By Wendy Alexander
‘I’m open to anything’ gives the people who want to help you find your next job absolutely nothing to work with
You’ve spent twenty or thirty years doing amazing work and somebody asks what you’re looking for next and you choose this moment to sound like you’re up for everything from being the CIO to fixing the office dishwasher
You’re trying to keep your options open because you don’t want to miss something good but now your friend has to work out what the hell you’re talking about before they can think of somebody to introduce you to
So they say ‘I’ll keep an eye out’ and that conversation dies an instant death
Give your network something useful to remember
Help them picture the work you want and the problem you’re good at fixing so they know when to mention your name
Something like this…
‘I’m looking for an operations role where I can help a growing business get its teams and processes working properly
I’m good at finding what keeps causing delays and getting the people involved to agree on a fix
If you know somebody leading a team that’s grown faster than its systems I’d love to hear what they’re dealing with’
Now that person has something useful to remember when a former teammate starts complaining about missed deadlines and nobody knowing who’s doing what
And you haven’t signed a legally binding agreement to do that one thing until you retire because you’re allowed to have more than one option
Just give each conversation enough direction for the other person to help
Try the forwarding test
Here’s a useful test before you send your next networking message…
Could somebody forward it to a colleague without adding three paragraphs explaining what you actually mean?
If they’d need your full resume and a lengthy phone call to make sense of it then you’ve failed miserably
Take that clarity into your interview
This helps in an interview too because when somebody asks what you want from your next role you’ll have a clearer answer than ‘a new challenge’ followed by a hopeful smile
Your dog already knows how to ask for help
Your dog already understands how to make a request useful because when her ball rolls under the sofa she parks herself beside the exact gap and stares at it until you come and get it
By the time you get down on your knees you know exactly what you’re looking for and which ridiculous piece of furniture you’ll have to move
She’s made the job of helping her very clear
That’s The Dog Code in your career
Give the people who want to help you something clear enough to remember and useful enough to pass on
The Dog Code book and audio are both available now so head to happycareerhub.com and get your copy to start putting these ideas to work in your own career
Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open