10 steps to build your transition plan
May 7, 2020, at 10:15am, I lost my job. I was fired, and it just sucked. There I said it…the terrible ‘F’-word: I was fired from a job I enjoyed, with an organization I hoped I could spend at least five years with and further develop my career, but that didn’t happen. COVID hit and my divisions business just tanked and combining those two issues, leadership decided it was time to end our professional relationship.
I’ll never forget that call…it was cold, calculating and incredibly business like and within a span of 15 minutes, it was done. Just needed to sign the paperwork, hand in my badge and laptop. What took me almost three years to build, was over in 15 minutes and I was crushed.
I went through all the stages of grief: Anger, denial, bargaining, some depression and after about a month…acceptance. Now this blog is not an article about me or my issues (that would take years to explore, and papers could be written) it’s about helping others who are going through this right now and need some type of path or guidance to help them get through this change.
If you find your self in market/in transition / laid off, these 10 steps can help you create a path to your next adventure. Before we begin, I want to make this comment: Be kind to yourself…it’s a journey and a process to get hired, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get a call, follow up or response. It takes time to get noticed and then hired. Some days your phone will ring and some days, it will not. The key is to not take anything personally.
The 10-step process:
1. Breathe: You just got off the call or left a meeting where HR and your manager thanked you for your time and that your services will no longer be required. Even when you know it’s coming it still stings…especially if you have to do the ‘perp’ walk through the office to exit the building. I’m not going to give you any platitude or bore you with pseudo sayings like “hang in there…” or “its their loss” …no! Its shit. You are allowed to be angry, hurt and upset, so don’t let anyone take that away from you. So, once you get off the phone or leave that office, take a moment, and breathe. Go outside, go for a walk, pet your pet whatever it is, just Breathe!
2. Better Call Saul: If you are a Breaking Bad fan or BCS fan, you know what this reference means. If not, Saul is a notorious lawyer who always means to do right by his clients. But you might be asking yourself…” what the hell is this guy talking about?” Well, in my professional opinion there are two people you need to call before you call anyone else: 1st – Your partner, spouse, significant other, mom, dad, priest rabbi – call that person who is closest to you and tell them what happened. Let the person who cares about you as much as you care about them know that you have been fired. Trust me, that person on the other end of that call will be a lifeline. Secondly – call a lawyer. Now most companies will be fair in their severance packages, and some might be downright generous. But there is that small percentage that will be…well let’s just say, they might not have your best intentions in mind. So, before you sign anything call a lawyer and get a professional opinion on your package. It will be the best 60-minute investment you can make. All lawyers are honest and will tell you quite directly if your package is fair and if it is not, they’ll tell you and it will be up to you to do what you want with that information. If you chose to pursue…great, if not…great. Just do yourself a favour and call a professional.
3. We’re going to Disney! What?! If you have ever watched the Super Bowl, at the end of the game, they interview the MVP and the first words out of their mouth when asked "what are you going to do next?", they say "I'm taking the family to Disney!" Take a break…once you completed steps one and two, take a well-deserved break. Whatever that means for you financially, if you can, take at least five days off to get yourself prepared for the inevitable next step…job hunting. This mini break will help you mentally and emotionally get into the right frame of mind…trust me on this piece.
4. Fail to Plan…Plan to Fail: You need to put a plan in place. How are you going to attack the market? Finding your next job is your new job, therefore, you need to work the market. So, M-F is your on going workday. If you got up at 5am to start your day, then keep on doing it. Mornings are for calls and meetings. Afternoons are for research. Don’t just randomly apply to jobs or call that recruiter you met eight years ago and hope they remember you…make a business plan that will see you through the next 6-10 months while you look.
5. The Glen Garry Leads – your 100 list*: To get the leads, you need to do the work. And to do the work, you need leads. Let’s build our leads: Using Excel (your new dbase) think about the three industries you want to work in. Then research companies that are engaged in that sector…you need to uncover 100 companies. The first 80 should be companies where your skills can be immediately utilized; the next 15 companies are business that run parallel to the 80, for example, if Pepsico is in your top 80, then a parallel company would be a sales and merch business or data company or an ingredient company. The last five…well those are dream companies. Places you always wanted to work in.
6. Top of the World! Now that you have identified your Industries and target companies, you need to find out who is the most senior person in that company that you would report to (based on your experience). If you a marketing manager, find out who is the VP of Marketing. If you are a President, find out who the CEO is or who sits on the Board. Sales Rep, who are the Director /Head of Sales. Now plug that name into your List + their position.
7. Help Wanted! Now that we are here…find out who is hiring. Using LI or Indeed or any social media site, uncover who is hiring. First see if they are hiring for your position if not, and that is ok, just mark it as “company hiring or other” …if they are hiring, they are growing, so track it:
8. Its who you know: Using LI, find out if you are connected to them and if not, who is in your network that is connected to these people. First connections are best, but second connections will also work. If there is no one, leave it blank...
9. Knock. Knock? Who’s There? Its Me!!! Start making the connections. This part is the hard part. Start reaching out to your contacts and ask for an introduction to the person you have identified. And once the introduction is made, and this is important, DO NOT chase them for a job. You are now building out your professional network. Once you connect with them, lead with the following statement: “…Hi, my name is “x” and I am in transition. I’m looking to move into your industry and work with a company like yours and I am looking to connect with you to see if you are open to sharing how I can get into it? What should I know about the industry, its challenges and where you think opportunity may lie?” Ask them about their career and any insights they can provide you. This is a Top-to-Top meeting, a sharing of ideas and information.
At the end of the call, thank them for their time and ask them two final questions: 1. Is there anyone within your professional network, that you believe would be open to networking or having a similar conversation? 2. May I share my resume with you? And that is it. More than likely they will say yes.
10. Network…Network…Network: You need to have a minimum of three (3) networking meetings a week…MINIMUM and these can be phone calls, zoom calls or in person. If in person, try to do it at their office, or over a mutually convenient location at a coffee shop and not over lunch. If at a coffee shop, arrive 10 minutes early, find a great table and for the love of god…buy the person you are meeting a coffee – its polite and shows that you value their time.
Final Note: These 10 steps will help you coordinate your own personal plan. Networking needs to be ¾ of your work. Recruiters needs to be 10-15% and online applications need to be the remainder. Why are recruiters such a small piece of the pie? Well, even in a hot market, recruiters only see 15% of all open roles. The rest are either posted online or are being held closely by hiring managers who are using their network to find a great hire.
*Why do I need a 100 List? Its old Xerox training. To get that one sale, you need to reach out to 100 companies. You see, out of 100, only 50 business will return your call and of that 50, only 25 will be open to having a conversation with you. Of that 25, 15 will say “thanks but not at this time”. The next five will invite you in to conduct a presentation and, one will buy. That is why you need to identify 100 companies…to get that right one to buy.
