. That’s unfortunate because most times I get the sense all are hoping for a positive outcome. They want a job. They want this business of looking for employment to end. Too bad for them, what could be a perfect ending is being postponed by getting too caught up in having a perfect beginning.

Lisa Parker Joined the MSU Alumni Office in May of 2012 as the Director of Alumni Career & Business Services. She was then elevated to Senior Director of Alumni Engagement in July of 2016. Her prior experience includes 17 years of progressive leadership roles in third party recruitment