I Have a Job, They Don’t: Sharing Resources

And here we are, yet again, discussing that painful, and all too common situation of having a job when her friends and family don't. And I, wanting to help my fellow professional geeks, have queued up another heaping helping of advice on what to do in the situation.

Tthe advice for this post? Start sharing their resources. You know, this job search sites you go to, or the newsletter should get, or the group you belong to. Share all the stuff we use constantly in her job search in our professional lives.



But wait, don't the various people we know who are unemployed note these resources as well? The answer is no.  In fact, it's bad to assume this – take it from someone who stupidly has done this many, many times.

There's a strange intimacy about the job search -  we get so used to it, so used to the tactics and the websites and so on that we really don't think about them. The search becomes instinctive, visceral, habitual, occasionally even obsessive-compulsive. We don't become aware of what were doing and how we're doing it unless we make a conscious effort at it.

I  find we don't make much of an effort to remember what we do on the job search. Heck, I certainly could do better of it, as many of my friends can attest. It's strange being the geek job guru and forgetting to tell people basic things or inform them of basic resources

So leverage my findings of my own stupidity, and make an effort to share your job-search resources with people who are looking for work. Forget that they may already know these resources, forget that they "should" and just tell them what you use.

Such things like:

  • Job search sites – there are so many – and they're so varied – you never know who is using what anyway.
  • Newsletters and mailing lists – I've seen some great ones online – and always found them via friends.
  • Networking groups and other career groups – They're all over LinkedIn, Meetup.com, and more.  Share your findings.
  • Any good networking events, job fairs, etc.  If you're in a big megaregion these happen a lot, but people may not hear of them.

Sure, you may be telling people about things they already know.  Chances are though they're not going to mind, or care, or even notice.

An especially important note for us progeeks – we often have access to resources that are unusual or not always known about by people who aren't into the progeek scene.  We're aware of apps, of startup trends, of unusual groups, and so on that others would want to know about – but that we take for granted.  Make an extra effort to inform people who aren't more of the progeek type about these resources – and take extra time to explain them.

Steven Savage