125: Avoiding Networking and Job Search Futility with Stephen Warley

The John Poelstra Show

Stephen Warley joins me to explore why your job search and networking strategies aren’t working and what to do instead.

Top Takeaways

• Stop relying solely on online job applications and start talking to real-live people!
• Create and maintain a list of your existing contacts and reach out to them with curiosity and honesty.
• Understand your desired lifestyle costs and calculate the income needed to sustain it–don’t chase an arbitrary salary number.
• Learn to articulate and demonstrate your value proposition to potential employers/clients.
• Be open to unconventional paths like consulting, freelancing, or non-traditional roles.
• Continuously invest in improving your skills and curating a portfolio of your work.
• Market and promote yourself proactively, don’t just wait for opportunities.
• Identify companies/organizations aligned with your values and interests.
• Explore volunteering or gifting services to showcase your abilities.
• Ask for additional connections/introductions in every conversation.
• Adopt an entrepreneurial, empowered approach to managing your career.
• Form a job search community for support, perspectives, and accountability.
• Don’t undervalue your worth, but remain realistic about market rates.
• Follow up consistently–a lack of response doesn’t mean you should stop pursuing.
• Get out of your head and take action–even in small steps.
• Challenge assumptions about what’s possible or conventional.
• Align your work with your personal values and find the right fit.
• Consider interim/temporary roles as potential paths to something more permanent.
• Embrace lifelong learning as industries and roles evolve.
• Focus on continuous self-improvement, not just securing any job.

More About Stephen Warley

Stephen Warley has been a serial solopreneur for the past 25 years. He’s the founder of LifeSkillsThatMatter.com. He’s a career and business coach on a mission to help you create work that works for you in alignment with your values, needs and abilities. He believes work is fundamentally changing as you know it and we’re all going to have to manage ourselves whether you work for yourself or someone else. Learn how to start making your work, work for you at www.lifeskillsthatmatter.com/about

Credits

• Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund
• Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod

All songs licensed under Creative Commons

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