Reaching out to friends to find my next job
A while ago I quit my job and went travelling. Now I’m back home, living with my parents, and keen to get into the workforce once more. But there's been a little problem. I’m not sure on what kind of work I want to do.
To help me discern what work could be a good fit, I did the following:
Hopped on LinkedIn.
Scrolled through all my connections. If any connections had jobs that looked interesting that I could pivot into, I opened their profile in a new tab.
From all of the new tabs I opened, I looked through the profiles more closely and chose a few people that I knew well that I wanted to reach out to.
I sent messages on LinkedIn asking for a quick 30 minute call to hear their perspective on their work. (Since sending these messages, I’ve realised that if I’m friends on Facebook with these people then it’s definitely better to reach out through there with an more informal approach).
That’s it. I’ve had about 4 calls now and it’s honestly been really helpful. Each call reveals something a little different and I’ve noticed that some people are definitely more intelligent and helpful than others so it’s worth persisting to have those conversations.
I’ve found it psychologically difficult to initiate these chats because part of me feels like I’m showing weakness in saying that I’m not sure about my career direction and I need help. But I’m so glad that I’ve challenged that fear and reached out anyway. People are nicer than I thought.