Sital's Blog

Why on earth do people who are made redundant shy away from telling the very people who can help them get back into a job?

In the last few weeks I have spoken with several individuals who have been made redundant in London from the fall-out of the sub-prime issues and the credit crunch.

For those who are looking to get back into the market quickly my message has been simple.

Once you’ve decided what you are looking for, are clear about what makes you different and are ready to start actively looking, focus on influencing your network to help you find opportunities.

My constant message to people is: your contacts and in turn their contacts are the easiest ways to uncover opportunities in a tough market.

Yet I am finding these people are still focussing their search primarily through headhunters and adverts on websites. Having then made little progress they complain about the recruiters and websites.

But when I ask “so have you told everyone in your network that you are looking?”, I usually get a sheepish reply “….well yes, I’ve told a few people….”

“A few people” means that they have held back from telling everyone as they are embarrassed or uncomfortable with being made redundant – particularly if it’s the first time it’s happened.

As I mentioned in a previous post some weeks back, in tough times it is your network that will protect you from the ravages of recession, downturn and redundancy.

In the current market, aside from the fact that there are fewer vacancies, the firms that are hiring are increasingly relying on direct applications and employee referral programmes to attract candidates.

Like businesses in most sectors, banks are scrutinising their budgets, and if they can avoid paying recruitment fees they will. So if you’re only relying on recruiters, you could be missing a lot of opportunities.

Am I saying don’t use recruiters? Not at all. Use all channels to find the right role.

I am just saying that during a downturn where there are fewer opportunities, your network will play a key role by becoming your own ‘unpaid recruiters.’

So don’t let your pride get in the way – there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Please do yourself (and your family) a favour and broadcast the fact you have been made redundant to your friends, ex-colleagues, peers and clients. 

I assure you most people will want to help you. But they can’t do that unless they know you need assistance…