WorkWise Q&A: Not Posted, Solo

(Retraction: The BlogTip on reinvention from the week of October 25 contained a truncated version of a web site. It should have read 360JobInterview.com. My apologies for this error.)

'NOT POSTED'

Q: Dear Dr. Culp, I haven't done well at all with job hunting online. Do you have any suggestions for finding the jobs NOT posted? Door-opener

A: Dear Door-opener, Right you are! Numbers will shift in your favor if you do all kinds of job hunting. Make looking for "the hidden job market" dominate 60 percent of the time or about 24 hours per week.

Gather a list of people you know who are working. Add to the list people who might not be working now but have worked at companies that interest you. Prioritize your list. Contact your best source first. If the person works where you might like to work, ask to come in for ten or 15 minutes to discuss the industry. If the person doesn't, give an idea of where you're headed so that he or she has a clue before you request the names of three or more people to contact.

Continue asking for contacts until ultimately you find an environment you like or a job someone wants you to have. :) If a company has no openings, ask what projects that person would do if he had a larger staff. Try creating a job around it. mlc

SOLO

Q: Hello Dr. Culp, I'm a marketing professional of over 20 years and I was laid off in June. I've been looking steadily since then, but the prospect of going back to the corporate world is less than appealing. My question: When is it time to seriously consider going out on your own instead of re-entering the corporate world? Disenchanted

A: Dear Disenchanted, Small businesses are midway between the corporate world and going solo. Many have a non-corporate flavor. Before you go off on your own, consider working for one of them so you learn from the mistakes others make. You need to know how different the rules are. For example, has it ever occurred to you that you can always tell an entrepreneur by how hard he works and whether he gives paperclips away?

While these behaviors might seem humorous, they reflect how close-to-the-bone small companies can be. Check into what health insurance will cost you if your new "home" doesn't offer it.

If going to a small business first seems like a waste of time and energy, don't. But be on the alert. The only thing that won't change is ethics. Dr. Mildred Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2009 Passage Media.