Rebecca McLoughlin is a living example of how the road to getting the job offer can vary. In 2008 she was laid off by Merrill Lynch from her position as a Vice President—two days before the collapse of Lehman Brothers put thousands of people on the street unemployed and shortly before the delivery of her first child. She vowed she would never be surprised again.
Rebecca spent a year searching for a fulltime position, while working part time at BJs as a corporate membership salesperson (a creative approach to getting in front of human resource managers). At the end of that first year, she was hired at UBS when several of her former colleagues joined the firm. She had kept her network alive throughout this time and it worked.
Nearly two years later, a recruiter found Rebecca through LinkedIn and she was hired away by RBS.
All was well until recently when the newspapers reported that RBS might be divesting businesses in the United States and undergoing layoffs. Remembering her experience at Merrill and expecting her second child, Rebecca moved quickly to update her LinkedIn profile, paying particular attention to keywords that would get noticed. She immediately found a job listing on LinkedIn that was a perfect fit. A month later, during the Christmas holiday, she accepted a job offer. Adding to the impressive nature of her job hunt in this market, her new firm extended the offer knowing she was pregnant and would need to leave two months later for maternity leave.
Three years, three permanent job offers and each from different avenues: networking, recruiters and social media. One offer was even extended during a time when many believe no one is hiring—the holidays. Throughout, Rebecca maintained an upbeat attitude, “you need to get over yourself, and do what you have to do to keep money coming in and your spirits up”.
The road not taken might just be the road for you. Try them all and see where they take you!
For the inside scoop on social media, read what this recruiter has to say. If you need a pick-me-up, guest blogger Greg Peters is always good for a little levity!
Image courtesy of Paul de Bruin