Coping Strategies for Job Search: Build a Support Group

In my blog I often speak to the importance of networking.  It is how people actually find jobs.  My seminal point about networking is that your goal is to build a team to help you land your next job.  Networking helps you spread your message, and capture opportunities that match your goals.  Your network provides many other benefits, none the least of which is the human contact which helps mitigate the stress associated with job search.  Within that team, I recommend that you have a subgroup, a core team, who you confer with more frequently.  Call it a support group for now.

Being in job search can be a lonely, frustrating place.  There is a certain amount of isolation created when you are without a regular place to go to work with other people. It is a time when dark thought can grip you, causing you to sink into a period of despair.  The best way to avoid that situation is to have an effective support group.  There are many models for support groups, but ultimately you want to assemble a group of people who have been in your situation, who have successfully navigated through job search, and who have an understanding of your particular career track.  Another way to describe these people is “peers.”

The support group that I recommend is one that will help you brainstorm options; assist in key elements of your search; provide emotional support and help mitigate the isolation factor.   A good job search support group will help you with problem solving, and motivation.   They will inspire you to meet all challenges put in your path.  Of the utmost importance, these people must hold you accountable for your actions.  In fact, this is the model for a Master Mind Group.  

The Master Mind concept  is hardly new.  In fact, it is ancient.  However, it was the 20^th century self-improvement guru Napoleon Hill who coined the phrase “Mastermind Alliance” in his book, “Think and Grow Rich,” published in 1937. Hill’s work, inspired by Andrew Carnegie, was the result of interviews he conducted with highly successful people.  One common thread he uncovered was that successful people relied on a core group of like-minded individuals who were helpful in goal-setting, coaching, and encouragement.  Hill spoke of a mastermind group as “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”  Using a Master Mind Group in your job search is another powerful source of leverage.

So, who should you include in your Master Mind Group?  I already made the point that your Master Mind group must be experienced in job search and familiar with your field.  They should be people who you would consider mentors. People you hold in high regard, whose opinion you will respect even when their counsel is difficult to hear.  Above all, they must be committed to play a prominent role in helping you with your search.

Employing the Master Mind Group concept in your job search is another powerful source of leverage.  Your group will help you become more effective in your search, while minimizing the isolation factor and mitigating stress.  You will likely want to keep this group working with you after you land that next job, ensuring your career success.

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Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com