I'm Louise Fletcher. As President of 
I'm Chandlee Bryan. As a career coach and resume writer with experience from Manhattan to Main Street, I help job seekers connect with opportunity by sharing news, trends and best practices. I'm the Managing Editor of Career Hub and run 
Something I encourage clients to consider when in job search mode is to build a career transition team.
A what? they often ask.
A transition team – you know, a team of people who can help you get from point A to point B so it might be easier, smoother and more efficient for you to find that next gig.
Never heard of such a thing, I am often told.
Teamwork works. You can look for a job on
your own – the “solo”
method or you
can take the time to build a team to help you move forward with results that
may surprise you and please you.
What is a transition team, anyway?
A transition team is a group of people who you know, like and trust to help you make your next career move.
Not just any team, but an invested team of players who want you to “win” as much as you want to “win” a job. A team who is interested in supporting you with ideas, strategy, motivation and a caring concern that is deep enough to give you a swift kick in the backside if and when you need it.
Think of your favorite football, basketball or baseball team. How many players are on the team? How many players start the game?
How many players are on your career transition team? How many players in your line-up can you count on to serve as “starters” in your job search game? Who on your team has a specialty or expertise that could add value to your job hunt?
Job search is a team sport. While, for sure, you can go solo in your quest for new employment, perhaps you might try another route – a route to your next paycheck that may not be as lonely, difficult, challenging or frustrating. And that alternate route is called teamwork.
A career transition team is built of multiple individual
contributors who:
- you know, like and trust enough to invite them to serve on your team
- are invested in your career success without being compensated for caring
- are willing to give a reasonable amount of time to the process
- you respect enough to listen to their advice, insights and perspectives
- are not afraid to tell you what you would rather not hear.
As your job search gets underway, ask yourself this question:
Do I choose to go solo in looking for a new job or am I going to build a winning team?
