Advice

Build Your Own ‘Inside’

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"I'm not on the inside."

Have you ever heard that excuse from some sad seeker of employment?  Have you ever lowered yourself to employ the excuse yourself?  My guess if you've encountered one if not both cases.

It's a common story – and a common excuse.  People think they can't succeed because they're not part of the "inside" the elite group, the . . . well whatever elite or group or team of influencers that makes things happen.  We fear we're not connected, never going to be connected, and are thus going to fail.

I won't lie – connections are important in career and life.  Networking and being connected pays off in far more ways than just a job search.  Decrying it however misses the point.

You're not "on the inside"?  Then build your own inside.  In fact, you're a progeek, you have an entire "inside" just waiting to happen.

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Look At The Many Opportunities Of Relocation

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OK, you've done it.  You're relocating.  You found that right place, that right job (or right opportunity).  You're going to get that career of yours going!

Don't forget, once you relocate, that there's plenty of other things you'll want to do to catch up on your life.  Relocation is an opportunity not just for that new job, but often we're moving to areas that cover a lot of our others needs much better than where we were. 

Consider:

  • A chance to improve your connections.  There are new meetups, new conventions,  new events, new networking opportunities, new holiday celebrations.  Take the time to find out what to do and how to get involved.
  • A chance to improve your health.  If you're going from an area with less than stellar health care to a place with better, or to one of the high-tech megaregions, take advantage of it.  Better doctors, better medications, newer technologies, and more options can all contribute to your health.
  • A chance to improve your education.  More training?  Better schools and colleges?  Check out the opportunities to get better educated in your new location.
  • A chance to go a bit greener.  Is there better public transportation where you're moving?  Can you make a bit less impact on the environment?  Maybe you can even get involved locally to improve things.
  • A chance to save money.  Now you may be moving to a place where things are more costly, despite higher pay, but I've found that its too easy to ignore the chances to save money from a move.  Better public transport can help you ditch one of your cars, locally grown food may be cheaper, more opportunities for exercise can cut your doctor's bills, and more.

So when you relocate for that dream job, don't just look at that.  Look at all the other ways the relocation can improve your life.

– Steven Savage

Quick Things To Help your Unemployed Fellow Fan

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So you've got some fellow fans, geeks, and otaku who are having a tough-time job wise.  Maybe they just lost their job, maybe you've found your online or local community is plagued by unemployment.  What can you do, fast, to help people out?

  • Set up a message board topic or similar area on your gang/convention/group's website for job assistance and encourage people to help out.
  • Make unemployment – and employment – a subject at your next gaming session, group get-together, etc.  For that matter make a spinoff group until people's economic lives are less unpleasantly unemployment-focused.
  • Do a whip-round in your mailing list or preferred social media to gather people's lists of recruiters, temp agonies, etc. and pass them out to those seeking employment.
  • Make sure everyone in your fan group links to each other on LinkedIn and helps each other network.
  • Collect people's resumes and distribute them to the group in case they hear of any openings – that can take just an evening.
  • Hold an immediate online commiseration session.  It'll feel good.
  • Have everyone in your fan group go see if there are relevant openings at their companies.  Set a deadline to report it.

Any other suggestions?

– Steven Savage